Archive for the ‘Orion’ Category

Orion Spaceprobe 130st EQ Telescope: A Bargain for Serious Beginners & Intermediate Astronomers Alike!

Orion Spaceprobe 130st EQ Telescope – Review

If you are just getting into astronomy (or have moved past powerful binoculars and the most basic entry level telescopes) and want a good quality, flexible and inexpensive telescope, you really can’t go wrong choosing an Orion Spaceprobe 130st EQ Telescope

Orion Spaceprobe 130st EQ Telescope

Orion Spaceprobe 130st EQ Telescope

You will find that you can pretty much take it out of the box, set it up and be off and viewing in a very short period of time – AND you don’t have to go broke doing it!  Don’t let the price or beginner label fool you either – this is a very good telescope and is intended more for the serious beginner or a more intermediate user.  In the end, you get all the most important features you’re likely to want or need in a simple, easy-to-use and very reasonably priced item.

To buy your Spaceprobe 130 ST EQ Telescope now from a recommended and reputable online retailer, please click here.

The single biggest advantage of this telescope boils down to value:  Given its price, its weight, its focal length and field of view, its quality (especially for the price), its portability (i.e. its weight) you end up with a scope you can quickly and easily setup, get clear and very sharp images from, move around easily and just generally make the most out of you time viewing the skies as quickly as possible!

Basic Features:

  • The “ST” version (meaning short tube) of the SpaceProbe 130 is compact; measuring 24″ long;
  • The focal length of the ST’s 130mm (5.1″) primary mirror is 650mm (f/5), yielding a wider field of view and brighter images, on average;
  • Primary is a diffraction-limited parabolic mirror;
  • 25mm (26x) and 10mm (65x) Sirius Plossl telescope eyepieces & quick-release 6×30 achromatic finder telescope;
  • Collimation cap and center-marked primary mirror;
  • Comes with an EQ-2 equatorial mount with dual setting circles and slow-motion hand controls for hands free tracking;
  • A drive can be added for automatic tracking;
  • Weighs 27 lbs;
  • One-year limited warranty

This falls into the class of a Newtonian reflector telescope which means it uses a parabolic mirror resulting in a wide field of view and it enabling low-power observations of the cosmos.  While the 130 ST EQ is a great scope (rather what you expect out of a product from Orion), it is not a one for a very experienced astronomer, or for someone looking for advanced features or very high magnification.  If that’s you, I would recommend you seek out a higher-end telescope….

So, I guess you could say one would choose this scope if their main criteria is getting the best value for one’s money.  Of course, this assumes you’re not just ‘trying out’ astronomy, or similarly, that you are not an advanced user with more specific, heavier demands from your scope.

=====> Please click here to visit telescopes.com; a recommended online retailer <=====

Why this online Retailer?

  • Long-established retailer – They have sold many many thousands of items online since 1997;
  • Secure Shopping – Secured with Extended Validation (EV) SSL, the highest standard for Web site authentication. Sites securing themselves with EV SSL have passed an intense identity authentication requirements process (FYI:  you can determine that a site is using SSL via the URL:  Instead of HTTP://… you will see HTTPS://….);
  • Specialize in telescopes and binoculars;
  • 30 day money-back guarantee – without restocking charges or hassles;
  • Offer free technical support;
  • Price Guarantee – Should you happen to find that they have lowered the price of the product you purchased, you may contact them within 30 days of delivery date to request a credit for the difference between the price you paid and the current online price;
  • Same-day shipping – Place an order today and receive it as early as the next business day

=====>     Please click here to visit telescopes.com; a recommended online retailer <=====

Please feel fee to ask questions, make suggestions (for example, if you there’s a particular product you would like us to review).  Your feedback is valuable!!

Orion Skyquest XT4.5 – Our Review

Why the Orion SkyQuest XT4 5, and Who would be most interested?


