Spotting scope. S and T.

[David Frydman]

Sky and Telescope April 2014.

Happiness with a simple scope. p.38.

30 x 75.

Regards, David

[trynda1701]

David

Do you have a copy, or did you see this on the S & T website?

I checked the nearest W.H. Smiths to me, and they still had the March issue on the shelf. So when should the April issue appear usually in the UK if it isn't out yet?

Mark

[David Frydman]

Hi Mark,

I got it last week, subsciption. since 1960s.

Regards, David

[trynda1701]

Thanks David. I'll check the W.H. Smith's again next week then.

Mark

[trynda1701]

Anyone seen the April edition of S&T yet in W.H. Smith's? My local branch still only has the last copy of the March edition on shelf.

Mark

[Brian]

Hi Mark.

If you subscribe to S&T it now includes free digital download of the complete magazine about a month before the paper version appears. In fact the paper version is probably redundant for subscribers

Regards,

[David Frydman]

. The April edition was probably made in January.

When I visited sky and telescope in January 1989 I think that from memory they were making the April edition. They might add some late news a bit later.

Regards David

[trynda1701]

I checked in at the local W.H Smith's on Thursday (27th) and checked at the counter, the next issue is due to be delivered on April 15th.

Mark

[mike a feist]

April edition of S & T on the shelf at Smiths in Brighton today. Page 38 "Stargazing Simplified" by James Mullaney about the joys of using a spotting scope. Excellent article. What more can I say. What with Alan Hale's book "Sport Optics - Binoculars, Spotting Scopes and Riflescopes" which covers the astronomical use use of spotting scopes and this article about their advantages over bigger, dedicated astronomical refractors/reflectors for a more relaxed skywatching/stargazing, perhaps more people will consider them as a serious alternative. regards maf

[trynda1701]

Got hold of a copy this afternoon (13th) at one of my local WH Smith's.

Yep, an interesting article. Been considering either getting a spotting scope, or perhaps a Skywatcher Heritage 100P or Heritage 130P Newtonian for the kind of simple stargazing the article describes. Considering how bad the weather has been for astronomy this winter/early spring, this means making more use of a simpler telescope than my neglected C8!

Mark

[brian livesey]

Unless we are prepared to spend a small fortune, a spottingscope is unlikely to be as optically good as its astronomical equivalent.
My ACUTER 80mm ( 20X-60X ) spottingscope is very good for the price, but less bright and not able to take as high magnifications as the CELESTRON 80mm ED refractor. The maximum mag for the ACUTER before introducing noticeable chromatism and some fuzz is about 90X.
The appeal of the spotter is lightness, compactness and image sharpness on low to medium mags.

[mike a feist]

I agree with Brian and so it all depends on what you want to observe with your scope. If one is more or less a binocular skywatcher/astronomer but wants to go one step up without using high magnification for planetary detail, for example, a spotting scope cannot be beaten for compactness and simplicity of use etc. I would prefer a spotting scope on a tripod rather than mounted medium/ large binoculars on a tripod. However there is no way that a spotting scope can replace a good astronomical refractor or reflector if you want to see fine details on the planets at high magnification. Currently I have a cheap second-hand 50mm (zoom) spottingscope; a new 50mm quality zoom spotting scope; a 62mm zoom quality spottingscope; a 70mm average spotting scope adapted from zoom to fixed mag; and a MAK70mm zoom. I also have a 102mm Skywatcher F5 - much like a spottingscope. I use the later the least althought it is very good, but it is of course more cumbersome and the smallest I use the most, if you have only a short time between clouds to find something, a lightweight scope with the largest fov is the key to success. regards maf