One reviewer (Tami) mentioned that "you can hook it up to your computer to view stars and planets". Is it via USB, and what can it do/see/capture?
2050241
The starblast 4.5 does not have a capture unit included. You would have to buy one separately. Other than that, this is a great beginner scope very easy to carry around for setup.
1849827
no view finder , let it run then pull the flash drive and plug it into your lap top the see what you are getting
896661
Its a really fast wide field achromat refractor with lots of false color on bright objects like jupiter. Great for wide field deep space views. If you have scope and want to try astrophotography go ccd black and white on camera and LRGB filters. and a good processing and stacking software. that would be your best chance to get a decent image.
709356
It does well on the moon but not so good on planets. It also lacks a finder type tube to look through to locate the stars and finding the planets is challenging. It's not a bad question. I do use mine primarily for spotting when shooting.
2231505
Hi, in tris link you can get the drivers and software:http://www.astrometa.com.tw/integrated_en.htmlRegar de.
372953
It is a USB camera. You will need a computer to power it and to get the feed. You can use the moniter, TV or projector to view it.
992667
No, this little gadget is just for looking at the moon, which is very close. If you want to look further into the universe, you have to look for something more powerful.
43860
If you want to see the moon and planets, then yes, it will work. But it won't work for anything else like deep space objects. Also, keep in mind that the images of planets you get live on the screen won't be terribly bright or detailed. That's not really the fault of the camera. That's just the atmosphere affecting the image.
1140725
you need to hook the Zoomy to a computer for it to work. Meaning you need a computer screen. It is an "electronic" microscope and won't work without being attached to a computer with the software they provide.
1345360
David, I looked at the picture with the scope attached computer, and it appears that they are using a third party optical pickup that attaches to one of eye pieces on the scope to port the image to the PC - this must be a separately purchase item, and probably doesn't cost to much.
1821512
No. I think there might be software available that you can use to tie the telescope to a computer, but it isn't necessary to use a computer with it (I don't use one with it). It is a good idea to have your GPS or latitude/longitude location for where you will be using it at, as that is the best way to get it set up so it knows where it is at so the internal computer (that is part of the drive system) can figure out where it is pointing and then find things (if you want to use that feature). As an example, since I live in a small but heavily "light polluted" city, I generally don't use it in my own back yard, but instead take it out camping or some evenings will drive out into the countryside (to state land that is about 15 minutes away) and use a GPS app on my smart phone to find my location to enter it into the telescopes system, so that I can use that feature to locate things that are worth seeing and to use the "tracking" system that will move the telescope with the sky so that what you are looking at doesn't drift out of sight as the sky rotates. I do recommend purchasing good rechargable batteries for the telescope though, as it does use a modest amount of energy (the rechargeables I use will last a little over an hour and I keep an extra set of them charged with the telescope so I can change them out), otherwise you will be using 8 alkaline batteries every couple of hours of use (whereas the rechargeables, while about 2-3 times the price initially will be usable hundreds of times before needing to be replaced). There is also a large battery pack option (can't recall what it is called now) that is available for the telescope which I would recommend if you plan to use it for longer periods of time (I play to buy one at some point, but just haven't made the purchase yet).
565918
You can only plug it into a computer for now (via USB). But if your computer is connected to your TV, you can still see things on the big screen.
2210050
no, to do what you want you would need a telescope with a computer drive and software, as others have said you can see an object thrugh the view finder but no magnification. Also, my unit is very sensitive to magnetic interference which has required me to leave my deck and go out into the yard away from the house and garage.
1821514
You do not need to have a PC to use this. It works straight out of the box once you figure out how to use SkyAlign which is what you use to align the scope with the celestial objects. There is software for the PC that you can buy with an additional cable that you would have to purchase to connect you PC to the telescope. I do not know that software is compatible with Mac.
2207843
Yes it will track the planets and even slew to the items you select with the hand held control. Works great!
64201
I suggest going to a planetarium if that is what you want to see. Great instrument for the moon and planets, but you won't get Observatory quality.
1266624
100% you can see Jupiter. Very sad that khatibamm and gene are giving false info... I've got pictures through this scope of Jupiter, its two weather bands, and its four moons! Is it the best scope money can buy? Nope, but it's worth the money if this is in your budget. Also, the rings around Saturn look awesome through this scope.