Bushnell Voyager 4.5in reflector?

[huey_pilot]

I just bought a used Bushnell Voyager 675x4.5" Reflector . What will I be able to see with this? Like how detailed will jupiter or saturn be? How about deep space objects?<br /><br />Here are the specs:<br /><br />675x4.5" Reflector<br />Focal Length 900mm<br />Eyepieces 4, 12, 20 <br />Magnifications 45, 75, 135, 225, 675

 

[igorsboss]

Your neighbors are named Jupiter and Saturn? How ironic...

 

[huey_pilot]

Erm, what? Im guessing that I won't be able to see &%$#@! with it.

 

[bbrock]

Huey<br /><br />Not true at all. However, you can forget the 675 magnificationn. The 225x will be usable on the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, a few planitary nebula and for resolving multiple stars. <br /><br />The scope has a focal ratio of f/8 which means you should get decent contrast images at this highest usable magnification on bright objects. The lower power eye pieces are usefull for viewing the deep sky objects, i.e. Open and Globular Clusters, Diffuse Nebula and Galaxies. A 4.5" aperture ( 113.4 mm ) reflector is adaquate for casual observing and learning the night sky. <br /><br />Just curious, but what type of mounting does the scope have. ( Alt-Azm ) ( Dobsonian ) ( Equatorial ) ? Or are you familiar with the different types. Often it isn't the scope that gives the user fits, but rather the sloppy and weak mounting. <br /><br />Clear Sky<br />Bill<br />

 

[huey_pilot]

im not really familliar with the stands, but im pretty sure its an Equatorial

 

[tfwthom]

Review of the Voyager:<br /><br />http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/entry.php?sectionid=12&entryid=133<br /><br /> The relative ratings of this scope and the Meade ETX70 have made me cynical about ratings. A side-by-side comparison of the Bushnell Voyager to the ETX70 made me want to call up Meade and scream. Nevertheless, the ETX70 is credited with spectacular optics, and the Bushnell Voyager is panned. One reviewer on another site even declared that he saw gull wings around stars in the star test. I saw no such effect. <br /><br />Very well, this isn't the greatest scope in the world, but it is fine for its target market: casual family viewing. The low-power eyepiece yields a very fine wide view - much broader than the view in the ETX90 at comparable magnification. At 100 power, it reveals surface detail on Jupiter, and shows Saturn clearly. The beloved ETX70 blurs out far below 100 power, and for $150.00 more, it never showed the rings of Saturn in my experience. (That's pretty damning, IMHO.) <br /><br />At $180.00, there's nothing cheaper that shows as much as the Voyager. It has no snob appeal. It's not for the serious amateur. It's for the casual family, and it's well-targeted. <br /><br />Overall Rating: 8<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1" color="#3366ff">www.siriuslookers.org</font> </div>

 

[huey_pilot]

Wait, im not sure thats the same voyager that I have. Mine isn't small or lightweight. Mine is about 3 feet long and the mount isnt socket, and it has a finder scope, most people on there said it was 3 inches of aperture but I measured mine at exactly 4.5 inches I think that review is for this scope http://www.miamisci.org/store/images/d10b050c8df24f80019fb6cc5f4733af.gif<br /><br />Heres my scope http://www.hotbuyselectronics.com/images/bushnell_voyager_675x45_telescopes.jpg<br /><br /><br />Well like I said, I only paid $25 for the telescope, 3 eyepieces, 2x barlow, and a large astronomy book. I couldn't pass up the chance, even if the telescope sucks. <br /><br />EDIT: Just looked at saturn through it, I could see saturn and five of its moons.

 

[bbrock]

Huey<br /><br />Indeed, you have an equatorial mount, and the scope is a Newtonian Reflector. If you keep the scope collimated, the scope should perform well. A rule of thumb is that the maximum magnification for any scope under the best conditions is 50 times the aperture diameter in inches. ( 4.5 x 50 = 225 ). Check the collimation of the scope. You should be able to not only see the rings around Saturn, but also the cassini division in the rings. If that little scope can do that, you are doing as good as anyone can do at 225x. Which is really quite a lot of magnification. Most deep sky objects are viewed at around 50 to 150 magnification.<br /><br />Clear Sky<br />Bill

 

[huey_pilot]

Yeah its pretty well collimated. I can usually get a pretty good view of saturn, even though its all white with no surface or ring detail unlike jupiter in which i can see 2 bands around it.<br /><br />But it won't even focus with the 2x barlow on it.