Like many people, I want a telescope that I can just grab and go anywhere with, whether it’s a camping trip, a relatives house, or on holiday at the beach. The Orion Starmax tabletop Maksutov – Cassegrain telescope is a popular model for people on the go, who want a powerful, but very portable telescope.
My research on this model has convinced me that this Orion Starmax tabletop Matsutov – Cassegrain has this combination perfectly balanced, and I decided to write this review to share my research with others.
The secret to this models’ success is the Matsutov – Cassegrain design, which means that light entering the big, 90mm aperture is bounced twice inside the main tube, first off a mirror at the opposite end to the aperture, and then off a secondary mirror closer to the aperture, before being reflected into the eyepiece.
This gives an impressive focal length of 1250mm in a very compact tube design, and the longer the focal length, the higher the magnification you can achieve.
This is further enhanced by the inclusion of two eyepieces, one of 25mm for 50x magnification, and one of 10mm for 125x magnification. The tabletop design means that you do not have to carry around a separate tripod; you just place it on a sturdy table and start viewing. The base can easily be detached and the telescope fits onto a standard camera tripod with a 3/8” connector if you wish.
With it’s easy to use red dot viewfinder, and 90 degree angled eyepiece, it’s a simple matter of lining up the telescope with your chosen object, adjusting the integral focuser, and enjoying the view.
Key Features
- Grab and Go compact size with long focal length giving you great views of the objects like Jupiter’s moons, Saturn’s rings, and several galaxies and nebulas.
- Weighs only 6.5lbs, making it truly portable by anyone, and comfortable to carry in a backpack.
- 90mm Aperture is very big for the size of telescope, and the bigger the aperture, the more light you can gather, and the more objects you can see.
- Tabletop design has a detachable base to keep it steady in a flat table. It’s a simple job to attach it to a camera tripod if you wish.
- Two high quality eyepieces are included, the 25mm one for viewing larger areas at lower magnification, the 10mm one for viewing objects in more detail.
- Viewfinder for helping to line up on objects.
What do customers say about?
Customer reviews of the Orion Starmax 90mm Maksutov – Cassegrain tabletop telescope are overwhelmingly positive, with most reviewers giving it the full 5 stars out of 5(editor ratings), and any negative comments being confined to minor details.
Most reviewers praised the high quality, and compact design, as well as the ease with which they could line up the viewfinder to locate planets and stars. They were also all impressed with the power that such a small telescope has, being able to pick out cloud bands on Jupiter, and individual craters on the moon.
Overall
Some reviewers did not really use the tabletop mount, instead choosing to use a camera tripod right away, but overall, if you are looking for a big thing in a small package, I can highly recommend the Orion Starmax 90mm Maksutov – Cassegrain tabletop telescope.
Hi, Daniel Here! When I’m not busy working at my own startup, you may find me roaming around the Univers and whats beyond our sky, telescope is a must.
