Reddit reviews Orion 10012 SkyScanner 100mm TableTop Reflector Telescope (Burgundy)
We found 15 Reddit comments about Orion 10012 SkyScanner 100mm TableTop Reflector Telescope (Burgundy). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
An ideal entry-level reflector telescope with 100mm parabolic primary mirror optics - no plastic lenses as found in some other telescopes made for beginnersSee hundreds of craters on the Moon, detail on Jupiter and other planets, even when viewing from relatively bright city locationsA tabletop telescope big enough to find and observe objects in the night sky, but small enough to easily store in a closet or display on a deskPerfect reflector telescope for wide-angle, low-power viewing of the Milky Way and other deep sky objects when viewing from relatively dark skiesIncludes two 1.25 inch telescope eyepieces: 20mm (for 20 power magnification) and 10mm (for 40 power magnification), EZ Finder II aiming device, Starry Night astronomy software, and more!
For camping (Sorry, a tad over $100):
For Cooking:
Hello :-)
Where are you from (USA?)? How old are your kids? What are they most interested in (Planets, galaxies...)?
 
Travelscope 70, 70eq
The Travelscope is compact, but the short focal length refractor has flaws. It's not ideal for planets.
70mm aperture in general will show significantly less than larger aperture telescopes.
What to expect in different telescope aperture sizes;
For the future, a 5", 6" or 8" will be the best option. They show the most, have less compromises, and are more rigid. At $200/$300/$355-$400 (new) they are noticeably more expensive though.
 
Off the two you mentioned, the Power Seeker 70eq would be the better one. But there are alternatives that will show more.
 
 
Alternatives
Seeing these are in the $60-$100 price range, the choices are relatively limited.
Avoid all telescopes with extremely short focal length, or the short bird-jones type (for example Celestron Powerseeker 127eq, Astromaster 114/1000, much shorter tube than their focal length).
 
Depending on the age of your kids, an equatorial (eq) mount might be a bit difficult to wrap the head around. A AltAz mount is usually easy enough even for younger kids to point the telescope at the moon by themselves.
 
What area are you from? There might be a good used one on Craigslist. It's a decent way to save money.
 
If you can stretch your budget, consider the "2nd"/used/refurbished xt4.5 or the AWB Onesky (similar: Zhumell z130, Meade Lightbridge Mini 130). There's also the Meade Polaris 130eq ($179) but the eq2-type mount isn't ideal for a telescope this size.
 
There's also the Orion Skyscanner 100 for around $100 (sometimes $109, sometimes $79 refurbished..). It's a neat porch / table-top telescope ;-) Not ideal for high magnifications, but it will show more regarding deep-sky than the 70mm telescopes.
//EDIT: There's also the "2nd"/refurbished/used Dazzle 4.5 (~$135). Performance-wise it's about in-between the AWB Onesky and the SkyScanner. There's also the Starblast 4.5 on a tripod for a bit more.
 
The Meade Infinity 90mm costs $160, and while it shows more than the 70eq, the price is already almost as high as the mentioned 4.5 and 5" telescopes.
The Meade Polaris 80 EQ ($125) and Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ ($133) are cheaper and still offer a tad more aperture than the 70eq. Still, it'll show significantly less than the mentioned 5" (130mm) telescopes.
 
DIY alternatives
If you are handy, you can get something like the Celestron Powerseeker 114eq or a 114az on weak mount (new $100, used $50 or less) and build a "rockerbox" out of cheap materials 1 2.
 
TL;DR:
Xt4.5 or awb onesky as good all-rounder entry level telescope > skyscanner100 for wide-field > 80-90eq as a compromise > 70eq if you can't find anything better used.
 
