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
The following list of equipment is immediately available to borrow.
Advanced CCD Astrophotography Kit with 80mm APO
Currently there are 5 requests to borrow this.
Note: This package requires the user to provide a laptop computer, install the necessary drivers, and polar align an equatorial mount.
This astrophotography kit is designed for imaging deep sky objects by capable amateur astronomers. It includes a Meade Series 6000 APO ED APO (apochromatic) 80mm refractor, a Celestron Advanced VX telescope mount, a ZWO ASI294MC Pro cooled camera with a reducer/flattener, and all the necessary cables and power supply. The borrower should understand how to align and use an equatorial mount and must supply a laptop computer to operate the camera. The short effective focal length of the system allows unguided exposures of a few minutes, which can then be stacked during post processing
The Meade Series 6000 80mm APO triplet refractor uses extra-low dispersion optical glass to provide excellent color correction, contrast, and sharpness.
Explore Scientific AR102mm Refractor
Currently there are 5 requests to borrow this.
The Explore Scientific AR Series telescopes are classic doublet achromatic f/6.5 refractors designed to provide low and medium magnification, wide field views of the sky.
The Explore Scientific AR Series telescopes include a 2" dual-speed Crayford-style focuser, a one-piece 2" diagonal with 99% dielectric coatings, an 8 X 50 non-illuminated straight -thru finderscope and quick release bracket, and a cradle ring assembly with Vixen-style dovetail mount.
A Twilight I mount is included. The Twilight I is a light-duty alt-azimuth mount and tripod designed to quickly and easily accept small to medium sized refractors. Slow-motion control cables are attached on the vertical and horizontal axes, and are easy to turn during the night.
Available Soon
Available Eventually
None of our equipment is loaned out to any members.
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