How long can Ed last using ONLY a Junk Scope? (Edu Science Star Tracker)

[@hmuphilly9129]

you know its serious when Ed is throwing pieces

[@guarmiron5557]

I know the pieces were junk but I still cringed. When I bought my first used Newtonian (Edmund Scientific) I accidently dropper one of the Kellners . . . I got that same feeling (the kellner was OK) when Ed tossed those pieces.

[@angusshaw5954]

🤣🤣🤣 I used a POC like this. It was a Skillcraft 60mm. I used it for more years than I care to admit. I did see most of the Messier objects ... but skies were darker than they are now and I did extensive 'homework' on what to look for prior to trying observe later that night.

[@hmuphilly9129]

@@angusshaw5954 Same a tasco hobby toy

[@michaelsherck5099]

Your local club owes you big time for putting you through this. Christmas is coming!

[@MemoxWasHere]

The modifications are like putting perfume on a turd

[@PafMedic]

😂😂😂Omg

[@astrofire68]

The sound of that finder hitting the floor was exquisite 👌

[@jrwestimate6953]

Thanks Ed, I loved the effort. You went above and beyond the call of duty.

[@Astro_Ape]

Awesome video Ed! Just a FYI for any new amateurs: "below 1.25" eyepieces = junk" is a good rule of thumb for any new scopes, but most vintage scopes (including the very good ones) will be .965" eyepieces. Just wanted to throw that out there just in case any newbies run across a vintage scope for a decent deal and won't be scared off by the small eyepieces.

[@MrAstrojensen]

If someone has some Zeiss 0.965" eyepieces they want to dispose of, I can assist with that. 😁

[@tyler77776]

When Ed picked up that screwdriver and mallet I seriously thought he was about to smash that thing to pieces

[@thisissparta3965]

I wished he had. Trash can is the only fit place for a trash scope 😅

[@yinglyca1]

I want to see a video of Ed, SMASING that thing. lol

[@Markaras]

LMAO the fact that you dropped them on the ground was so funny.

[@j10948]

My first look throughout a telescope was through my brother’s Sears telescope he got for Christmas. Believe it was 50mm. Wasn’t as bad as Ed’s junker and gave a ok view of Mars. This got me hooked in astronomy. Couple decades later and several thousands spent on telescopes, eyepieces, and cameras, I can thank that cheap scope for getting me into the hobby

[@allancopland1768]

Nice to know the field stop was up to snuff.

[@johnrobison1413]

A friend brought me their 50mm f12 Tasco, a garage sale find to check out. At least it didn’t have a baffle and the 50mm air spaced objective was useable. The supplied mount, diagonal and eyepieces went straightaway to the bin. The only thing he had to buy was a .965 to 1.25 diagonal for $11 off of ebay. I made a cradle out of pine with a 4 inch vixen rail. Built a straightforward AZ mount (milk jug plastic bearings of course) and gave him a one of my many extra tripods. That and a couple of extra MA eyepieces, a 20mm and 10mm I had laying around completed the ‘necessary improvements’. Before handing it back thought I should at least test it out. Saturn was well placed so I swung it heavenward with the 20 MA to locate it. Hmm, at 30x, not bad at all. Switched to the 10mm and was presented with a small, but clear, jewell like image. I could clearly see the division between ring and planet, and even where the ring passed in front. As this came to me it was, like yours, useless. But at least the objective was good, and after a bit of tinder care, I was surprised how good it was.

[@BlueTrane2028]

Similarly, my parents gifted me a 60mm f/15 by Simmons when I was young for Christmas. I couldn't figure out the wobbly EQ1 mount, .965 eyepieces were junk, a ridiculous Barlow, useless finder, etc... Suffice to say I didn't use it much. Later, after having finally become a seasoned observer I made a bunch of changes. 3D printed rings so the tube can be rotated and the mount actually balanced, a red dot finder, adpating diagonal for 1.25" eyepieces, and some Plossls, 40mm to 10, a nice little set. The difference it made was astounding. The scope is entirely useable, if I had nothing else I'd still be able to observe a bit. But, the smallest scope I use with any real regularity is a 6" Newtonian, so it stays where it's been from about a week past Christmas, in my parents basement.

