#ORION STARBLAST 4.5 EQ MANUAL#

An equatorial mount is exactly what you want for a telescope aimed primarily at celestial viewing (as opposed to terrestrial viewing) as you can smoothly and accurately track the night sky objects once you have located them. Then there is the equatorial mount which is simply fantastic. And as far as the optical components go, I was surprised to see a collimation cap included which is something that other higher priced telescopes are missing, and it only goes to show that Orion is indeed looking after their customers. I guarantee you will want these accessories later and the best thing is that both the barlow lens and the moon filter are interchangeable with other telescopes if at one point or another you plan on upgrading. 2x barlow lens along with a moon filter will bring you much more enjoyment from this telescope. I would recommend however that you take a real look at two accessories for this telescope that can bring the overall performance of this telescope for the max. The 6mm has a max magnification power of 75x and the 15mm piece has a max magnification of 30x. The eyepieces are of great quality and there is nothing more to add here. Then there are the two eyepieces: a 6mm and a 15mm. On the optical tube you have the option of setting up the viewfinder which is a Orion EZ Finder II, which despite it’s “cheap plastic” appearance it’s better than other finder scopes from the same category. But it is important to mention that the views of closer celestial object like the Moon and planets are the best ones. The focal length is 450mm which gives it a fast focal ratio of f/4.0 and makes this telescope a balanced one when it comes to viewing nearer as well as deeper night sky objects. The optical tube is of course the most important component and I have to say that the optics are of high quality, as Orion has led us to expect over the years. I was also surprised with the total weight of the assembled telescope which makes it a viable option if you are looking to travel with it but then again if you do plan on taking it with you in the greater outdoors there is the aluminium tripod issue but more on that later.

#ORION STARBLAST 4.5 EQ MANUAL#

Orion has made sure to include crystal clear setup manual and assembling this telescope took me less than 15 min and even if are a beginner it won’t take you more than half an hour. The box contains the optical tube, the finder scope (EZ Finder II), 2 eyepieces, collimation cap, equatorial mount, tripod and a copy of the Starry Night astronomy software.Īs I’ve stated before, if you are an absolute beginner and are setting up a telescope with an equatorial mount, it might seem daunting but it’s actually very easy. Let’s take a look at what comes in the box and what are some of the pros and cons of this model.įirstly the box comes nicely and properly packed for a telescope which is exactly what I want to see.

Orion starblast 4.5 eq