Best Price Orion AstroView 120ST Equatorial Refractor Telescope

Buy Orion AstroView 120ST Equatorial Refractor Telescope

Orion AstroView 120ST Equatorial Refractor Telescope Product Description:

• Wonderful wide-field refractor telescope for viewing deep-sky objects with crisp resolution
• 120mm (4.7") aperture and 600mm focal length refractor provides sharp views of nebular clouds, star clusters, and galaxies
• Also capable of achieving pleasing views of the Moon and bright planets
• Includes sturdy adjustable-height tripod, equatorial mount for manual slow-motion celestial tracking and an internal polar alignment scope for precision performance
• Includes two Sirius Plossl 1.25" eyepieces (25mm and 10mm), 6x30 finder scope, smooth 2" rack & pinion focuser, 90-degree mirror star diagonal, and Starry Night astronomy software

Product Description

Our AstroView 120ST is a compact, rich-field refractor designed for observation of nebular clouds, star clusters, and even galaxies. Its multi-coated achromatic objective lens has a 120mm (4.7") clear aperture and has a focal length of just 600mm (f/5). Compared to our standard 120mm AstroView (f/8.3), that translates to a 66% wider field of view for any given eyepiece. The fast f/5 optical system also makes it an excellent telescope for astrophotography. The 120ST has a well-baffled optical tube to ensure good contrast. The cast-metal, 2" rack-and-pinion focuser accommodates either both 1.25" and 2" diagonals. The AstroView equatorial mount with adjustable aluminum tripod provides a sturdy platform for precision tracking. Add an optional EQ-3M electronic drive for fully automatic tracking. One-year limited warranty.

