Autostar Telescope in Lidl - any good?

jimogr

Hello,

I am complete novice

http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20061221.p.ComputerTelescope

Just wondering would the above telescope be a good buy for a complete beginner – is it good value?

Flukey

Yes, it is a good starter and not a bad price. It is one of their older models, but a good one nevertheless. Wait for some other opinions here and do a bit of searching on the net for reviews on it.

120_Minutes

I was gonna start a thread on these scopes too

I'm also a complete novice but always wanted a scope as a kid, one of these might make a nice xmas present to myself. Is it worth splashing out for the computerised one? (€169.99)

AlienGav

jimogr wrote:

Hello,

I am complete novice

Just wondering would the above telescope be a good buy for a complete beginner – is it good value?

It could do the job, how far away is the girl you intend spying on?

dubtom

I dropped by to ask the same question. The computerised one, how does that work, do you download into a hand device and connect to the scope?

AlienGav

dubtom wrote:

I dropped by to ask the same question. The computerised one, how does that work, do you download into a hand device and connect to the scope?

What are you shytin on about??:(

dubtom

AlienGav wrote:

What are you shytin on about??:(

'What am i shytin about' wtf sort of reply is that. Do you know anything about scopes or are you just a complete scummer who likes insulting posters.Read the question.

Vmaxer

dubtom wrote:

'What am i shytin about' wtf sort of reply is that. Do you know anything about scopes or are you just a complete scummer who likes insulting posters.Read the question.

I thought that was an uncalled for reply Myself, but I assume that the scope being computerized its pre programmed so if you lock on to one known star it will locate more hard to find ones. Never owned a telescope but wouldn't mind checking this one out.

slade_x

The ETX-70AT is a very good telescope, with it i have gotten some very satisfactory views of the moon at 260x magnification. the general rule of thumb for usable magnification is twice the aperture, or 50x-60x per inch of aperture, all depending on seeing conditions of course. That would make the ETX70's practical limit in the range of 140-160x

Naturally you wont be resolving any deep sky objects at anything even remotely near that magnification.

This telescope, at least the one i have provides extremely sharp visuals and observing Saturn itself is very possible with it. I actually saw my first proper view of saturn and its moons at low mag through an ETX70. Which is very satisfying.

The biggest draw of this telescope is absolute portablility, you can grab it at anytime, head off anywhere and you will be pleased at what you see. the ability to easily carry the telescope around (and made even easier with the excellent backpack provided) more than makes up for its lack of aperture. and if you think about it, a small portable telescope in an extremely dark sight is better than a larger one in a light polluted area. as lets face it your not about to head off on a whim with your 6"/8"+ (aka 60 + lbs in weight) to a really dark site.

Its a grab and go scope as well as a GO-TO scope

It comes provided with Meade Multi Coated eyepieces;
12mm, 25mm and 4mm, also a 3x barlow lense and a 45° Erecting Prism

The ETX paired with its included eyepieces result in the following mags
25mm = 14x + barlow = 42x
12mm = 29x + barlow = 87x
4mm = 87.5x + barlow = 262x (not an appropriate mag but usable in very very good conditions on extremely bright objects if your not to frustrated and picky about perfect focus)

The ETX range can also mount two eyepieces at a time while using the erecting prism. the erecting prism mounts on the back and you can alternate between eyepiece viewing positions via a switch. When Viewing the Zenith the prism blocks the movement of the telescope though, i see that some ETX users make or purchase wedges which eleviate that elevation problem as well as providing a platform for polar alignment. Below is a picture of a wedge:



The 45° Erecting Prism will orient all views the right way up as well as giving you a 45° viewing angle from the back of the telescope.

Bear in mind though that this telescope is by no means suited to high magnifications and a lot of deep sky objects, The telescope is undeniably a pleasure to use, I cant stress that enough

And dubtom,
A computerised Telescope is also referred to as an automated or Go-to Telescope. This basically means the Telescope comes with a Mount that is capable of being controlled with a hand controller, manually tracking or auto tracking is its prime purpose. Autostar #497 Controller Pic below;



A go-to Drive enabled telescope gives you the unique ability to just select what object you want to view and the telescope will line itself up so you dont need prior knowlege of where the object actually is in the sky. They are subject to alignment on each session. this is just a simple alignment process called 1, 2 or 3 star alignment. You just set the scope in the home position (Pointing true North and horizontal) depending on which align option you choose it will automatically attempt to find an alignment star or 2 or 3 which will triangulate its position. you will be required to look through the telescope and center the star accurately in the field of view for an optimal alignment

Alignment stars are basically the brightest in the sky, so knowing exactly what star to center in on is pretty easy, some of the most famous alignment stars are: Proxycon, Vega, Capella, Sirius, Rigel, Pollux, Acturus, Antares, Mizar, Deneb, Betelguese, Regulus, Alderbaran and Alamak, there are a lot more though but these are the most familiar i would say among astronomers

You can also hook the telescope up to a computer/laptop via a special cable and with the use of the appropriate software the telescope can then be controlled by the computer itself. Starry Night is about the best astronomy software package i have ever used, it comes with ASCOM platform which will allow control of a go-to based telescope via a computer

Weasner's Might ETX site

If you buy the ETX70At as a portable scope, you wont regret it, also if you buy it as a first time scope you wont regret it, its price and Autostar ability makes it very appealing to beginners. Even though i have 2 other scopes one of which is a large reflector i still get use out of my beloved ETX70. Meade's ETX range are exceptional and a pleasure to use.

The only downside to this model is that it doesnt come with a bundled Right-Angle Viewfinder for example

Here is a link to a guide on contructing your own ETX70 Polar Wedge Courtesy of Weasner's Might ETX site

dubtom

Thank you Slade_X,much appreciated.

Wolff

Anyone spot any lidls with these left ?

Flukey

I was in Lidl today, not with the intention of buying one, but I didn't see any of them there. I did see the binoculars they've been advertising though.