| The Firstscope 80 altazimuth is good-value small refractor for the terrestrial observer or casual astronomer. It has a sturdy altazimuth mount, with adjustable height metal tripod and manual slow motion controls in altitude (up/down) and azimuth (right/left), for tracking boats, cars, and wildlife on the ground and the Moon, planets, and star clusters in the night sky. It comes with an image-erecting 1.25" eyepiece holder, with a comfortable 45 degree viewing angle, that provides images that are both upright and correctly oriented left-to-right, so they match what you see with your unaided eyes or binoculars during terrestrial observing. The right-reading images make it easy for you to read boat names and ports of call, license plate numbers, etc., making it a great scope for the home with a view. And, at 18 pounds, it’s easily carried outside when the urge to observe hits you. Its 80mm diameter objective lens (900mm focal length f/11.25) is capable of high powers for lunar and planetary exploration with optional eyepieces, but it would help to replace the 45 degree image erector with a conventional 90 degree viewing angle star diagonal for the sharpest astronomical images and more comfortable observing near the zenith. 125x-150x would be a practical maximum power for astronomical use. The image orientation in the astronomical 90 degree diagonal might be a bit confusing in terrestrial observing (the image is upright, but backwards), but this is of little importance in astronomy. The 80mm all-glass doublet objective lens of the Firstscope 80 AZ is fully multicoated for high light transmission and improved contrast. The 80mm objective gathers 77% more light than a 60mm refractor for brighter deep space images. It has 33% higher resolution than a 60mm scope on lunar and planetary features, as well. The Firstscope 80 AZ has a manual altazimuth mount that moves up and down in altitude and right and left in azimuth, rather than in the curved path taken by an equatorial mount designed for astronomy. This makes the Firstscope 80 AZ particularly well suited as a terrestrial spotting scope and 900mm (18x) f/11.25 telephoto lens. Its supplied Star Pointer red dot non-magnifying LED finder combines with the scope’s smooth-acting flexible cable worm gear slow motion controls to make easy work of locating and tracking deep space objects. The finder has a variable brightness control so that the red aiming dot can be made bright enough to see in sunlight during terrestrial observing, as well as dim enough so as not to disturb your dark-adapted vision during nighttime astronomical use. The slow motion controls also allow you to manually track planets and deep space objects as they move across the night sky. While the altazimuth mount will not allow motorized tracking or astrophotography, the Firstscope 80 AZ is a good choice if your primary astronomical interest is purely visual observing of the Moon, planets, and brighter deep space objects over a wide range of magnifications. The Firstscope 80 AZ is mounted on a durable adjustable height metal tripod. An accessory tray adds rigidity to the mount and convenient storage for eyepieces and accessories. The Firstscope 80 altazimuth is an economical way to get close to nature and the night sky.
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Terestrial Photography
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