THE SMARTEST TELESCOPE IN THE UNIVERSE!
A truly revolutionary product with ground breaking technology, SkyProdigy™ is the product of a culmination of decades of telescope advancements. It combines electronic motors, an intelligent on-board computer, a digital camera and StarSense™ technology to create an automatic, instant alignment telescope that requires no input from the user. Simply turn it on, push a button and enjoy the view! It’s that easy.
The SkyProdigy’s automatic alignment process takes only a few minutes, then you will be ready to select from thousands of objects to view. Not sure what to look at? Select the Sky Tour option; this feature offers a customized list of the best objects in the sky to view for your exact time and location anywhere in the world!
No knowledge of the night sky is required. One touch innovation turns anyone into an instant astronomer!
SkyProdigy 130 - General Features
- Fully Automatic Alignment Procedure
- Fully Computerized Altazimuth Mount
- Quick-Release Fork Arm Mount and Optical Tube for Easy, Quick No Tool Set Up
- Sturdy Stainless Steel Tripod and Accessory Tray
- CD-ROM “The SkyX” First Light Edition Astronomy Software Which Provides Education About the Sky
- Battery Pack Providing over 30 Hours of Power - 8 D Cell Batteries Required
SkyProdigy 130 - Computerized Mount Features
- Proven Computer Control Technology
- Database Allows Telescope to Automatically Locate Over 4,000 Celestial Objects
- Proprietary StarSense Technology Provides a Completely Automatic Alignment Process with No User Intervention Required
- Flash Upgradeable Hand Control Software for Downloading Product Updates Over the Internet
About Celestron Reflector Telescopes
A Newtonian reflector uses a single concave mirror as its primary. Light enters the tube traveling to the mirror at the back end. Light is then "bent" forward in the tube to a single point, its focal plane. A flat mirror called a "diagonal" intercepts the light and points it out the side of the tube at right angles to the tube through the eyepiece. The eyepiece is placed there for easy viewing. Newtonian Reflector telescopes replace heavy lenses with mirrors to collect and focus the light, providing much more light gathering power for the money.
You can have focal lengths up to 1000 mm and still enjoy a telescope that is relatively compact and portable. Newtonian Reflector telescopes do require more care and maintenance because the primary mirror is exposed to air and dust. However, this small drawback does not hamper this type of telescope's popularity with those who want an economical telescope that can still resolve faint, distant objects. Newtonian reflectors produce a "right-side-up image" but the image will appear rotated based on the location of the eyepiece holder in relation to the ground. Newtonian reflectors are best for astronomical use where right-side-up does not matter.
Newtonian Advantages
- Lowest cost per inch of aperture compared to Refractors and Catadioptrics since mirrors can be produced at less cost than lenses in medium to large apertures
- Reasonably compact and portable up to focal lengths of 1000 mm
- Excellent for faint deep sky objects such as remote galaxies, nebulae and star clusters due to the generally fast focal ratios (f/4 to f/8)
- Adequate for lunar and planetary work
- Good for deep sky astrophotography (but not as convenient and more difficult to use than Catadioptrics)
- Free of color aberration due to the use of a primary mirror
Newtonian Disadvantages
- Generally not suited for terrestrial applications
- Slight light loss due to secondary (diagonal) obstruction when compared with Refractors