[@Beanerds]

My neighbour got one of these for his Daughter for Christmas this year , I took one look at it and told him to take it back ,,, beyond terrible . I gave him a 90mmf10 Saxon refractor of good optical and mechanical quality , 6x30 finder on an older EQ2 mount that I supercharged a 25 and 10mm plossl and man its night and day ! . So sad they even manufacture these , hobby killers of the highest order ! Thanks for this , I actually showed them this review .

[@tfl-larsm24]

:-) I really loved this session with Ed. In 2010, I helped a relative to buy a Dobson for her husband for Christmas, but not affording my own scope. However, in my country, we have the German food chain Lidl (a competitor to Aldi), and low and behold, that Christmas, they were selling a $60, 900x70 mm "junk" scope (from Bresser). So, having a nice balcony with a good field of view to the south, I bought it. My first scope for 50 years. With all the faults Ed mentions, except one thing different, it was a true 1.25" in every sense. And the "crappy" tripod had a working wedge as a mount as the one Celestron has on their C5 AltAz's. And, after stiffening the tripod out with an MDF triangle locking in the legs, fastening it with some strong baggage straps, getting a new Prisma, and a couple of "cheap" Plössls, it really rocked. So much that I added an RA motor, even took some digicam 1 min bulb fotos. Unfortunately, the tracking, or rather the batteries, made Astrophoto flaky, but as a planetary tube, it worked great, and I have now used it for Sun videos on a Skywatcher AltAz goto for years. However, at f13.5, well, deep sky gave me the same experience as Ed's on clusters etc. So, sometimes, with a bit of modification, these are not a total loss. To add, this summer, I did get a similar, but a 300x70 mm - or really 300x50 mm product add-on scope with a science paper subscription and tried the same thing there. However, this had the horrid .965 oculars. Though the focusing tube was 1.25", so I hung a new eyepiece fastener, and everything except the tub was scrapped. I put the tube on my goto mount with a Zwo ASI120 MC for sun obs, and it worked fine, though my O11 filter sadly did lack all crispiness. Then, as a new test, I at the evening put on my trusty Sony Nex-5R to it and took some 60 subs of m57. It was hard to focus; everything was too small, and with a clear achromatic blue stick, and the stack had clear vignetting, but m57 was clearly seen. So not perfect, but reasonable for a "free gift". Also tried it as a pure optical with a 20 mm wide eye Plössl and there the stars was nice and crips, however trying m57 was out, since there was nearly full Moon 50 deg left. The conclusion is that both the Lidl/Bresser and the magazine gift were not greater, but not total losses. Unfortunately, Lidl went for the magnification after two years earlier, had sold a 600x70 mm Bresser Christmas scope that many liked, an f-10 one. And Bressers EQ wedge, I would love to have it on any AltAz mount.

[@diablo2815]

Guess who drove 45 minutes to a dark site last night and forgot eyepices?

[@evhvariac2]

I made that mistake! Now I always leave one in my Televue Pronto

[@dylanroskosz6300]

Drove an hour just for the star party to be canceled 😞

[@thisissparta3965]

​@@dylanroskosz6300Go to a Ricky Gervais gig instead. He never cancels.

[@DaPablol]

That hurts!

[@deennice6035]

Guess who drove 1000 miles to see the eclipse in April... and forgot eyepieces?

[@Herbybandit]

I have a junk 70mm Newtonian, I plucked an eye piece from a broken pair of binoculars (following Red's instruction) and its actually quite good on the moon! 😂

[@donloughrey1615]

10 days ! Much admiration.

[@SBBlacksmith]

About 9.5 days longer than I would have lasted.

