Bull's Eye!! - NASA's DART Mission a success!!

What do we mean by a "computerised telescope"?

Lots of stock arriving and how to get front seats for a bumper Christmas

Lunt and Coronado Solar telescopes now in stock 

Swarovski ATX/ATS Spotting Scopes

Australia lands the 2025 IAC

BINTEL at StarFest &

Sea Lake Star Party

This week Jupiter was the closest it has been to the Earth in decades. Here's Andy Casely's image of the giant planet that was shortlisted for the Royal Museums Greenwich Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2022 - for "Cusp of the Season", a portrait of Jupiter and three moons.

NASA hits the spot!!

NASA's DART mission impacts asteroid Dimorphos. Image via NASA/Italian Space Agency

The NASA DART mission outlined last week was a total success with the space probe hitting the asteroid Dimorphos.  Following the spectacular video which was broadcast live, a raft of observations and images of the impact were made.  We will all know in coming weeks by just how much the asteroid was moved from its orbit. 

What's a "computerised telescope"?

A common question we hear is "what is a computerised telescope?"

Celestron NexStar 6SE Computerised Telescope

BINTEL stocks a wide range of computerised telescopes and mounts.  These gizmos find and then track objects in the night sky.

They're often also called "Goto" telescopes as they "go to" any of a huge number of astro objects contained in their internal database.  Set the telescope up and do a basic alignment on a few bright stars. From there, tell the telescope what you'd like to view via a keypad or an app if Wi-Fi is fitted to the telescope.

If you are still learning about what's visible in the night sky, most computerised telescopes can take you on a tour of the night's highlights and provide details of what you are viewing. 

Celestron SkyPortal App

(One thing to note about Wi-Fi controlled telescopes is that they work fine away from home internet or where there's no mobile phone signal.)

Are computerised telescopes a good choice for beginners?

For serious beginners, they're ideal.  As you'll spend less time trying to locate night sky objects, you end up seeing and discovering more.  The automatic tracking means easier and more detail viewing for extended periods. 

One of our favourites is the Celestron NexStar 6SE.  It's a fully computerised telescope large enough to explore planets and the deep-sky, but highly portable.  We also have a complete range of accessories that expands the telescope's capabilities. 

BINTEL will have a Celestron NexStar 6SE on our stand this weekend at StarFest at Siding Spring if you're going. 

Lots of telescopes at BINTEL - how to get the news of latest arrivals

BINTEL has lots of telescopes and accessories in stock now, with more on the way. We're looking forward to a bumper Christmas!

The previous two Christmas shopping seasons at BINTEL were busy, although supply chain issues meant not enough telescopes and accessories to go around. 

Thankfully, Christmas 2022 is looking much better 

There will be still small number of product lines that are in short supply such as the popular ZWO cameras and ASIAIR computers. However, BINTEL already has a wide selection of stock in available now and large shipments of a wide range of telescopes, mounts, cameras, and binoculars on the way to assist Santa this year.  

If there's an item you are after that is not showing in stock, simply add your email to the box in the product page like this one and BINTEL will email you when stock arrives.

This doesn't reserve stock for you and doesn't commit you to buy - it simply makes sure you'll be the first to know when the item arrives at BINTEL. 

Your notification email for any telescope, spotting scope or binoculars will also include a special code for a free gift that we'll include with your order. 

The Sun is more active! What will you see with a Lunt 40mm Solar Telescope?

The Sun imaged through a Lunt 40mm telescope

Our nearest star, the Sun, is getting more active. 

As you might know, the Sun's activity goes through an 11-year cycle. 2022 sees the Sun coming out of a recent "Solar Minimum" and heading towards "Solar Maximum" in a 2025. 

There's already an increasing number of sunspots, prominences and other features that are becoming visible on the Sun. 

An ideal way to view the Sun is through a dedicated Solar telescope like the Lunt 40mm. This not only dramatically reduced the amount of light from the Sun for safe viewing, but also shows the Sun in a limited wavelength to show details simply not visible in normal visible light. 

BINTEL has the remarkable Lunt 40mm BF1200 Solar Telescope in stock. Apart from the unique Solar views this telescope produces, this model is the best option for imaging the Sun in its price range.  If you've never seen the Sun through a Solar telescope before, please feel free to pop into BINTEL and we will show you why Solar telescopes are so popular.  

Swarovski ATX/STX Spotting Scopes in stock now at BINTEL

Swarovski spotting scopes in stock now at BINTEL

After a long wait, we now have a wide selection of Swarovski spotting scopes readily available for purchase. This includes the ATX 65, 85 and 95 models. 

These are premium spotting scopes for long distance wildlife and nature viewing. and often used with keen whale and bird watchers.  The views through Swarovski spotting scopes are simply the best available in our opinion and worth dropping by BINTEL to check them out.  

Also in-stock are cases and accessories to attach these spotting scopes to your DSRL camera or phone. 

Australia lands the 2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 

The world's largest space conference is coming to Australia

NSW was awarded the hosting rights to the 2025 IAC this week, beating out bids from a number of much larger nations. This is the world's largest space conference and will let Australia showcase our space and astronomy sectors to the world. Needless to say, this is a major win! Read all the details below - 

StarFest 2022- 1st Oct

As a reminder - BINTEL will be at StarFest 2022. This is the first one since 2019! Pop by our stand up on the mountain and say g'day on the 1st Oct. We'll have a Celestron NexStar 6 SE whirring away and a Lunt 40 Solar Telescope to check out sunspots (if the wretched clouds stay away....)

Australia's largest optical telescope - the AAT at Siding Spring Observatory

If you haven't made the trip, it's well worth exploring the observatory and attending the events around StarFest. Full details below.

Sea Lake Astro Fest - 29th Oct to 31st Oct

We are thrilled to be a sponsor for the Sea Lake Astro Fest run by the Astronomical Society of Victoria.  

This is a family friendly event with public observing nights and a Science at the Pub Astro Quiz. You can find out more at the event page here or book a spot at the trivia night from the link below

Next time....Binoculars for nature viewing summer sports events. Plus November's workshop will be on telescope collimation - details soon.