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Equipment Library

The Seattle Astronomical Society maintains a library of small and medium size telescopes that may be checked out by members in good standing. If you are new to astronomy, this is an excellent way to learn how to use a telescope and to begin viewing the wonders of the night sky, without having to invest immediately in a telescope of your own. To check out a telescope, please check out our equipment available for loan.

If you have any questions about borrowing equipment, or do not see a specific piece of equipment please reach out to our Equipment Manager.

See the complete equipment list in alphabetical order.

All our equipment is currently on loan to other members.

Available Eventually

The following list of equipment is currently loaned out to a member, and may include other members waiting to also borrow.

• APO/ZWO Advanced CCD Astrophotography Kit

  Details

  Refractor Astrophotography

  

  Currently there are 4 requests to borrow this.

  This astrophotography kit  is designed help capable amateur astronomers develop the skills requried to image deep sky objects. It is not suitable for beginners. Some prior observing or imaging experience with simpler equipment, such as a star tracker and DSLR camera, is strongly recommended. The borrower needs to understand how to align and use an equatorial mount. 

  The borrower must supply a laptop computer and install the necessary software to operate the camera and associated equipment.  

  The kit includes a Meade Series ED APO (apochromatic) 80mm refractor, a Celestron Advanced VX telescope mount, and a capable ZWO color CCD camera.  Beginner astrophotographers are encouraged to consider requesting and using our Star Tracker/DSLR kit or the the entry level (but capable) "APO/Ultrastar Astrophotography Kit",  prior to requesting this kit.

• Celestron NexStar 6 SE Planetary Imaging Kit

  Details

  Astrophotography Schmidt Cassegrain

  

  Currently there are 3 requests to borrow this.

  Six Inch Computer Controlled (GoTo) Schmidt-Cass Telescope (SCT)

  The Celestron 6 SE is a current model computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The 6 SE features a relatively long 1500mm focal length (f/10) and a total weight of 30 lbs including the tripod. 

• Portable DSLR Astrophotography Kit

  Details

  Camera Astrophotography

  

  Currently there are 2 requests to borrow this.

  This is a complete portable astrophotography kit which includes the Star Watcher mount, a portable tripod, and an astronomy-modified Canon T3i with a 50mm and a 100mm lens. Note: the Starwatcher mount must be carefully polar aligned and this may be confusing for beginners.

• Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini Tracking Mount

  Details

  Astrophotography

  

  Currently there are 1 requests to borrow this.

  Star Adventurer Mini is a high precision, portable star tracking platform that is useful for making wide-field images of the Milky Way with a DSLR, It includes a small equatorial mount that must be carefully polar aligned and may be confusing for beginners.. A MeFoto GlobeTrotter with a ball head is included but the user must supply their own DSLR and lens.

All our equipment is in good condition!

Telescope Types

What are those numbers?

The f-ratio is the focal length divided by the diameter of the telescope. Magnification is the focal length of the telescope divided by the focal length of the eyepiece.

Example

To find the f-ratio of a telescope 10 " in diameter with a 45" focal length:

Divide 45 " F.L. by10" D. to get an f-ratio of 4.5.

Compute Magnification

First, convert focal length to mm: 45" = 1146 mm, then:

1146 mm focal length divided by 35 mm eyepiece equals 33 magnification.

More Information

If you are interested in learning more about telescopes, we recommend:

• SAS member Sorin (aka Soggy Astronomer ) has written an article, The Agony of Buying Your First Telescope and also presented at our May 15, 2013 general meeting, which includes additional information and links.
• Sky & Telescope's excellent article on equipment basics
• North Ireland's Choosing A Telescope by Andrew Johnston