[@themightyquinn1343]

I'm pretty sure that's my exact first telescope! Got it when I was 5 or so, from parents who just wanted something for their son who loved space. I remember even my younger self having issues with this one, and even the Powerseeker 70AZ they eventually got to replace it was quite the upgrade. Now I'm in college, and have been researching for my first proper scope. On your recommendation, I just ordered my first 8" dob from Apertura. Can't wait for it to come in!

[@A0111.]

It seems that they've started to make these scopes even cheaper than before. Few years ago I picked up (at a thrift store - just for fun) a very similar EduScience 50/600 but with Toys R Us logo, a red dot finder, cheap 1.25" eyepieces with 1.25" to 0.965" diagonal, and it was surprisingly sharp - I put it onto a good tripod, and was able to clearly see Jupiter's banding. The moon was much worse though due to internal reflections, but still it was quite sharp. I thought to make a video similar to this one, but someone took this scope from me, and now I'm glad I haven't done it - it would've been misleading.

[@CorvusNumber6]

I took your advice about a decent pair of binoculars - I bought a Pair of Olympus 10x50 glasses. Wow! The views of the moon are crystal clear, very very sharp! Thanks so much for the advice!

[@peterturner1919]

That was so funny.😂 Well done that man 😂

[@APRH305]

The case looks nice.

[@markattardo]

Oh my word! This must have been seriously frustrating for you. Thanks for the laughs👍👍

[@Blayzn18]

That was great Ed! I really enjoyed that attempt at using a cheap scope. Really insightful

[@kurosakiichigo4358]

This is the most entertaining informative video I have watched all week 😅

[@M42-Orion-Nebula]

THIS IS THE VIDEO I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR

[@bacca71]

In the late-ish 50s I was given a telescope as a gift. It was from Sears (somehow the name 'Micronta' comes to mind as the brand name) - Japanese manufacture. It was a short (ca 18-20") telescope with a 50mm aperture - 3 eyepieces (0.965 of course) and an adjustable barlow (of course). I didn't think it was that bad at the time. Amazing details observable on the moon (learned the names of a lot of features), major rings visible on Saturn, the large bands on Jupiter. Faint fuzzies, not so hot, except the Orion Nebula at least looked interesting. This all in Bortle 1 skies (very fortunate). It had an adjustable wooden tripod and a mount convertible between Alt-Az and Equatorial (almost useless for that purpose). Good thing was it got me hooked - had to be much better than that POJ you acquired (back then I was lusting for a decent Unitron, but couldn't afford one). Today, 65+ years later, eyes aging, but have been enjoying a very nice AP refractor and an AP 1100GTO-AE mount for some years now - even in the Bortle 6 & 7 skies I have locally now.

[@Steven-l5y8x]

Mine is nearly same story. I never lost interest in astronomy!

[@jeremydene24]

I'm laughing at this. It's like watching a kid being forced to eat their green beans. Best line "this is the most evil thing I think I've seen a long time"

[@ceejay0137]

Oh, Ed, the sacrifices you make in the name of educating your viewers! Do you happen to know if the objective was glass or just a piece of moulded plastic? The latter would explain the image quality, or lack of it.

[@thisissparta3965]

Plastic I would wager, just like the EP's it came with.

[@RainingCord922]

Ed, you sacrificed a lot to bring us this video. Thank you for serving us in this way.

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

I guess that telescope has to have a plastic lens or something similar because even with my 50 mm zoom monocular I get a sharp nice image quality at 36x magnification. A simple 50/600 mm f12 achromat should have a sharp image at 80-100x magnification.

[@tomkirby3281]

My first scope was a Sears 50mmx600mm, with H20 and H6 eyepieces, and a peephole sighting system. It didn't have that stop in the tube you got. I did see Jupiter and Saturn with it, but knew I needed something better. I wish a resource like your channel was available 55 years ago.😢

[@markihde4381]

The "Eddie Scope" that you reviewed beats this one, hands down! A side-by-side comparison would be funny. 100% perfect color correction, f/1 focal ratio instead of f/12, edge to edge field flatness and no fuzzy images are why the "Eddie Scope" would win!

