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ASTROBLAST 2008
Green Witch, Unit 6 Dry Drayton Industries, Dry Drayton, Cambridge CB23 8AT Tel: 01954 211288
If you are new to astronomy you may find the range of telescopes bewildering. There has never been so much choice or such good value for money, and telescopes are more affordable than ever. But how do you choose your first telescope?
In this section we have selected telescopes, covering a wide range of budgets, that we believe offer excellent value. Starting at less than £100 the list goes right the way up to the impressive CPC 800 which is suitable for the most ardent and experienced amateur, but which is also suitable for a first purchase.
Please see our Beginners' Page for advice or call us on 01954 211288.
Named Official Product of International Year of Astronomy 2009, FirstScope pays tribute to the men and women who brought us one step closer to understanding the universe around us.
Its simple design and quality optics make it a great first telescope for a child or curious adult. With a 76mm aperture it will show lots of detail on our Moon, the rings around Saturn, Jupiter's moons and all the deep-sky objects in the Messier list, plus lots more.
Its compact size makes it easy to store and carry, and you can use it on any table or level surface.
This set includes a finderscope, extra eyepieces, moon filter, astronomy software and nylon carry bag.
The Infinity 76P is one of our favourite telescopes - our pet name for it is Pingu for fairly obvious reasons. It is more than a toy and gives much better images than you might expect from the price. It's the ideal first telescope for any budding astronomer.
It is simple to use, just place it on a table or wall, point it at your object and twist the eyepiece to focus. The Moon will look stunning, showing craters, mountains, valleys and rills in detail. Jupiter's Galilean moons will be seen to move from night to night. You can see Saturn's rings and its largest moon, Titan. It will show all the Messier objects, the amateur astronomer's favourite target list containing galaxies, nebulae and star clusters.
Unlike more conventional starter telescopes, it won't take up much space in a child's bedroom, but will give hours of fun.
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.
This 6-inch Dobsonian is an ideal first telescope for an older child or adult. Suitable for planets and deep-sky objects.
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.
Technical Details:
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.
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
Featuring superior optics, the NexStar 4 SE is an ideal telescope for observing and photographing the wonders of space. Its built-in controller will find and track thousands of objects automatically, making it simple to use for any beginner.
The NexStar 4 SE has a folded light path making it very compact. Two mirrors and a corrector lens provide sharp and clear images. High-quality coatings ensure they are bright.
Attaching a camera is easy and the telescope is well-suited to short-exposure astrophotography. It is especially good for taking images of the planets using a digital camera or modified webcam.
The sturdy tripod has a built-in equatorial wedge for added versatility, making this the best entry-level telescope for anyone wanting to dabble in astrophotography as well as enjoy seeing the wonders of the night sky with their own eyes.
Click here for a short flash video presentation
Portability and serious performance come together in the NexStar 6 SE. Celestron's first new Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system in over a decade is now available in a high performance altazimuth computerized telescope. With a total weight of 30 lbs including the tripod, the ultra portable 6 SE features a precision optical system with 1500mm focal length (f/10) and offers 44% more light gathering than a 5-inch telescope.
The NexStar 6 SE has all the same features as Celestron's most advanced computerized GoTo telescopes, including the revolutionary SkyAlign alignment technology, a sky tour feature, a database of over 40,000 celestial objects and easy to use hand control.
The NexStar 6 SE is one of our favourite telescopes and has been very popular with customers since its launch in April 2007. It was awarded Sky and Telescope magazines 'Hot Product 2008' accolade and is still one of the best telescopes on the market.
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.
Massive Saving - was £ 2,249 - now only £1,570 - the best value 8-inch fork-mounted SCT on the market
'Pingu' is back instock - best child's telescope
NEW Opticron Verano Binoculars Excellent light-weight waterproof binocular
Swift 919 Horizon Binoculars BBC Birdwatching Magazine Test Winners
Ferrari Binoculars A gift for the man or woman who has everything
Save £100 on this popular high-quality bird-watching binocular
Greetings Cards in the form of working astrolabes, nocturnals and sundials - ideal for enquiring minds
Special Deals on Celestron CPC Telescopes
Hard-wearing and cost-effective scope cover
Digital Camera Module for Minox, Kowa, Leica, Swarovski and Zeiss Telescopes
Revelation Photo-Visual Eyepiece and Filter Kit
Heritage 130P Flextube Dobsonian. The ideal first telescope. Compact, easy-to-use table-top telescope
10mm TeleVue Ethos eyepiece with 100-degree apparent field of view is now available
Stand-alone Autoguider does not need a PC or laptop to control your telescope mount
Examine nature in close detail with Papilio Binoculars - from 0.5m to infinity
Hawke Frontier ED - excellent value mid-range binoculars
Digital Camera Module for Minox, Kowa, Leica, Swarovski and Zeiss Telescopes
