We believe that all, especially young people, should look up at the night skies and see for themselves the Solar System and the Universe they live in. However access to telescopes at a suitable time/place and being safe can be difficult. To help ease this problem, we’ve been talking to those who have perhaps replaced their telescopes or found that eye sight isn’t as it was about providing their old telescopes to Bath Astronomers to be loaned out to keen young people to enjoy the skies from their homes. Contact us if you know someone who might benefit.
The following telescopes are available to loan:
Having used a sibling ZWO SeeStar S50 for outreach in schools and with the public for the last 6 months, we’ve acquired one for the member’s telescope loan programme. This wonderful little electronically assisted astronomy telescope has an aperture of 50mm and a focal length of 250mm; it’s an f/5. We call the telescope Vera after Vera Rubin, the amazing academic who discovered dark matter from observation and measurement of the rotation of distant galaxies.
The tabletop telescope doesn’t come with any eyepieces as you use your mobile phone to control it and also view the images from the telescope. You’ll need to have a mobile phone that can link to the telescope’s wifi “BA Vera Rubin” and have the ZWO SeeStar App installed.
We have two Sky-watcher Skymax 127 Az GTi telescopes which are easier to use, fully app integrated and lightweight at on 8 or 9kgs. They are 1500mm focal length and come with two super plossl eyepieces: 25mm and 10mm. A great allrounder of a telescope. They use 8 AA batteries or an external 12V DC supply. We call them Caroline and Cecilia. They have a red dot finder and no handset controller. Simply power up the telescope and you’ll notice a new Wifi host spot. You need to connect your phone to this hotspot within 15 minutes and then open the Synscan app on your phone. You can download the app for free from your favourite app store. The App has the Up/Down/Left/Right buttons to move the telescope around. The telescopes are named after Caroline Herschel and Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin.
We have a Celestron C8 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (SCT). The reflecting telescope has an aperture of 203mm and a focal length of 2032mm so it’s an f/10. Suited for those with some initial telescope experience, it is on a precision goto equatorial Advanced VX mount and powered by a 12v Celestron powertank. It comes with two eyepieces, a 25mm and a 10mm, giving magnification of x81 and x203. It is controlled with a Nexstar+ handset and needs to be polar aligned even just approximately before use; there is a polar scope built into the mount to make this easier. The telescope fits into two large plastic crates along with the tripod. We call the telescope Chandra after Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, awarded the Nobel Prize winner for his work on the evolution of massive stars.
Online Booking links:
Terms & Conditions of loans:
Kit will be loaned to anyone who has a new interest in observing but doesn’t have their own kit. They will need to be members of Bath Astronomers or the daughter/son of a member to qualify for the loan. The loan will be reviewed at an agreed period or every 3 months (whichever is shortest) to check it is still required.
The member agrees:
- to return the loaned equipment after the agreed period or earlier if requested by the Coordination Team;
- to return the loaned equipment in the same condition as it was loaned other than reasonable wear and tear;
- to store the loaned equipment in a secure, dry, and shaded location for the duration of the loan;
- that the equipment is used at their own risk and the society accepts no liable for damage or injury during the loaned equipment’s transportation, storage, or usage;
- to pay for all transportation or carriage costs relating to pick-up from and drop-off to Bath Astronomers.
The member understands:
- that any optical equipment used during the daytime carries a risk of the Sun’s rays being concentrated and causing fire, burns, solar retinopathy, or permanent blindness for the user or those with access to the equipment;
- that loaned equipment can be heavy and caution is required during any lifting undertaken;
- that the loan relates to a specific item without warranty and no repair or replacement can be offered.
Contact us if you know someone who might benefit.