Grand Prize
Digital STARLAB Planetarium System and Dome
Powered by Starry Night Software
Valued at $58,000
System Detail
Additional Detail
Sirius 8 EQ-G Reflector with GoTo Controller Model 24729 - A $1,450 Value!
To capture dramatic celestial portraits with a film or digital SLR or an astronomical CCD camera, you'll need a solid mount with excellent tracking and guiding capability and, ideally, a telescope with a large aperture and a focal ratio of f/6 or less. The Sirius 8 EQ-G reflector fills the bill nicely.
With the GoTo controller, you can command the telescope to swing to any of 13,400+ celestial objects selected from intuitive menus on the controller. Dual internal stepper motors then move the telescope at up to 3.4° per second right to your target object, tracking it while you observe or photograph it. With the built-in autoguider interface and periodic error correction (PEC) and an included polar scope for accurate polar aligning,
you'll have an album full of killer astroimages in no time!
If visual observing is your primary interest, the Sirius 8 EQ-G will provide years of wonderful views. At its heart is an 8" (203mm), center-marked parabolic mirror of 1000mm focal length (f/4.9). The tube features an upgraded 2" Crayford-style focuser with a 1.25" insert and drawtube tensioning knob.
Other features include ten slew rates from 1.5x to 800x sidereal and large R.A. and Dec. locking levers. The tripod is remarkably sturdy, featuring extendable 1.75"-diameter stainless steel legs.
To power the mount you will need a 12-volt DC battery or an AC-to-DC adapter for use of 110-volt power. One-year limited warranty.
Third Prize
SkyQuest XT8 IntelliScope with Object Locator Model 27183 - A $620 Value!
Building on the XT8's legacy of award-winning design and performance, we've enhanced the world's best-selling 8" Dobsonian with new technology that will change the way you view the heavens. And it's now upgraded with a 2" Crayford-style focuser for smoother, more accurate performance.
The SkyQuest XT8 IntelliScope gives you speedy, push-button access to more than 14,000 fascinating celestial objects on the optional IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator. Looking for the Whirlpool Galaxy? Press the button labeled "Messier" select M51 whoosh! Wow! In seconds, there it is in the eyepiece. Never been able to find that edge-on galaxy, NGC 891? Tap the "NGC" button, select 891 Whoosh! You're there. It's that easy to locate object after object, so many more in an evening than you could ever find before.
The SkyQuest XT8 IntelliScope is the most advanced 8" Dobsonian telescope available. Its 8" (203mm) parabolic primary mirror serves up jaw-dropping images of the planets, nebulas clusters, and galaxies. The enameled steel tube boasts a "navigation knob" for easy slewing, a right-angle finder scope and now a Crayford-style focuser that accepts 2" and 1.25" eyepieces. The focuser provides silky-smooth, backlash-free motion that eliminates image shift, making it easier to achieve the sharpest possible focus.
The tube rides on a streamlined, ultra-stable Dobsonian base, moving smoothly on Teflon and UHMW polyethylene bearing pads. The CorrecTension system keeps the tube perfectly balanced for point-and-view ease of use.
Find out how much fun big-aperture stargazing can be with the Orion SkyQuest XT8 IntelliScope. One-year limited warranty.
There are more than 14,000, enough for a lifetime of observation: