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Orion StarBlast 6 Astro

Orion Telescopes has done their popular StarBlast 4.5 Astro Telescope one better. The Orion-designed StarBlast 6 Astro Telescope takes the same compact, wide-field, user-friendly concept and expands on it, literally. The StarBlast 6 boasts fully 73% more light-gathering area than its smaller counterpart, which means you will see fainter objects and tons more detail. Yet the scope is still highly portable, weighing only 23.5 lbs., and comes with the base fully assembled in the box!

Item #ProductStock StatusPriceShipping
09964Orion StarBlast 6 Astro
Normally Ships in 7-10 Days
$279.95Get Shipping Quote
Orion StarBlast 6 Astro Telescope

Orion StarBlast 6 Astro Telescope Overview

  • Fun, user-friendly telescope design lets new astronomers navigate the night sky with ease.
  • Big 150mm (5.9") parabolic mirror optics reveal the planets and deep-sky objects in rich detail.
  • Compact and highly portable; weighs only 23.5 lbs. and has built-in carrying handles in the base.
  • Sturdy swivel base comes pre-assembled in the box.
  • Includes 25mm and 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepieces, EZ Finder II aiming device, and eyepiece rack.

The StarBlast 6's 150mm (5.9") f/5.0 parabolic mirror provides ample aperture to reveal the planets and deep-sky gems in wonderful detail. The wide field of view makes finding and tracking objects easier than with longer focal-length telescopes, which makes this a superb beginner's instrument — for adults or kids. It also would make a terrific "grab-and-go" second telescope for more experienced stargazers.

Teflon bearings and adjustable altitude tension on the base ensure smooth maneuvering of the StarBlast 6. You just sight through the EZ Finder II aiming device to locate the object you want to view, then grip the navigation knob on the tube to point it. Pop the 25mm (30x) or 10mm (75x) Sirius Plossl eyepiece into the 1.25" rack-and-pinion focuser and you're good to go. Keep the other eyepiece(s) at the ready in the convenient three-hole eyepiece rack. Two handle cutouts in the base allow easy lifting and transporting of the telescope. Set it on the ground or even on a small table or the hood of your car, then enjoy the view!

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Optical Specifications: Orion StarBlast 6 Astro
Type Newtonian Reflector
Aperture (mm) 150 mm
Aperture (in.) 6 inches
Focal Length 750 mm
Focal Ratio f/5
Magnification (w/supplied eyepiece) 30X and 75X
Limiting Visual Stellar Magnitude <p><b>Limiting Stellar Magnitude</b><br /> This is a measure of the faintest star that can be seen with a telescope under ideal conditions. We include this figure for the purpose of comparing two telescopes of different apertures using a consistent scale. Many manufactures publish this specification. Unfortunately manufactures use different methods to calculate this figure, rendering the numbers useless for direct head to head comparison of different brands of telescopes. </p> <p>Limiting stellar magnitude is the sum of the naked eye limiting magnitude and the telescopic gain. The naked eye limiting magnitude varies by location due to local light pollution; therefore, it is an assumption. This figure could be 6.5 or higher at some of the darkest locations, but less than 2 in the middle of a large city. Our calculations assume a figure of 5, which one might typically find 30-40 miles from a major urban area. </p> <p>Telescopic gain is a direct function of aperture. No attempt has been made to compensate for the affects of central obstructions or different types of optical coatings.</p> 13.5 Magnitude
Accessories and Features
Included Eyepiece(s) 25mm and 10mm Plossl
Finder EZ Finder II red dot finder
Focuser 1.25-inch Rack-and-pinion
Accepts 2" Eyepieces <p><b>Telescope Eyepiece Formats</b><br /> Virtually all telescope eyepieces available today conform to one of two barrel diameter standards: 1.25 or 2 inches. Most amateur astronomers will be perfectly content with 1.25" eyepieces. Two-inch eyepieces have only one inherent advantage. That advantage is a potentially larger field of view, but not every telescope can take advantage of that potential. </p> <p>A Telescope and eyepiece work together to collect parallel light rays over a large area, compress those light rays down into a smaller area, and the re-orient them so that they are nearly parallel once again. Essentially light arriving at a telescope with any given aperture is compressed into a smaller aperture or exit pupil. The ratio of the telescope aperture to eyepiece exit pupil determines the magnification.</p> <p>There are cases at very low magnifications where the eyepiece barrel diameter becomes the constraint on maximum field of view. The eyepiece barrel itself actually blocks some of the available light that the telescope is collecting, thus limiting the field of view. Two-inch eyepieces overcome this constrain by allowing a larger light cone to enter the eyepiece. We must conclude this discussion by restating that 2" eyepieces have no inherent advantage over 1.25" eyepieces other than the potential for a larger field of view when used with a telescope capable of benefiting from that advantage. </p> No
Adaptable for 2" Eyepieces <p><b>Two-inch Eyepiece Upgrade</b><br /> Some telescopes that are factory configured for 1.25" eyepieces can be upgraded to accommodate 2" eyepieces. Other telescopes are designed to handle only 1.25" eyepieces and cannot be upgraded due to their focuser size or other constraints. </p> <p>Sometimes this upgrade is possible but not recommended. This could be due to clearance issues caused by the addition of a larger 2" star diagonal,which in some cases will bottom out on the base of a fork mounted go-to telescope. This is potentially damaging the drive mechanism. In other cases the light cone exiting the telescope may not be large enough to derive any benefit from a 2" eyepiece.</p> No
Physical Parameters
Weight, Fully Assembled 23.5 Pounds
Eyepiece Calculator
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Exit Pupil: <p>Exit pupil represents the diameter of the column of light exiting the eyepiece. Magnification is simply the ratio of telescope aperture to exit pupil. Fox example, using a telescope with 100mm aperture and an exit pupil of 2mm yields a magnification of 50X.</p> <p>There are both upper and lower limits to the useful range of exit pupils. The typical human eye pupil dilates to a maximum of 7mm when fully dark adapted. This figure decreases with age. Using an exit pupil that is larger than this upper limit simply spills the light onto an area of the eye not capable of receiving data. At the opposite end of the range, a smaller exit pupil means less area on the eye is collecting data. Images brightness decreases with decreasing exit pupil. Deep space objects grow dimmer rapidly as the exit pupil falls below 1 mm. The planets also start to become noticeably dimmer when the exit pupil falls much below 0.5 mm.</p> <p>Our eyepiece calculator provides warnings and error messages based upon the value of the exit pupil. These are intended to be guidelines as opposed to hard rules. There is no harm in violating these gidelines, but your enjoyment of the telescope may be diminished if you do. </p>
 
 
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