Clear skies!
Firstly r/dontbuyapowerseeker. The tabletop dobsonian is the simplest and easiest to use. This: https://www.amazon.com/Orion-10012-SkyScanner-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_421_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BGTY7XWV4RASZ2WXK4HB
No, that will be awful. In that price range check out the tabletop reflectors such as this 100mm Orion SkyScanner.
>I asked him if the other planets are flat. He said there aren't any other planets (!!!!). Just the moon and the sun.
You can show him the planets in the sky and also show that they change position from night to night, whereas the stars stay the same relative to each other. A phone app can help you locate ojbects in the sky.
You can also buy a cheap telescope that will allow you to view the major planets. Seeing Saturn's distinctive ringed shape or Jupiter's moons, with his own eyes, might help. (Could also take him to a local star party.)
For stuff like the moon, Jupiter, and Saturn, a ~$100 telescope is fine to start with. Some people will say to get binoculars, but I think that it is horribly outdated advice.
Do you have a local astronomy club? If so, it might not be a bad idea to visit one of their public observing nights and check some stuff out.
Even in the middle of light polluted Phoenix, I have no trouble doing sidewalk astronomy on planetary objects, and even a few of the brighter nebulas.
My daughter is just barely out of the "toddler" stage, and uses this telescope on her own to look at the moon: http://www.amazon.com/iOptron-6004-iExplore-Refractor-Telescope/dp/B009S0VT62/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1394183296&sr=1-4&keywords=telescope
I'd never recommend that telescope to anyone though, but it was a gift from an astronomer friend, and it's cheap enough to where if she breaks it, I'm not out much. Maybe in a couple more years she can start using my 8" dob.
For a telescope suggestion, I'd stay away from any equatorial mounts. Cheap equatorial mounts are more frustrating than anything.
If $100 is your budget, Orion has a nice table-top dob that would make a nice starter scope. http://www.amazon.com/Orion-10012-SkyScanner-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=sr_1_6?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1394183296&sr=1-6&keywords=telescope
The problem with the table-top scopes is sometimes it's hard to use the finder scope. Once your daughter becomes familiar with the scope though, she shouldn't have trouble hitting the moon, and Jupiter.
If she plans on looking at the moon a lot, I'd suggest a lunar filter (about $20). http://www.amazon.com/Orion-05662-1-25-Inch-Percent-Transmission/dp/B0000XMUWS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1394183584&sr=1-1&keywords=lunar+filter
I know that pushes things up to ~150, but upping your budget a bit will pay off well. The toy scopes under $50 aren't really worth bothering with.
If your budget is limited, you could consider the Celestron Firstscope, which is a 3" table-top reflector. Combine a firstscope with a lunar filter, and you are talking about $60 or $70, and would still make an "okay" starter telescope.
As for keeping here interested in space/astronomy you could download and install stellarium on your computer for her. Stellarium is a free/open source planetarium program. Simply set your location, and you can view everything visible in the night skies of your area.
Also, there are a ton of "citizen science" programs your daughter could participate in.
Check out cosmoquest.org and zooniverse.org
I started off with a 100 dollar 4.5 inch (70mm is 3 inch i think) orion tabletop. Then I added a barlow lens and a 6mm eyepiece for about 40 dollars each. You can find cheaper pieces though.
The tabletop I had is pretty good for beginners, I could see dark objects like the andromeda galaxy and orions nebula. Planet views are good too but the eyepieces that come with the scope dont get you a lot of zoom which is why i got a 6mm and a barlow.
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-10012-SkyScanner-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=orion+4.5&qid=1562969551&s=gateway&sr=8-11
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8920-Expanse-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B0000XMXXO/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=6mm+orion+eyepiece&qid=1562969593&s=gateway&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-08711-Shorty-1-25-Inch-Barlow/dp/B0000XMWQW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=orion+barlow&qid=1562969613&s=gateway&sr=8-3
You can find cheaper eyepieces and barlow lens though.
The smaller the eyepiece, the more zoom you have, the barlow lens doubles your zoom.
I bought this one for my first one LINK accompanied by this. I can see Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moons, and Mars.
I went with a similar scope based on your recommendation. I'll let you know how it goes. The only downside is the inverted terrestrial viewing. I don't have any hot neighbors so I guess it won't matter.
It's a very capable scope for the price, better than any refractor you could get for that money.
Edit because I'm being modded down: *at the price* it is the best telescope to buy (unless buying used). Yes, it would be better to save up and buy the Orion SkyScanner for 100 GBP (more than twice the price) or even better to get the SkyWatcher Heritage 130p u/phpdevster named for 162 GBP ... but that is almost 4 times the price. Good for OP if they have (and want to spend) that kind of money, but in the 45-50GBP price range the Firstscope *is* a good scope.
I was the same a couple years ago and wasn't sure where to start. I ended up settling on this:
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-10012-SkyScanner-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479685615&sr=8-1&keywords=orion+skyscanner+100mm
It can be mounted to any standard tri-pod too. I live in the suburbs in a very light polluted area however I can still see the moons of Jupiter (and very slightly the bands in the planet) and I can easily make out the rings of Saturn.
I later bought a barlow lens and just a few weeks ago I bought a clamp that fits over the lens so I could take pictures. This is one of the ones I took of the moon a couple weeks back.
Imgur
The heritage is a bit out of my range. How about this one.
4inch table top skyscanner.
http://www.amazon.ca/SkyScanner-100mm-Table-Top-Reflector/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=sr_1_14?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1456808726&sr=1-14&keywords=telescope
Woulf a tabletop be a bette choice for a newbie? I would assume they would put more quality into the scope itself if the tripod is not needed?
No it's definitely alright! I appreciate that you are being completely honest. I can spend up to $100. So, that SkyScanner 100 is good? I see it for $100:
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-10012-SkyScanner-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BIIU
/r/Astronomy plug. I personally got this telescope, and it works phenomenally out of the box. I didn't want to go all-in on something I might not be interested in :p
As far as other ideas that fit for a more quiet person go:
Orion 10012 SkyScanner 100mm TableTop Reflector Telescope (Burgundy) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ejnmDbD6KVS7K
This one? Yeah as long as you don’t mind bringing some sort of table outside this is the better telescope. You could always build a tripod with a flat surface on top of the legs, people have done that and loved it. For the $100 though, if those were your only choices, go with my link above vs the short refractor. You’ll be happier.
Astronomers without borders onesky is pretty good too, $200.
Edit: also this...
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html