I had to get up extra early today, so with the opportunity I grabbed the NHNG and M1 and out the door! Conditions weren't bad--- 62degF, ~80% rel. humidity, a little high cloudy haze off to the SW. The moon was spectacular with a 19mm Pan (28x), very sharp with only a hint of yellow-green at the edge of the illuminated limb of the moon when out of focus (it always does that when the humidity is high.) After blinding myself on the moon, I switched to Jupiter. This is my first view of Jupiter in 2008. Wow! Conditions were good. With the 5mm Nagler (112x) northern and southern banding was plainly visible, some festooning was visible, and even the GRS was visible. Io was just off the east (right view) limb of Jupiter, and I watched it transit. First time I've observed a transit in action. I put in my 2.5mm BO/TMB (224x) but conditions just weren't right for it. I could see more banding, but less atmospheric detail on the planet. I experimented with the FL-D filter, and that improved the contrast a bit, but the 5mm was THE eyepiece on Jupiter today. Fantastic views.
Conclusions: What a bargain is the 80mm ED. The Nagler and diagonal costs the same as the rest of the scope. This is definitely a winning combination. Must find an excellent 3mm with lots of eye relief for planets.
Now *that's* a perfect looking star test. Very, very nice views, Vic. I'm a happy camper.
I only wish to thank you for building such a outstanding scope and hopefully your standards will always come before volume and profit as I feel quality will reward itself."I have owned a SV 80/9D for almost 5-1/2 years (one of the early ones) that I subsequently upgraded with the replacement Crayford 2" focuser. It is a great scope with (for me) little false color. Under dark skies, I have seen (among many great sights) M51 (both cores visible) and M104 (including the dust lane). Friends with big dobs were impressed. My 80/9D is currently fitted to a M1 mount atop an Orion XHD tripod. Set-up is no more than five minutes."
"I got a quick session with my clearance model 80/9D. I took a look at the moon with an Orion Moon Glare filter and Meade 5000 26mm, 14mm, and 5.5mm EPs. Looked much more 3D than I was expecting, and I was surprised to see the rocky prominences at the center of some craters along the terminator. ..
…I'm very pleased with the 80/9D and all the little surprises I gave me this evening.... I got a real bargain. Thanks Vic!"
"I have the BV version of the 80/9D and I have to admit that I DO consider it a grab & go. It really is quite easy to manage. I have mine on a Televue Gilbralter alt-az mount which I really prefer to an eq mount. So much easier to use and handle. Quite honestly, I am a lazy astronomer and I will only use what is fast and easy, and this set-up really does work very well for me."
The 80/9D just arrived in fine shape. I should be able to get out later and put it through its paces. I have one of the original 80/9Ds (with fixed dewshield) and love the optics .... I've always felt this scope is a keeper (and this one is even prettier too
A fellow I know here in town just received your 80/9D Ultimate Starter System. This is the first chance I've had to see the system in person--wow, great system, very nice and very stable!!!
The 80/9D still ROCKS!
Last night I finally got the chance to run my 80/9D through its paces, and it was SPECTACULAR! It far exceeded my expectations-- I started with Venus, and the moon in the twilight. I had really crisp,
sharp images on the moon, even though the sky was still light, and these views got better as the sky darkened. From the moon , I went to Saturn and was able to get the Cassini division as well as the shadow of the planet on the
rungs and occasional glimpses of the crepe ring.
Since I was at a star party, I also put up some double stars starting with Mizar-Alcor and then going to Castor, Algieba and Mintaka. Several members of my astronomy club who had not had the opportunity to look through a Stellarvue instrument were impressed with the images produced and stated that it verified all of the good reports they had read. Some of those who commented on the quality of my scope were owners of other brands of APO scopes. You did good Vic!
Now it is time to start gathering pennies again to save up for some first class eyepieces!
"Last night I was out with my "new" 80/9D looking at Jupiter and the Moon. A good test cause Jupiter is low and the Moon is almost full.
I am very impressed with this telescope.
Optically it exceeded my expectations, and physically it exceeded my expectations. That is the bottom line if you are in a hurry."
"Well, it's here, and it's a beaut. After getting it unpacked and set up, the first thing I noticed was a gibbous moon hanging low in a beautiful clear blue sky! Of course I ran right out and set up on
the lawn.
The moon was perfectly clear through both the 30mm and 9mm eyepieces. My fiancee and I were both in awe at being able to see three dimensional crater mountains near the edge. Shortly after it got completely
dark I went out again and checked out the moon. It was crystal clear and painfully bright through the eyepiece.
Lately I have been looking at and photographing the area around the Pleiades (mostly in my quest to find the
comet), so I went there next. The blue color of the stars was evident and I was able to focus them down as perfect points of light. The nebulosity was not at all visible, probably due to the nearby moon.
OK, so now I
took off trying to find comet Machholtz in Perseus. With only a few stars visible to the naked eye (thanks to our ever present light polution), it was difficult locating the right star to start looking from. The fact that it
was straight up didn't help things either. :)
I was never sure that I found the star I was looking for, but I am pretty sure I found the comet, much dimmer than it was a few weeks ago. It was just a barely perceptable
smudge in the sky.
For the grand finale, I turned to Saturn, not knowing what to expect. I had been hoping that this telescope would let me see the rings.
It was really a magical moment when it popped into to
focus with the 9mm EP. I could hardly believe that I was actually seeing rings! Not only rings, but a distinct black space inside the rings. It looked like a perfect little cartoon planet hanging in space!
I'm not in
position to make any comparative judgements about the quality of this scope, but I just can't imagine how it could be any sharper and clearer. I did see a few blue outlines but they would come and go so I think it was just my
eyes. There really seems to be a trick to focusing on the image in the eyepiece.
I was also surprised at how colorful the stars were through the scope.
Next I'll be getting a higher magnification eyepiece or maybe
a barlow (9mm is the shortest it came with) so I can get a better view of the planets, and closer in on the moon."
The fit and finish of this scope is outstanding! The sliding dew shield is just right! .... Thanks to all at SV for such a dandy scope!
... I had never noticed so much detail and clarity before...the 80/9d just plain gave superior view's of all I've looked at. If anyone is thinking of buying a stellarvue and your like me with limited fund's just trust what VIC and other's have said about their Stellarvue scopes and buy one as you will definitely feel it was well spent money.
I received my telescope a few weeks ago and have taken it out several times. I am thoroughly happy with it and will recommend Stellarvue products at every chance. Great job
All specifications and prices are subject to change without notice. We often modify designs to improve them. All copy and photographs copyright 2008 and may not be used without permission.
Stellarvue trademarks and service marks, and logos and product and service names are trademarks of Stellarvue (the "Stellarvue Marks"). Without Stellarvue's prior permission, these marks may not be displayed or used in any manner. Some products are patent pending. Stellarvue will take necessary action against any dealer in the USA carrying imitations of our proprietary products. Dealers are warned to check with us first before purchasing similar products as they may be illicit copies of products we specifically designed. Such products may only be sold by authorized Stellarvue dealers. We encourage all dealers interested in carrying our specific products to become a Stellarvue dealer. Contact vic@stellarvue.com or call (530) 823-7796 for more information.