Customer Reviews

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57 of 57 people found the following review helpful.
Orion 120ST F/5 Richfield Refractor Telescope 4.7 inch
By W. Mcmurry
Rate myself as a casual observer, many years ago into astronomy as a teen with my first 60mm refractor which still survived thru the years. Now with the wonderful Goto Scopes quickly drew me back into the hobby. Focused on highly portable ones as even my heavier 6 inch Dynamax Schmidt Cassegrain collected dust so sold it. Currently use the famed ETX90 with Autostar, Celestron 102mm F/10 (4 inch) Refractor, and recently purchased Orion's compact 120mm (4.7 inch) F/5 Refractor.On my first two outings with rather bad sky conditions the Orion still quickly showed its stuff ! With a 40mm eyepiece gave fantastic wideviews. Easily found show objects as M57 ring nebula even under a very low 15 power, at only 60X clearly showed the ring, in a not very dark sky. Also the Dumbell Nebula was found easily with this compact design (simply sighted down the scope). In Cygnus, the eyepiece filled w/stars and the famed Albiro Double Star had space between even at such a low power.Next day(s) was attempting a visual on Mercury (as nearing Venus), elusive planet that seems to always stay inside the suns glow, unfortunately the horizon stayed cloudy, some visitors stopped to take a look, so quickly placed it on Jupiter, visible as higher in the sky, explaining this is a wide-view scope and not really for serious planetary view, but at plus 120X with a 4.8 Nagler eyepiece the two bands stood out very well even further hints of other detail, the disc was very clear with very slight Chromatic (color) distortion, nice suprise for such a short focal length ! Was in a bright downtown parking lot, so not able to view the Deep Sky. Hence, Jupiter view blew them away.Update: Venus and Mercury getting even closer together, on June 26th able to view thru very hazy skys, found them minutes after sunset before Venus was visible to the naked eye, beautiful view in low power wide-field, Mercury less bright but nice reddish glow, even seen together in Higher Powers, sure the wide-field made this possible as well as the nice placement of these two planets-several visitors in the Pkg lot enjoyed it as well, could see the shape on Venus as well as mercury, but low horizon views took away some of the clarity. Wonderful site !Update: July 1st Early Morining hours, tho many clouds in the south and crescent moon, viewed both companions of the famed M31 Andromeda Galaxy, M32 was easy,a nice soft round comet glow (even in the lowest power), M110 the other not as bright but popped into view nicely at 60X. Failed to view this very well in the ETX other than possible detection, actually can see it in the 120ST, in a not very dark sky, beginning to really like this Scope !Update: Finally some clear sky, tho heavy haze, rated at 6 on 10 scale, but still able to view nearly all the Messier around the Archer (Teapot) well over a dozen Loose Clusters-Globulars and Nebula. Kept going back to M22, Majestic as the famed M13 Golbular. Even the Lagoon Nebula showed its stuff with so so sky. Loose Clusters, I simply don't have the words to describe their Beauty, other than, Simply Breath-Taking ! However Real Enjoyment was in the ease of locating these beauties. A 40mm eyepiece will give an astounding plus 3 degree field, in the future will add the 2 inch diagonal for even more fantastic wide views. Became more humid and hazy at the end of the viewing, but couldn't resist to check out Polaris the North Star and its 9th magnitude companion, conditions wouldn't permit higher power views but at only 30X to 40X its fainter twin glowed. Some consider this a good test for a 3 inch aperature, the 4.7 inch enhanced the view.Even tho used only a few outings can verify the following:1. VERY EASY TO USE WITH ITS COMPACT DESIGN.2. WONDERFUL WIDE VIEWS EVEN DOWN TO 15 X3. NICE OPTICS DELIVER SHARP STAR IMAGES ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE EDGE.4. THO NOT DESIGNED FOR, WILL SHOW PLANETARY VIEWS OVER 120 X .5. IS VERY WELL MADE, SMOOTH FOCUS, ATTRACTIVE BLACK TUBE FINISH.6. Great Deep Sky For the Messier and Brighter NGC'S7. Locating Deep Sky Becomes A Breeze Due To The Wide Views8. SORRY, CAN'T FIND ANY DEFECT ON THIS SCOPE AT ALL.Is slightly heavy, about 9 lbs, but because of its compact size, works well on my CG4 mount. Objective is 4.7 inch, big enough to give majestic views of Loose Clusters, should cover all the Messier as well as the brighter NGC'S with ease. Super Scope, I purchased the tube assembly only as hoped it would work on my current mount which fortunately it does ! Tube assemblys can be found at about only $319. Great Buy !May want to add the following to enhance its performance:1. Will accept larger 2 Inch Diagonal to give even wider views.2. Mine also included a 30mm finder but may wish to change to 50mm Note can simply site down the tube.3. Easier zenith (straight overhead position) with longer tripod, however a portable chair helps.4. Tracking devices, for photograpy, won't need these to enjoy low power views however.Summing this all up:In my case portability is a must and helps explain my current selection of scopes. Aperature (Size of your front Objective) always wins, but doen't mean a darn thing if it stays in the closet. Even these smaller scopes can pull in a single leaf, but a wider richfield shows you there's an entire forest to experience. Orion did a nice job on this one, hate to part with any of my current models, only wish I found this one earlier, with abit of knowledge of the sky, MAKES A WONDERFUL BEGINNER'S SCOPE AS WELL, HIGHLY PORTABLE, ITS EASE OF USE (DUE TO ITS COMPACT SIZE AND WIDE VIEWS) SURPASES ALL MY SCOPES TO DATE. COMPLIMENTS MY OTHERS BEAUTIFULLY. LOOKING FORWARD TO YEARS OF VIEWING PLEASURE---PERHAPS THERE'S NOT ONE SCOPE THAT WILL SATISFY EVERYONE'S NEEDS--BUT THIS ONE IS DARN CLOSE !---THANK YOU ORION !!..<>..

