The best time of the year to see Saturn - get ready to view and photograph the Ringed Planet

Father's Day Special - Free Haida Dew Heater with every Samyang Lens

ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescopes now including a filter to photograph the Sun - 25% deposit offer available

Discover Inner Space for $49 - Kenko Pocket Microscope now in stock

Astro Book Giveaway - Free Astronomy 2023 with every telescope

The World's Shakiest Telescopes - fundraiser for Parkinsons Disease, Wednesday 9th Aug

BINTEL customer Hugh Perry sent us his image the M51, or the "Whirlpool Galaxy" taken with a Sky-Watcher Esprit 120ED telescope and a ZWO ASI183 camera.  This galaxy is in the far northern sky and not usually seen from much of Australia. Hugh captured this image from Bundaberg in QLD and even then, it was just above his neighbour's roof!   

The best time of the year to see Saturn - get ready to view and photograph the ringed planet

The coming months will be the best time for 2023 to view the two largest planets in the Solar System - Saturn and Jupiter. 

Saturn over the western suburbs of Sydney in July 2023, captured by Chris Wilkie with a Celestron 9.25 SCT and a ZWO ASI183MC camera.  View Chris' full post in The BINTEL Society Facebook page here.

Every Solar System planet orbits the Sun at different rates. This means that some months of each year are better for seeing certain planets as they'll be on the same side of the Sun as the Earth and closer to us.

Saturn at Opposition. Image via NASA

This alignment is called an Opposition. Unlike many other terms in Astronomy which can be a bit obtuse, this one is pretty straightforward- it just means when a planet and the Earth are opposite each other in their orbits around the Sun.  Saturn and the Earth reach Opposition in 2023 on the 26th and 27th of Aug. 

This is a perfect time for viewing and photographing Saturn, as this is the closest we'll get to the ringed planet for 2023.  Oppositions are slow moving events too.  Saturn will be great viewing in the weeks leading up to the Opposition and for a while after as well. No need to rush out on the night of the Opposition so you don't miss it. 

Finding Saturn

Saturn will appear as a bright, almost golden coloured "star" that will rise in the east just after sunset. As the month rolls on, it will rise earlier and earlier each night. 

Finding Saturn as seen from Sydney around the 10th of Aug 2023 at 10pm

What's a good telescope to see the rings of Saturn?

This is one the most common questions asked here at BINTEL. The surprising answer is that many telescopes from BINTEL will work well for the bright Solar System planets.

Just about any astronomical telescope with a reasonably long ratio (say f/5 and above) and 80mm diameter and above will let you see the rings of Saturn, especially during Opposition.  We'll be talking much more about observing and photographing planets in the coming weeks.

Celestron NextStar 5SE

One of the best-selling, small computerised telescopes of all time, the Celestron NexStar 5SE is now available at BINTEL for $1699. 

This is a full GOTO telescope. Once set up, it will move to and then track any of the thousands of astro objects in its database. This includes star clusters, nebulae, galaxies and of course planets in the Solar System. The telescope itself is a classic Celestron SCT design which has been used by astronomers around the world for decades.  It's quite portable too. 

The long focal length of the NexStar 5SE makes it ideal for viewing Saturn and its rings. 

A handy upgrade from the NexStar 5SE is the Celestron NexStar Evolution 5 for $1999

This has all the features of the Celestron NexStar 5SE including the same Celestron 5" SCT telescope with the addition of:

• Full Wi-Fi control via iPad/iPhone or Android phone and tablet app, as well as Windows PC.
• Built-in rechargeable battery
• Sturdier mount for imaging

Both the Celestron NexStar 5SE and Evolution are in stock now at BINTEL.

A lower cost option for viewing Saturn is the $319 Meade Polaris 90.

This is a 90mm refractor telescope which is large enough for views of Saturn and its rings, Jupiter, as well as a vast number of deep sky astro objects. 

