While the system may seem expensive compared to other “automated” telescopes on the market, it does make things much easier for amateur astrophotographers and stargazing enthusiasts to find some challenging and unique deep sky objects. The telescope has a built-in battery life for up to 5 hours but can be extended to up to 10 hours of life by connecting a 20,000 mAh battery pack using a USB-C connection that can be stored in a small compartment that is IP53 certified for weather protection. The system can capture images in jpeg, tiff, and fits (16 bit raw), has an alt-azimuth tripod mount on the base, boasts up to 100x digital zoom, and packs a CLS light pollution filter to help ensure the images captured are as sharp and detailed as possible. The universe is absolutely beautiful and to enjoy its splendor requires the right tools.The Stellina weighs about 25 pounds and can fit in a standard backpack (19 x 15 x 4.7 inches), making it pretty portable for those looking to bring it on overnight camping trips, or even travel internationally in carry-on luggage. Once you are hooked, the universe is your oyster and feel free to upgrade by researching options. Dobsonians are a starting point if you're new to this hobby as it provides good views of the planets in our solar system on a fairly sturdy mount and you can take pictures, if needed. They are probably one of the most underrated optical tool that don't get considered but is a powerful gateway into testing whether this hobby is something that is of interest to you before investing $$$s. Start with binoculars and explore the night sky. It can make or break your interest in this hobby as things can get frustrating very quickly. I am still learning this hobby but having a good mount makes a massive difference in viewing experience. I have tried weighing it down but it doesn't dramatically improve the experience. I have the motorized version and although it does track celestial objects well with VERY careful alignment, the mount is very light duty which means the slightest wind or adjustments to the scope while tracking can cause vibrations that last for more than 20 seconds. My biggest complaint about this scope is the mount. Having a good eyepiece for eyepiece projection imaging is vital. I have been able to successfully capture Venus, Mars with polar caps, Jupiter (moons and bands) and Saturn. Only way to take pictures is through the eyepiece (lookup eyepiece projection) which is not ideal but good enough for viewing/imaging planets as mentioned by others. That means that not only is it not strong enough to hold excess weight like a camera, the image cannot be focused onto a camera. It comes with a Rack and pinion focuser with no lock pin and not enough back focus to mount a camera. I have also read in forums that there are variations of this telescope that have either parabolic or spherical primary mirror the former is desired for better optics. Here's my review as this was my first telescope that I hope people find helpful.Īlthough the scope has been servicing me well, being a mediocre Newtonian requires collimation often (aligning mirrors). I just wish i didn't get into astronomy at all because i would have saved thousands of dollars and many hours of no sleep :p I did DSLR deep sky astrophotography for a few years and invested in various accessories like autoguider, flattener/focal reducer, dew heater, bahtinov mask, barlows, T-ring, etc. If you are unsure, check out beginners nights with your local RASC chapter… lots of experienced folks often willing to help newbies out. Once you see the rings of Saturn or the bands of Jupiter, especially thru your own scope, it tends to capture your interest… If it is a celestron or meade SCT, they have ‘guided tour’ features that the computer will slew your scope around and show you a bunch of sights… Once you learn how to do a proper 2 or 3 star alignment (much better than a 1-star alignment!), that can really open up the heavens for you (no pun intended). Is the 8” SCT a goto? i presume it is fork mounted… So any regrets may lie behind the eyepiece Both of those scopes should give you decent views or can be excellent starting points for imaging…
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