Celestron 21088 Omni XLT ? 102

by Celestron

Product Details

• Item Weight: 43 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 59 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000NMOIOE
• Item model number: 21088
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

A premium optical system to explore the universe... The Omni XLT family of telescopes was designed to offer a selection of models with the quality optics and stable platform that serious amateurs can appreciate. The new Omni XLT Series features refractor, reflector and Schmidt-Cassegrain optical designs coupled with the new Omni CG-4 heavy-duty German Equatorial mount and sturdy tripod featuring 1.75" stainless steel legs and center tray for superior rigidity and vibration dampening. Along with the stable platform of the CG-4 mount the Omni XLT series features high quality optics. Using aspheric shaping technology in conjunction with hand-figuring the optics the Omni XLT presents an image with virtually no spherical abberation. Celestron also added the famous StarBright XLT coating system to further enhance light transmission. With superior optics and a stable platform the Omni XLT series is a great choice for astrophotography. Use the optional dual-axis motor drive (#93522) and polar axis finder (#94221) to track objects for long exposure photography. Four aperatures are available in the Omni XLT series, 102mm 120mm 127mm and 150mm, all with Starbright XLT Coatings. Locate and identify thousands of celestial objects on your laptop or PC with "The Sky" Level 1 software included FREE with every Omni XLT model. The series features a Tall finderscope mount for easier viewing through finderscope. Machined focus knobs for fine tuning fo

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfu Christmas Present, January 1, 2010

By 

Lee Stephen (Luling, Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celestron 21088 Omni XLT ? 102 (Electronics)

I'm surprised this is the first review for this product! My wife recently bought me this telescope for Christmas. Here's the rundown...

1. Extremely easy to assemble, and I'm not a tech-minded person. Pieces just attach together in ways that are convenient and make sense. Even better, it's very easy to disassemble, making it more than capable of being taken from place to place with no real hassle.

2. Adjustment is a cinch. The instruction guide is shockingly GOOD, which is a rarity in and of itself. Just follow the instructions and you'll have it calibrated and ready to go in no time.

3. Using the telescope is amazingly easy once you get the hang on it. It might take you about 20 minutes to read the instructions and test out the adjustment knobs, but once you've got it, you've got it. Like I said before, it's built in a way that makes sense.

4. And last, but not least...looking at planets is AMAZING! I got to try it last night for the first time (Dec. 31st, 2009) and focused in on Jupiter. I didn't even know it was Jupiter at first, I just looked up and saw the brightest "star" in the sky, knowing that it had to be one of the planets. Aimed the telescope, made small tracking adjustments with the knobs, and there it was, with four visible moons in tow! To look at a planet so closely was nothing short of mesmerizing. Even looking at occasional stars was unbelievable, as they just look so bright and different zoomed in.

I want to note, as well, that I did this from my back yard in a subdivision with houses and streets (with streetlights) in every direction, with a very bright full moon, and fireworks were going off behind me. All this to say, you don't need to live out in the middle of nowhere, in total darkness, with no trees anywhere (as I have several around my house). Visibility was poor to the point where I could barely see stars in the sky. Anyone can use this at their home, no matter where they live.

One thing, though! If you want to look at the moon, a moon filter might be a good idea. The instruction manual warmed me that the moon could be overpoweringly bright for some, and it was right. A moon filter is cheap (a little over $10 here) so it's definitely wallet-friendly. I'm about to get the Celestron moon filter now.