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
Great scope for the price
By The DINK
When I first saw the Orion 120st I was intrigued by the idea of a 4.7" 600mm F/5 Rich Field Telescope. I was looking for something I could just throw up and start observing here at my apartment without having to go through a lot of trouble, and this scope seemed like a good answer. The scope itself is well made. Good finish, no obvious dings or scratches. It is a bit larger than I'd originally imagined, but it isn't too big. The mount is also a lot more robust than I'd originally thought it would be as well, but that's not a bad thing. I did notice that the bracket to hold the finder scope on the OTA is a bit too wide, and had to use some cardboard to shim the finder. Mine also came with the cover for the polar scope cracked, and with a different polar scope than the one in the manual. The assembly instructions aren't particularly well written, but it isn't exactly rocket science to figure out how to put this thing together. It comes with 2 counterweights, but it really only needs the larger one. Optically this scope is surprisingly good given the price. There is some chromatic aberration, but it isn't that bad. Orion got the maximum magnification pretty close. A 5mm EP (120x) seems to provide the best overall high power view. I can still get an acceptable view at 150x (4mm EP), but it looks as if it's pushing it just a bit. This is definitely not the scope for high power jobs. But then, that's not really what it was meant for anyway. On those things that are best viewed with low power, this scope struts it's stuff. Viewing the Orion nebula, this scope does a better job than my 8" SCT. I can see the entire Pleides in a 32mm EP. And despite it's lack of high magnification, Saturn is still one heck of a fine view at 120x. *UPDATE* I took it out and tried some high power observation of Saturn recently. At 300x, the view was mostly fuzzy, and not very inspiring, but every now and then it would clear up and be razor sharp just for a moment. Not bad for an f/5 *UPDATE* Putting on a finder scope is useless extra weight. I have a 70mm finder that I was going to use, but with a 40mm 2" EP this scope has a wider FOV. With the included 25mm it has about the same FOV. I may use a red dot eventually, but right now I'm just using the joints on the side of the scope tube rings to sight down the scope. I find that the focuser is a bit stiff, but it will probably be just fine after I get around to taking it apart, cleaning it, and re-greasing it. I'd read that some people have had some trouble with the eq mount, but mine is as smooth as butter. The only possible flaw I've seen in the mount is that dampening time is about 5-6 sec. at higher power. Part of that is probably due to the fact that I don't attach the accessory tray like the instructions say. Instead of screwing the wingnuts in from the bottom and physically attaching the tray to the spreader, I screwed them in through the top so the bolts hang down from the tray and just loosely fit down in the holes of the spreader. That way I can just set it down on the spreader without having to mess with the wingnuts each time I set up and take down. Overall I'd say this scope is a steal, as long as you keep in mind what it was intended for. For those who find the idea of an eq mount daunting, it isn't as bad as it seems. This is my first eq. Unless you're planning on doing astrophotography (you probably shouldn't use this mount for that anyways, but...), it doesn't really have to be polar aligned all that well. Just point it in the right general direction and it'll be fine. I can't even see Polaris from the spot I usually set up, and it hasn't been a problem yet.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Great Scope
By Hador_NYC
I am new to observing with a telescope, but had been observing with orion skyview binoculars and a stand for a few years. I bought this because I was ready to step it up a notch. My thinking was that there are only 5 planets that one can see with a reasonably priced scope (yes and the naked eye), so it made more sense to get one tuned to galaxies and nebulae. After studying online for a while both terms/ techniques and the scopes themselves, I bought this one. I've used it several times with a 2x barlow and a 4.7mm eyepiece that I purchased extra to compliment the 10 and 25 mm eyepieces that come standard. Yes I know the 2x barlow with the 4.7 takes the magnification above specs, but i use the barlow with the other eyepieces as well. I live in a fairly dark town(no residential streetlights) in the outer NYC suburbs, and have found it to be relatively easy to use. I often use Google Skymaps to coarsely guide me to stuff that I can then tune in better with the included finder scope. this works well for me so far, and ironically, i have been focusing on the planets to start with. I saw saturn's rings at my max magnification, and even as low as 60x quite clearly. At the higher levels, and all the moisture in the air from the recent rains, it was a bit fuzzy, but still clear enough to be sure what i was looking at. I tell you I am surprise how fast these things move in the sky at that magnification, but the fine adjustment knobs make it easy to stay on them. I think if I left it out for an hour or so, as suggested pretty much everywhere, to allow the scope to adjust to the ambient temperature, I would get better resolution. that makes this thing amazing, since what I have seen so far is amazing. I've looked at Saturn, Venus, Mars, the Moon, and a few stars.Setup of the scope was pretty easy, as was balancing it and aligning the finder scope with the main. At roughly 50lbs fully assembled with the stand, it's rather heavy for some, but I understand this is rather light as scopes go. Still, you can take it apart fairly easily. I leave it fully assembled in my livingroom, and take it out when I want to look at stuff. I've had it a month or so now, and I will update my review over time. So far, so good.

