Author: Tammy Plotner

It’s time you and I sat down and had us a long and quiet talk about the Meade Backpack Observatory. Astronomer to astronomer, you know? Over the years I’ve had my fair share of problems with Meade products and I didn’t want to be accused of “Meade bashing”, so I displayed the patience of a saint with this product. Despite some initial disappointments and frustrations, I was soon to learn a few very valuable lessons…

Don’t believe absolutely everything you read and if you can’t figure it out, read the instructions.

As always, I like to begin with using any piece of equipment with “intuitive set-up”. (For those of you who aren’t familiar with all the ins and outs of the English language, intuitive set-up stands for too proud and sure of yourself to read the included instruction manual.) When I opened the box, I was delighted with the Meade ETX80 Backpack Observatory. Nice, rip-stop nylon, self-healing zippers, and every little place in the backpack has a compartment to store every component that comes with the unit. The ETX80 is self-contained, lightweight and looks ready to go. I packed everything up, (including the instruction manual) and headed out to a friend’s observatory for its first light and made my initial mistake.

I didn’t leave before dark and I really should have read the instruction manual or watched the video.

While I have played with a great many GoTo telescopes over the years, and the Meade ETX80 Backpack Observatory is very similar to most, it does operate slightly differently. Just how much of the set-up doesn’t require instructions? Well, most of it actually. The little lightweight tripod is a real triumph in engineering design. Instead of screws that will strip out, this is a three-part telescoping design that “buckles” together, the center twists and slides down for a positive spread and lock and it has a built-in level. The last is a great feature I didn’t catch just because of my own stupidity.

The battery compartment on the ETX80 is built right into the base. It’s hard to find in the dark while fumbling with a flashlight and even harder to open if your fingers are a bit on the older side… But I gotta’ hand it to Meade on this one – it doesn’t eat batteries like other models I’ve used. The AutoStar hand controller plugs into a port on the side just like a phone jack, there’s an off/on switch and an additional port. Sweet… This is the entire mount! Even in the dark and uninformed, this one is easy to connect to the tripod. All you do is partially thread two thumbscrews into the base, set them into the tripod top into the holes, give a twist until it locks home and tighten the screws.

Even a blond can do this.

Next stop? Alignment. Thanks to a provided compass that fits right into the eyepiece holder, we level off the tube, point it north and we’re good to go. In my own arrogance, I soon found out that AutoStar isn’t quite like other hand controllers, but it is similar enough that I did figure it out. Off and running? Evenutally, yes. And right to Arcturus. But it wasn’t in the eyepiece… It wasn’t even close. Guess what? No finderscope. OK. How hard can it be? It is Arcturus, after all. I slew this way. I slew that way. My back hurt. My eyes bugged out. And yes. I should have read the instructions. I chose another star and the same thing happened. After an hour or two of being photon-deprived, I simply gave up and used my friend’s dob. We had a good laugh over how any company would make a telescope with no finder and I let it go for the night.

But I didn’t give up.

Now, if you’ll permit an old StarGeezer to ramble a bit? At that point I would have cheerfully thrown it back in the box and let it go, but the Meade Backpack Observatory was donated to me for a reason. Each year I serve thousands upon thousand of people in public astronomy outreach. While I’m at the Observatory, my own physical limitations don’t present any problems, but when called upon to visit at other locations I have difficulties at times. Thus, the Meade Backpack Observatory came into my hands. Sometimes others know things about products that I don’t know, so I was determined to swallow my pride, take out my Tammy-determination and try again.

Once away from my peers, I read the instruction manual and watched the video. You know what? I was doing a few things wrong. The Meade Backpack Observatory is 100% wheelchair friendly. By starting before dark I was able to put the tripod at a comfortable height and use the built-in level to get it right. Then it was a matter of attaching the scope and AutoStar controller, putting the compass in the eyepiece and readying the home position to wait on dark. While waiting, I attached the diagonal and high power eyepiece to the rear of the telescope and located the flip mirror switch that would allow me to either use the low power eyepiece or high power at whim. Now I knew… When it went to star align, all I had to do was punch a button and it would run a spiral search pattern and all I had to do was stop it when my star popped up and center it to align.

