magnilux - Astronomy Technology Today

NEWPRODUCTS
ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS
More New Offerings
As we have come to expect, Orion has
issued yet another round of new astronomy
products, the breadth and depth of which
are impressive.
Orion 1.25-inch Telescope Accessory Kit
Orion’s pre-configured 1.25-inch
Telescope Accessory Kit provides a wellthought-out
and affordably-priced assortment
of its most popular accessories. With
this kit you’ll receive seven accessories in a
foam-lined hard-side carry case to help you
get the most out of each evening spent with
your telescope.
The set includes two Sirius Plossl eyepieces
of 20-mm and 7.5-mm focal lengths,
one Shorty 2x Barlow lens that doubles the
magnification of any 1.25-inch eyepiece,
three color eyepiece filters to enhance lunar
and planetary features, and one neutral-density
Moon filter to reduce bright lunar glare
and optimize contrast of craters, highland
mountains, and lowland mare regions.
The two Sirius Plossl eyepieces provide
two different viewing magnification options
and feature four-element optics that are
multi-coated and offer a pleasantly-wide 52-
degree apparent field of view. The included
20-mm eyepiece will provide a relatively
wide field of view in most telescopes, but
with a higher magnification than that provided
by the 25-mm eyepiece that is traditionally
provided with a new telescope. The
7.5-mm Plossl yields a significantly higher
magnification, useful for obtaining a more
close-up view of celestial objects.
The included Shorty 2x Barlow doubles
the magnifying power of any 1.25-inch eyepiece
used with it, providing an easy way to
effectively double the number of magnification
options at your disposal. The Shorty’s
2x amplifier lens is an achromatic glass doublet
that is multi-coated with anti-reflection
coatings to ensure excellent light transmission.
The machined and anodized aluminum
housing is internally baffled to eliminate
unwanted reflections and increase contrast,
and features filter threads to accept any
1.25-inch Orion eyepiece filter.
The Orion Telescope Accessory Kit
includes an aluminum carry case with a diecut
foam interior with cut-outs for each
included accessory. The carry case measures
10.5-inches x 7.5-inches x 3.5-inches and
weighs 2.1 pounds with all the included
accessories stowed safely inside. The kit is
priced at $99.95US.
StarShoot Solar System Color Imager IV
The new Orion StarShoot Solar System
Color Imager IV is Orion’s fourth generation
planetary imaging camera and provides
an affordable way to acquire stunning
images of the solar system. The imager is
equipped with a variety of features that
make it very easy to use. Its 1/3-inch format
CMOS imaging sensor with a 1280 x 1024
pixel layout is capable of capturing sharplydetailed
planetary and lunar images. Each
pixel is a mere 3.6 microns x 3.6 microns in
size for exceptional image resolution in 24-
bit RGB color. Since the 8-bit output
StarShoot Solar System Color Imager IV is
progressive scan, all pixels will be used for
each and every exposure. At full 1280 x
1024 resolution, you can capture up to 15
frames per second and by stacking multiple
exposures to create a single picture, you can
increase image detail significantly.
The imager’s 1.25-inch nosepiece is
threaded for 1.25-inch filters, so you can use
astro-imaging filters and color visual filters
to enhance your shots. The StarShoot Solar
System Color Imager IV features an integrated
IR-cut filter to block both ultraviolet
and infrared light. These wavelengths of
light can degrade image quality, so by block-
26 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY