Equipment Library
The Seattle Astronomical Society maintains a library of small and medium size telescopes that may be checked out for a period of 1 month 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.
Keywords
You can narrow your search of our equipment library by selecting any one of the below keywords.
Advanced Astrophotography Basic Beginner Binoculars Camera Celestron Dobsonian Imager Intermediate Newtonian Orion Portable Reflector Refractor Schmidt Cassegrain
Available Immediately
All our equipment is currently on loan to other members.
Available Soon
Available Eventually
The following list of equipment is currently loaned out to a member, and may include other members waiting to also borrow.
Orion StarMax 127 EQ
Currently there are 1 requests to borrow this.
The StarMax 127 telescope is a Maksutov-Cassegrain design that folds a long focal length into a relatively short and easy to handle optical tube. The long focal length (1540mm) makes it easy to reach high magnification for observation of the moon and planets. The 127 mm aperature is large enough for nice views of brighter deep sky objects. Includes an adjustable tripod and equatorial mount with manual slow-motion controls.
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6
Currently there are 4 requests to borrow this.
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 includes integrated WiFi and can be controlled with your smartphone or tablet by connecting your device to NexStar Evolution’s built-in wireless network. A SkyAlign alignment procedure is built into the Celestron mobile app for setup of the "GoTo" mode that provides automatic slewing to a selected object. Use the planetarium interface to display a list of celestial objects currently visible based on your time and location. NexStar Evolution includes its own built-in battery and will operate for up to 10 hours on a single charge. Ergonomic handles help with setup. Manual clutches in both altitude and azimuth offer flexibility to manually point the telescope when powered off. The 6-inch NexStar Evolution tracking accuracy is accurate enough to get started in astroimaging by attaching your DSLR camera.
The telescope also includes a StarPointer finderscope, a 1.25” star diagonal, eyepieces, and an AC adapter.
Currently Unavailable
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