The Astro Fi series of telescopes offers beginners telescopes with the same advanced electronics as Celestron's larger telescopes. Control is via tablet or smartphone - which is why a hand control box is not included.
SkyAlign - this telescope comes equipped with Celestron's SkyAlign technology. This means that you use the computer control to align the telescope in the night sky simply by moving to any three bright objects in the night sky in succession. This initialization of the computer control at the beginning of an observing session is also known as alignment.
SkyAlign does not need to know what these three bright stars are. It can even use planets. From the angles measured, the location, date and time, the computer then calculates the orientation of the current night sky at your observing location. Once you have completed this simple procedure at the beginning of your observing, you can use the computer control (GoTo) to observe the highlights visible on that night.
WiFi-ready - This telescope generates its own WLAN. This wireless network allows you to control the telescope with your smartphone or tablet. Celestron's free SkyPortal app is the control software for iPhone, iPad and Android. But SkyPortal is not only this, but also planetarium software that not only shows you the starry sky, but also provides a lot of background information about the astronomical objects - descriptions, illustrations and some audio content - in English.
The SkyPortal app also automatically supplies the computer control with the information required regarding - location (GPS), date and time.
The azimuthal single-arm mount is for taking smaller telescopes. It is easy to transport and quick to set up for use. Just attach the telescope to the mounting arm via its prism rail and you're ready to go. After the observing, you can use the handle to separate the optics from the mount and hence transport both conveniently and safely.
As the clamp is standardized for taking a prism rail, you can use it with a variety of different telescopes
OptiK MC 102/1325 telescope - The special design of this Maksutov telescope results in a very compact OTA with a long focal length. Its short construction also reduces the strain on the mount - allowing smaller mounts to be used with a higher stability. The closed OTA protects the mirror from contamination. The relatively small 102 millimetres aperture, means the closed tube does not have a noticeably adverse effect on cool-down time. Maksutov telescopes also hold collimation well.
The design's inherent high focal length allows high magnifications to be used when observing the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, hence making Maksutovs popular telescopes for planetary observers. The built-in focuser allows cameras to be stably mounted onto the OTA. A Maksutov like this allows you to take wonderful shots of the Moon and planets with a DSLR or planetary camera.
