Bushnell North Star 675mm x 4.5" Reflector Telescope w/Computer Star Locator

by Bushnell

Product Details

Product Manual [557kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 18 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005AY5J
• Batteries: 1 9V batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,001 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 27, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

A quantum leap for computerized telescopes, the North Star offers novice telescope users a plethora of celestial views at the touch of a button. Advanced motorized "go to" technology enables the computer to automatically find and follow any object from its 20,000 object database. Includes a remote control handset with red illuminated LCD readout and red backlit buttons. Also features the new wide-field red dot finderscope, which utilizes a red LED projection. This 1x finderscope will easily allow any user to quickly sight in an area of the sky and find night sky objects quickly. Additional features include quick release accessory tray and tripod legs for an easy two-step assembly.

Specifications for this Bushnell telescope include:

• Power/Obj.: 675x4.5"
• Style: Reflector
• Focal length: 900mm
• Features: 20,000 Object Onboard Starfinding Computer, Kinematic Motion, Quick-Release Adjustable Aluminum Tripod, 1.25" Format Eyepieces, Barlow Lens, Red Dot LED Finderscope, Accessory Tray, Camera Adaptable, 2-Step Assembly

Tech Talk
Magnification (Power): The magnification of a telescope is determined by dividing its focal length by the focal length of the eyepiece being used. For example, a 500mm telescope with a 5mm eyepiece would magnify objects 100x. Thus, a telescope can provide nearly any magnification required depending on the focal length of the eyepiece used.

Objective Lens Size (or Aperture): The size of the telescope’s objective lens, or aperture, limits the amount of power that can be used effectively. As the magnification of an object increases, the brightness of the image decreases. This is because the light gathered by the telescope is being spread over a larger area.

Reflector: The optical system in a reflector uses a primary mirror to reflect the light from a distant object such that it can be focused to a point and magnified by an eyepiece. Popularized by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th Century, it is sometimes referred to as a Newtonian reflector.

Focal Length: The measured light path of the optical system (tube length), typically measured in millimeters.

Computerized Star Locator: Utilizes an on-board computer to find over 20,000 astronomical objects. Educational descriptions of the objects are provided at the touch of a button.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Scope, October 4, 2002

By 

Steven Stringham (Utah United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bushnell North Star 675mm x 4.5" Reflector Telescope w/Computer Star Locator (Electronics)

To bad about the previous reviewer. My experience has been just the opposite. The scope was easy to assemble and once aligned (only moderately tricky) it worked like a gem. I am able to see many stars and nebula in the city, but when I'm out in more rural areas with less light polution the stars come alive!!! This is great for a beginner!!! And is easy to align on deep space objects without being a pro!! I love it, the only downside is that I am so tired in the morning for work!!!! Buy this baby if you're on a budget but want high quality experiences with the stars!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Scope, poor Tripod., February 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bushnell North Star 675mm x 4.5" Reflector Telescope w/Computer Star Locator (Electronics)

Your looking at trhis scope because you want big apature with GOTO technology and your poor. I aquired this scope from a friend of mine (NIB). It was easy to put together and within an hour I had the finder scope aligned and was off! All in all the optics are great, Jupiters moons were visable and I counted 5 stripes.
As for the Goto tripod I'd have to say PASS! They realy went cheap when designing the tripod to go with there computer. The little (tiny!) electric motor has trouble slewing between stars directly over head.
Id recomend it for beginers that arent sure if Astronomy is going to be there thing yet. When your ready to upgrade, buy a Meade ETX-125EC w/AutoStar and you'll be the envy of all your friends.

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a disappointment., July 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Bushnell North Star 675mm x 4.5" Reflector Telescope w/Computer Star Locator (Electronics)

I was so looking forward to it. Then this. The star locating computer simply refuses to be turned on. After hundreds of tries it was on once. Then I turned it off. And then it couldn't be turned on again. What a joke. Don't they have any QC? I have to call tomorrow and hopefully I can exchange one that works. Let see if they have better customer service than QC.