For beginning astronomers for Christmas - AOMEKIE 76/700 mirror telescope
I know we are not the same, many of us don't even look up at the sky, but I enjoy watching the planets and the sky. It seems that my sons are also open to the topic, they keep nagging us to see together what planets are currently visible, or how visible the moon's craters are. I love the moments I spend with them, as they marvel at the world.
I already have a lens telescope at home, I bought it two years ago. I used it quite a lot, then I had a little less time for it, and the idea of selling it came up. I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't! Even then, I was thinking about how good it would be if I could show my sons outer space (of course only through the window, through a telescope).
Of course, we are not talking about serious astronomical equipment, we are talking about a Celestron SCTW-70, which is the entry level into this world. It is true that it is one of the more branded pieces, but you cannot observe galaxies with it.
I've been looking at cheap binoculars this year too, I'm looking at them to see if I can find one worth moving on to. Looks like I found it. It didn't seem like a big step forward, but since it was a mirror system (Newton), I decided to try it!
The difference between mirror and lens binoculars is easy to understand. Lens binoculars, also known as refractors, use lenses to focus light. These tend to be lighter and more compact, but are prone to chromatic aberration, which can cause chromatic aberration. These are often used to observe planets and moons.
Mirror binoculars, such as the Newton type, use mirrors to focus light. These offer larger apertures and focal lengths, thus gathering more light. This makes them more suitable for observing deep space objects such as stars and galaxies. However, they can be heavier and larger and require more maintenance.
Well, that might explain why I wanted to try it. It's not too expensive and I might see a bit more through it than the Celestron.
Of course, I didn't have high hopes, I looked at the subject properly, I could basically expect similar magnification as in the case of my binoculars with a lens, but I hoped that because of the different solution, maybe because of the more collected light, I would see more.
Well, I'll tell you if that's how it turned out, but only a little later! First, let's look at the AOMEKIE 76/700 mirror binoculars themselves!
It comes in a relatively compact box, the total weight of the package is ~4,7 kilograms. So it's not crazy. The tube itself is 67 centimeters long, and its diameter is 12,5 centimeters. This is a slightly larger structure than my older telescope.
We get quite a lot in the package. There is, of course, a stand, which raises the center line of the tube 113 cm from the ground. There is a tray on the stand where we get the accessories. The binoculars come with two different eyepieces, a K10mm and a K25mm lens, which provide 28x and 70x magnification. If even greater magnification is needed, the included 3x Barlow lens can increase the magnification to between 84x and 210x. In theory, these could even allow for more detailed observation of deep-space objects, such as distant stars, galaxies and nebulae.
As an accessory, we also get a Bluetooth camera that can be connected to our phone and take photos without having to touch the phone. This will be important later! We get another moon filter, this one is green and can be screwed to the bottom of the eyepiece. We also get a simple star map with the constellations on it. In addition to these, the box also contains a phone holder and a finder, the red light of which makes it easier to find selected objects in the sky.
The manufacturer also draws our attention to the fact that the main and secondary mirrors of the telescope are equipped with a special, high-quality reflective coating. This coating not only increases the light-gathering ability, but also minimizes chromatic aberration, which means that the images will be clear and sharp, without color deviation.
That's the short specification, now let's see how to use the telescope!
Well, it's simple. The pipe itself is screwed into a U-shaped fastener, which can also be tilted. This U-shaped bracket can be rotated in the stand. It is important that the tilt angle can be finely adjusted with the vertical fine-adjustment rod, which allows the user to easily hold the binoculars on the desired object.
Two important things before I tell you what it was like to use the AOMEKIE binoculars.
One is that since this is a mirror telescope and the mirror is on the inside of the tube, we have to make sure it doesn't get dusty. For this, we get a closing cap, which should always be placed on the front of the tube when you are not using the device.
Another important thing is that you should adjust the viewfinder during the day, before the first use. To do this, find a fixed, preferably distant ground target and set it to that. The goal, of course, is to have the red dot of the viewfinder on the object visible in the eyepiece. If you do this, you will easily find the small luminous dots in the big sky (meaning planets, stars)
Well, then use and experience will come. Let's start with the bad stuff!
