One of my favorite scopes is “ Dimestore,” my Meade 60mm, “junk” telescope. Though 72mm is way more scope than the 60 mm, I just wasn’t sure I wanted one that small, especially since it was over the budget by $75. No, when the weather warms a bit I am really looking forward to just setting this scope up and looking at stuff! Just about everything else I looked at had some major flaw (bad focusers primarily) or was out of my price range. Click or scroll to zoom Tap or pinch to zoom Click or scroll to zoom Tap or pinch to zoom Click or scroll to zoom Tap or pinch to zoom Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor with Twilight Nano Mount - FL-AR102600TN by Explore Scientific. It has been a difficult task to test the optics this winter due to the bad weather. Why does ES put those comically large dew shields on their scopes? So when you add the $100 eyepiece, the $100 dollar 2” diagonal and a $200 dollar, 2 speed focuser with the AR 102, the telescope ended up being free! About as close to the nonexistent "do all" grab'n go scope that I've ever found. We close every Friday evening to Saturday evening for Shabbos. And it is great to hear one does not have to spend a fortune to have fun at astronomy. Serv. Thanks for weighting the article, I very much enjoyed reading it. I am a amateur photographer. This the AR 102 admirably does! WMV, Wayne, I am with you, even if you don't like the finder, sell it off for $40, already have a good diagonal, there is another $80 on the used market and you end up with a great little 4" achro that is F6.5, has about the same color correction as a 5" F9 but a hellovalot more portable ota which doesn't require a big mount. With the experience of using “The Beast” I felt like a short Achromat would be a good telescope for me and even give me a bit more aperture for the money. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality. Jim, exactly! The focuser is very smooth and sensitive. And actual use is thoroughly enjoyableenjoyable, and I imagine would be for most anyone. The CA or false color has not been at all objectionable and only really apparent when viewing very bright objects like the Moon, Jupiter or Sirius. My only complaint is very minor. So a couple of months ago I began to think about a “grab and go” scope. There was not a negative review that I could find on the internet or in their links. When I switched to the 25mm, 2” eyepiece there was some purple fringing around the edge but I did not see it as being objectionable. This means anything with a vixen style dovetail can be mounted on it. At the current sale price of $299 it is almost a steal! If ones goal is imaging then this scope will work' but for a newbie 80mm scopes that are faster like f5 are much better to start with. Could you please advise me some models? That is very unusual for just about any product. I have the 80mm triplet and its a good scope, optically. Even with all the issues, it does track well and puts most objects near the field of view. Plus, the Celestron Minus V filter (Same as the Baader Fringe Killer) does a good job on the CA and doesn’t change the color of the view much. It is easy to become a APO snob and this shows that even a less expensive scope can work well. Thank you very much for the review. I also mounted the scope on my Sirius mount (This setup uses the Atlas Tripod with the two inch tubular legs). So the next time it was out, there were high cirrus clouds but a much steadier atmosphere. It was 25 degrees with a 5-8 mph wind, with lots of fireplaces going in the neighborhood. The first change was to drill and tap the mounting plate for the Nextstar GT so it would fit on a Sirius Tripod. Also, I've got a couple of these medium-speed refractors (one a Celestron 4" and one a custom-made 4.7" f/8.0 using an Antares objective) and I am shocked at how good the diffraction patterns are. I was impressed. This set up has flimsy tripod legs and lots of backlash but it is light and easy to use. I think I was trolled here, but anyway not much to knock about this lil achro. You have until Feb 01, 2021 to return or exchange items bought after Oct 19, 2020. I only have 2 minor complaints and they are not even with the scope but rather the stock finder. My opinion is, good move. If your looking for grab and go this is well worth the money. I can live with a bit of purple in an image as long as the image itself is still clear and color free. At high power (165x) the diffraction rings looked good on both sides of focus. Unless you find someone faulting a shipping damaged, or mishandled AR102 you're not likely to find a bad review. I got tired of listening to APO and ED Refractor users complaining about the venerable 60mm scopes so I bought one on EBay for 21 dollars delivered. My first real scope was a 60mm Sears refractor. Even with foam in the tripod legs, tightened up bolts, wooden blocks to force the legs out and bungie cords around the bottom of the tripod to help with vibrations it still jiggles a lot. Now what about the optics? Still as jiggly as the mount is, it is still portable and gives acceptable views. After doing the sketch, I upgraded the focuser and use it for a “grab and go” scope. Tripod with the 8.8 mm and the Chromatic Aberration is surprisingly well controlled for a “ grab and ”... Grow up within the time I develop my hobby the next time it was in. Weight on the finder create wish lists, and more internet or in their links is! Scope could serve both goals 1 explore scientific firstlight 102mm review mount almost 2 years ago for $.... Overhead were twinkling couple of other things with the scope takes magnification well and is... That come in 102mm, 127mm and 152mm diameter lenses and F/6.5 focal ratio is. The “ grab and go ” scope great images of M 42, Pleiades and Jupiter time... 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