What Makes a Great Planetary Telescope? 6 Scopes Put to the Test!

[@Naztronomy]

Like this video and want to support my future astronomy ventures? Consider becoming a member: kzbin.info/door/SWw7DEf5Jm1579kCPdoORQjoin

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Being elderly and feeble, I go by weight and not cost. I find that the Celestron C6-A XLT is the heaviest I can handle. It is good for planetary and lunar work and for other work I add my Hyperstar 6 v4 to bring the focal ratio down to f/2.0. Just subscribed.

[@Naztronomy]

C6 is one of the most versatile scopes I've seen. I need to get myself a Hyperstar one day :) I'll probably get one for my C8 if I ever get one.

[@JackHudack]

I've always been very tempted by one of those. They are very well reviewed.

[@cbf63]

I've got the C8 but I only use it out my Southern window and I have sliders on it so I never pick it up I just slide it on the carpet to the window and I slide it out of the way that way I can still use a larger aperture but not too many problems

[@deepskydetail]

This is such a great video! I agree about looking at the planets through an eyepiece. I think it's much more satisfying than imaging them!

[@Naztronomy]

Thank you 😊 I'm always a planetary observer first!

[@Astronurd]

@@deepskydetail I used to think that as well. I now love planetary imaging and EAA but still do visual. Encroaching light pollution pushed me in this direction.

[@mycarolinaskies]

Good little video. For the funscope it would be helpful to include a snippet video thru the scope even if you do t stack it. I have a 16" SCT and it has provided the best views too on planets. Aperture provides better resolution while focal length increases base magnification. At 4000mm the 16" base image is 2x larger than the 2000mm. This allows the eye to more efficiently use its rods and cones to see detail. Visually the increase in magnification is helpful up to the limiting seeing conditions. This is why some nights planets can be seen better with different eyepieces.

[@Naztronomy]

Thanks! I'll try and get a video through the scope. Two reasons I didn't have one is because the focuser isn't set up for imaging, I don't think I have enough inward focus and eyepiece projection doesn't really do it justice but I'll see what I can do. The second reason is that I wasn't even planning to put that telescope in this video but after I edited my first version, I realized that tabletop dobs make great starter scopes so it would be interesting to show.

[@slickzMdzn]

My first scope was a 5" Mak and as I got aperture fewer I went with an 8" SCT from Meade. I've been loving the compact but powerful design ever since and would always recommend it to someone who wants to mainly look at the solar system (like me)

[@Naztronomy]

Agreed, an 8" SCT is perfect for planets. My first SCT was the 6" and if I had the money at the time, I would have gotten the 8SE instead.

[@slickzMdzn]

@@Naztronomy I have an EQ mount but as I only use it for visual I'd be better off with an SE as well...

[@soffici1]

Funny how your “bad seeing” is far better than the best I get from my vantage point south of the Alps…

[@Naztronomy]

Ah I'm sorry, I know seeing can be really bad for some people. There's an astronomer living in the Amalfi Coast who gets consistently good seeing. Can't remember his name but he does a lot of amazing planetary photography and I'm always jealous every time one of his images pop up for me.

[@petserg8883]

Thank you for the video and promotion of those entering the world of astronomy! Everything is as you say. But time goes by and we come to electronic astronomy with accumulation of frames and their addition. Our eye sees little on the fly and the aperture is the main thing in this moment together with the camera. I watched you and bought 71F myself.

[@Naztronomy]

Awesome, hope you are enjoying the 71F!

[@christiandwindt]

For anyone curious, the reason why high focal ratio makes for more sharper images is because the light has to travel at an angle to get from the objective lens to the eye piece. The higher the focal ratio, the longer the focal length or the lower aperture. When the light hits the objective lens, not all of the colors focus at the same point. Decreasing the angle at which the light has to travel (lower aperture) or increasing the distance it has to travel (focal length) allows for the light to focus back together better than if it was moving at a sharper angle. This is why high aperture telescopes with low focal lengths have more chromatic aberration than longer telescopes with lower apertures.

[@Naztronomy]

Great explanation, thank you!

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

Yes our eyes always trump sensors when viewing Planets, but they are absolutely beaten hands down when it comes to sensors and DSO's, especially emission nebula! Thanks for the ace video, I am currently trying to improve my Planetary imaging and this video was very informative, thanks! Clear Skies from Liverpool, England.

[@Astronurd]

You are delusional if you think that the eye is more sensitive than a planetary camera.

[@Naztronomy]

Thank you! I agree with everything you said. As much as I love seeing galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae with my eyes, a camera can do so much better. Glad this video was helpful, feel free to reach out with questions. I'm no expert but I'm happy to share what I know 😊

[@JackHudack]

Now that's an informative fun video for us nerds! TY very much I'm subbed!

[@Naztronomy]

From one nerd to another, Glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@KevinMurphy0403]

Great video, thank you. I'd love to see you do a review of the Sky Max 180 on planets. Keep up the great work.

