zhumell binoculars about

I am an astronomy newb, and instead of buying a crappy cheap telescope I have been using binos and saving for quite a while now and I am debating the Orion xt10 or the Zhumell 10 inch. I definately want a Dob and everyone talks about the XT scopes as great products, however the Zhumell has very similar specs and of course the same size aperture. I have an opportunity to save about $50 on the Zhumell right now. Does anybody have any input on either brand or the specific scopes I mentioned? On either do you recommend that I have a professional put it together? I have heard that Orion's instructions are vague and leave some things out.

A member of the club Im in has a Zhumell 10 inch and he set up next to my XT10 We did some observing and swapped eyepieces and scopes several times.And as Geoff says they are quite equal and both very good for the price.I like the Orion products myself as they have wonderful service.I would say go for the one with the most and best accessories.Enjoy Clear skies, Wally

The new Zhumell Signature Series Waterproof Binoculars may just be the perfect binoculars. Loaded with all the features you need for easy, comfortable, clear viewing, you will find that even the little things are just a little bit better in these binocualrs. The 10x magnification provides the additional power needed for hunting and distance viewing. Fully multi-coated lenses and a Bak-4 roof prism ensures optimum clarity and contrast across the entire field of view. The close focus of just under 4 feet is better than that of nearly any other binocular. Zhumell finishes out the Signature Series with the perfect accessories, camera-style clip-in objective lens caps, a padded neck strap and and included binocular field harness for ultimate viewing comfort. Portable and packed with features, the Zhumell Signature Series are, perhaps, the perfect binoculars.

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Hello, I recieved a Meade ETX-80 for christmas and have been told and kinda am realizing that it isnt as great as I expected. I was thinking that I might trade it in and pay a little extra for a Dobsonian 8inch. Is this a good idea? I mean I could see the stars fairly well with my Meade ETX-80 as well as the moon and I have been told that planets are slightly viewable with this telescope but I have also been told that it isn't much when it comes to planetary details and galaxies etc. Im not a pro at this but the Dobsonian 8 inch is on sale for $380 and its list prie is set at $700. The Meade ETX-80 that I got for christmas was on sale for $250 and originally priced at $450 [I am guessing because of the autostar]. I have a few extra hundred dollars on my hands to spend right now and by doing the math and loking at things in the long run in this situation i think trading the Meade ETX-80 telescope in for the Dobsonian 8inch would be a great idea so far. BUT I need some experienced opinions on this. I want to be able to see planets in better detail and have a decent look through the night sky Meade ETX-80 telescope that I currently own - http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/refracting-telescopes/meadeetx80attcastrotelescopewithautostar.cfm Dobsonian 8inch Telescope that I am thinking about upgrading to http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/dobsonian-telescopes/zhumellz8deluxedobsonianreflectortelescope.cfm Please let me know what you think of this deal/situation and what the smartest thing to do would be.

Definitely GET A DOB! You won't be disappointed. I prefer Orion SkyQuest Dobsonians (maybe cheaper??) http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=classicdobs/~pcategory=dobsonians/~product_id=08943 but I suspect the Zhumell would be fine. The big difference will be whether you really want the computerized pointing capability. If so, you can get an Orion Dob with Intelliscope functions. The 8" is more expensive (around $500) but the 6" is in the range you seem interested in. http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=intelliscopedobs/~pcategory=dobsonians/~product_id=27183 http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=intelliscopedobs/~pcategory=dobsonians/~product_id=27182 Unfortunately, an 80mm telescope is not suited to deep-sky objects like nebulae and galaxies. A telescope of that aperture is better suited for brighter objects (planets, the Moon, the Sun with appropriate filters). The three main functions of a telescope are (1) to gather as much light as possible, (2) resolve fine details, and (3) magnify. Unfortunately, many people who are new to stargazing fall victim to promises of "high power" because they are unfamiliar with what the telescopes main functions are. When purchasing a telescope, you generally want the largest aperture possible on your budget (although admittedly there are other considerations if you are doing specialized work). The ability to resolve details is also a function of the aperture size so with a larger aperture comes higher resolving power. Magnification depends only on the focal lengths of the primary mirror or lens and that of the eyepiece, having nothing to do with the aperture size. Magnification is almost irrelevant because it's changing the *size* of the image; it does NOT impact the *quality* of the image. For example, if the image is fuzzy, magnifying it only makes it a bigger fuzzy image. So to observe fainter objects you want a large aperture telescope. I teach observing courses for nonscientists and although we have an ETX, it is almost never used because of the small aperture. We rely almost exclusively on non-computerized Dobsonian reflectors of 6, 8, 10, and 12-inch apertures because of their superior light-gathering abilities and ease of use. In fact, we use the ETX only once per term, in an exercise to demonstrate the limitations of such a small aperture. _Sky & Telescope_ magazine has a good set of resources for beginners including advice on instruments as well as using what you've already got. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/letsgo/toolsforstargazing Either way, good luck and keep looking up! Clear skies to you!

I recently purchased a Zhumell 114 reflector telescope from telescopes.com. It is advertised as 1000mm in focal length. But when I measured the distance from the mirror (end of tube)to the reflector mirror and to the eyepiece, it is only about 500mm. Is this the right way to measure focal length? or they advertised it wrong?

This is probably what is called a "short tube" reflector. The actual focal length of the _mirror_ is about 500 mm, but it uses a Barlow lens built into the focuser to increase this to 1000 mm. Such optical systems are hard to collimate and suffer from serious spherical aberration, and are not recommended.

is this a good combination and what would you prefer rather than this Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope with Zhumell 1.25 Inch Eyepiece and Filter Kit

The skyquest series are great scopes, I would highly recommend them. I'd say get the largest one you are willing to pay for, but the 8" will be more than enough to see all the messier objects and plenty of others. That is an ok set for the price, but I'd grab some higher end eyepieces sooner or later. The Stratus line from Orion i great, but one eyepiece from that line costs more than that kit. I'd also recommend getting a UHC filter to reduce light pollution, a telrad finder, and some good charts, either some Sky spot telrad charts or the Sky atlas 2000.0