Complete Telescope Packages Recommended by Experts

PLEASE! Don't buy a telescope without contacting me first. If you want a good quality telescope and to enjoy astronomy, talk to me.

 

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A Little About Telescopes...

It's so important to start out with a good telescope. Money spent on $99 telescopes is money wasted. There is a minimum entry point with astronomy and that point is around $300. The 6" Dob I have listed here really is the minimum instrument I would recommend. Please don't waste your money on a cheap telescope to see if you'll like astronomy. The optics on the cheap telescopes are awful. The mounts are not stable and the accessories are junk. When you finally find Saturn and can't focus clearly, you'll get more frustration than fun. Save your money.


Telescopes come in three types. Everybody has an opinion about this subject and here's mine. I base my opinion on years of experience working with lots of people starting out. Just trust me on this, okay?


Reflectors

Reflectors use a mirror system rather than a lens at the front. Reflectors, if well made, give great views for the money. You can get a bigger telescope for less money if you go with a reflector. Because reflectors tend to be bigger, they require a very stable mount (tripod). The typical 4.5" reflectors are sold with terrible mounts. Don't waste your money. 6" is a minimum size to consider and it should either well mounted on a good EQ mount or a Dob base. Because the Dob base is easy to manufacture, the 6" Dob is both of good optical quality and very stable if you stay with a quality brand. I recommend Orion.


Reflectors are not good for nature observing because everything in the view is upside down. That's not a problem when observing objects in space, but looking at upside birds isn't very fun. Reflectors require periodic adjustment of the optics. This is called collimation. If the optics are not adjusted properly, you can't achive a clear view. The laser collimator makes doing the adjustment a breeze.


Refractors

This is what most people understand as a typical telescope. There's a lens at the front. It looks like a telescope! Refractors are the easiest to use if you get a good one. It's very important to have your refractor on a good, solid mount.


Refractors give the sharpest views. Refractors never require optical adjustment. They are compact and easily understood. No one is ever unhappy with a good refractor. All the refractors I offer are of excellent quality. I just won't recommend junk. I personally love the AstroView refractors. They are fine telescopes on very good mounts.


The ED line is superb. If you can spend $900 - $1500, the APO class refractors are really world-class telescopes on superb mount. These are really for the avid observer.


Cassegrain (SCT, MAK, RC, Etc.)

This model uses a combination of mirrors and lenses. At this point, I'm not recommending a cassegrain style for beginners. Meade used to make a fine cassegrain: The ETX-90 and the ETX-125. The optical quality is excellent on these telescopes but it's nearly impossible to get a working one. 80% of the product I received from Meade failed right out of the box. The fault was usually the electronics or the plastic gears.


The cassegrain design is nice and compact but they are typically a long focal length scope. That reduces your field of view. For now, let's stick with telescopes we know will work and give you fun instead of grief.


The "GOTO" Issue

I do not recommend getting a goto system if you are just getting started. The reasons I do not recommend goto are numerous.


When someone is new to astronomy, the alignment procedures and menu operations are more confusing than simply pointing a telescope at something they want to see! With the Rigel Quick Finder, aiming a telescope is a very easy process.


Inexpensive (Under $1,000) goto telescopes are not very accurate. They will get you close, but seldom ON target. If you don't know where to look exactly, a goto will only add to your frustration. You can spend an entire night messing with hand controllers and alignments and never see anything. Tracking is nice to have and is available on most NON GOTO telescopes. Tracking will keep your target in the center of view. Avoid goto on $500 telescopes. You'll spend more on batteries than if you'd just bought a better telescope.


If you're just starting out and want a very good package, The AstroView 100mm refractor with a Rigel and a single single drive is an excellent instrument. The AstroView 120mm is a bit bigger telescope and will reach a little farther into deep space.


For the person looking for perfection and has $800-$1400 to spend, The ED80 and ED100 are professional class telescopes on first class mounts.


If your budget is very tight, the 6" DOB is the minimum instrument I would recommend. Anything less is really a toy.

 

All of OUR packages INCLUDE FREE astronomy training!
 YOUR telescope will NOT end up in the closet!

I have personally used every one of these models and recommend them only

because they passed my strict standards.

 

Assembly? It's EASY and QUICK!

 

 

I Highly recommend a Rigel Quick Finder with EVERY telescope.

 

AstroView Single Axis Drive $69.95

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Rigel Quick Finder $40 (A "must have" item)

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What's it do? You attach it to your telescope with double stick tape (provided). When you look through the window at the top, you'll see a red circle pattern, a bulls-eye, projected onto the sky. When you put the circle on an object or area, the telescope will have that object in your eyepiece. No more hunting around trying to figure exactly where you are pointed. Once you use a Rigel, you'll wonder how you ever hit anything without it.



 


 

Astro View 100mm Refractor

This is the ideal telescope to get you started right at the minimum expense.


Recommended Accessories:

  • Single Axis Drive for Tracking
  • Rigel Quick Finder
  • Glass Solar Filter
  • Variable Moon Filter


AstroView 120mm Refractor

This is the big brother to the 100mm refractor. You get a lot of telescope for the money and the fast focal length will give you wide, sweeping views.


Recommended Accessories:

  • Single Axis Drive for Tracking
  • Rigel Quick Finder
  • Glass Solar Filter
  • Variable Moon Filter


Verso-Go Short Tube 80

This is a dandy little telescope for day or night time use. If lifting is an issue, this complete package is the easiest to move.


The 80mm optics are somewhat limited but everything included is well-made. The mount is stable and the telescope adequate for a starter.


