Orion Atlas 8 EQ-G GoTo Reflector TelescopeSolidly built 8" reflector telescope for visual or astrophotographic forays into deep spacePrecision-made 203mm (8.0") parabolic primary mirror of 1000mm focal length (f/4.9)Atlas EQ-G equatorial mount with GoTo controller for automatic pointing to 42,900 celestial objectsIncludes 2" Crayford-style focuser with 1.25" adapter, 8x40 finder scope, and 26mm Plossl eyepieceRequires 12V DC power source such as Orion Dynamo (#2305 or #2307) or AC-to-DC adapter (#7728)
If your interest in amateur astronomy runs the gamut from observing to astrophotography, you need a telescope that's up to the task — like the Orion Atlas 8 EQ-G GoTo Reflector Telescope. It's an 8" reflector with precision parabolic mirror optics, perfect for visual and photographic forays into deep space.
The tube assembly features an upgraded 2" Crayford-style focuser with a 1.25" adapter, allowing use of either 2" or 1.25" eyepieces and accessories. You also get an 8x40 achromatic finder scope and a 26mm (38.5x) Sirius Plossl telescope eyepiece (1.25"). Large collimation knobs on the high-ventilation rear cell and a center mark on the primary mirror itself make optical alignment easy and precise.
The 203mm parabolic primary mirror has a focal length of 1000mm (f/4.9) and is center-marked for easier, more accurate collimation. The 1000mm focal length is excellent for visually studying a wide variety of celestial objects, from planets to distant galaxies, and the f/4.9 focal ratio is plenty fast for deep-space CCD (charge coupled device) or film photography. The telescope mount has backlash compensation in both axes and programmable periodic error correction (PEC), which provides the precision required for astrophotographic guiding, either manually or with an autoguider via the autoguider port in the mount's drive panel.
Speaking of the mount, the beefy Orion Atlas EQ-G GoTo Reflector Telescope provides incredibly stable support, thanks to its solid construction and 2"-diameter stainless steel legs, which adjust in height. Internal DC stepper motors offer nine slew rates ranging from 2x to 800x sidereal and three tracking rates: sidereal, lunar, and solar. You'll slew from one object to the next at a clip of up to 3.4 degrees per second. And astrophotographers are raving about the low periodic tracking error.
With this GoTo version of the Atlas 8 EQ-G, you can visit any of 42,900 celestial objects with pushbutton ease. The hand controller has a two-line, backlit LCD screen and a red-illuminated keypad. An RS-232 serial port permits connection to a personal computer for control of the telescope via astronomy software such as Starry Night Pro. Navigating the menu buttons is nicely intuitive and takes little time to master. The database includes the complete Messier, NGC, and IC catalogs of clusters, nebulas, and galaxies; eight planets; 100 named stars; and 25 user-defined objects.
The Atlas EQ-G mount requires an external 12-volt DC power supply such as the Orion Dynamo Pro field battery (#2307), or an AC-to-DC adapter (#7728) to run off of household 110-volt AC, all sold separately. One-year limited warranty.
Included Items:Optical Tube Assembly26mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece (1.25")2" - 1.25" eyepiece adapterTripodEquatorial mountComputerized hand controller8x40 finder scopeDovetail finder scope baseCollimation capCamera adapterTube ringsTube ring mounting plate11 lb counterweightsCounterweight shaftTripod accessory trayDust cap12V DC power cableGoTo hand controller cable for Sirius EQ-GGoTo hand controller cable for Atlas EQ-GGoTo hand controller bracketComputer interface cable (RS-232)Wire clipStarry Night special edition software