From that point on, the Meade ETX80 Backpack Observatory has became my constant companion when called upon to do astronomy outreach programs away from the observatory. I don’t care too much for GoTo telescopes, but I do like having one that tracks the objects when I have 150 people waiting in line to see Jupiter. I like having a telescope that’s self-contained in one very easy to transport unit and one that easy on batteries. We’ve served thousands of kids and adults. My eyepiece smells like ‘smores and the universe has sparkled in the eyes of young and old alike.

So what’s the word? The Meade ETX80 has sparkling optics and the included eyepieces are high quality. Don’t believe everything you read about AutoStar. While it is a fine system, it isn’t as accurate as they would like you to believe – no matter how carefully you align and level things. While the spiraling search is fine and dandy, Meade really should have included some sort of finderscope – even if it was just a cheap reflex finder. The battery life is awesome, the tripod is a little miracle and the backpack is worth its weight in gold.

What’s my recommendation? Sigh… The Meade ETX80 Backpack Observatory isn’t for beginners. If you didn’t have a clue as to what an object looked like when the scope begins its spiraling search pattern, you would miss it… Plain and simple. Even though the true aperture is slightly more than 80mm, it just isn’t enough for someone who isn’t familiar with the sky to easily pick out fainter star clusters and deep sky objects with ease. The same holds true of the alignment stars. It’s one thing for me to know what Altair looks like in the eyepiece – but do you? I might know M29 from a random pattern of stars in Cygnus, but will the average consumer? I recognize M57 at 35X in a small scope, but can everyone? Once it’s in the eyepiece and centered, I can easily tell someone to avert and look for a little glowing patch, or a group of stars that looks like a tiny dipper… but if you didn’t know? I think you get the drift.

If you’re looking for a very fine little GoTo telescope that’s capable of traveling and you’ve got some experience, then look no further. The Meade ETX80 Backpack Observatory is an asset for folks with disabilities, for those who frequently need to travel to remote locations to give outreach presentations, or for those who have experience and are looking for a scope to take camping or hiking. Would I recommend it?

In a heartbeat…

The Meade BackPack Observatory was donated by Meade Corporation and product photographs and purchase information provided for this review by Oceanside Photo and Telescope.

I’m often asked about what I’d recommend as a very basic book for beginner’s to help them learn their way around the constellations and how to put their binoculars or small telescopes to good use. Needless to say, there’s an endless array of books for the beginning stargazer and no one particular volume is going to excel by a wide margin over another. However, I after taking a look around, I started asking questions at what could be had for about $20 and what I think would work well for the novice as a complete package. This time my choice was well-bound and colorful volume called “Celestron Sky Maps and Luminous Star Finder.” Here’s why…

Over the years it has been my distinct pleasure to own a great many books geared towards the first time astronomer. My bookshelves are graced with timeless classics like “Turn Left At Orion”, “SkyWatching” and “365 Starry Nights”. Heck, those of you that know me also know I write astronomy books, so it makes it even harder to find and recommend a particular volume! While my own stellar navigation abilities have progressed tremendously over my lifetime and my own books are geared towards all readers, I’ve never forgotten what it was like to be totally new at the game and just how confusing and big a dark, starry sky can look. Long before I ever graduated to using a telescope, I’d stand outside with those clever monthly star charts that come in the astronomy periodicals and a flashlight – just trying to make sense of it all. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was blinding myself by using a flashlight and I was having an even more difficult time coming to grips trying to compare the chart to the sky. Of course, I learned – and so can you – but there’s no reason for the process to be painful or confusing.

Enter the Celestron Sky Maps and Luminous Star Finder…

Ordinarily my first recommendation to anyone who doesn’t know the night sky is a planisphere. Again, there’s a whole range of planispheres available and every last one of them does exactly the same thing. For those of you not familiar with the term, a planisphere is a very basic star map arranged on a calibrated wheel. Turn the wheel and match the calibrations to the correct date and time and what you see in the “window” is what the skies look like for either the northern or southern hemisphere (depending on the edition). The planisphere is so basic that I actually print off plans and make planispheres with guests at the Observatory to take home – but my “freebies” are flimsy – accurate, but not lasting. In the case of the Celestron Sky Maps and Luminous Star Finder, the planisphere is part of the book itself. Again, it is very basic – but it’s also very durable and has a nice twist… It glows in the dark! Before heading out to use it, leave the planisphere under a lamp or in a bright light source, but protect your own eyes so you’ll dark adapt more quickly. I found the ideal arrangement (for me) was to put it in a room with doors I could shut and a bright overhead light which I could turn off with my eyes closed. Once “charged”, the glow-in-the-dark planisphere is ready to tackle the night.