[@iamjessieray]

Lol watching you throw pieces of the scope was funny. I also recommend anybody who asks me about astronomy to go buy a pair of binos, a planisphere (or print one) and maybe a tripod. Most people are pleasantly surprise by how much you can see in a pair of binos! Mine come out with me every time I have a scope out, especially if I am trying to find something I am not familiar with.

[@davidjiannotti1537]

The most fun I ever had with a scope was I purchased a 70mm toys r us scope for my daughters about 25 years ago. I had never used a telescope before. I spent many nights with that cheap scope seeing Saturn and Jupiter for the first time. A few months later I purchased a new ETX125. Many of my friends and family saw the planets thru that Meade. I stopped using it 15 years ago and it collected dust until last year. I got the bug, and my bank account is paying the price! All said I wouldn't be in astronomy without that cheap scope.

[@Vivra_Verra____]

I just can't get enough of these videos lol too good. You think the scope would at least make for a good dog toy? 🤣lol. Hope your Sunday has gone well Ed

[@togray619]

I wonder how many folks have been turned off from the fantastic science of Astronomy because of a cheap scope?

[@ferenc-x7p]

I almost did and looked at it as a strange hobby as what i saw through my junk scope as smudgy looking moon and strange shaped stars. Thankfully later I got - a still rather cheap- newtonian and I was amazed. Later on with better gear, there is no surprise that the majority of people look through a cheap scope once and never gonna care for the rest of their lives.

[@BlueTrane2028]

If I had been given something roughly equivalent to a Starblast at about 12 instead of a really shaky 60mm f/15, I'd have gotten another 22 years in under the stars. Instead, I finally got started with a used 8" Dobsonian at 34 in 2017 right after the solar eclipse. I can't say I've necessarily "made up for lost time" but I've caught every decent astronomical event since weather permitting and have owned about 100 scopes (no I'm not joiking) since 2017. I was buying and selling as a hobby unto itself. I kept the best stuff and profited off the rest.

[@lawabidingcitizen5153]

Yeah, seems like a terrible long-term investment considering how many of these carry name-brands...

[@ObservaDome]

🎃"But hey, It's my test I'm gonna look at whatever I want to look at".🎃 🌜"But I do concede the average buyer of 'this thing' is probably going to be looking at 2 objects: the Moon and The Neighbor's House".🏠 🔭"So I did both of those things"🔭 🤣Funniest Video You've Done Ed🤣

[@Rich-hy2ey]

true amateurs won't be and will have the intelligence to know there is better out there.

[@BCHLking]

Awesome video! 😂

[@bierrollerful]

This scope is the perfect gift for someone who hates star gazing.

[@astralfields1696]

This is a good video to send to beginners who seem to buy theae a lot these days

[@maktham2006]

2 videos of Ed on 1 day this is surly a good day

[@stuartbolden2142]

Trying one of these out in the uk would be a double whammy as clear sky’s are a premium, and wasting valuable observing time using a junk scope is sacrilegious.

[@thisissparta3965]

You mean when they are not spraying the skies cross cross style.

[@rakitakhan]

I'm sorry Ed. I haven't even watched this yet and I'm giggling. Now that I've watched the whole video, I'm still giggling. I really hope that a bunch of people see this before the holiday season starts and see what kind of junk is out there. Thx Ed !

[@bk3720]

Ed, you might of have been seeing tube reflections with the baffle knocked out. Black sandpaper in the scope tube and in the drawtube will increase contrast greatly.

[@mylogify]

I have watched this for several times, and it's always funny :D. I hope Ed is reading these comments :D.

[@chrisconnors7418]

My neighbour was giving away her 4 inch Newtonian. Department store brand. Terrible mount. Eyepieces useless. Finder useless. But it did have the 1.25” mount so I used some of my better eyepieces and it didn’t perform badly at all. I probably could modify it a bit more. Fun to play around with anyway to see what it can do.

