I am wondering about the range of motion. If I attached a telescope to this tripod, could I view stars and planets close to the zenith? Thank you.
1289970
That would depend on the telescope weight. In reality you are bett6er of with a tripod or mount designed for your telescope.
1289971
You will not get a full 90 Degrees. This tripod is designed to be used on a table or when working close to the ground. If you want star trails it will do the job. otherwise I am unable to say.
1289972
I guess you could. My question is why not buy an adaptor to attach to your telescope so it (the telescope) can track the stars and planets when they are at zenith?
1895515
I was speaking of the basic, bare bones CPC1100 as it comes from the factory. It is also a great photographic scope for short duration exposures up to about 30 seconds. This is due to the standard Alt-Az mount. Adding the optional "Heavy-duty wedge allows for a polar alignment much like an equitorial mount. Then true long exposure photos are easily done. In fact it could even be claimed to be a bit better since there is no "meridian flip" caused by an EQ mounts' counterweight. Add an off-axis guider or a piggyback guide scope, an autoguider camera, either a DSLR or CCD camera, and a lap-top computer and observatory grade photos are easily within your reach with the CPC1100.
1313979
This scope probably isn't the best choice for photos of planets. It doesn't have a motor to track objects for the time required to get a sufficient exposure for photos. You can see the rings several of the available eyepieces (don't recall specifically which eyepieces, as it's been a while since I looked at Saturn). If I recall, you can see them with the one that comes with the product; however the Earth's rotation causes Saturn to appear to move across the field of view fairly quickly. As far as ring detail, I would recommend a scope that has tracking capability...
529134
Be absolutely sure it does what you wznt. It's not really for astrophotography. It's a great scope for deep sky. A bit heavy
1920022
I have used them for star gazing and have found that you need a real sturdy tripod or the sight picture jumps around a lot.
804753
You could but probably won't put this on a table. It's BIG. I suggest the following: http://www.telescope.com/Mounts-Tripods/Mount-Tripod-Accessories/Dob-Dolly-for-Orion-45-10-Dobsonian-Telescopes/pc/-1/c/2/sc/38/p/102784.uts http://www.telescope.com/Mounts-Tripods/Mount-Tripod-Accessories/Dob-Pod-for-Orion-45-10-Dobsonian-Telescopes/pc/-1/c/2/sc/38/p/102785.uts
2207845
I purchased this telescope around two years ago. I'm an amateur star gazer, but I feel this is a high end telescope. It is motorized, with several speed options for near and far gazing. It can also be programmed to follow specified objects. It's definitely helpful while viewing our moon. Hope this helped answer your question.
1491356
Short answer is that this is the best scope in its price range. It is incredible for moon viewing. As for other planets; using a high powered lens gives a great view of Saturn and it's rings. If this is your price range I'd say buy this scope.
681688
No, you can get the same telescope on a tripod, but this set up would mean buying a lot of other pieces and disassembling this mount system. Look at this one instead Orion 9827 AstroView 6 Equatorial Reflector Telescope. Honestly, I would go with an 8".
283850
i use Orion Min-EQ Tabletop Equatorial Telescope Mount. that's enough for me
415442
The correct answer should be "Well, Maybe Yes***, kind-a / sort-a". Attempting to use this with an astronomical telescope will present plenty of "challenges". 1. Getting the imager congruent with the image plane. The camera comes with a 30mm OD adaptor, which should fit a 1-1/4" eyepiece holder. 2. The f/speed of the system, and imaging speed of the device, may limit what you can capture with this system. Since this is made for microscopes, the lighting in usually adjustable by the user. But for astrophotography, you might be able to capture the moon, and larger / brighter planets may be within reach of a moderate size (8"+) objective. However as there is little or no real integration time, stars and nebulae are unlikely targets. 3. Resolution may disappoint you. This device only records 2 megapixels. That may seem like a lot, but I'm used to more. Also dynamic range is in question here. Ultimately, it depends on your needs, expectations, pocket book, and willingness to make it work in an application it wasn't designed for. But if you think you are up to the challenges, go for it!
1615138
Yes! But, they are hard to hold steady for long periods. Recommend a sturdy tripod or monopod for long time use. They would be very satisfactory for comet watching, but again recommend a nice sturdy support. I also have a pair of Nikon 10X50 which can be hand held without support. I do really like the Celestrons as they are very bright with 70mm objective. Brgds, Geo
1156501
It depends on what you are tracking. It's more than OK for visual observation of planetary and deep space objects (with PAE, a more delicate alignment of the object you're tracking). For astrophotography, I wouldn't run exposures of more than, say, 20 seconds with a properly balanced telescope or telephoto lens. You MUST take your time when aligning the mount, make sure the tripod is level; enter the time, date and coordinates with as much accuracy as possible; and make sure that during the alignment procedure you center the stars nicely in your field of view. It takes me about 5-10 minutes, but after that the mount will track very well. On the other hand, if you are using the mount from a fixed location; you can save that as a 'home' position and you are good to go.
2171985
Unfortunately, if you have aligned the scope (i.e. using one of the alignment routines in the hand controller), you lose that alignment when you move the scope manually. When I use my CPC 800 for terrestrial viewing (which is not very often compared to using it for astronomy), I bypass the alignment but I still use the hand controller to slew the scope. I just find that is easier.
410592
The Celestron has the standard mounting hardware. So any tripod will do. Having said that the SkyMasters are heavy and do need a tripod with this in mine. I have mine on my camera tripod it works "ok" I want a much better tripod to be able to hold the SkyMasters in place with out drift. They the SkyMaster are just to heavy for the tripod I'm using now. Spend the money now you won't be sorry you did. Unable to pick a tripod now as i haven't found the one I like yet for the money.
58440
Thank you for your interest. Dobsonian reflectors are not suitable for astrophotography. This optical tube is optimized for visual use and will not reach focus with a DSLR attached. One can do afocal photography only with this model which is essentially the same as holding the camera (with lens) up to the eyepiece. There are accessories available to facilitate this method that basically clamp the camera to the eyepiece.
2210048
No, you can not use it like a telescope for viewing. It will identify and tell you about the "dot" in the sky you see through the viewer though. It parlays this info to you through reading on the screen or through audio output. It is very handy when trying to identify a constellation you think you might be seeing, as it will tell you which star/planet you are seeing in it and will tell you about the constellation as well.