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TASCO LUMINOVA 675x ASTRO REFLECTOR

This is a BIG 4.5 mirror diameter Astroscope, capable of seeing into deep space.

A quick Background - Astroscopes

The real difference between Astroscopes is not so much "power" but "brightness", and the larger the front end, the more light can be collected, and so the more CLARITY and DETAIL can be seen.

As magnification is increased, the light throughput is reduced, and so the LESS clarity, and LESS detail is observed - most people would unthinkingly believe the higher the power the better it's actually just the opposite!

This 4.5 (114mm) front end gives enormous light collecting power, so much so that with this Scope at lower powers, the night sky view will be absolutely stuffed from edge to edge with stars and you'll have to use the special lens cap it comes with to block out some of the light to view sensibly! Lenses are included (and many more types are available) to give four different magnifications, up to a maximum 450x (which, unlike many Astroscopes, you can happily use it at!) Be careful though- as soon as you increase power, you also increase a number of other problems such as:

Reduction in Brightness as above - although with this scope you can still see plenty at high power as there is loads of light pouring in the top!
Shake 675x power = 675x shake and movement, so this comes with a heavy-duty (but oddly lightweight) aluminium full sized tripod, together with a rock solid Telescope Equatorial Mount.
Narrow field of vision- Higher power = smaller bit of the sky = harder to find what you want to see! This comes with a Crosshair StarPointer FinderScope (not unlike a Rifle sighting device) which makes locating a target dead easy, along with a full Equatorial Telescope mount with adjustment circles for Altitude(height) /Azimuth (horizontal)/Declanation (where you happen to be on the planet) and Time (24hr clock - yes you can even dial in the time!)
Equatorial Mount Worth it's weight in gold! This device allows you to really easily set up and move the telescope to point at any part of the sky you wish, it also has standard markings to tie in with Star Charts and Sky maps so you can correctly point at an object even when you can't see it with the naked eye! Secondly, because the earth spins, everything visible in the sky is constantly on the move the sky spins. Normally we hardly notice, but the higher the magnification, the faster an Astronomical object will move out of view and at 450x, in just a couple of minutes! This Equatorial mount includes flexi Tracking Handles that allow you to fine control the telescope whilst viewing, and literally TRACK the target as it moves across the sky!
For more general telescope information please click HERE
This Tasco telescope comes with the brilliant SkyWatch Astronomy Software (Worth over £50). This essentially puts the Northern and Southern night sky onto your computer. You can see the positions of constellations, galaxies nebula and LOADS more. Move into space to see the whole night sky, or zoom in to one small section and click on an object to find out about it. There's a massive amount to explore - I could go on for days - for instance information on stars, planets, constellations, comets etc. Photographs of stars, galaxies and planets. Best of all there is a excellent solar system map that displays in real time (it gets the date from your computer). Using this you can get the position, rising and setting times of the Moon, the planets and any comets that happen to be in the solar system at the time. You can print out the charts and there is even a night vision mode so you can load the software onto your lap top or notebook computer and actually use it in conjunction with the telescope ¿just dial the co-ordinates straight from the computer into the Equatorial mount ¿WOW!

Believe it or not, we have only touched on the surface, this is a VERY complete outfit with even more accessories then we have mentioned above. It will give many years of enjoyment and comes with a manufacturers 10-year warranty. Full specification below:

The Details:

Model: 40-114675
Type: Newtonian reflector
Objective: 114mm
Focal Length: 900mm
Focal Ratio: 8
Mount: Equatorial 4-way with Altitude, Azimuth, Declination and hour circles.
Trackers: Twin Flexible cable. Vertical and Horizontal arc.
Barlow: 3x
Eyepieces: 20mm. 12.5mm. 4mm all with moon filter provision
Finderscope: CrossHair StarPointer
Finish: Metallic Champagne
Weight:32lbs.
Tripod: Full Height adjustable with centre brace and accessory tray.
Accessories: Tasco SkyWatch CD-ROM with 10,000 Object Database, Moon Filter, Twin Light Baffle Lens Cap, Star Maps, Moon Maps and Space guide
Optional: Can be adapted to fit standard SLR cameras by using the Camera adapter tube and T mount