With these cheap binoculars, the most critical point is the stand, because if it is not stable enough, it makes it very difficult to use. Well, unfortunately, the AOMEKIE is no exception, just as, for example, my much more branded Celestron was not. So, from this point of view, it almost doesn't matter whether what you choose is more branded or less branded.
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In the case of the Celestron, I was able to mount it on a fluid photographic stand with a small modification, so the quality of use improved by orders of magnitude. Unfortunately, due to the shortness of time (and because I didn't want to change it right away), I couldn't solve the matter in the case of AOMEKIE. I have ideas for it, it wouldn't be too complicated, so I might still experiment with it.
The bottom line is that AOMEKIE's stand is also weak. This is manifested in the fact that, on the one hand, the telescope wobbles a little, and also in the fact that the image in the eyepiece can shake just because someone is walking around the telescope.
This is where the Bluetooth remote control will be important, because without it it is simply impossible to take normal photos with the telescope.
I note that I don't even take photos, because I don't look at the moon and the planets for Facebook, but for myself, and looking through the lens with my eyes, the view is much more beautiful than in the pictures. Of course, it is possible to take jaw-dropping pictures with a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar structure, but these cheap binoculars are not really suitable for that.
So I advise you to enjoy the sight with your eyes, I think that's the real thing, leave the photography to the adults!
In my other opinion, the phone holder is a rather weak solution. I'm not saying it's unusable, but they could have packed something more serious with the telescope.
Going beyond the stand and phone holder, I have to say I was a little disappointed. Well, not because of the quality, but because the difference between the performance of my own lens telescope and the AOMEKIE mirror telescope is quite insignificant, so I will describe it here, if you have a small telescope that can be used well (astronomical telescope with a lens under 10 cm), then it will be unnecessary buy a 700 mirror, the result will not change.
However, I can definitely say that in terms of light collection, the mirror works better. There is a little more detail on the moon, I can already see the shadow of the ring on the planet Saturn and the larger cloud bands are also faintly visible on Jupiter. Of course, it is important to mention again that this view does not compete with the pictures of astrophotographers, but I think it is much better, because it is much more exciting to observe the celestial phenomena with my own eyes.
Another great advantage of mirrored binoculars is that they are easier to use. This means that you have to look into the lens telescope at the end of the telescope, so if the object you want to view is somewhere high in the sky, it is quite difficult to get behind the lens.
However, with mirrored binoculars, the lenses are at the front of the tube and stick out to the side, slightly upwards, so you can easily peek into it even if the tube is pointing straight up. The maximum that happens is that the image you see turns around or is at a different angle, but this is not so disturbing when, say, observing the planets.
Jupiter and its moons
I note here that the eye lenses have the almost standard 1,25" diameter tube, so we can get a lot of them, e.g. on Aliexpress. For example, you can buy a 90-degree mirror, which reverses the image, meaning that what is below will also be below the image you see.
This can be important if you want to use the AOMEKIE structure for ground observation.
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What should be the conclusion?
It may be that AOMEKIE's mirror telescope will not be suitable for observing deep space, but it will be suitable for observing the planets and the moon. If you don't mind the image being upside down, it can also be used on ground targets, and it will also see quite far.
It can also be said that spying on the sky with this telescope is just as much fun as with my own lens, not counting that the mirrored AOMEKIE is much more suitable for spying on the sky due to its design. It is not only more suitable, but also much more comfortable.
It should also not be overlooked that sooner or later it may be worthwhile to purchase a normal stand instead of the factory stand, and somehow retrofit the U-shaped solution that holds the tube. Based on the experience gained with my own telescope, I can say that watching the sky with a normal tripod will be a completely different experience. It's almost as if you bought a new, much better pair of binoculars.
The question is whether AOMEKIE is worth its price. Well, I don't think you'll get anything better for that money. It's a perfect choice for getting a taste of planetary observation with your own eyes, getting to know the sky, and knowing where to find each galaxy.
I'm not even talking about how great it is to spend quality time with your children. You can believe me!
So, if you decide to surprise yourself or one of your seedlings with such a telescope, they are now delivered to you from a Czech warehouse. If you use the BG39cbdb coupon code, then the price of the telescope will be HUF 65 including delivery instead of HUF 000 by clicking on the link below:
