Stellarvue AT1010 Nighthawk 80mm f/6

4.0 Tough, Beautiful Refractor

Tough, heavy construction; Absolutely sharp focus; Superior contrast; Little Chromatic Aberration

Too heavy for cheap mounts; 80mm aperture limits DSOs; Some Chromatic Aberration on bright targets

I bought this telescope as certified preowned scope directly from Stellarvue. The scope arrived in perfect condition; if anyone used it before, I couldn't tell. This was my first high quality refractor, and I was amazed at the crystal sharp focus and wonderful contrast. While this is an achromatic refractor, and does show a small amount of purple fringing on the Moon or Venus, it is completely clear on DSOs. The scope is heavy and gives the impression of being very tough. Since I got it, I find myself looking at the Moon and planets more than I did with my old Orion Starblast. There is a limit to what an 80mm scope can do on DSOs, but the superior contrast of the Nighthawk gives better performance than you might expect.