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Product Reviews
When it comes to Astronomy related equipment and software, everyone has their favorite (or dream) setup. Another thing that amateur astronomers are certain to have is an opinion. Here you can read articles about equipment and software that our astronomers have used and tested. Even if you're not looking to find out anything in particular, product reviews are often a fun read.
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Written by Steve Cox
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Saturday, 27 September 2008 09:08 |
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Eva-Dry High Capacity Dehumidifier Systems.
by Steve Cox
The Weapon:
Welcome to South Florida, and the wonderful conditions of moisture that go along with it. The enemy comes to astronomers in the form of dew. Our equipment takes the punishment night after night. Now there is a new weapon to fight back, behold the Eva-Dry High Capacity Dehumidifier Systems. They come in all shapes and sizes and range in price from $14-$80 each. Their one mission is to remove moisture from our astronomy equipment. Inside these units are thousands of tiny crystals that remain active for 10 years and offer a limited 5 year manufacture warranty. 
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Written by Steve Cox
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Saturday, 26 July 2008 10:41 |
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A Review of the William Optics Zenithstar 70ED f:/6.1 refractor
by Steve Cox 
I recently purchased a William Optics Zenithstar 70ED f:/6.1 refractor. The purpose of the purchase was to use it as a guide scope, and an imaging refractor. Since I already have the Megrez 110ED, I thought this little refractor would make a nice match. After patiently waiting nearly three weeks it arrived. I was so impressed with how William Optics kept me posted on the status of the scope shipping out to me. The company has been a true delight every time I have used them. When I unboxed this small refractor I was amazed at its weight. At a little over five pounds you can still easily hold it with one hand, but lets not get tricky here, after all it is not inexpensive. |
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Written by Howard Lazarus
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Saturday, 19 July 2008 12:39 |
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WO FLT 110MM TMB and Polluted Sites
By Howard Lazarus When I started out in astronomy about 20 years ago there were several sites in the New York area that were fairly good for those long cool nights. Naturally, I got involved in the quest for the best equipment for I always sought to get the best views....the most dramatic views of those objects that my fellow astronomers often marveled at. Equipment often took first place over the real purpose of the hobby, the study of the skies. What I did and so many of us do is start collecting equipment. I had the Meade LX 200 Classic, the Meade LX 200 GPS 7" Mak and if that was not enough I purchased and used the Astro Physics 130MM with their 600 GOTO mount. No that was not good enough for when I moved down to Boynton Beach Florida I installed a steel pier (cemented into the ground) to be used with the AP mount and 130MM scope. GOTO mounts and the larger apature scopes have their place but to me, I was exhausted with the weight of the setup, with the wires hanging everywhere, with making sure all batteries were fully charged and of course setting up the observing chair which was too often in the wrong position due to the changing positions of the goto scope to seek out different objects! Two years ago I just sold everything and decided to give the hobby a rest. I started to seek out a way to really enjoy the night skies. I wanted a first class refractor (those are the scopes I favored) and a simple but reliable mount... without wires all over the place and if possible NO batteries. |
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Written by Ivan Gastaldo
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Tuesday, 15 July 2008 11:57 |
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Orion XT8 Review
by Ivan Gastaldo Here is a brief review of a scope that I consider a bargain, and great starter for anyone interested in Astronomy. It has enough aperture to satisfy even the “experts”, and you can set it up in literally two minutes. I received this scope as a gift, and after testing it last night, I decided that it is definitely a keeper. Its ease of setup and use makes it a perfect scope for those times in which you don’t have much free time, but still, you want to have a quick glimpse of what is “up there”…  For $299 you get a lot of accessories included with the telescope…
In the package you get Orion’s Deluxe laser collimator, which makes this tedious process a breeze (great news!), 2 eyepieces (very decent ones indeed), a 25mm Orion Plossl and a 10mm Orion Plossl, an Orion celestial folding map (DeepMap 600), and Orion’s limited version of Starry Night. The scope’s focuser has been upgraded by Orion, and now they deliver it with a Crayford style focuser, instead of the rack and pinion that they used to ship it with, making it a much better set up. It is smooth & rock steady - No more flimsy feeling at the focuser when you load you heavy eyepieces. The Finderscope included with this scope is a nice 9x50, right angle, correct view, which helps a lot in finding objects & centering them in your main scope. (once aligned, of course) |
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Written by David Milone
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Wednesday, 18 June 2008 00:00 |
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Product Review for the Dual Speed Crayford Focuser for Synta Refractors made by William Optics
by David Milone 
I'm very excited about my new dual speed focuser from William Optics. I put it on my old Orion 80ED and let me tell you, it looks and feels almost like an entirely new telescope. Finding perfect focus is now much easier than before. I've had many nights of planetary observing, struggling with my old focuser, shaking the scope with every turn. I would try with my glasses on, my glasses off, rubbing my eyes, rack in, rack out, constantly tweaking, never satisfied with my focus. Attaching a camera to the old focuser could be even more frustrating. So I was very excited when I stumbled across this new dual speed focuser on the internet. It seemed like a perfect fit for my 80. |
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