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Buy Orion Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope

Buy Orion Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope

Orion Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope Product Description:

• Compact Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope optical tube outfitted for daytime terrestrial use - just add a tripod!
• Excellent for daytime use as a versatile spotting scope capable of high magnification views
• During the night the Apex 127 provides sharply detailed views of the Moon, brighter planets such as Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn as well as open and globular star clusters and cloudy nebulas
• Tripod not included - altazimuth or field tripod will provide a solid foundation for the Apex 127 (mount and/or tripod sold separately)
• Includes a 25mm Sirius Plossl 1.25" eyepiece, 6x30 finder scope, 45-degree correct-image diagonal, soft carry case, Starry Night astronomy software, and more!

Product Description

When it comes to telescopes, bigger is better, and you can do no better than the Apex 127 Compact Mak. Its 127mm (5")-diameter optics collects 55% more light through its multi-coated, 5" meniscus lens than that of a 4" scope, putting it in the big leagues for astronomical observing and advanced nature study. But big doesn't mean bulky! Even with a focal length of 1540mm (f/12.1), the Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design reduces the tube length to just 15"! The Apex 127 couples to any sturdy equatorial mount or photo-style tripod. T-threads on the eyepiece adapter also allow attachment of a 35mm camera body (with T-ring sold separately). The classy Apex 127 comes standard with a 6x26 achromatic finder scope, a 45-deg correct-image prism diagonal, and fully padded case. One-year limited warranty.

