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Eyepiece Upgrades, New High-tech Mounts, & an Iconic Telescope
Returns to BINTEL
Plus your chance to win a Meade 90mm beginner's telescope!
Martin Dowd sent us his portrait of the largest Globular Cluster in the Milky Way, Omega Centauri, taken with a BINTEL 6" reflecting telescope and a ZWO ASI2600MC camera.
Eyepiece Upgrades for viewing Jupiter and Saturn - $149
A common question we're asked is "how do I upgrade the eyepieces that came with my telescope?" Here's a suggestion.
The standard eyepieces provided with most telescope do a pretty good job for viewing a wide range of astro objects. In the coming months Jupiter and Saturn will be at opposition, or when their orbits take them closest to Earth. This is the best time of the year to view these planets. They'll be large and bright in your telescope eyepiece and visible all night. We'll be covering these oppositions in more detail over the next few newsletters.
Jupiter and Saturn through a 6" reflector. via Reddit.
Oppositions are also the perfect time to upgrade from your standard eyepieces for improved views of the planets and the Moon. One suggestion is the BINTEL Premium 6mm Long Eye Relief Eyepiece for $149.
This eyepiece provides higher magnification views than the 10mm which likely came with your telescope. Apart from seeing more detail, higher optical quality offer brighter, crisper viewing along with long eye relief. This means the image comes to focus a little bit further behind the eyepiece. It makes viewing more comfortable especially for those with eyeglasses.
BINTEL Premium eyepiece for planetary and Lunar viewing
There are several other sizes in the BINTEL Premium Long Eye Relief Eyepiece range for different magnifications. Contact us for advice on the best eyepiece options for your telescope.
Meade LX90 8" Telescopes back in stock
One of the most popular telescopes for serious astronomers, the Meade LX90 8", is now back in stock at BINTEL. We'll have the 10" and 12" sizes down the track. Under their new owners, Orion Telescopes, the future of Meade is looking bright!
Meade LX90 8" at the BINTEL showroom in Glebe, Sydney.
The Meade LX90 8" features a sturdy twin fork mount and now comes with an updated, rugged tripod. If you're serious about your observing and astro imaging, have a chat to BINTEL for a full rundown on the Meade LX90.
New iOptron SkyHunter Mounts from $899
An exciting new range of mounts from iOptron has just been released.
These are highly portable grab n' go mounts, fully loaded with the latest telescope mount technology. Designed to carry a DSLR camera and lens, or a small telescope load up to about 5kg, yet they weigh only 1.3kg including a built-in rechargeable battery.
iOptron SkyHunter mounts feature full GOTO capabilities with control over Wifi via a broad range of supported software, or via a hand controller. They also include a full height tripod as standard, which can be extra on some other mounts.
iOptron SkyHunter mount - note Telescope not included
iOptron SkyHunter mount - close up showing iPolar polar alignment camera
The top of the range iOptron SkyHunter for $1299 includes a tripod, pier extension, as well as iPolar, an electronic system which removes the hassle of polar alignment.
As with all iOptron mounts, the tracking accuracy and overall quality is excellent.
New iOptron HEM27 Mounts from $2999
A "Harmonic Drive" sounds like something Elon himself might build into his latest amazing new gizmo. But....
Harmonic drives are a well proven mechanical design offering some advantages to normal gear drives that make them especially handy for astronomers. We're excited to see a harmonic drive in iOptron's newest mount and we're expecting some fantastic Astro photos from them once they get into the hands of our BINTEL customers.
First of all, harmonic drives are extremely compact. The new iOptron HEM27 weighs only 3.7kg yet it can handle a telescope load over 13.5kg.
Harmonic drive mounts also have zero backlash. Backlash is the "wiggle" caused by gaps in mechanical components such as gears. Zero backlash greatly improves the HEM27's tracking and this will result in sharper astro images compared to similar mounts.
The amount of torque or twisting force that harmonic drives produce is much greater than a traditional telescope mount. For an iOptron HEM27 mount it means no need for bulky counterweights.
The iOptron HEM27 has several variants including a version with electronic polar alignment. Visit our website for more information or drop us a line.
Win a Meade Polaris 90mm Beginner's Telescope with mount & tripod worth $499
Meade Polaris 90mm Refractor with Equatorial Mount
BINTEL are giving away a Meade 90mm telescope.
Enter by clicking on the link below. Competition is open until the end of June.
The Meade 90 would make a perfect telescope choice for a serious beginner. The larger 90mm main lens collects about 60% more light than other 70mm beginners' telescopes. It means sharper, brighter views for both deep-sky and Solar System objects. A great telescope for land viewing as well.
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 6" arriving late August
The DX 6" is a handy step up from the popular Celestron StarSense Explorer DX5. The 6" diameter main mirror mightn't appear at first glance to be much that different to the 5" on the DX 5", but it collects about third more light.
It's also a perfect telescope for viewing Jupiter and Saturn while they put on a celestial display in the coming months.
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 6"
Free Celestron bag worth $249 for pre-orders
Plus for pre-orders for the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 6" you'll receive a Celestron carry bag worth $249. Ideal for storing your Celestron telescope and provides protection when travelling.
Celestron StarSense Explorer Dobsonian Telescopes arriving in July
Celestron StarSense Explorer 8" Dobsonian shown.
The Celestron StarSense Explorer 8" and 10" Dobsonian telescopes we mentioned previously are now on the way and expected to arrive at BINTEL in July.
These large telescopes will produce spectacular views of both deep space and Solar System objects and by using your mobile phone to show where to point the telescope. They're going to let you see much more by discovering astro objects you probably never knew about. More details below.
Cosmic Chronicles by Fred Watson
Prof Fred Watson's latest book now available at BINTEL and presents the most up-to-date knowledge on everything from light echoing around the cosmos, the mechanics of black holes and how to navigate the hidden delights of nightfall, to the most profound questions facing humankind.
With mind-bending stories from the frontiers of science, Cosmic Chronicles is an expert’s view of what we know and how we know it. A great read!
The first few purchasers will also receive a copy signed by the author.
Next time....
We'll be chatting about some of the highlights of the winter night sky, the changing rings on Saturn, more on mounts, when's the best time to view Jupiter, our favourite features on the Moon.