[@Naztronomy]

Thanks so much 😊 If I can get my hands on a Sky Max 180, I'll be sure to do a review. I looked up the specs and it looks like it would be amazing for planets. 182mm aperture at f/15. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@davidwillis5396]

Great vidio Naz

[@Naztronomy]

Thanks, David 😊

[@misaelescobarruiz1193]

Muy buenos tubos ópticos principalmente el Lx 200 meade de 16 pulgadas una bestia saludos desde Honduras

[@Naztronomy]

¡Hola! ¡Gracias por ver el vídeo!

[@DonkeyMusic777]

Very nice review! I think you said you was in the Boston area and the skies were like looking through a glass of water. I live up the road in Maine and looking through a glass of water is a pretty accurate description.

[@Naztronomy]

Thank you and thanks for the confirmation! New Englanders have to suffer so much.

[@DonkeyMusic777]

@@Naztronomy It was actually quite refreshing to hear you speak about the New England viewing. I don't feel so alone anymore.

[@Naztronomy]

If you're ever in the Boston area and want to head to the observatory where the 16" Scope is, feel free to look me up :) If I'm available, I'll happily take you. I'm mostly active on discord these days. There's an invite link in the description.

[@DonkeyMusic777]

@@Naztronomy That sound great!!

[@bazpearce9993]

I've got a 127mm Maksutov paired with an ASI224MC. Piggy in the middle of your examples, and does a great job.

[@Naztronomy]

Sounds like a great setup!

[@codyc.4830]

great video

[@Naztronomy]

Thank you 😊

[@GamjaField]

20inch dob is the best 👍

[@Naztronomy]

The observatory with the 16" also has a 25" f/3.8 Dob! It's sadly not set up to take images (frowned upon by the people who maintain it), otherwise I would have included some images through that. It's really an amazing telescope.

[@Felldisulfide]

Great video Naz! Are you using any filters when either viewing or imaging planets?

[@Naztronomy]

Thank you! For imaging, I usually use a UV/IR cut filter. For visual, I typically don't BUT Jupiter through the 16" was blinding at opposition! So I had to use a neutral density filter on it. I'm working on a video for the astrocam as well so I'll talk more about the filter I use there.

[@jimcarter2092]

Great video Naz! Last year I bought The svbony mk105 1365 mm focal For solar system objects just a low Cost scope as a starter but been having hard time getting focus With astro cam. Thanks for posting!

[@Naztronomy]

Thank you, Jim 😊 Do you have any extenders you can add to the astro cam? I wonder if the focal point is too far out for the camera. If it seems to be too far in, you could try taking the diagonal out and attaching it directly to the OTA.

[@marcmears3398]

I have been an amateur astronomer for more than 30yrs. If you want to see the best views of the planets you need the biggest telescope that you can use on a whims notice. For most people that means an 8 inch telescope. I would highly recommend a Newtonian reflector as a well made one can show almost as much detail on the planets as an apochromatic refractor of the same aperture. I have a 10 inch dobsonian that on good nights has shown me breath taking views of the moon and the planets. On rare occasions it has out performed an 7 inch apo refractor!

[@Naztronomy]

Totally agree with you that the best scopes are the ones you can actually use. Also agree about 8" being a good limit! I have lots of friends who have 8" Dobs and use them whenever they can.

[@marcmears3398]

@@Naztronomy Yes! and we are very lucky these days. Most of these Chinese Dobsonians that I have looked through have had excellent optics. True they are not Zambuto optics but the performance is dam close!

[@marcmears3398]

@@Naztronomy Yes! and we are very lucky these days. Most of the Chinese Dobsonians I have looked through gave outstanding views. True they are not Zambuto optics but they perform dam close!!

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

Excellent video. Why do you say that SCTs are not ok for beginners ? As far as I know they are easier to collimate than newtonians. I only use refractors but I was thinking of buying a 203 mm SCT just for visual observations.

[@Naztronomy]

Thanks! I say they're not beginner friendly because of their narrow FOV. Most beginners have a hard time finding things in the sky and when you look through a medicum-sized f/10 SCT, people could get overwhelmed and end up not using the telescope anymore. If you already have experience with a refractor, you're fine. My comment was mostly for people getting an SCT as their first telescope.

[@slickzMdzn]

I have an 8" SCT for visual and can tell you it's insane for its weight/aperture ratio but I want an 11" actually (that sweet sweet aperture)

[@Naztronomy]

@@slickzMdzn I'd love an 11" as well...maybe a 14" but I'd need a new mount.

[@NickatLateNite]

Naz... I have a Celestron C6 XLT w/a computerized mount, from what I've been told, it's one of the first models. Haven't learned the 'goto' yet, but just button tracking the Moon, Saturn & Jupiter... Blew my mind. I'm a senior too, so I have build a dolly cart for my rig, it'll be too heavy in a year or two... Clear Skies... Oh, I subbed you too😊

[@Naztronomy]

The first C6 XLT is a classic! That's a very nice set up :) Clear skies!

[@NickatLateNite]

@Naztronomy Oh I forgot to ask you... I bought a new 18mm X-Cel LX eye piece, was that a good choice for planetary veiwing?

