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

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Some visual Newtonians, including many Dobsonians won’t even reach focus with a DSLR attached, unless a Barlow magnifier lens is added to the light path to shunt the focus point further out. However, we think this attractive little red scope would look great on a bookshelf or displayed in plain sight. It would make a great conversation piece when it is not gathering starlight. The Zhumell Z114 has a slightly larger primary mirror of 114mm in aperture – delivering more performance than the Z100 – and a fully adjustable primary mirror for optimum collimation and sharp images, and it’s otherwise very similar. 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 Messier 3: On a night with a nearly full Moon, I wanted to try a more difficult target. I looked at Messier 3, a globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici, with the SkyScanner. I selected M3 because this can be a challenging target when the Moon is bright, but the SkyScanner did a good job. I had the image up to 80X using the 10 mm eyepiece with my 2X Barlow.

This can easily happen when switching eyepieces, especially if you’ve tightened the focuser screws to hold the eyepiece in place. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem normally, except that the barrels of the eyepieces are grooved, making it a little harder to insert and remove. (Eyepieces with a smooth barrel are easier to use.) Most Newtonian reflectors have four spider vanes which hold up the secondary mirror, producing diffraction spikes. Some people like them, but others find them distracting. SCTs, Maks, and Refractors don’t have spikes. A laser collimator is really not a great choice. Lasers have the connotation oI’ve seen people modify the tube to move the dovetail to another position, thus providing a better location for the eyepiece. The Orion StarBlast II 4.5 EQ shares the optics of the Z114, but it is mounted atop a small equatorial mount and tripod. However, the equatorial mount is significantly less stable than a tabletop Dobsonian and significantly harder to aim or learn how to use. The SkyScanner 100 comes with two eyepieces: 20mm and 10mm Kellners, yielding 20x and 40x, respectively. They are good matches for the scope, though an aftermarket 6mm “goldline” eyepieceor Barlow lenswould allow you to get higher magnification and thus obtain the best planetary views possible with the scope.

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. Since the apparent field of view for each eyepiece is unknown, the true field of view cannot be easily calculated. However, if we take an approximate value of 50 degrees for the apparent field of view, then the true field of view for the 17mm is roughly 2.1 degrees, while the 10mm eyepiece is roughly 1.3 degrees.) The best solution I’ve heard of, and it’s one I haven’t yet had the opportunity to try, is to get a big, sturdy storage tub. Turn it upside down and it becomes a sturdy base, and then when you’re done, turn it right side up and it becomes storage for the telescope. That’s definitely something to try.

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The Zhumell Z114 is cheaper, and you get what you pay for. Still a good deal at that price, but creeping into the edge of “toy” territory. The Orion StarBlast 4.5 is identical to the Z114 but usually is more expensive. Zhumell’s innovative Z Series Dobsonian telescopes have taken the world of amateur astronomy by storm. Now, you can get Zhumell’s unmatched quality and value in a portable tabletop Dobsonian with the compact Z100. It’s the perfect way to get started with astronomy or add a grab-and-go scope to your collection. We’re in town with far too much light pollution (Bortle 7) so for us the moon and planets have been best. But for that you will need a more substantial telescope. Planets also have the advantage that they are relatively bright and on the whole you don’t need to get your eyes use to the dark.