Orion Skyquest xt4 5

Orion Skyquest xt4 5

Stargazing with an Orion Skyquest XT4 5 (Dobsonian) telescope, makes things easy, simple, fun and inexpensive, not to mention that it just makes it feasible for many who it would be otherwise.  This is primarily due to the compact size and its light weight in combination with it being essentially a ‘kit’ — meaning, you take it out, perform a couple of simple assembly steps and it’s ready to use!  Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s a good scope; just that it’s easy and inexpensive to get started with (it’s also highly mobile due to its weight, which is another big benefit).

So, what about the scope itself?  How good is it?  Well, that’s a matter of expectations in part, but for a beginner (regardless of age), this is very good telescope.  Due to its design and mirror, the xt4.5 gets 260% more light than an eqivalent 60mm refractor scope:  You may be surprised when you are able to look in detail at the moon’s craters, or Saturn’s rings, the cloud bands of Jupiter, various galaxies in the Milky Way as well as other star clusters and nebulae.  As well, it is designed to be simple and easy to use, so it includes basic but intuitive controls for moving/pointing.  In fact, it’s easy enough and light enough that even a younger beginner (including smaller children) can handle it safely and easily themselves.  You can also take decent digital photographs with this, so it’s uses as well as users are quite broad!

====>    Buy your Orion Skyquest XT4 5 here <====

With its small size (one of the smallest around) a sturdy and solid Dobsonian base (a simple altitude/azimuth design – typically larger and more stable than a tripod mount), low weight for portability and simple design and use, as well as good light gathering qualities, image sharpness and a wide field of view, the Orion Skyquest XT4 is a scope that you can pull out of the box, and start using within minutes — definitely a satisfying experience for newbies who just want to start viewing and don’t want to waste time fussing around with tons of complicated settings and assembly procedures!  By the way, unless you do happen to be a smaller child, you will want to take a small stool with you when viewing as you will find the eye piece not of an ideal height….a pretty small complaint in my books…

This telescope won’t blow you away with it’s magnification, sharpness or features (no goto automation here), but for the price (and the price to features/quality ratio is key here), it’s pretty darn hard to beat!  It’s truly one of the better values on the market, especially when you consider it’s portability, flexibility, field of view and decent magnification.

One Quick Warning: This is not for advanced users requiring more features, higher magnification or for someone interested primarily in taking high quality photographs.  If that’s you, you should move on and consider a higher-end telescope…

Product Features:

* One-year limited warranty
* Includes two eyepieces (a 10mm and 25mm Plossl eyepiece and a 6x26mm correct image finderscope), focuser, collimation cap, and FREE Starry Night astronomy software
* Sturdy Dobsonian mount and handy grip knob allow for effortless maneuvering
* 114mm aperture and 910mm focal length for views of lunar craters, planets, nebulas, and galaxies
* 6×26 achromatic correct-image finder scope and a “navigation knob” for easy slewing of the telescope
* Two fully coated 1.25″ Sirius Plossl telescope eyepieces: a 25mm for low-power views at 36x, and a 10mm for getting in close at 91x
* CorrecTension Friction Optimization for superior tube balance and motion control
* The Base features Teflon/Nylon bearing pads, so the scope glides smoothly with just a gentle nudge of the tube. The base provides far greater stability than the tripods included with most beginner scopes, so the views are always steady.
* Focal length = 910mm (f/8).
* Complete instructions included.
* Total weight, 17-1/2 lbs. (tube 9 lbs., base 8-1/2 lbs.)

Why Buy a Telescope from this Merchant?

