Orion 80ED--The refractor that started it all

Pictured at left is the refractor that started it all. Three years ago Orion rocked the world of amateur astronomy when they announced their offering of an 80mm apochromatic refractor for less than 500 dollars. Naturally it sounded too good to be true. Most people had come to regard exorbitant apo prices to be a given. But then the reports started pouring in from all quarters, nearly everyone claiming that Orion hadn't exaggerated the quality of their Synta made optics. Few of the reviewers, if any, came back from their first light experiences with negative impressions.

Sure, there was never any suggestion that these scopes would ever rival Astro Physics or Takahashi triplets. But the image quality was close enough that the difference ws something that many people could willingly live with. They had a focal length of 600 (f/7.5) and used FPL-53 as one of the elements, which doesn't necessarily mean much. It's possible to use top quality materials in a poorly designed configuration.

But it apeared that they had gotten it right. Most reviews were claiming virtually color-free performance even on Jupiter and the moon. The only complaints had to do with the rack & pinion focuser, and with the size and weight of the optical tube. It didn't mattermuchto the buying public. Within weeks the ED80's were

riding on top of hundreds of OTAs.The optics were made by Synta, a Chinese company, and other resellers soon got into the act, offering their own versions of similarly priced FPL-53 based doublets-- Vixen, Celestron, Skywatcher.

Astro Tech 80ED--The next big thing.

About a year ago a new company, Astronomy Technologies, an American reseller of Taiwanese optics, appeared on the scene with two ED scopes, a 66mm/400mm focal length/ f/6 and an 80mm/550mm f/6.8. These were doublets apparently using FPL-51 equivalent glass. And then another new company popped up selling the same thing. And then another. And another. I lost count at five.

The first thing you noticed about these Astro-Tech refractors was that they were more aestheticlly pleasing, some companies offering the anondized aluminum scopes in as many as eight colors. They all had more features than the Synta scopes, and shipped with fully rotatable, dual-speed Crayford focusers with an 11 to 1 reduction ratio. They have retractable dewshields, metal dustcaps and ship with aluminum carrying cases.

Some called their scopes APOs, while others refered to them as virtually apochromatic refractors with color correction so good that it would be difficult to tell the difference. What was clear is that for roughly the same amount of money you got a mechanically excellent telescope with more features than the Synta scopes. Most reviewers felt that the Synta optics may have a slight edge, but none of them that I read spoke of this edge in very certain terms. At any rate, compared with the prices for 80mm APO refractors in the past, any one of these new scopes is a great buy.

To avoid unjustifiably raising the hopes of some telescope owners, I should preface this by saying that these eyepieces work best with "slower" scopes, ideally with f/10 SCTs. Some reflector owners have reported varying levels of satisfaction, but usually those with focal ratios of better than f/6. Views are always subjective, of course. If you have a slow reflector or refractor you may want to try before you buy. That said...

If it weren't for Al Nagler and Televue this article wouldn't exist. In fact, if not for Al Nagler's unmatched eyepiece design skills, the people behind GSO (Guan Sheng Optics) would never have been motivated to create the eyepiece pictured at left.

Televue's Nagler line of ultra wide field eyepieces--named for the founder of the company, who designed them-- provide 82 degree views with such clarity that they have become the standard by which all wide field eyepieces are judged. As the ads suggest, looking through them is truly like taking a walk in space. Unfortunately the prices are famously exhorbitant. You could buy a decent 6" reflector for the price of a 31mm eyepiece.

When GSO first released their "Superwide" line of eyepieces they caused an immediate sensation

throughout the astronomy world. Long before the magazine reviewers got wind of them, internet reviews and forum participants were raving about them. No one has ever suggested that they are similar to Naglers in quality, but for $59.00 a 2" 30mm GSO Super Wide provides a 70 degree AFOV with pinpoint stars throughout most of the field. Toward the edge, the image softens, but for the price they are an unusually satisfactory addition to your eyepiece lineup.

Other companies were quick to join the party, and within the last two years eypiece lines like like the Stratus series pictured at right, Agena, Bader Hyperian and others have begun offering eyepieces with apparent fields of view ranging from 68 to 80 degrees.

Not long ago quality 2" diagonals were expensive items with prices commiserate with the eyepieces one would use with them. This was no small matter. Anyone who owns a "slow" telescope, such as an f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain, understands that without a 2" diagonal and widefiled eyepieces, you just aren't getting the full viewing capabilities that you paid for. To keep costs down, companies like Meade and Celestron have chosen to catagorize 2" diagonals as luxeries rather than necessary components of a telescope system.

Enter William Optics. Refractor aficionados will be familiar with the William Optics company. Yet another Taiwanese manufacturer of astronomical equipment, William Optics has become one of the most respected developers of apochromatic refractors, and they have been offering them at comparatively inexpensive prices.