How To Pay Less For BARSKA Starwatcher Compact ...

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How To Pay Less For BARSKA Starwatcher Compact Refractor Telescope

I purchased this scope based on positive reviews on a couple of web sites that cater to amateur astronomers. I wasn't disappointed. A couple of things prevented me from rating it a 5. The 45-degree diagonal and the tabletop tripod are better suited to terrestrial viewing. If you plan on astronomical use you'll want to use a full-sized tripod and add a 90-degree diagonal at some point if you don't already have one. Also, a 2x barlow lens would have made much more sense than the 3x. On the plus side the scope is sturdily constructed and has good optics for the price. I live in the heart of St. Louis and haven't been able to take it to a dark viewing area yet, but from my backyard the moon was excellent as was the Orion nebula, and Mars presented a nice sharp disk. The stock eyepieces are fine, but using a 9.7mm super plossl the results were great!