Without the distraction of using a flashlight (either white or red) the luminous star finder was really a ingenious addition. While the constellation imprints (when held at arm’s length) aren’t to the same scale as the sky, the pleasing glow made it very easy for me to hold up the book and reference the stars at the same time. Because it’s user friendly, total beginners to the night sky should be able to quickly match the stellar patterns with this clever aid. Again, there’s lots of planispheres out there – and even ones that glow – but there’s more to the total package.

The Celestron Sky Maps and Planisphere book is a bit more, for it also contains an Illustrated Star Map Atlas and Deep-sky Objects Reference Guide. Yes, it’s very basic… And yes, the listings of the deep sky objects and coordinates are a bit dated – but there’s a reason this book has sold over 2 million copies – it’s very easy to use. Throughout the seasonal listings, you’ll find over 1,000 objects to explore with binoculars and small telescopes and the illustrated reference section provides basic information about various types of stars, nebulae and galaxies. They aren’t Hubble photographs, just very ordinary film photos which closely resemble the view in a larger telescope. To me, this is an awesome feature for a beginner. I remember all too well the first time I found the Andromeda Galaxy and how I wished someone would have told me that it looked like a little glowing cloud! It’s one thing to see a spectacular color image of a deep space object and it’s another to see it through binoculars or a small telescope for the first time. Someone needs to show you what to expect and Celestron has done an admirable job.

So what’s inside? The star charts are arranged by season with two charts – divided north and south – to use. Rather than be crammed full of things you can’t see, it’s parsed down to what you need, white pages with black stellar images, magnitude listings, proper symbols for deep sky objects and inset boxes to give you more detailed information on objects in the area, including star names. Here you’ll find your way towards double stars, bright nebula, interesting clusters and achievable galaxies. Looking for a planet? Celestron has thought of that, too. There’s even a table to help you locate the planets through the year 2016. All of this is very easy to read in the dark with a red flashlight and very easy to understand and put to use.

Is it a big book? Yep. At 11″ X 13″ this is what’s considered a “coffee table” size – but what it isn’t is a thick book. It only has 21 pages including the charts and reference material, but those 21 pages are also extremely well done. Unlike most of the beginner’s star gazing books, the Celestron Illustrated Star Map Atlas and Deep-sky Objects Reference Guide was meant to be taken outdoors and used. The pages are heavy card-stock, durable and moisture proof. This means you can lay it down while using it to explore a certain region of space with a specific chart and the wind won’t take your place away! You can lay it on the damp grass and the pages won’t curl or the ink smear. It’s a durable and lasting volume – all the way around.

Is it the perfect book for beginners? I can’t tell you that. Maybe one person will learn better from planetarium software – while another might benefit more quickly from the new electronic sky navigators. What I can tell you is the book is absolutely worth the $20 asking price. Chances are if you enjoy it and use it – you’ll outgrow it in a year or two… But then, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? What you’ll learn using Celestron Sky Maps and Luminous Star Finder will prepare you to use a more detailed star atlas and even more dedicated star charts. Even if you never outgrow it, there’s a thousand things both in there and out there…

Just waiting on you to find them.

At request, the Celestron Sky Maps and Luminous Star Finder Book was provided for this review by Oceanside Photo and Telescope. My many thanks to Chris Hendren for his assistance. Please remember that should you decide to order from OPT to put “Universe Today Astronomers” in the club afflilation of your order to receive your UT rewards discount on your final bill!

If you’re into telescopy, then you know the name Televue needs little or no introduction at all. The name is absolutely synonymous with the most outstanding quality and high performance optics in the business and every product is backed by uncompromising standards. Of course, if you’re like me, the moment I see the name Televue little dollar signs start swimming around in front of my eyes. Would you like me to shoo them away for you?

