A distinctive, discontinued telescope: the Edmund Scientific Astroscan

boing
15

The Astroscan is a better bet.

Pros for the Astroscan:

  • It’s more robust - the FirstScope has a cardboard tube and a rather flimsy mount for the secondary, the AstroScan has a hard plastic (ABS?) case that’s built like a tank and the secondary is mounted firmly to the window in the front.
  • The Astroscan has a true parabolic mirror while the FirstScope makes do with a spherical mirror. That said, at the diameter and focal ratios involved it’s not a huge deal.
  • The Astroscan has 90% more light-gathering power than the FirstScope. This makes a big difference in what you can see.
  • The optical system is almost completely sealed on the Astroscan, so the primary and secondary mirror don’t get dusty.

Neutral for the Astroscan:

  • It’s heavier than the FirstScope. This is a neutral because although it’s a bit harder to carry around, it also makes it more stable.

Cons for the Astroscan:

  • If your Astroscan isn’t collimated correctly, it’s a lot more difficult to do than on the FirstScope. That said, the robustness of the Astroscan gives a telescope that very rarely, if ever, needs to be collimated.

I would suggest looking on eBay for an early model made in USA Astroscan. If it comes with the original 28mm RKE eyepiece (newer models come with a 28mm Plossl instead) all the better.

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