The
Orion SpaceProbe 3 Telescope
By
Geary Keilman
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars’ little 4 ½” StarBlast reflector has been around for several years now and has developed somewhat of a cult following among amateur astronomers. As the name implies, the StarBlast was marketed as a “kids scope.” The features that make it a nearly ideal scope for budding young astronomers also made it an ideal starter scope for beginning astronomers of all ages. It’s low cost, portability, quality optics and ease of set up and operation also made it popular with experienced observers. It was rated number two in a recent Sky and Telescope review of starter scopes for under $200. Interestingly, rated number three right behind the StarBlast was another Orion reflector-The SpaceProbe 3 Altaz. I had seen it advertised many times in the colorful and informative Orion catalogs but I blew it off as a “toy” scope. However, S&T gave it good reviews and it only costs $100! I decided to order one to see if it was really that good and how it compared with the StarBlast.
Just looking at the catalog showed some of the similarities and differences right off the bat. The StarBlast has a 4½” mirror while the SpaceProbe 3, as it’s name implies, utilizes a 3” mirror. This equates to the StarBlast having twice the light gathering ability and half again more resolution than the SpaceProbe 3. The SpaceProbe 3 comes with an aluminum tripod while the StarBlast must be set on an elevated object. The StarBlast’s parabolic mirror has focal ratio of f/4 while the SpaceProbe is f/9.2 (more on this in a moment). They are both equipped with the Orion’s red dot EZ Finder.
The SpaceProbe 3 was well packaged and arrived undamaged. Assembly took about 30 minutes and went together with little difficulty. The instructions were well written but were not overly illustrated. The only tools needed are a Philips head screw driver, which was included with the telescope and a flat blade screwdriver. Also included with the scope were a 25mm and 10mm Orion Explorer eyepieces, collimating cap, The Sky (student edition) and Starry Night (Orion edition), and a copy of the Orion Monthly Sky Chart.
The collimation was off a bit on both the elliptical secondary and the Primary mirrors but would probably have given acceptable views for a beginner given the forgiving nature of the slow focal ratio. I used an Orion LaserMate to adjust the secondary and the clever “collimating cap” to adjust the primary. Unlike the StarBlast which utilizes spring loaded finger knobs to adjust the primary, the SpaceProbe 3 uses three sets of two Philips head screws. One screw in the set pushes the mirror and one pulls. It’s a rather laborious and somewhat difficult process compared to the StarBlast, plus you need to use a screw driver. Due to the short length of the tube, both telescopes can be collimated by one person as the adjustments can be reached while looking in the focuser. The StarBlast keeps its primary collimation very well even with out using the set screws. The SpaceProbe 3 on the other hand seemed to need collimation whenever I checked it.
First light for the SpaceProbe was on my balcony observatory. The scope moves very nicely in azimuth although there is a slight amount of spring back. The altitude control consists of a rod that uses a lock knob on mount for large adjustments. A threaded thumbwheel at the top of the rod near the scope is turned for micro-motion adjustment. The altitude control takes a little getting used to as there is some slop in the system and the drag on the rod varies when moving the scope, even with the lock knob fully loosened. Once the object is in the eyepiece and the lock knob tightened down, the micro adjustment works pretty well. The mount dampens down fairly fast in about 2-3 seconds. When using anti vibration pads, it dampens in about half the time. The optics are very good with nice sharp images. I was able to split Castor, Gamma Leonis, and the four main stars in Orion’s Trapezium showed up nicely. I wasn’t able to split Rigel but the companion may have been in one of the secondary mirror support diffraction spikes. With a 32mm Tele Vue Plossel eyepiece, I was able to get all of the Pleiades in view with no detectible coma. Mars was noticeably sharper than in the StarBlast but little detail could be made out due to the low resolution of the 3” mirror.
The question is then, would the SpaceProbe be a good scope for young astronomers. The answer is yes, with some reservations. Older kids would probably have the patience to figure out how to work the altitude control rod and work around the slop in it. Younger kids might not. As the scope requires assembly of the components, young astronomers would need some adult supervision. The EZ finder is somewhat difficult to adjust as is the primary mirror. Bottom line: if you can afford the extra $70 dollars, get the StarBlast. If not, the SpaceProbe is an excellent value and a lot better than just about anything else available for the price.