Celestron Zhumell ZHUS001-1 Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope, Black

Product Information

The Z100 has a parabolic mirror, which is better for astronomy than the spherical mirrors typically found in the smaller, inexpensive reflector telescopes. Parabolic mirrors have a single point of focus, so stars should appear as sharp points of light rather than appearing slightly distorted as you’d get with a spherical mirror. The XT6 weighs 34 lbs fully assembled, making it actually the lightest of the commercial 6″ Dobsonian telescopes. If shaving off six pounds over the skywatcher or four pounds over the DT6 makes a difference to you, consider the SkyQuest XT6. Just be careful you don’t bang the focuser on the door when you’re taking the telescope outside. You didn’t say what Barlow you were using. I have had Barlows that would not come to focus in some of my scopes and others that would. It is hard to say if that Barlow will work with the SkyScanner unless I have that Barlow.

It starts with an introduction before outlining the basic steps for cleaning and maintenance. There’s also a limited list of specifications and a parts list before the instructions explain how to attach the finderscope.The SkyWatcher Classic 150P (the P is for “parabolic,” as all of these mirrors are) does almost all of what the DT6 does, but you get two eyepieces (some moderately good 25mm and 10mm modified achromats, which aren’t quite as good as the single 25mm Plossl, but provide a wider range of magnifications–48x and 120x).

None of these telescopes have mounts that are as easy to use as the Z130’s Tabletop Dobsonian base. If for some reason you must have an EQ mount, consider the SpaceProbe 130ST or Explore Firstlight 130 EQ3. The Zhumell Z100 is really designed to be a family’s first telescope. Its size and weight make it portable and easy for young children to use, while older children and adults can easily locate potential targets with the Dobsonian mount. This makes it a great option for casual stargazing at family events and celebrations, with views that are sure to leave a lasting impression. Specifications If you want to go higher in magnification for Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, globular clusters and the like, you will need shorter focal length eyepieces or a Barlow lens. A 3X Barlow would work quite well with the included eyepieces as it would take the 20X eyepiece to 60X and the 40X eyepiece to 120X. That would give you four magnifications, which would be plenty for most targets and should match up well with the SkyScanner’s capabilities. The telescope also did a fine job with open star clusters. Ptolemy’s Cluster (M7) in Scorpius showed about 20 bright blue-white stars and a multitude of fainter stars with the 17mm (24x) eyepiece. The 10mm eyepiece (40x) also provided a nice view, although it appears aesthetically more pleasing at the lower magnification. The fact that Zhumell chose to use a parabolic mirror in this small, inexpensive reflector implies that the image will be correspondingly better too.

Technical Specifications

Due to the wave nature of light, all else being equal, the telescope with the largest aperture has the highest resolution, so you can reach higher magnifications.

Unfortunately, the base of the Z100 optical tube has crosshead screws rather than the standard thumbscrews. This most likely makes it impossible (or at least very difficult) for amateurs to adjust the mirror themselves. The telescope is also perfectly capable of viewing the Moon and planets, although its short focal length limits the magnification. You’ll see the rings of Saturn, the moons and bands of Jupiter (and the Great Red Spot when it’s up), the phases of Venus, and possibly even faint dark details on the surface of Mars. Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, and the bright asteroids will be featureless dots. Planetary details will be much easier to spot with a barlow to magnify the image. So if you want to upgrade your first scope and are looking for a solid, inexpensive, all-around scope that’s capable of producing fine views of almost everything, you might want to consider something larger (such as its big brother, the Zhumell Z130.) The Z100 also includes a standard red dot sight, which works just fine for this telescope. The Z100’s Tabletop Dobsonian Mount For the most part, these are fairly minor issues as the eyepieces are only meant to get you started. The most important part of the telescope is the mirror as the eyepieces can be easily and relatively inexpensively upgraded.

Many open clusters are gorgeous at low and medium powers. Cassiopeia and Perseus have open clusters worth looking around for, such as the ET Cluster and the Double Cluster. Scanning the band of the Milky Way at low power can be quite rewarding.