ehetzler's Full Review: Bushnell Voyager 78-9565 (120 x 60mm) Telescope
When I was growing up there were three things I always wanted, a motorcycle, a horse, and a telescope. My parents were indulgent about most things, but they adamantly refused to humor me when it came to buying any of these.
In retrospect, I can understand their aversion to motorcycles. They are dangerous and at the time had a very negative social image. The horse was a cost issue. We lived in the suburbs. Why they were opposed to getting me a telescope I never understood.
Shortly after getting out of college, the first thing I did was buy a motorcycle and a horse. My parents were appalled. To them this was irrefutable evidence that their worst fears had been realized. I was never going to grow up and act like an adult. They were so upset that they completely missed the fact I had followed their advice on the telescope. I did not buy one.
The years passed. Every once and a while I would see something in the news that made me wish I had a telescope, but I was busy with other interests and never followed through. This was because buying a telescope is more intimidating than buying a computer. Telescopes have a language and jargon all their own. If you are not familiar with it, you will be overwhelmed. This is probably the real reason my parents never bought me a telescope.
Then one day I received a letter from my employer thanking me for 25 years of loyal service along with a catalog of gifts I could choose. To my amazement, one of the gifts along with the clocks, watches and lapel pins was a telescope. Finally, I could satisfy my childhood longings in a socially acceptable manner. Best of all if the telescope turned out to be a piece of junk it would not be my fault.
What I received was a Bushnell Voyager 565 x 60 refractor telescope (disassembled). I will have to admit that as I was opening the box for an instant I felt like a 12 year old on Christmas morning. I was finally getting something I had always wanted.
The instruction manual comes in four separate versions (English, German, French, and Spanish). After studying the incomprehensible English version for about 30 minutes, I gave up and reverted to my usual method of assembly. I put things together until I ran out of parts. Except for one defective wing nut, everything fit. The biggest problem with the manual is that it is generic and covers the entire Voyager series. Many of the instructions and diagrams are ambiguous.
The Bushnell Voyager series of refractor telescopes have an objective lens diameter of 60mm and a focal length of 600mm to 900mm depending on model. This particular model has a 750mm focal length. Objective lens diameter is a measure of the light gathering capability. Focal length is related to magnification. These specifications are typical of entry-level telescopes.
This is a refractor telescope. A lens is used to gather light rather than a mirror. The resulting image is upside down and reversed. The Voyager viewing system includes a mirror in the eyepiece that corrects this problem.
The Voyager comes with three eyepieces (8mm, 12.5mm, and 20mm). These are what you actually look through. The power of the telescope is calculated by dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. If the focal length of the telescope is 750mm and the focal length of the eyepiece is 20mm the magnification is 38X. The Voyager also comes with 1.5X erector lens and a 3X Barlow lens. These increase the effective focal length of the telescope and thus the magnification. Using the above example and the 1.5X erector lens would give 57X.
The manufacturers in their advertising often carry this calculation to extremes. In theory using the 8mm eyepiece and the 3X Barlow lens this telescope would have a maximum magnification of 281X. Bushnell claims the maximum magnification on this telescope is 565X. However, the light gathering ability of the objective lens is a limiting factor. This telescope with a 60mm objective lens can realistically provide magnification of 50X with 100X being an upper limit. You can get higher magnification, but the image quality is poor.
The Voyager comes with an equatorial mount and has worm gears for fine adjustment. It also comes with a counterbalance that aids in smooth movement. This may not sound like much, but at higher magnification levels, it is a feature you will grow to appreciate.
Finally, there is a finder scope mounted on the barrel. This is a wide field magnifying scope with crosshairs. You use it to line up the object you want to view. Again, this may not sound like much if you have never used a telescope, but the field of view of the main objective lens is so narrow that without some type of alignment device finding anything in the sky is difficult.
Since getting this telescope, I have read several professional reviews of its performance. In general, it gets average ratings. It is probably a little too low end for an experienced amateur astronomer. However, I find it to be just right. As long as you recognize its limitations the Bushnell Voyager makes a very good telescope for the occasional astronomer without requiring a major investment.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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