FIRST LIGHT
CASE
A soft and padded carry case with detachable shoulder strap assists with the portability of this little refractor, protecting it during travel or storage. Custom cut outs allow the telescope to be stowed with tube rings in place, and there is room for an eyepiece or two or field flattener.
Markarian’s Chain in Virgo, Bode’s Galaxy and the Cigar Galaxy (M81 and M82) in Ursa Major, and the popular triple grouping in Leo consisting of M65, M66 and NGC 3628. We appreciated the ability of the GT71 to allow us to photograph these targets in context while allowing for a naturally coloured surrounding star field.
With such pleasing results from the cameras, we were confident that eyepiece views would likewise be rewarding and we were not disappointed. Using our own diagonal and 10mm eyepiece, we put the reducer aside and enjoyed excellent views with good contrast, even at 40x magnification. Our favourite view of the night was that of the whole of the Pleiades open cluster (M45) visible at once, with a hint of nebulosity around Merope; we also noted plenty of nebulosity around the Orion Nebula too.
Star shapes were sharp and good to the edge of the 72° field. There is something extremely satisfying about using a small, good-quality refractor for visual use, and we rounded off the session with a fine view of M81 and M82, even glimpsing NGC 3077 within the field of view. Returning to our camera we used the graduated measurements on the focuser drawtube to rapidly find focus and start an imaging session, and in fact we found that the focus position remained very stable throughout the night, and even over consecutive nights.
In a competitive arena, the GT71 brings a certain standard of luxury to the starting line up, with a convincing performance that will satisfy both astrophotographers and visual observers.
SKY SAYS… Now add these:
1. William Optics Flattener 6A
2. William Optics 50mm guidescope package
3. William Optics Dura Bright 2-inch dielectric diagonal