The $319 price also includes shipping to anywhere in Australia!

Quick BINTEL tip - did you know all the gas giants in the Solar Systems have ring systems? Amateur astronomers can only see the rings around Saturn - those around Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are a bit trickier....

Father's Day Special - Free Haida Dew Heater with every Samyang Lens

There's going to be lots of Father's Day Specials from BINTEL in the coming weeks. 

Until the 2nd of September 2023, every Samyang Lens purchased from BINTEL will include a free Haida Anti Fog Belt for controlling dew on DSLR lenses and small refractors. This is normally valued at $49. 

Haida Anti-Fog belt shown on a DSLR camera and lens.

Samyang DSLR lenses have produced some of the best wide field astro images ever taken with affordable gear.  The image below was captured with a Canon EOS 6D Mark II camera and a Samyang 14mm F2.8 lens.

Image via Astrobin/J_Pelaez_aab

ZWO Seestar S50 now including a Solar Filter - Secure yours before the $745 special ends with a 25% deposit

It's the final weekend of the $745 special price on the ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescope before the price increases on Tuesday, the 1st of Aug. 

ZWO dropped a surprise announcement this week, telling everyone that all Seestar S50 Smart Telescopes will include a Solar Filter for safely taking photos of the Sun. As our nearest star is getting more active, the number of Sunspots is increasing, and it will be fascinating to watch its constantly changing surface.

The Sun photographed with a ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescope

ZWO have also announced that they're wrapping up final testing before commencing mass production of the Seestar S50 in the coming weeks.

As mentioned before, the last day for the $745 introductory price from BINTEL for the Seestar S50 is Monday the 31st of July 2023. Our initial orders from ZWO for this new telescope have already been sold.

BUT, if you'd still like to secure a ZWO Seestar S50 at the special price and are happy to wait for some weeks for the next batches to arrive at BINTEL, order one for $745 before the special ends and pay only a 25% deposit via the link below.

We'll contact you for the remaining amount before shipping your new Seestar S50 to you, or you can pay in-store at BINTEL if picking it up in person.

Discover Inner Space for $49 - Kenko Pocket Microscope now in stock

For adventurers and explorers of all ages, the $49 Kenko Pocket Microscope makes a fine gift or a handy gizmo to take out with you everywhere.

Kenko Pocket Microscope - $49

The Kenko runs off a single AA battery and features magnification that zooms from 60 to 120 times.  It reveals a world of discovery ranging from tiny little creatures swimming around a puddle in your backyard, to insects, plants or even coins and fine electronics. 

A BINTEL recommendation!

Free Astronomy 2023 - Now FREE with every telescope from BINTEL

Yes - we're doing it again! 

The 2023 edition of the famous Astronomy annual is now being included for free with every telescope purchased from BINTEL. 

This Australian produced guide is packed full of charts, astro events, plus of all kinds of handy information for every night sky fan from beginners to astro gurus. 

(While stocks last of course.)

Congrats to our Astro Night winners - Prizes on the way!

The other week we mentioned we were giving away some Astro Night gear to our BINTEL Newsletter subscribers. 

Congrats to winners Gerald in the ACT and Graeme in VIC. Enjoy your new gear.

The Worlds' Shakiest Telescopes - fundraiser for Parkinsons Disease - Sydney, Wed 9th Aug 

The world’s shakiest telescopes – and discoveries made in spite of them.

In the four centuries since the invention of the telescope, astronomers have devised ever more sophisticated ways of exploring the heavens. Sometimes, their ideas have outstripped the available technology, or gone in strange and unusual directions ending in blind alleys. In this entertaining and fully illustrated talk, Professor Fred Watson explains what makes telescopes go bad, and presents examples from his shaky telescope casebook.  

This is going to be a fun and riotous evening, with proceeds going to a good cause. 

 Full details from the link below. 

NEXT Week - more Father's Day specials + what have they found buried on the Moon...