I’ve been playing the astronomy game for a long time now and I know when it comes to optics that you get what you pay for. But, one of my favorite things to do is to find products that give you more than what you expect. Go anywhere. Look any place. Check out plossl eyepieces. The four element Plossl design is perhaps the most popular telescope eyepiece design on today’s market and just about every manufacturer makes one. It provides excellent image quality, good eye relief and just about all of them have an apparent field of view of about 50 degrees. But is one plossl really better than another?

The answer is yes. And here’s why…

The names TeleVue and Al Nagler are synonymous among the international astronomy community with revolutionary telescope and eyepiece designs in production since 1977. Beginning his career with amateur astronomy and telescope making, Mr. Nagler enjoyed an illustrious career in optics and eventually became involved in the design of the NASA Apollo program astronaut lunar landing visual simulator by designing a probe which simulated a field of up to 140 degrees! Establishing TeleVue Optics Incorporated in 1977, Uncle Al’s mind eventually turned to a field which hadn’t progressed in nearly a century – telescope eyepiece designs – and thus was born a legend. Says Mr. Nagler in his Company 7 interview: “I have worked on eyepieces, telescopes and viewing devices with two major goals: to make astronomy as easy and versatile as possible to encourage, rather than discourage, newcomers, and secondly, to provide a visual experience as close to a “space walk” as possible by obtaining the widest, sharpest, highest contrast views. I am deeply gratified that my work has enhanced the pleasure and growth of the hobby.”

Televue demands a certain standard that can and will be met – and nothing says it more clearly than their very affordable line of Televue Plossl Eyepieces. At right around $100 per eyepiece, this is not only competitive with other manufacturers – it’s meeting their price point and delivering far better performance. In a side by side comparison with a 2″ Meade 26mm QX Wide Angle Eyepiece which supposedly offers a 70 degree field of view, the 1.25″ Televue 25mm Plossl absolutely buried it. Why? By all design rights, the QX should have outperformed it – yet it did not. Telescope after telescope, focal length after focal length… The results were the same. The Televue Plossl consistently gave outstandingly better edge of eyepiece performance, far more contrast and sharper images.

Now for a 1.25″ Celestron 12mm Omni Plossl compared to a 1.25″ Televue 11mm Plossl. Again, we have near dead-ringers in design, magnification, field of view and eye relief – but not performance. Putting in the Televue Plossl was like the different between day and night. Contrast improved significantly and image sharpness doubled. When Jupiter would near the edge of the eyepiece field, it didn’t distort! Telescope after telescope… Focal length after focal length… Same results.

Did I spend several evenings switching out eyepieces? Yes. Refractor, reflector and SCT… I went through a very serious collection of eyepieces that ranged from Antares to William Optics and I am very impressed with what these very affordable plossl eyepieces can do. Before anyone even considers buying a plossl eyepiece from another manufacturer, stop and think Televue. Their prices are exactly the same and I guarantee you the performance is far superior. Now… There’s only one eyepiece left to try, and that test belongs to my much beloved Meade 12.5″ study grade reflector.

Let’s dance.

The 2″ Televue 55mm Plossl is a serious chunk of glass. But when you look through this one, you’ll be blown away. The eye relief is simply outstanding! Can you imagine seeing entire vistas like the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae together? Can you picture the Sagittarius Star Cloud spraying out across the night? Holy cow… Have you ever seen all the stuff that’s really around the Ring Nebula? Have you spotted the little galaxy that’s near the M13 at the same time? You can’t image what the Dumbbell really looks like until you’ve captured it with the whole field around it…

Is it the same spacewalk effect produced by Nagler’s other famous eyepieces? Yes. But to a lesser degree. I have seen through even wider field Televue eyepieces and I can tell you that my eye can never take it all in. To me, the plossl is perfect. Here I see such a large, true field that I wish I had this around when it was galaxy season! Yes, I’m babbling. Every one that has a light bucket telescope should own one of these! What all this distills down to is this particular eyepiece is just slightly over $200 (US), ships anywhere in the world and comes with a 5-year Televue warranty and it’s not going back.

It’s a keeper.

The Televue Plossl Eyepieces for this product review were provided by Oceanside Photo and Telescope. We thank them for their generous loan and the check for the 55mm is in the mail. If Universe Today readers should choose to order from OPT, please type in “Universe Today Astronomers” into the Club Affiliation section of your order to receive your rewards discount!