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Orion AstroView 6 EQ
Item #ProductStock StatusPriceShipping
09827Orion AstroView™ 6 EQ
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$419.95Get Shipping Quote
Orion AstroView6 EQ Telescope

Orion AstroView 6 EQ

If you've graduated from a small refractor, or you want your first scope to have more light-gathering power than the typical starter scope offers, then step up to the Orion AstroView 6 EQ.

It's hard to beat this 6" class equatorial reflector for all-around performance at a great price. Its 150mm-diameter parabolic Newtonian optics (focal length 750mm, f/5) pull down pleasing images of a rich variety of celestial objects. With the included 10mm Plossl eyepiece (1.25"), you'll roam detailed lunar landscapes at 75x, or see distinct, variegated cloud bands on Jupiter's disk. Pop in the 25mm Plossl for some deep-sky thrills, where modest 30x power rewards you with never-before-seen (by you) images of nebulas and star clusters framed in a wide circle of starry blackness. With additional (optional) eyepieces or a barlow lens, you can push the power to 150x or more.

Metal tube rings fasten the 27" long optical tube to the sturdy EQ-3 equatorial mount. The manual slow-motion controls let you center objects in the viewing field, then manually track their motion. Or, add the optional single-or dual-axis EQ-3 DC drive to power the scope electronically. The EQ-3 mount comes with a precision polar-alignment scope for aligning the telescope to track properly. The adjustable aluminum tripod provides ample stability and the leg braces are hinged at the center for quick setup and fold-up. A roomy accessory tray is also included.

The AstroView 6 EQ has high-quality features for such an affordable price, such as an aluminum 1.25" rack-and-pinion focuser with two thumbscrews to lock the eyepiece in place, and a four-vane, adjustable secondary mirror support. The 6x30 achromatic crosshair finder scope helps you locate your target. It has easy, spring-loaded X-Y adjustment and a quick-release dovetail bracket. Collimation thumbscrews make occasional alignment of the optics an easy, tool-free procedure. And we even throw in a collimation cap for checking the scope's mirror alignment.

Treat yourself, your friends, and your family to some wondrous evenings under the stars with the Orion AstroView 6 EQ! Weighs 39 lbs. One-year limited warranty.

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Optical Specifications: Orion AstroView 6 EQ
Type Newtonian Reflector
Aperture (mm) 150 mm
Aperture (in.) 5.9 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) 10mm and 25mm Plossl
Finder 6x30 Optical
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
Other included items Collimation cap, Polar alignment scope
Physical Parameters
Weight, Optical Tube 9.1 Pounds
Mount Weight (including tripod and counterweight) 16.5 Pounds
Weight, Fully Assembled 39 Pounds
Counterweights 1x7.5 lb + 1x4 lb.
Optical Tube Length 26.5 Inches
Eyepiece Calculator
Enter your eyepiece's specifications:
Focal Length (mm):
Apparent Field (deg.):
 
Magnification:
 
True Field:
 
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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