A chunk of space rock explodes over the English Channel - can we track these events in the future? 

 Celestron StarSense Explorer Dobs in stock- old school meets modern tech

Meade Binoculars available now - including the exquisite Meade MasterClass ED series

Celestron PowerTank Lithium - power for your telescope and accessories

Venus and Jupiter Conjunction 1st March - The two brightest planets appear close to each other in the evening sky

Prolific astrophotographer Dmitri Vdovichenko posted his portrait of nebulosity around NGC3576-3572 to the BINTEL Society Facebook Group. A William Optics RedCat 51 telescope and a ZWO ASI533MM camera were used. 

Massive explosion over the English Channel - from just a 1 metre wide space rock

You may have read in the news about the massive fireball and explosion that was seen and felt over parts of the UK and Europe in the early hours of Monday the 13th of February.

A view of asteroid 2023 CX1 slamming into the atmosphere, turning night into day taken from Cornwell in the UK.

This was so widely seen and recorded as it was only one of a handful of objects that were discovered to be on a collision course with Earth before hitting us. 

Read more in the link below about how the small asteroid was discovered just a few hours before it hit the Earth and how amateur and professional astronomers are helping to find more tiny objects in our Solar System.

Celestron StarSense Dobsonian telescopes - Large 8" and 10" models with mobile phone integration now in stock.

These large Celestron telescope use your mobile phone to help accurately find what you want to observe.

Celestron StarSense Explorer 10" Dobsonian 

Dobsonian telescopes are usually reflecting telescope riding on a low cost, but highly effective base that holds the telescope tube securely and allows you to easily move it around. The "Dobsonian" name simply refers John Dobson, who famously refined and popularised this style of telescope and mount throughout the world. 

The Celestron StarSense Explorer Dobsonians are the same, easy to use and reliable "Dob" telescopes but with the addition of the StarSense Explorer feature. 

They use your mobile phone and a Celestron app that shows you where to point your telescope to find what you're looking for.  It's similar to how various map apps on your phone have changed the way we find street addresses. 

8" and 10" Sizes

There are two models in the Celestron StarSense Dobsonian range. The 8" model is the more portable of the two, or you can opt for the larger 10" model which collects about 50% more light than the smaller, 8" model.  (The sizes refer to the diameter of the main mirror in inches.)

Free Celestron Moon Map

BINTEL are also including a Celestron Moon Map with each StarSense Dobsonian. 

Meade binoculars now in stock - entire MasterClass ED Series under $699

We've just received a new shipment of Meade binoculars. These have proved popular with bird watchers, nature viewers and work well for observing the night sky as well. They're also excellent value!

A favourite of ours are the Meade MasterClass ED series binoculars for well under $700.

These not only feature special ED glass for extra colour correction and brightness, but also have field flatteners. This is something that's normally only found on more sophisticated optics. It offers a flat, and extremely crisp view right to the edge of the view you're seeing.  Many folks who look through various Meade MasterClass models comment how well they compare with far more expensive binoculars they've used in the past. 

You can check out all the Meade binocular ranges - Rainforest, CanyonView and MasterClass - via the link below.

If you're near the BINTEL retail store, please feel free to pop in and have a look through a pair to see for yourself. 

Cool gizmos at BINTEL - Celestron  PowerTank Lithium power supplies from $325

Powering mounts and accessories for imaging and visual observing has been made much easier in recent years with the release of modern compact but high-capacity batteries. 

The Celestron Lithium PowerTank Pro model shown $525

The Celestron PowerTank Lithium for $325 would power your telescope for about 10 hours. The higher capacity Celestron PowerTank Lithium Pro is $525 and can power your telescope for about 17 hours. 

These both feature a 12v output with a car cigarette lighter plug which lets most telescopes plug in directly into, as well as USB outputs.  They're water and dust proof with adjustable white and red lighting. 

In the Sky this week - Jupiter and Venus align in the evening sky.

Jupiter and Venus appear close together on the 1st of March 2023 around 7.50pm as seen from Sydney. 

You might notice two very bright "stars" low in the early western evening sky. 

The brighter of the two is the planet Venus and the other is the largest planet in the Solar System, Jupiter. Keep an eye on them! They'll be at their closest or at "conjunction" on the 1st of March. 

Next time... more accessories, autumn months and bird migrations ahead. Sky-Watcher Dobsonians at BINTEL