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Celestron Nexstar 5 Telescope (Telescope Only)

Celestron Nexstar 5 Telescope (Telescope Only)

List Price: $1,049.99
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Product Info Reviews

Features:
  • Focal length of 1250mm
  • 127mm (5-inch) diameter Schmidt-Cassegrain refractor
  • Observe immediately with the computerized auto align feature
  • Automatic slewing to over 18,000 celestial objects
  • Common sense menu descriptions


Description:

The NexStar 5 combines deluxe features with Celestron's legendary Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system to provide amateur astronomers with a sophisticated and easy-to-use telescope. It has a 5-inch diameter refractor, a focal length of 1250mm, a focal ratio of f/10, and one multicoated 25mm (50x) 1.25-inch Plossl eyepiece.

After locating just two alignment stars, you'll have the NexStar 5 up and running. If you are new to astronomy, you may wish to start off by using the NexStar's built-in sky tour feature, which commands the NexStar to find the most interesting objects in the sky and automatically moves to each one. The experienced will appreciate the comprehensive database of over 18,000 objects, including customized lists of all the best deep-sky objects, bright double stars, and variable stars. Here is an example of the actual text from the telescope's database as it describes M87: "Elliptical galaxy equal in size to 790 billion solar masses. More than 1,000 globular clusters are known to surround this galaxy and it is believed to have a giant black hole at its center. Distance: 50 million light years."

The NexStar has alt-azimuth operation (no need to polar align). Even if you can't find the location of two bright alignment stars, NexStar will find them for you using the "go-to" hand control that can be mounted on the fork arm for hands-free operation. The hand control is fully computerized, and it has red back-illuminated buttons that help retain your night vision. Just enter the date, the time, and your location, and the NexStar will align itself to the necessary stars. The hand control includes a built-in RS-232 communication port allowing you to control the NexStar from a computer and use popular astronomy software (like The Sky, which is included) for point-and-click slewing ability.

Finding objects is easy with the Star Pointer finderscope, which is like having a laser pointer that you can shine directly onto the night sky. Just align the red dot seen through the Star Pointer with the desired star in the sky.

Additional features include:

Star diagonal--1.25 inches
Visual back--1.25 inches
Heavy duty base with rubber feet
RS-232 port to communicate with a PC
Nine available slew speeds
Incredible 6.5-degrees-per-second slew speed
Powered by standard AC adapter or eight AA batteries (not included)

Mounted on a sturdy metal base, the NexStar 5 sits securely on any flat surface and has three rubber gripping feet for vibration suppression and traction. Weighing under 18 pounds, it is extremely portable.

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