* Well-packaged telescope for safe delivery
* Long-established retailer – They have sold many many thousands of items online since 1997 with very few refunds and complaints;
* Same-day shipping – Place an order today and receive it as early as the next business day;
* Price Guarantee – Should you happen to find that they have lowered the price of the product you purchased, you may contact them within 30 days of delivery date to request a credit for the difference between the price you paid and the current online price;
* Secure Shopping – Secured with Extended Validation (EV) SSL, the highest standard for Web site authentication. Sites securing themselves with EV SSL have passed an intense identity authentication requirements process (FYI:  you can determine that a site is using SSL via the URL:  Instead of HTTP://… you will see HTTPS://….);
* Specialize in telescopes and binoculars;
* 30 day money-back guarantee – without restocking charges or hassles;
* Offer free technical support;

====>    Buy your Orion Skyquest XT4 5 here <====

Please feel fee to ask questions or make suggestions (for example, if you there’s a particular product you would like us to review) — Your feedback is valuable!!

Orion Starmax Line of Telescopes – Our Review

Not many things can diminish the eagerness of beginners and astronomers more than a telescope that is too big and not easy to handle. If it takes too much work to move it, put it up and take it down, the current skygazing time is cut to a minimum. Enter the Orion StarMax line of scopes:

Orion Starmax Telescope

Orion Starmax Telescope

Orion StarMax 90mm EQ Compact Maksutov-Cassegrain is a truly exceptional telescope for its size. It offers a razor-sharp views of planets and lunar objects with a minimum of fussing about. The Orion StarMax 102mm Equatorial Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope equipped for year and miles of use. It comes complete with a strong German-type EQ-2 Equatorial mount with dual setting circles and slow-motion controls by hand. Optional astro track or EQ-2M electronic device can be added for automatic tracking. The aluminum tripod adjusts for the height of all users, from children to adults. Astrophotographers will enjoy the addition of T-threads on the eyepiece adapter enabling direct connection of a 35mm camera body (with optional T-ring) for short-exposure shots. The same function, facilitates the transition into a precision-telephoto lens for terrestrial photography.

Just put your hands on the Orion StarMax and you’ll quickly addicted. This little telescope will help the beginning or casual astronomer fully enjoy what the hobby is about. Unlike competitive models, the Orion StarMax is simply easy to operate, offers stellar quality and all at an attractive price. The result is a grab-it-and-go REAL telescope that puts the fun back into stargazing.

Due to its versatility, many fanatical big-scope owners find the Orion StarMax line of scopes to to be an excellent choice for everyday use.

CLICK HERE to Buy Your Orion Starmax Now

The Orion StarMax 102 sets that look at first, allowing plenty of time to family and friends to enjoy the wonders of the night sky. This is the perfect ready-when-you-are in scope. Transporting it is a breeze |.   Internal tube baffling and multi-coating on the meniscus lens amplify image contrast and brightness. Set-up and break-down takes just minutes. Viewing time is measured by a chorus of “oooh” and “ahhh” that stretch for hours as clusters almost burst from the eyepiece and the rugged topography of the lunar craters blazing clear, crisp clarity.

Orion StarMax 127mm Pro is rated at 1540mm focal length, f 12.

Even the accessories are top-of-the-line 25mm (52x) Sirius Plossl is fully coated telescope eyepiece (1.25 “), a 90 mirror star diagonal, and 6×26 correct image for a telescope equipped with an aluminum dovetail mount with intuitive XY alignment.

With 55% greater light-gathering capacity than a 4 “scope and double that of a 90mm, the Orion StarMax 127 EQ fetch hundreds of deep-sky objects plotted on your star atlas. On the other hand, the extent long 1540mm focal length (f 12.1 A) permits magnifications up to 250X with optional eyepieces so that study of surface features on Mars and ring detail on Saturn.

For the serious astronomer who values performance and quality optics but wants to download and easy setup, the Orion StarMax 127 EQ is ideal. Credit its light-folding Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design and big 127mm (5 “) aperture for delivering high-resolution imaging performance in a tube only 14.5″ long! And with the included AstroView astronomical equatorial mount providing heaps support for high-magnification studies, this telescope will be an observatory pastime into a calling.

CLICK HERE to Buy Your Orion Starmax Now