[@chrisconnors7418]

@@Jaurr85 thank you! I found it and downloaded it. The Optical Bench was also there so I downloaded that too.

[@robertsonsid]

I had a Tasco 66TE 50mm (made in Japan) and it was quite good optically. Great views of the moon and Venus. No problems splitting the easy double stars.

[@astronomybob]

I had the same 66TE . Got it for Christmas in 1968.

[@RT65CB-SWL]

My first ‘scope was the Tasco 4ETE. It was OK’ish and was the first ‘scope that I saw Jupiter’s Galilean moons and Saturn’s rings. The ‘bad’ issues were: 1. the eyepiece was permanently fixed to the focus tube. 2. push/pull focus. 3. a ‘U’ alt-az mount on a tabletop tripod. When I got something bigger, (a Prinz Astral 550), I used the 4ETE for sunspot projection. 🔭😉

[@jimfranklin9770]

I love this review.....I'll stick with my old orion 8" dob.

[@BlueTrane2028]

not a bad way to go. If you don't have a dedicated wide field scope though, something at about 4" with a 2" focuser is GREAT to have in addition to your Dob.

[@CMDRyassuu]

My first scope when I was a child was actually an edu science refractor, 50-600mm, it was junk but man did I love it so much 😢

[@CMDRyassuu]

I actually still have it😅

[@carstenaltena]

The sad fact is that these things will just end up as junk in the ground, or ocean. Making these should be a crime.

[@newcinema4931]

also buying these things should be a crime

[@Astronurd]

You are a better man than me Ed. I would have binned it straight away.

[@MemoxWasHere]

Anti-telescope cracked me up 🤣

[@richardmetcalfjr.1552]

"This is hilarious ed." "My dad bought me a junk refractor for Christmas, as a kid, and I used it, as a pretend rocket launcher, with my next door neighbor." Lol.

[@Jennifer-xe5mk]

I had a question. I’m a beginner and I want a good telescope. Is there a good telescope? I can take pictures of what I’m looking at. don’t want to pay a fortune. What telescope do you recommend?

[@anthonygagliano3645]

Ed I brought a 80 mm x 900 mm f.l. Spectrum Optical Instruments brand new for about $120 or $140 about? The plastic latch broke on the mount leg ; so I brought a better mount from Orion for $120. The view magnification show bigger than my 60mm x 700mm Baskar. The150X was like 230x when I saw Juipter. But the moon view was not as bright when I looked at the moon. Did I get a bargain or not? Also I don't know if you still can purchase this scope any more? What do you think?

[@johnrobison1413]

Yes, Spectrum is still selling this refractor. In the U.S. it comes on a alt-az mount. It is a bit small for that focal length but useable. The mount it comes on is great for short tube 80’s and 70’s with 400mm focal lengths and the slow motion feature works quite well. I have 2 Spectrum refractors, a 60x500 that will work right up to 125x with a 4mm eyepiece (atmosphere permitting) and a 70x400 that is like a lite version of the Orion ST80. Both have plastic focusing mounts, but both are lash free and serviceable.

[@autismo2357]

this reminds me of my first telescope its almost identical down to the accessories that thing was terrible the only way i could make use of it was to put a stop to reduce the aperture to just barely be able to see the craters on the moon and also use it as a spotting scope to look at stuff thankfully now i have a few nice telescopes and solid mounts

[@Idontknow4]

I have a very similar one Edit: after watching the video i though it would be similar to the one i have but mine though still junk is much more usable its just very old and the stand wore out and it doesnt hold it position anymore.

[@thisissparta3965]

Very old usually means better made. As time advances the cost to profit ratio usually stands for lower quality.

[@Idontknow4]

@thisissparta3965 its old maybe about 10 years or so but not "very" old like I said

[@thisissparta3965]

@@Idontknow4 10yrs is relatively new. I wrongly thought you meant really old as in say the 40s to 60s, 70s lol

[@Idontknow4]

@@thisissparta3965 yeah not that old

[@mikemuha7537]

I felt your pain. It'll be a short recovery I hope!

