Orion Stratus 5mm


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Brand and Model:Orion Stratus 5mm
Price ($USD):129.95
Type:Misc Wide Angle
Focal Length:5 mm
Barrel Size:1.25/2
Apparent FOV:68.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:0.0 mm
Eye Relief:20 mm
Elements:8
Weight (lbs):15.125
Description:Me and a buddy got to use the piece on the full moon 01/12/06. At 240x, we scanned deep into craters and floated over valleys, basins and ridges. We had to use a variable moon filter to block out some of the brightness. The color, detail and sharpness were exquisite. Then it was off to M42. Despite the bright moon dominating the dark sky, the Orion Nebula turned out quite nicely. The views held lots of wisps and boiling clouds. I checked for aberrations with the trapezium stars, they stayed in sharp focus from edge to edge! Then we hit Saturn. The view was not as good as I expected, a tad but fuzzy with no Cassini Division noticeable. It was however in the murky eastern horizon and I figured that it was probably the moonlight washing it out too. I figured right. I got another chance to use it just before a pitch black midnight on 01/21/06. Unbelievable 3-D views of Saturn! No moon to goof things up here. The eyepiece showed incredible detail on the rings and planet. Not only was the Cassini sharp as a razor, but several other divisions were resolved in detail as well. The planet itself showed lots of horizontal cloud bands, with nifty tanish colors, darker at the pole, lighter in the middle. Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus and a far off Titan were easily picked out as well. After that, I surfed the Orion Nebula again. I came up with about the same results as above, but with a little more detail and clarity. Then it was off to Gemini to track down C39 NGC 2392) Eskimo Nebula. Starting at Pollux, I found it by star hopping with the help of my 25mm Orion Plössl. Once found, I zoomed in with the 5mm. The planetary nebula glowed quite nicely. You could tell that it was divided into three features. A bright central star surrounded by two bubbles of different shades of light. Perhaps I may soon get an Oxygen-III filter to help bring out some of the faint tendrils in the nebula. Fantastic eyepiece, these Strati continue to hit homeruns with my XT10i telescope. Dare I try the 3.5mm?

Vote Highlights Vote
Orion Stratus 5mm
Me and a buddy got to use the piece on the full moon 01/12/06. At 240x, we scanned deep into craters and floated over valleys, basins and ridges. We had to use a variable moon filter to block out some of the brightness. The color, detail and sharpness were exquisite. Then it was off to M42. Despite the bright moon dominating the dark sky, the Orion Nebula turned out quite nicely. The views held lots of wisps and boiling clouds. I checked for aberrations with the trapezium stars, they stayed in sharp focus from edge to edge! Then we hit Saturn. The view was not as good as I expected, a tad but fuzzy with no Cassini Division noticeable. It was however in the murky eastern horizon and I figured that it was probably the moonlight washing it out too. I figured right. I got another chance to use it just before a pitch black midnight on 01/21/06. Unbelievable 3-D views of Saturn! No moon to goof things up here. The eyepiece showed incredible detail on the rings and planet. Not only was the Cassini sharp as a razor, but several other divisions were resolved in detail as well. The planet itself showed lots of horizontal cloud bands, with nifty tanish colors, darker at the pole, lighter in the middle. Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus and a far off Titan were easily picked out as well. After that, I surfed the Orion Nebula again. I came up with about the same results as above, but with a little more detail and clarity. Then it was off to Gemini to track down C39 NGC 2392) Eskimo Nebula. Starting at Pollux, I found it by star hopping with the help of my 25mm Orion Plössl. Once found, I zoomed in with the 5mm. The planetary nebula glowed quite nicely. You could tell that it was divided into three features. A bright central star surrounded by two bubbles of different shades of light. Perhaps I may soon get an Oxygen-III filter to help bring out some of the faint tendrils in the nebula. Fantastic eyepiece, these Strati continue to hit homeruns with my XT10i telescope. Dare I try the 3.5mm?

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=549637

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