magnilux - Astronomy Technology Today

CELESTRON SKYPRODIGY
it knows how to get to anything else in the
sky. In my opinion, that is pretty impressive,
and it works really well.
All you have to do to get a SkyProdigy
telescope up and running is take it outside, sit
it down, turn it on, and push one button on
the hand controller. The telescope starts its
dance, unaccompanied by you, and three
minutes later it is ready to rock. You can hit
a button to take a tour of the best objects out
that evening and stand back, or you can
punch in a planet or another object yourself,
and the SkyProdigy will find it for you.
There is no GPS to lose a signal from, so
you can be close to your house and still
achieve alignment. In fact, I asked what
would happen if an image acquired by the
camera was that of a building or a tree, and
I was told that StarSense takes that into account,
and that even if you only have a small
area of sky observable from your location, it
would align to that area and know what was
unobservable due to obstructions or the horizon.
It may take longer than 3 minutes in
these instances, but it would align. That is
nice to know.
Other nice features include the ability to
change out the optical tube assembly. The
telescope tube is attached to the mount via a
dovetail, and it is a simple task to remove it
and slide another tube onto the mount. The
camera is aligned at the factory to the OTA
that it ships with, however, so a simple realignment
would be necessary, but that
process is handled through the hand controller
by the user, so its no big deal.
By the way, the telescope breaks down
further than simply removing the OTA. The
mount disconnects from the tripod with a
simple knob located underneath the tripod
head. However, whether you keep the telescope
assembled, or break it down into two
or three pieces, these are lightweight instruments,
topping out at a max of 18 lbs for the
largest version, which is the SkyProdigy 130.
The beauty of a SkyProdigy telescope,
in my opinion, is that it takes another giant
whack at opening up the hobby of astronomy
to the public at large by lowering the
intimidation factor. Not everyone wants
their hobbies or activities to have a learning
curve. That is why, although most people
love to take pictures, some are content with
the camera on their cell phone while others
need the latest digital SLR with a myriad of
lenses, flashes, and other accessories.
Now teachers, scout leaders, and parents
can buy a telescope that can be used after 5
minutes learning the basics of the hand controller
and feel confident that their students
and children will get to experience the beauty
of our Universe through a telescope without
the need to learn how to set up and align the
instrument before they can do so.
With 4,000 objects in the SKYProdigy's
database, this scope should entertain anyone
for a long time to come, and for many, it will
be all they will ever need to enjoy astronomy.
Others will see bigger telescopes in
their future, and still others, personal
observatories, but each of those journeys
starts with acquiring a good first telescope
that delivers an experience that most people
expect, and I believe the SkyProdigy will do
just that.
40 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY