Starter Telescopes

• SKYWATCHER

An ideal gift for any young astronomer, the Heritage 76 has been specially designed to celebrate the 400th anniversay of Galileo's first observations together with the International Year of Astronomy,

Its compact size and ease of use make it suitable for a young person to handle alone. And it won't take up much room in a child's bedroom.

The 3-inch aperture is large enough to show superb views of the Moon, Jupiter's Galilean Moons, the rings around Saturn and many hundreds of deep-sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae and star clusters.

It is supplied with two eyepieces to give magnifications of 12x and 30x. Its standard eyepiece fitting also allows you to use eyepieces from most manufacturers to increase the magnification if you wish. The useful upper limit is around 150x in very good sky conditions.

The telescope mount is based on the ever-popular concept designed and pioneered by John Dobson.

• SKY WATCHER

This 6-inch Dobsonian is an ideal first telescope for an older child or adult. Suitable for planets and deep-sky objects.

• Magnification Range x50, x100, x200
• Diameter of Primary Mirror 150mm
• Telescope Focal Length 1200mm (f/8)
• Eyepieces Supplied (1.25") 10mm & 20mm Super-MA
• Diffraction Limited Optics
• Direct SLR Camera Connection
• x2 Deluxe Barlow Lens (With Camera Adaptor)
• 6x30 Finderscope
• Parabolic Primary Mirror
• Wooden Azimuth Mount with Accessory Tray

• SKY WATCHER

Explorer 130 optics are highly regarded for their quality and for being larger than the beginners' scopes that we have grown accustomed to. Now they are available on the Supatrak mount to make an ideal package for the beginner. Supatrak is easy to set up and uses two precision servo motors to follow your object, leaving you free to enjoy the view without having to make constant adjustments.

We recommend this telescope package to any beginner.

• SKY WATCHER

This Skymax 102 is ideal for the beginner who wants a telescope that will find and track all the best objects in the night sky automatically. Its optical design not only makes the telescope compact but also provides superior images.

Just add batteries and our package contains all you need to explore the night sky on your first clear night. Simple to set up and align, the telescope knows the coordinates of thousands of objects so all you have to do is scroll through its menu to find the object you want then press a button. And if you're not sure what to look at just select the 'tour' menu for a suggested list of the night's favourites.

Choose the Skymax-102 if you want a compact 4-inch telescope with excellent optics and full Go-To control.

• CELESTRON 31057

Technical Details:

• Aperture: 150 mm (5.91 in)
• Focal Length: 750 mm
• Focal Ratio: 5
• Eyepiece: 25 mm
• Magnification: 37.5 x
• Finderscope: 6x30
• Mount: CG-4 Equatorial
• Optical Coatings: StarBright XLT
• Weight: 20kg

• SKY WATCHER

5" Motorised Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope

The Skymax 127 Supatrak Auto combines several features to make it ideal for the planetary enthusiast who also wants an aperture large enough for deep-sky viewing. Superior Maksutov-Cassegrain optics offer high contrast images and have the longer focal length that makes the high magnification needed for planets easier to obtain.

The compact optical tube on a light but sturdy altazimuth mount is easy to carry and set up. Supatrak means it will track objects automatically without the complexity and added weight of a german equatorial mount.

And if you want to use the telescope for bird watching or other terrestrial interests just add an optional image erector. Its electronic controller even has a 'cruise mode' that allows it to switch between several terrestrial targets.

• CELESTRON

• Aperture 130mm
• Focal Length 650mm
• F-ratio f/5
• Altazimuth Mount
• Eyepieces Supplied 25mm & 9mm
• StarPointer

The Nexstar 130 SLT is the largest aperture in the SLT series and shows the brightest images. The extra aperture also allows higher magnification and a little more detail to be seen.

Its built-in controller will find and track thousands of objects for you, showing you the wonders of the night sky and helping you learn your way around.

• CELESTRON 11068

This is our favourite telescope. When Lee or I talk to a school or scout group this is the telescope we instinctively reach for. It is easy to carry, quick to set up and align and has excellent optics and a large enough aperture to show all types of objects.

Our package includes the telescope, sturdy field tripod, Nexstar computer control and a high-quality eyepiece chosen to give the best balance bewteen magnification and field of view. It is ideal for anyone wanting a serious but portable telescope.

An instant success when introduced in 2008 it is still one of the best telescopes on the market

All you need in addition is batteries to start your night-time adventure. These can be ordinary AA dry cells but we recommend a Celestron power tank as it works out cheaper in the long run and is very convenient. We use them all the time.

Price: £919.00 (Including VAT at 20%)




Related products:

• CELESTRON 11073-XLT

The CPC 800 is the most portable telescope in the CPC series and the easiest for an individual to handle and set up alone. Its 8-inch aperture offers excellent performance on all types of objects from solar system to deep sky. The CPC800 won the Sky at Night group test award, confirming its pre-eminent position.

It is compatible with all the Celestron SCT accessories and can be fitted with the Hyperstar 8 for wide-field imaging at f/2.

Supplied with free Scope Cover worth £25