[@WilliamBlakers]

Ed Ting how is the refurbishment going on the 10" research grade Meade newt?

[@stephenrichards5386]

Great subject for a view

[@Markaras]

Hello, do you think that the UP12 12" f/4.5 Premium Ultra Portable Dobsonian Telescope from Hubble Optics is a good 12" to buy? Is the mirror of decent quality and the money worth it? Can you say the same things for the EXPLORE SCIENTIFIC ULTRA LIGHT DOBSONIAN 406mm GENERATION II? I have doubts about the mirror quality of the Hubble Optics 12" and the structure quality of the Explore Scientific 16". Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[@golookup]

"I had better luck holding it with my hands". yep. I think you can make get some decent use out of, say, a Celestron 80mm kit for $100. The mount is still the weak point (by far). But it's ultimately something that sits in a closet or gets replaced with something actually useful. I think the Celestron 102AZ (or equivalent) for under $200 is useable for certain things (moon, Jupiter, Saturn and wide-field). The mount is really light weight and is useable. It's the minimum I'd recommend to a casual beginner. After that, I'd recommend some variation of Starsense Explorer (the tech is powerful and extremely simple). I'll always have a short tube 4-inch achromat.

[@ToddHurney]

When Ed says there's a lot of plastics that includes the lenses as well. I would be astounded if the scope itself had any glass in it.

[@sammyfromsydney]

My only scope for a about a year back when I started around 1999 was something similar. It was a "Bushmaster Jupiter F700". 700mm, f/14. It actually came with a small pair of binocs. I still own it. It also came with a 4mm eyepiece and 3x erecting tube and 2x barlow. I even managed to use that 4mm with the barlow. I photographed the moon during the night and day, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus and even made an attempt at the Orion Nebula. I used webcams and point and shoot cameras as phones didn't have cameras when I started. Of course these photos were awful, and the best I could say is that the object was recognizable. The early moon photos still hang on my wall printed on 4 pieces of A4 photo paper stuck together. People are spoilt these days. Galileo would still have reveled in this. In fact the Galileo scopes that sold around the 400th anniversary of the telescope would have had similar optics but without a mount. I wouldn't recommend this, except to play with and challenge yourself to get anything out of it. But it was fun, and when you're driven, whatever you have you will make work in some way. My next scope was a 200mm f/8 Dob.

[@chrisruthford4492]

You have more patience than me.

[@gerryroush8391]

I had a 50mm Tasco about 40 years ago that actually had good image quality, but the mounting was horrible

[@ColdWarWarriors]

Can't believe you spent 10 days on that clunker.

[@jimwaller5465]

In the words of Dr. Smith... The Pain,,,,,Oh the Pain! Ed, you get a new award for your patience! These should never be able to be sold to anyone for any reason and any price....J-U-N-K! Good video...

[@brentjablonski3730]

Parts chucking with Ed! I was waiting for the chuck, and was not disappointed. 10 days. You get credit from me. I might have given up at 10 minutes. Stuff like this is produced to prove that there is a sucker born every minute. It doesn't matter what hobby, there is always junk trying to steal your cash. It's a shame that human nature produces this stuff to make a buck.

[@ColeDedhand]

You are more patient than I. But this does give me an idea. Why don't you build a copyscope? It is a fun project and a good way to demonstrate the basics of refracting telescope design.

[@jrpstonecarver]

I'm not sure the people at your club are really your friends, Ed. ;)

[@SonnyPruitt-q1s]

Ed? What do you think of the Celestron Evolution Nexstar 8?

[@PafMedic]

You Have To Move The Scope Away,Then Move It Back And Hope😂😂He Said Evil…And Threw It On The Floor😂😂Great Video Ed…I Needed Some Giggles For The Day…Clear Skies🙏🏻❤️🔭

[@ftumschk]

Ed certainly took one for the team there!

