Description:
The Celestron C102HD telescope is regarded as a major bargain for good reason. Instead of computerized bells and whistles, you get the solid optical performance of a full sized four-inch achromatic refractor combined with a serviceable German Equatorial mount. Experienced observers frequently recommend the C102HD to beginning astronomers for one simple reason: it delivers great views of the planets. How great are the views? In side by side tests, the C102HD consistently showed better contrast and more detail on Jupiter and Saturn than my five inch Schmidt-Cassegrain. On a night when my C5 showed five or six cloud belts across the face of Jupiter, the C102HD showed seven. On Saturn, when I push the magnification to 200X, the Cassini division is crisp, I see cloud belts on the planet; I see shading in the A and B rings, and even glimpse the Crepe ring. When looking at the star Epsilon Lyrae, the famous double-double, the C102HD showed me four crisp bright beads of light, without the bright diffraction rings and scattered light that I see in my C5. One drawback: the CG-4 equatorial mount included with the C102HD is only barely adequate to support a forty-inch plus telescope. I found that it was better to set up on grass or gravel and leave the tripod about a foot short of full extension--this significantly reduces the vibration problems that otherwise trouble this mount. What accessories would I recommend? Adding a CG4 motor drive significantly increased my viewing pleasure by allowing the telescope to track for long periods without my touching the controls. As with any equatorial mount, you need to point the Polar axis at the North Star, Polaris, for the tracking to work properly (don't worry, this is all explained in the manual). As for eyepieces, the included 20mm plossl eyepiece gives a magnification of 50X and a one degree true field of view. You'll want a 32mm eyepiece to take in the full view of star clusters like the Pleiades and the Double Cluster in Perseus. The Ultima 7.5mm is ideal for high power views of Jupiter and Saturn. I usually suggest a good star chart with any telescope, but for viewing the planets, a subscription to Sky and Telescope magazine might be even more useful; the planets, after all, move from one month to the next! --Jeff Phillips Pros: - Solid optical performer
- Great views of the planets
Con:
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