60LCM 60mm f/12 achromatic go-to altazimuth refractor

    The mount includes pre-installed enclosed dual DC servo motor drives – one for moving the scope in altitude (up/down) and one for azimuth (right/left). The combined motion of the two motors allows the scope to move smoothly in an arc across the sky, following the seemingly curved path taken by the stars and planets. Built-in electronics let you select the appropriate lunar, solar, or sidereal (star) tracking rate to keep each specific kind of object centered in the field of view so that several people can observe at their leisure without having constantly to adjust the position of the scope. The electronics also give you a choice of nine different slewing and centering speeds for locating objects (3°/sec, 2°/sec, 1°/sec, 0.5°/sec, and 32x/16x/8x/4x/2x the sidereal rates).

    A compartment in the drive base holds eight user-supplied AA batteries for powering the telescope. All power connections to the motors are internal. This eliminates the cord wrap problems you often find with competitive telescopes powered by an external battery pack that connects to the scope through a dangling power cord.

    To conserve battery life when the telescope is being used in the backyard, an optional AC adapter (#2338N) is available to operate the scope from an extension cord connected to a normal household 110 VAC electric outlet. The Celestron Power Tank (#4512V) is also a highly recommended optional accessory if you observe away from home a lot. This is a 7 amp-hour capacity multi-purpose rechargeable 12V DC battery that can provide several nights worth of observing from a single charge when you’re in the field away from backyard AC.

    The underside of the mount’s drive base has three round feet that rest on three flat pads inside the tripod head. The drive base is held in place on the tripod by one large hand-tighten knob in the underside of the tripod. Assembly is fast and foolproof. There is no need to fumble with multiple mounting bolts, or try to align mounting bolts in a tripod with holes you can’t see in the base of the mount, as is the case with competitive scopes. The LCM mount’s no-tool assembly is foolproof and takes only a few seconds.

    The preassembled adjustable-height tripod has aluminum legs that damp vibrations quickly. The center leg brace holds a convenient no-tool quick-release accessory tray to keep your eyepieces and accessories up and out of the dew-soaked grass. The locking levers for the tripod leg height adjustment face are on the sides of the legs, so they won’t snag your clothing as you move around the tripod in the dark. A bubble level in the center of the drive base lets you level the tripod for more accurate tracking of celestial objects.

    The LCM computer has a database of 4,033 stars and objects that it can locate and track for you. The database includes the complete Messier and Caldwell catalogs of famous deep space objects; a selection of the brightest and best deep space objects from the Revised New General Catalog (NGC); selected SAO stars, including the best variable stars and multiple star systems; the planets; the Moon; the Sun; and more.

    With the LCM computer's hand control, you can select an object catalog at the touch of a button; automatically slew to any of the 4,033 objects in its memory, including over 600 galaxies, 300 star clusters, and dozens of beautiful binary stars; move to objects not in it’s data base under your command; change the slew speed; view fascinating information about an object, including enhanced information on many of the particularly fascinating objects; or simply determine if a desired object is visible in the sky. It can automatically take you on guided tours of the best objects visible in your sky the night you are observing, any night of the year. The computer’s hand control/database software and motor drive software can be flash upgraded via the internet so you will always have the most up-to-date software version available.

SkyAlign Technology: With Celestron’s SkyAlign technology, you don’t have to know Altair from Zubenelgenubi or know how to read a star chart to line up your LCM telescope on the sky. There is also no need to point the telescope north and level the optical tube or to pay extra for a competitive scope that levels the scope and points it north for you. With SkyAlign, the initial position of the telescope is irrelevant. Trees and buildings can block your view of the north celestial pole and you’ll still be able to properly align the scope on the sky. This makes for fast and very easy alignment of the telescope every time you take it out to observe.

    Simply input the date, time, and your location into the computer hand control. The LCM computer has a U.S. and international city database that lets you easily set your observing location. It will normally default to your last observing site automatically, but you can change to a new observing site anytime you want.

    Once you’ve entered the date, time, and location, use the StarPointer red dot LED finder to align the telescope on any three bright stars, or to two stars and a bright planet or even the Moon. You don’t need to know the names of the stars or the planet. The LCM computer system will automatically determine which objects were chosen and then generate an internal map of the sky that will let it move automatically to any star or object you select for the rest of the night. It does it by calculating the angles and distances measured between the objects you’ve chosen and then compares them to the known separations between objects. Using this method, the telescope determines what objects were chosen. The display will tell you which three objects you aligned to for confirmation.

    Only two of the alignment objects will actually be used for calculating the model of the sky that the computer uses for locating objects. The third object simply provides a positive identification of the other two. Therefore, at least two of the three alignment objects should be spaced at least 60 degrees apart in the sky if possible, and the third object should not fall in a straight line between the first two alignment stars.

    Since the brightest stars appear first as the sky darkens at dusk, the SkyAlign system is exceptionally easy to set up and use as night comes on. You don’t have to guess which stars are brightest, as only the brightest will be visible in the early evening. The same holds true for observers from a light-polluted suburban site, where only the brightest stars are visible to the unaided eye.

    Other alignment methods are also built into the LCM computer. Auto Two-Star Align asks you to choose and center the first alignment star, then the LCM computer automatically selects and slews to a second star for alignment. Two-Star Align lets you identify and manually slew your telescope to the two alignment stars. One-Star Align is the same as Two-Star Align, but only requires you to align to one known star. Although not as accurate as the other alignment methods, One-Star Align is the quickest way to find and track bright planets and objects in Altazimuth mode. Finally, Solar System Align displays a list of visible daytime objects (planets, the Moon, and the Sun) available to align the telescope for observing during the day.

    Once the scope has aligned itself with the sky, it takes only a few keystrokes on the computer hand control to have the scope move automatically to your first observing target and start tracking it so you can observe at your leisure. You can find hundreds of fascinating deep space objects your first night out, even if you have never used a telescope before. No matter what level of experience you start from, your Celestron LCM scope will unfold all the wonders of the Universe for you, your family, and your friends.