[@kasa6038]

I really enjoyed the video and got a good laugh out of it. It is hard to enter into the telescope world of astronomy for less than $500 and nearly impossible at less than $250. My first scope was $175 and had a lot of limitations, although it seemed much better than this one. I do have a 50 mm AstroTech which only cost about $60. It is really good for its size but you still need to buy rings, at least one EP and a mount to use it.

[@GrnXnham]

But with a name like "Edu Science" it sounds good! I think it deserved more time. It was probably just poor seeing conditions and you just didn't give it a chance to really shine.

[@bushwhacked1835]

I can't decide whether this is comedy or tragedy...

[@Rainman787]

Extraordinarily niche comment, but I can’t help but think Ed is arguably the “Paul Harrell” of the astronomy channels

[@brenthann2623]

I can’t wait to hear what his neighbor says.

[@ronxlii]

I wish you wouldn’t call it a junk scope. In 1963 I was 10 years old, saved up my allowance and bought a telescope for 6 dollars. It was a Tasco 40mm x 40 power refractor. All metal body, glass lenses. The image from that little scope was sharp. As a kid I got a lot of joy from using that scope.

[@Astronurd]

That's not the junk that Ed has.

[@perry92964]

what you got wasnt a "junk scope" in the 70's i did the same thing and got a tasco 4.5 inch reflector, i still use it, thing is mine is made in japan these junk tubes are chinese

[@ToddHurney]

It is a junk scope. Your Tasco was actually a much better item. You call a spade a spade not a heart. I had a Tasco very similar to yours when I was ten also and it motivated me to save for a Cave Astrola 10-inch telescope. My Tasco was terrible and had plastic lenses. Ed called me indirectly as a cheap skate when he reviewed the Odyssey 10 inch dob. In 1980 I bought the 13.1-inch Coulter and I never looked back. Great scope for $300 dollars and back then as young man in high school that was a lot of money for me! So, I was one of the lucky cheapskates! Cheers!

[@IndigoSkies]

Wow! 10 days. You are way more patient than I. Was it cloudy for 8?

[@astronomybob]

"The girls are going to really want to hang out with me". LMAO !

[@KingLoopie1]

It's cool looking! Nice finish! (trying to be positive here...) You lasted a lot longer than I would have. Of course, if there were clouds all month it would sit in the corner and I'd be just surfing the net... Is that cheating? 😏

[@Terte06]

That was a real hobby killer i must admit 😂

[@richardshagam8608]

Maybe you figure out a use for the plastic carry case. And maybe the scope could substitute for a whiffleball bat.

[@TheDogFatherTDF]

That thing might as well have a Fisher-Price logo on it. It's essentially just a toy.

[@maximus8795]

You should have done it with the celestron az70 it's not to horrible for it's price

[@savinvera836]

That telescope is one step above a toilet paper tube. Entertaining video though.

[@stevejohnson174]

I have a 60mm Jason with one of those integrated finders that has a knob to flip a mirror to allow the finder to "see" through the objective. It's an F11 with coated optics on an EQ mount and came with a decent 20mm Kelner and .965 prism diagonal. When I first got into this hobby and read Phil Harrington's book, I believe he referred telescopes like it as "Christmas Trash Telescopes". It's actually a decent scope, though....I saw some nice images of Jupiter and the Orion Nebula with it awhile back and if the pesky evening clouds ever leave, I'm going to finally maybe be able to catch C/2023 A3 with it. not sure what he would classify THAT thing other than a mean trick on some kid. Edu Science should be ashamed.

[@grantsorenson4113]

Ed how does this scope compare to the zoo seestar?

[@Diocrew]

Ed, I've never seen you so frustrated. Oh the humanity!

[@schoolhse]

😂😂😂😂Great video, Ed!