Customer Reviews

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
An excellent telescope with so-so accessories
By black thumb
I have owned and reviewed all of Orion's Apex line of Maksutov-Cassegrain scopes: the 90mm, 102mm, and now the 127mm. All of them have similar virtues: solid, all-metal construction, great optics, smooth mechanical function with no focus shift that I've been able to detect, and very nice fit and finish. In short, they look, feel, and perform like top-of-the-line telescopes. I've used them in daytime and at night, photographed birds, mammals, distant landscapes, planets, and the Moon with them, and flown with them in my carry-on luggage.The Apex 127 is a sizable scope. The tube is 14.5 inches long and weighs 8.6 lbs without the finder, diagonal, or eyepiece. Eight-point-six pounds might not sound like much, but cradling that much telescope in one hand while I tighten the bolt on the mount with the other hand is enough to give me the heebie-jeebies, and I always breathe easier once the scope is solidly on the mount. Speaking of mounts, I see that the Apex 127 is often sold together with the Paragon-Plus XHD tripod. Some people may find that works for them, but I am very skeptical of that pairing. The problem is that the weight of the scope will tend to overbalance it if is mounted from below. I have mine side-mounted on an Orion Versa-Go II, and even then it had some teething problems. I originally had it bottom-mounted using an L-bracket adapter, but it would get out of balance at high angles, so I took off the L-bracket and went for a straight side mount. Now it's perfectly balanced and works like a dream; I can go from horizon to zenith with no balance problems and without moving my head more than a few inches.The plus side of the size is that 5 inches is a fair amount of light grasp, and for a "small" telescope the Apex 127 turns in impressive views of celestial objects. If you've only used smaller Maks before, you're going to be very pleasantly surprised at what the larger ones can do. A 5-inch Mak might seem like a counter-intuitive choice for a deep-sky scope, but astronomy author "Uncle" Rod Mollise has used one, a Meade ETX-125 he calls Charity Hope Valentine, in that capacity for years and regularly sings her praises. Of course with its long focal length the Apex 127 is not going to give the same expansive, wide-field views you'd get from a short-tube Newtonian or refractor, but at low power it frames almost all of the Messier objects nicely, and the ability to easily reach high powers means you can find the right level of contrast to tease out the more elusive faint fuzzies from the background skyglow.On brighter objects like the moon and planets the Apex 127 is simply dreamy. Images are sharp and contrasty and don't degrade at the edge of the field. In terms of resolved detail, mine rivals my 6" Dob, which several folks have praised as a "planet killer". The long focal length and narrow light cone mean that almost any eyepiece will work well, even budget widefields that often underperform in faster scopes.Like the other Apex scopes, the accessories included with the 127 are a mixed bag. The bag itself is very nice, rugged, padded, with several external and internal pockets and a Velcro-adjustable padded divider for the main compartment. The 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece yields 61x and is a good start, but you'll definitely want some shorter focal length eyepieces for high-power work--I usually reach for a 10mm Plossl (154x) and 6mm Expanse (257x)--and something like a 32mm Plossl (48x) gives a bit larger true field of view and makes for a great 'finder' eyepiece. So far, so good.Things fall down a bit with the diagonal and the finderscope. The 45-degree prism diagonal is acceptable--barely--for daytime use, but stargazing is the ultimate test for optics and the diagonal just doesn't keep up. The very first thing you'll want to buy is a 90-degree mirror star diagonal. Even a cheap one will be a noticeable improvement over the included prism diagonal, and the scope's optics are good enough that you may want to invest in a medium- or high-end dielectric diagonal to get the full benefit.The finder isn't actually bad, just on the small side. With the long focal length and comparatively narrow true field of the Apex 127, you need a big finder that delivers a bright image over a wide field. I recommend a 9x50 finder (at least; slap on a 60- or 80mm finder and you'd basically have a rich-field/planet-killer combo). A right-angle correct-image (RACI) finder is nice because you can move your eye from the finder to the eyepiece and back without moving your head much or contorting your back. And a 9x50 RACI offers a wide enough field that I've never had a problem finding anything by just pointing the scope in the general direction and maybe sighting down the tube a bit before going to the finder.So in the final analysis the Apex 127 is a very nice telescope tube and comes with a useful bag and one decent eyepiece, but it's not quite ready for the stars as offered. You'll want a 90-degree mirror diagonal and a sturdy mount at a minimum, and swapping out the 6x26 straight-through finder for a 9x50 RACI will probably make your observing life a lot easier. Still, it's a terrific scope and easily good enough to be worth building an observing system around (and if you've already got those things and are just here for the tube, go ahead and 'add to cart'--you won't be disappointed). For the scope, bag, and eyepiece I would give it five stars; as the all-in-one-package-except-for-a-mount _system_ it is advertised to be, only four stars. It's still one of my favorite telescopes, and with a little forethought and attention I think it would make almost anyone happy. Clear skies!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
First telescope
By Chaarii
I like this telescope. It's quite sturdy and compact. It's made well and using it my first night out was very simple. The supplied eyepiece gives a good resolution of Jupiter, you can see individual bands and moons with out difficulty. All in all, its a very fine little telescope. The EQ2 mount that you might consider getting in addition to this is not so great. I'd look for a different mount, but as far as the telescope goes it works fine.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Great scope!
By John HSP
This scope is a good one. I've had a 3.5" refractor but this one is a fine improvement from it and provides great views and good clarity. Have only used the supplied 25mm eyepiece but it works well for all around viewing. Am pleased with the scope and it is well made.

