Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt

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Brand and Model:Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
Price ($USD):1999
Type:Maksutov-Cassegrain
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:152mm (6")
f Ratio:f/5.9
Focal Length:900mm
Finder:10x50
Electric Power:optional
Mount:GP Deluxe
Tripod:aluminum
Weight (lbs):44 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:This is a Maksutov-Newtonian

Illuminated polar scope included.

18% central obstruction


Vote Highlights Vote
Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
Quality scope, VERY good optics, image quality (optics) rival my smaller refractor (which is also a good scope with quality optics), very versatile all around scope, good as both deep sky and planetary scope. I've heard reports that collimaiton is difficult, UPS almost destroyed the scope in shipping, I actually had to remove the meniscus lens and remount and re-collimate as the lens had been knocked out of one of the three retaining clips, works great now, and I'm a relative amateur with only 1 year experience with equipment

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Ease of Use:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=155586

Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
The best portable telescope I own, period!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Ease of Use:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=94928

Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
Is this scope hard to collimate and is this necessary to do a lot?

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=80957

Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
Alright, alright. Time for mucho review.
I'm daSentinel again and I just purchased this ugly critter without
it's mount. (I made my own GEM years ago and I just couldn't wait to use it)
Well well well, let's see the stars in this critter are textbook perfect.
The optics are sharp. I like these Orion dudes (I only own 2 of their scopes)
Their prices are great. Whatever I'm sattisfied with this heavy, beefy
monster of a scope. Stick a nice eyepiece (an Orion Lanthanum) into the star
diagonal and voila, a telescope of a lifetime. This is one of my 12
telescopes I keep on my roof and use just about every night.
The conditions in Greece are good. A light-polluted night is a good US night.
(believe me, i know. It's midnight, you're neighbour is barbecuing, and street lights strike you in the face. And that's a clear US night.)
This telescope is great for the money. I'm fond of it as another good creation
from Orion (or Vixen).

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39753

Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
This is a scope I should have bought a few months ago when saturn and jupiter
were high in the sky.The views through the scope of the moon are razor sharp. I have used as high as 720x and moon still shows detail although a little on the dim side of course.My favorite eyepiece combo so far is meade 8.8uwa and a new shorty barlow plus old meade #140 barlow stacked giving 408x and still razor sharp need I say more.Well I can add a few more things. The scope is built like a tank to me it's looks are not bad or good somewhere in the middle which alright with me I just wish I had sold the c9.25 sooner and got my new baby
up and looking at jupiter and saturn oh well I'll be ready when the go around the sun.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39751

Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
Forgot to vote!

Geoff Gaherty

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39750

Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
I bought this scope without the mount, so my comments will focus strictly on the telescope. When I first unpacked the scope I was surprised by how large, heavy and well built it was. It will definitely be around for a long, long time. 'First light' was amazing. Having owned (and just sold, thank goodness) a Meade 10 inch SCT, I was used to soft, mushy images that oozed amoeba like in and out of focus. In the Mak-Newt, Saturn snapped sharply into focus. The Crepe ring was obvious. Seeing was good that first night, and I saw detail I had never seen in my 10 inch Schmidt Cassegrain. A star test later revealed diffraction patterns inside and outside of focus that were very similar. In focus stars look textbook perfect and symmetrical. I have an ETX that has good optics, but my Mak Newt's optics are clearly better.
Optically my only complaint is light scatter. When viewing the moon, the sky background seems brighter than in my ETX. Put another way, the contrast in brightness between the moon and the sky seems greater in my ETX than in the Mak-Newt. Whether the light scatter problem is due to inferior coatings or due to a lack of adequate baffling I do not know. The tube assembly is not baffled and the antireflection paint does not seem too dark. I intend to put velvet or flocking paper in several strategic locations. I hope it will help.
My only other complaint is about aesthetics. In sharp contrast to the sexy beauty of the ETX, this thing is ugly. If someone pointed it at me I would feel nervous and get out of the way. And if you plan on using it often, forget about trying to keep it mint. You WILL chip the cheap, 'hardware store' paint. But this telescope is not meant to decorate the den or hang on the rec-room wall. It is a business-like tool that is meant to perform. Indeed, it gives Porche perfomance on a volkeswagon budget. And it will perform often too, because on the dobsonian mount I made for it, it sets up in less time than my ETX, and nowhere near the time it took me to set up my SCT. (faster cool down time, too)
Overall a great scope, and on planets it'll outperform a four inch apo, for about half the money. Highly recommended for ordinary mortals that can't afford (or wait for) an apo refractor.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39748

Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
To the last guy. I've been considering a SCT 9.25 for some time now but I'm interested in your comments comparing this 6" mak newt to the C9.25. With my main interests being the moon and double stars do you feel it makes up for the lack of aperature with sharper images? and what's the closest double you have split

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39752

Orion Argonaut 6" EQ Mak-Newt
This is about the best telescope I've ever owned, and I've owned quite a few. The contast and clarity on the Moon and planets is simply outstanding. Even though it's heavy and ugly, it is compact and works well with the GP-DX mount. Highly recommended!

Geoff Gaherty
Toronto Centre RASC

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=39749

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