[@guyjordan8201]

Ha ha ha. 🤣. You made this painful exercise funny but it is sad these horrific products still exist. I’ve seen finders stopped down with a single element objective but not the main instrument

[@mfkhometheater7742]

I have a junk telescope, well maybe not complete junk, it’s a 6” Dobsonian but it’s a cheap one. I’ve tried attaching a Sony A7RV but can’t get any decent photos of anything including the moon. I don’t know if the telescope is the problem, the tripod and equatorial mount seem ok, at least they are heavy, whereas the optical tube weighs almost nothing. I think it’s very possible that the real reason I can’t get a good image relates to the ID-Ten-T operating it. I would like to get something better, significantly better but because my job has me traveling constantly, I’m not sure it’s worth it to do it right now. Retirement is only a couple years away so maybe now is the time to begin researching, not buying. I really had no idea how many different types of telescopes there are. I’ve recently learned of these “RASA” telescopes designed for a wider field of view but I’m not sure that’s what I want. Now I see there is the, “Hyperstar”, a converter to transform your SCT to RASA, this sounds like a more versatile but perhaps more complex solution. In your beginner common mistakes video, you mention the guy that would buy too much, typically, this would be me. As you may have guessed from my channel name, I’m into home theater. The spiraling path this project took resulted in financial waste sufficiently to have afforded a high-end large aperture telescope. Most of the theater project waste came from buying components too soon and then later realizing I had bought the wrong option. The rest came from changing my mind on how to build various aspects of the project after having spent significant time and money on a wrong path. These mistakes need to be avoided with my entry into astrophotography, so I plan to be a regular viewer of yours and other educational videos on the topic for some time. Just today I learned from one of your videos that not all eye pieces are just $25. I had no idea these could be more costly. I really thought if you spent $5 to $7K on a telescope that it would come with everything you would ever need but it’s rapidly becoming clear that this is not the case. Probably not quite to the same degree as the theater but this could quickly become a very expensive hobby! Careful planning and smart purchasing will be crucial, especially as I proceed into this after retirement, I will not be able to afford being wasteful anymore.

[@mattpickering9753]

"Reasonable modifications"...the dovetail probably cost as much as the scope let alone putting on a Porta that cost multiples of the scope! Your club has a very generous definition of "reasonable".

[@jochenkraus7016]

He should have done one additional really small modification: Replace the OTA with a Vixen A80Mf 🙂 Btw, they said "reasonable", but not whether that's the price relative to the scope or from a technical point of view 😛

[@joeparham2889]

I bought a junk telescope and I was amazed at the optics! I couldn’t believe it. 15 bucks at goodwill. 70 mm and no chromatic aberration. It’s a MaxExplorer . Crap shoot I guess

[@vbikcl]

Another factor in how dim the view was is the fact that the objective has zero anti-reflection coatings. It's not passing as much light as it should.

[@juinga78]

Hello I'm new to your channel and have going through your video. Love your content but I have a critical question. I was gifted a Celestron 130SLT and just like I heard in one of your previous videos it is common to receive two eye pieces. I'm willing to buy one eye piece to get me started and see if astronomy is my thing. Please refer this beginner to a eyepiece that is consider best bang for your buck

[@edting]

My usual advice is not to buy anything. The eyepiece is not your bottleneck at this point. I'm reviewing an SLT130 right now. My opinion so far is mixed.

[@guarmiron5557]

@@edting Interesting. Thanks for the heads up. I was considering buying one used to see what they are like. I see them for $150-200 CDN every once in awhile. I thought it might make a nice starter scope for one of my nieces or nephews.

[@jochenkraus7016]

I looked it up and optical spec seems like Heritage 130 (130mm diameter, 650mm focal length). I have that, bought an additional 32mm eyepiece and the lower magnification helped me when switching from the viewfinder to the scope.

[@mariospenard5125]

I can feel your pain! 😅

[@hookahmike]

I LOVE this video 😃😀😄😆😅🤣😂 Thanks Ed!

[@KevinMurphy0403]

An evil finder scope! love it. LOL