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Price Comparisons of Orion Apex 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope

Buy Orion Apex 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope

Orion Apex 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope Product Description:

• Compact Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope provides great views during day or night
• 102mm (4") aperture and 1300mm focal length telescope provides fantastic celestial views of the Moon, planets, and bright deep-sky objects, as well as terrestrial views of wildlife and scenery
• A telescope small enough to store on a bookshelf but with the power of traditional scopes five times its size!
• Includes a 25mm Sirius Plossl 1.25" eyepiece, 6x26 correct-image finder scope, 45-degree correct-image diagonal, soft carry case, Starry Night software, and more!
• Does not include tripod or mount - either can be purchased separately

Product Description

Powerful enough to split close double stars, resolve bright globular clusters, or look an eagle in the eye, Orion's Apex 102mm is both a fine astronomical instrument and an unparalleled terrestrial spotting scope. The Apex's 102mm-diameter (4") optics collect 28% more light than a 90mm scope. The fully multi-coated curved front meniscus lens guarantees the highest possible light transmission. The Maksutov-Cassegrain design collapses its 1300mm (f/12.7) focal length into a tube length less than 12" long. The Apex 102 tube easily pops on and off a telescope mount or camera tripod with the built-in 1/4"-20 adapter plate, and doubles as a high-power telephoto lens. Just mount a 35mm camera body (with T-ring sold separately) to the T-threads on the eyepiece holder and you're set! Includes 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, 6x26 finder scope, 45-deg correct-image diagonal, and fully padded case. One-year limited warranty.

Customer Reviews

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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
Good, solid scope, but what about its sibs?
By black thumb
I have owned both this scope and it's little brother, Orion's 90mm Mak. This one has all the same good points as its sibling and one less bad point; the tiny hokey finder from the smaller Mak is replaced on this scope with something that is actually useful and mounted well out on a stalk so you can look through it without banging your head. The 45-degree prism diagonal is the same: acceptable for daytime use, well worth replacing with a 90-degree mirror diagonal, even a cheap one, for astronomical use.That said, I find that I use the 90mm scope more and I'm probably going to sell this one. I got this one because I have a weakness for Maks and because I thought the extra aperture would be worth it. It's not, for me at least. I already have a big scope for sucking up photons. The whole point of a little Mak is portability, and the 90mm scope is significantly smaller and lighter. I use it more for grab-n-go and more for travel, too. In my experience all of the Apex/Starmax scopes are rock-solid and well worth the money. If you're looking for one to be your only scope, I'd think hard about trading up to the 127mm version, which gathers 60% more light and will show you more stuff. On the other hand, if you're looking for a highly portable second or third scope, or a scope for birding or digiscoping, the 90mm version is small and lighter, and the light-gathering difference is only 20%.That's pretty nit-picky, though. This a good scope and the extra pounds and inches it sports over its little brother are only going to be an issue if you're really minding weight and volume for travel. Even so, I have flown with this scope and would happily do so again...if I weren't getting rid of it. If there's a moral to all this, it's to think hard about what variables you're looking to maximize, and don't get suckered by aperture fever. Also, amazingly enough, it IS possible to have too many Maks laying around. Clear skies!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Beautiful scope
By William the Conqueror
I got this a month ago, and have absolutely no regrets. The quality of built is excellent: it feels solid, with no cheap pieces. The quality of images are just as good as other cassegrain telescopes that I have had a chance to look at. I can see the moons off of Jupiter, and can barely see the storm's spot. However, the scope as sold only has a magnification of 52x (1300 focal length and 25mm eye piece), so with a shorter eye piece, I imagine that you can get much more details and larger images. Portability is great. Terrific buy!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Works great for my terrestrial viewing
By Too Tall
I bought this recently to expand the Long Island Sound waterviews visible from near my house. It works very well for that. The 40mm eye piece works best, although I have the 14mm and 25mm as well. Those work, but the images is just a bit wavy in daylight images. The size is compact and the build quality is nice. It comes with a very nice carrying case.

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