Recommended Accessories:

  • Solar Filter
  • Rigel Quick Finder
  • Variable Moon Filter


8" Reflector on SkyView Pro Mount

This is telescope to get if you want the biggest possible telescope at the lowest possible price and still have tracking. The SkyView Pro mount is well suited for this telescope.


I would not recommend this package to a beginner as reflectors require collimation---adjusting of the optics. It's not difficult to learn but you'll have so many new things to learn why add adjusting the optics to the list?


But if you have some experience, this is an outstanding telescope that will give you amazing, sharp views.


NOT suitable for day time use or solar observing. This is a deep space instrument.


Must Haves:

  • Rigel Finder
  • Laser Collimator
  • Single Axis Tracking Drive

Recommended Accessories:

  • Intelliscope Upgrade
  • Stratus Eyepiece 8mm
  • OIII Filter (1.25")
  • Variable Moon Filter


100ED on SkyView Pro Mount

This is a beautiful instrument. I have actually seen this telescope yield a perfect optical star test.


The "ED" part of the name stands for "extra-low dispersion" glass. Refractor telescopes, though the easiest by far to use, introduce a slight false color around the fringes of bright objects. That happens because different colors of the light spectrum reach focus at different points. So, when you focus to a sharp view, you may see a little purple or yellow around the edges of bright objects. That is called "false color". The ED means they have used exotic and expensive glass to correct the false color out of your view. This ED or also called APO refractor is the envy of many amateur astronomers.


I would only recommend this telescope to those who prefer to start with the very best.


Recommended Accessories:

  • Rigel Quick Finder
  • Glass Solar Filter
  • Variable Moon Filter
  • Proxima Zoom Eyepiece
  • Single Tracking Drive
  • Intelliscope Computer
  • OIII Filter


80ED on SkyView Pro Mount

This is the the same as the 100ED but slightly smaller.


The "ED" part of the name stands for "extra-low dispersion" glass. Refractor telescopes, though the easiest by far to use, introduce a slight false color around the fringes of bright objects. That happens because different colors of the light spectrum reach focus at different points. So, when you focus to a sharp view, you may see a little purple or yellow around the edges of bright objects. That is called "false color". The ED means they have used exotic and expensive glass to correct the false color out of your view. This ED or also called APO refractor is the envy of many amateur astronomers.


I would only recommend this telescope to those who prefer to start with the very best.


Recommended Accessories:

  • Rigel Quick Finder
  • Glass Solar Filter
  • Variable Moon Filter
  • Proxima Zoom Eyepiece
  • Single Tracking Drive
  • Intelliscope Computer
  • OIII Filter


120mm SkyView Pro


With 120mm of clear aperture and 1000mm focal length, the "SVP" 120 refractor has the magnifying ability to split 2-arcsecond double stars and reveal subtle lunar and planetary features. With less chromatic aberration than short-focal-length achromatic refractors, the SVP 120 provides pleasing star images with a minimum of color fringing.


It's the perfect scope for digital imaging. Pop on an Orion StarShoot Solar System imaging camera and you're all set to capture spectacularly detailed shots of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and lunar landscapes galore!

The telescope features a multi-coated 120mm (4.7") achromatic objective lens in an adjustable cell. The 2" aluminum rack-and-pinion focuser (with 1.25" adapter) allows use of optional 2" eyepieces.


The tube rides on the sturdy SkyView Pro equatorial mount, which has a stainless steel tripod for superior rigidity. Standard accessories include an 8x40 finder scope, star diagonal, and two Sirius Plossl eyepieces.

The SVP 120 can be upgraded at any time to GoTo computerized object location. You can also add the IntelliScope Upgrade Kit for computer-assisted manual object-location. This standard configuration is compatible with optional TrueTrack electronic drives, allowing objects to be tracked after they are located.


Recommended Accessories:

  • Rigel Quick Finder
  • Glass Solar Filter
  • Variable Moon Filter
  • Proxima Zoom Eyepiece
  • Single Tracking Drive
  • Intelliscope Computer
  • OIII Filter


Atlas 10" Goto


  • Atlas 10 EQ-G with GoTo Controller

Nights under the stars will never be quite the same with the Atlas 10 EQ-G

  • This scope's big 10" optics will show you what big-telescope performance is all about
  • GoTo data base provides access to 13,400+ celestial objects
  • The beefy Atlas EQ-G provides stable support and motorized dual-axis control
  • Includes upgraded 2" Crayford-style focuser, 1.25" 26mm Sirius Pl?ssl, and 9x50 finder scope

Nights under the stars will never be quite the same with the Atlas 10 EQ-G. They'll be much, much more rewarding. This scope's big 10" optics and newly engineered mount will show you what big-telescope performance is all about.


It starts with the optics. The Atlas 10 features a 254mm (10") parabolic mirror made from premium Pyrex low-expansion glass for superior thermal stability. The upgraded 2" Crayford-style focuser has a 1.25" adapter to accommodate either size of eyepiece; a 1.25" 26mm Sirius Plossl comes standard, as does a 9x50 finder scope.


Then there's the mount. The beefy Atlas EQ-G provides stable support and motorized dual-axis control, courtesy of dual internal stepper motors that slew the scope at up to 3.4° per second and track with exceptionally low periodic error. With this GoTo version, you can visit any of 13,000+ celestial objects with pushbutton ease.


Backlash compensation in both axes and programmable periodic error correction (PEC) provide the precision required for astrophotographic guiding, either manually or with an autoguider via the autoguider port in the drive base. The adjustable-height tripod has large 2"-diameter stainless steel tubular legs, making for a highly sturdy support system.


You will need an external 12-volt DC power supply such as the Orion Dynamo Pro field battery, or an AC-to-DC adapter to run off of 110-volt AC. Two-year limited warranty.

 

 



For package information, please contact Chris Reich