A.S.T.R.A. has several different types and sizes of telescopes, mounts, and eyepieces that are available for club members to use. After suitable training, club members may borrow these instruments for a month at a time. Contact Vinny Illuzzi if you are interested in using one of our telescopes.
For telescope basics, please visit our Video Link Page.
MUST READ: Guidelines for loaner telescopes can be found here.
Astronomers Without Borders Telescope
The OneSky 130MM Reflector Tabletop Telescope is an AWB flagship product. Easy to maneuver and set up. It is designed for travel. If you’re getting started, this is the one that should be checked out.
The club AWB OneSky 130mm tabletop telescope was won based on our public outreach efforts from NASA Night Sky Network. This telescope is available as part of the loaner program.
Manual PDF: AWB 130 Newtonian
S&T Test Report: S&T Test Report
Video Review: OneSky 130
Video Review: How to use a Dobsonian Telescope.
Celestron 15x70 Binoculars
The SkyMaster Series of large aperture binoculars from Celestron offer phenomenal performance for astronomical viewing. The 15x70 works well mounted to a tripod but is also light enough for some handheld viewing. Includes a tripod, pan head mount., a mounting bracket with plate, and bags for easy transport and storage.
Binocular viewing is recommended for beginners when getting started. It offers you a cheaper way to start with astronomy before investing in telescopes. But binocular viewing is just as enjoyable if you wish to stay with them.
Linked is a video review about astronomy with binoculars with some objects to observe and how to find them.
Using Binoculars For Astronomy. - Video
Orion Paragon Tripod and Pan-head Mount - Video
Orion Paragon Tripod and Pan-head Mount - PDF
Celestron Binoculars - PDF
The Orion Paragon tripod, pan-head mount with bracket assembly, and the Orion bag were donated by ASTRA members Jim and Gloria Webster.
ASTRA 3 Dobsonian telescope
The ASTRA 3 Dobsonian telescope is an alt-azimuth-mounted (f/6) Newtonian with 203mm (8") of aperture, and a focal length of 1220mm yielding wide-field views of the Moon, nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, and the planets.
The Telrad finderscope helps you locate celestial objects in the night sky by projecting a large ring that projects a 4-degree, 2-degree, and 0.5-degree bullseye in the center of the field of view.
Video Review: How to use a Dobsonian Telescope.
Donated by club member Vic Palmieri.
Sky-Watcher 8" f/5.9 Dobsonian
The Sky-Watcher 8" f/5.9 Dobsonian is an alt-azimuth-mounted (f/6) Newtonian with 200mm (8") of aperture, and a focal length of 1200mm yielding wide-field views of the Moon, nebulae, galaxies, star clusters and the planets.
The full-sized 9 x 50 finderscope. The base weighs in at 25 pounds. 2" Crayford focuser.
Video Review: How to use a Dobsonian Telescope.
Donated to the club.
Celestron SP-C80 Refractor Telescope
The Celestron SP-C80 is a Japanese-made achromatic telescope that is an (f/11) Refractor with 80mm (3") of aperture, and a focal length of 880mm yielding bright, magnified views of The Moon, nebulae, star clusters and planets.
The Red-Dot finderscope helps you locate celestial objects in the night sky by projecting a single red-dot in the center of the field of view.
The Alt-Azimuth Mount is a manual mount with flexible cable slow motion controls with large knobs. The tripod legs are extendable for mounting head height ranging 42”-62". The unit breaks down easily for transportation and storage. Total assembled weight approx. 15lbs.
Celestron 8-Inch / Nexstar GoTo Mount
The Celestron 8-Inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with the NextStar GoTo mount comes with a database of 40,000+ celestial objects that are automatically located and tracked for you. Sky Align technology gets the telescope aligned and ready to observe in minutes. Included is a 12-volt car adapter cord and 110 AC to 12-volt power adapter.
The telescope manual can be found here.
The Quick Setup guide is available here.
Look here for an instructional video on setting up and using the telescope here.