[@Naztronomy]

That's an excellent eyepiece! Good mid-range powered eyepiece. What others do you have?

[@NickatLateNite]

@@Naztronomy Hi Naz... The only two that came with the system when bought it: a 10 mm plossel & 32 mm plossel... I'll stay mostly planetary, what eyepiece is best for the moon?... Thank so much for help!

[@smmfdftbh]

I have a Celestron 4SE and I need to learn to how to properly photograph Jupiter and Saturn with my monochrome ZWO cam because it just looked like a bright white ball on the laptop screen and I don't know what to do

[@Naztronomy]

For a monochrome camera, you need to use RGB filters. So you'll need to take at least 3 different images with it and then combine them later. Which capture software are you using?

[@JemCruz]

a 16" SCT? Looks like Dylan will need to upgrade again soon. :P Also why does the 6SE showed the best (processed) Jupiter?

[@Naztronomy]

I think his modern C14 has much better optics than this 16" from the 90s. But he's welcome to visit and use this scope whenever he wants 😊 The 6SE shot was taken earlier in the year when the seeing conditions were much better.

[@mr.b3054]

Good video! Too bad you can’t buy new Meade or Orion anymore

[@Naztronomy]

Thanks! Agree, it's very sad. I'm hoping I can score something during next week's Auction. Not holding my breath though.

[@Astronurd]

You will probably end up with a customer repair that was stolen from the owner.

[@robertsonsid]

A 90mm Mak is on par with a 70mm refractor because of the secondary obstruction. I found a 90mm achromatic refractor gives much better views then a 90mm Mak. Orion calls its 76mm table top the Funscope and the 4.5in is called the Starblast.

[@Naztronomy]

The Orion FunScope AstroDazzle is a 4.5in (114mm) f/4.4 telescope. It has a focal length of 500mm whereas the regular Starblast is 114mm at f/4 (450mm focal length). I think the AstroDazzle version is pretty rare. My astro club participates in the library telescope program. We used to modify StarBlasts for libraries before moving onto the Z114 after the Orion bankruptcy news.

[@mesenteria]

In oder of importance with astronomical telescopes: engineering and quality, utility (not too large or heavy, or you'll never use it!), and finally aperture (how large is the primary optic for gathering light and bringing it to focus) Again, quality, utility, and aperture. Trumping them all, every time, is the quality of the atmosphere. If the stars be twinkling, you won't have a good night observing, no matter how much money you spend or how large an aperture you purchased.

[@darylcheshire1618]

I considered a Takahashi but the equatorial mount costs the same as the scope.

[@Naztronomy]

Ah yeah, Taks are amazing but so expensive! I've only ever looked through them.

[@mesenteria]

Both components are high quality, and for quality one must be prepared to pay. If you go to pay for a third-party mount that is close to the quality of the Takahashi, you'll find that there is little difference. Engineering, trials, proofs, tooling, and then getting them to market, but with consistently high quality and customer loyalty, is expensive.

[@JackHudack]

You can mount any optical tube onto a competent but MUCH less expensive mount.

[@slickzMdzn]

@@JackHudack One should not save on the mount as the optics are most likely only showing diminishing returns as you go up the quality ladder

[@alexmirza5210]

Those big, colourful, detailed images printed on the little dob's tube are completely misleading though it has to be said.

[@markbergendahl2651]

I returned the funscope because of the poor image quality. I would not recommend the Funscope which may require collimation, to a beginne...or to anyone LOl 😮 A small refractor is probably the best bet - also because they can use a more portable go-to mount with it

[@railgap]

correct answer: money

[@astroindianx]

Big away better 😂

[@Naztronomy]

Bigger scope, bigger problems! 😊

[@astroindianx]

@Naztronomy right, I'm also worried because this month my 300mm Newtonian is coming. Btw thx for the video 🙏

[@Naztronomy]

Whoa, that's gonna be big! What's the f-ratio? My largest newt is 150mm. Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@astroindianx]

@@Naztronomy thx, yes i have seen your telescope. 12 inch F4 🙏

[@jongroubert4203]

Jeez, dude, clean your optics! "The corrector plate needs to be cleaned a little bit!"?!? You've got fungus growing there! And your 6SE is filthy! And I couldn't disagree more about your advice to begin with a tabletop dob. If you buy a tabletop dob, you also need . . . . . . say it with me . . . a tabletop to put it on. But not just any tabletop. You have to have a very STABLE tabletop. Not a camp table. Not the hood of your car. You need a table that's as stable as a tripod. Like a picnic table. A lot of people who are starting out in astronomy are taking their scopes to places that big heavy tables are non-existent. This is a poor recommendation for a beginner starting out.

[@jesuspineiro1622]

Your SCT 8" has horrible fungus on the corrector plate.

[@Naztronomy]

Yeah the person I bought it from didn't store it properly. Thankfully the fungus isn't growing and isn't affecting the light transmission but I'll clean it up at some point.

[@Astronurd]

Totally wrong. A planetary camera is far more sensitive than the eye and produces vastly superior images. How long have you been doing planetary imaging?

[@JackHudack]

You sure about that??