Re: The Casual Telescope

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Jon Isaacs) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...

> I believe that for casual observers a wide FOV is a good thing.  The scope
> ought to at least be able to fit the Pleaides in the FOV.  

There's much to be said for a wide FOV; in addition to fitting the
Pleiades, it makes things in the sky much easier to find.  And fairly
low magnifications are usually best for terrestrial applications.

On the other hand, the planets are without a doubt the most popular
targets for most beginners and casual observers (and for some highly
experienced observers too!).  And as long as you stick to the stock
eyepieces, typically 10mm and 25mm, you cannot get both the Pleiades
and decent planetary views with the same scope.  That is a real
problem with the ETX-70.

You can easily afford to buy a good Barlow for the difference in
price between an ETX-90 and an ETX-70 or an ST-80, but not all
casual observers will.  And even with a Barlow, those small
refractors cannot compete with the ETX-90 at high power.

    - Tony Flanders