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[patrickm]

Programs and aligns itself to the sky with onboard CCD cam and chip in under 3 minutes!! It one ups GoTo! Purists will hate it, but if it works, it should remove the gripes about GT programming and have people looking at the skies quickly and easily.

My only question, assuming it works as advertised, is how it will function under severely light polluted skies like [cough] Chicago [cough]? How many stars does it need for self-alignment? It five enough?? Hmm...

Comes in 70mm, 90mm, 130mm and was shown at CES Las Vegas. No pricing yet. Shipping July 2011.

How do we get a demo scope to try out? :-)

Celestron Scope Page

Video tour of revolutionary new Celestron SkyProdigy Telescope youtu.be/lnt-P5Tze80

SkyProdigy 130 - General Features

• Fully Automatic Alignment Procedure
  
• Fully Computerized Altazimuth Mount
  
• Quick-Release Fork Arm Mount and Optical Tube for Easy, Quick No Tool Set Up
  
• Sturdy Stainless Steel Tripod and Accessory Tray
  
• CD-ROM "The Sky" First Light Edition Astronomy Software Which Provides Education About the Sky
  
• Battery Pack Providing over 30 Hours of Power
  

SkyProdigy 130 - Computerized Mount Features

• Proven Computer Control Technology
  
• Database Allows Telescope to Automatically Locate Over 4,000 Celestial Objects
  
• Proprietary StarSense Technology Provides a Completely Automatic Alignment Process with No User Intervention Required
  
• Flash Upgradeable Hand Control Software for Downloading Product Updates Over the Internet
  

Attachments:

[Paulie pchris00]

Those are not very large apertures. It seems like if one were going all out on a self aligning scope, large aperture would be desired.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

It's an...ok series of scopes.

The tripod is tubular, which is good.

But it tops out at 130mm, (5")...and really, will only be good for major planets and the Moon.

This is targeted at beginners, who do not know the night sky and need the scope to find them objects. But, at the apertures available, the passive newbie astronomer will be disappointed in the limited views the scope will show - regardless of the thousands of listed objects in the database. Small and dim, nothing like what will be displayed on the outside box. Sure, you can still catch M42, M31 and others, but to the causal observer - unimpressed.

It's an ok scope, but they should have gone to a 6"/8".

[patrickm]

Actually, it tops out at 130mm, which is bigger than my GoTo.

And obviously it is targeted at amateurs. I don't see anybody trading their C11 in for one, but for somebody to be able to setup any size scope and get GoTo without the pain of alignment is pretty rad.

Addition of stainless tripod instead of aluminum a bonus.
p

[patrickm]

Joe, I see you edited part of your post, but I think you should edit it further. I am proof that a 5" scope will see much more than the planets and The Moon. A 90mm? Probably not much, but a 130mm? Yes, absolutely!

For a beginning astronomer, I was psyched what I saw with my 4.5" and still am. Heck, I am psyched with what I see with binocs. Maybe your aperture fever is blinding you to the wonders of an entry level scope? If it works as advertised, and depending upon their light pollution, people will be able to see the host of binocular objects as well as the groovy small scope guys. The faintest DSOs in the NGC catalog? No, but there is plenty to see for the beginner, to whom this scope is targeted.

One of the main knocks against GoTo scopes I have heard, even at CA Star Parties, is the time it takes to get GoTo working compared to other scopes and the fallibility of their alignment. That must be the biggest gripe there is—just ahead of purists who think everyone, everywhere should star hop forever. This device knocks the top gripe off the list. By any measure, that is a big step forward!

Again, if it works, I see the 130mm as an excellent beginner's scope—a family with kids, or somebody on a budget who wants to look at stuff. And as we all know, not everybody lives in one of the areas of the worst light pollution like Chicago. So while I can see why you would not want one, and why you are biased against smaller scopes (you who consider an 11" scope to be portable), but if you can sit in the shoes of a complete newb with interest but limited time and experience, I could see that this would fit the bill.

I guess I'm sayin' not everybody needs or wants a Mustang. Some people are happy with an Accord, even though the Mustang could get them there faster.

Also, smaller scopes are less subject to bad seeing.

Sorry to pick on you, but I think the cold and being stuck in doors may have gotten to you a bit. You're still my favorite Chicago Astronomer.

peace,
p

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

The price of a 4.5" EQ go-to mount and the price on this scope will not comparable.

You forget that I spent many years with a 4.5" - my main scope and a manual one at that. Finding objects was not a factor, but the views of DSO's were, well...so-so. Because of my passion for astronomy, it was exciting for me, but for the passive observer, wanting to see the cosmos in all it's glory - because it's in the database - it will be boiled down to regular views of Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon. Most other shades of grey objects will soon be lost on the casual observer - where this line of scopes is aimed at.

Even now, with the C11, most visitors who observe DSOs at Chicago Astronomer activities just take a quick look, mention "is that all?"... and ready to move on to more exciting objects. We don't even attempt DSOs at the Adler Planetarium with the massive 20" SCT for the public just for this reason.

Maybe this will be the entry scope for the true budding astronomer, but I feel this is a marketing test - to see if the public is interested in this new technology. Then maybe install it on more sophisticated scopes if there are sales.

Back to the item....

It's a one arm scope.

I don't dig one arm scopes, as overtime, you will get wobble at the plastic pivot point. Even the slightest fraction of a degree divergence of alignment is paramount. And eventually, I would suspect that the targeting camera will point to one spot and the scope to another. Also, those who have them, have found that they cannot slew them around manually...a big draw back when the batteries run out and have to pack up.

No HD optics or other sophisticated coatings.

4000 objects in the data base? See above for the handful of objects regularly visited. Not even my astro pals with 10"SCTs bother with more than 100 objects.

I do like that you can pop in 2" eyepieces. They provide a 25mm and a 9mm. A 12mm would have been nice.

No real magnified finder scope, but just a red-dot. Works, but I guess if the scope will find things for you....you don't have to locate objects.

I don't know if the targeting camera can punch through the light pollution of urban areas to find enough recognizable star patterns to function properly. I bet there is a "Go-to" override.

The "StarSense™ Technology is promising, but on anything under the 130mm scope is folly.

Oh, and I did find the pricing:

SkyProdigy will be available summer 2011 in three models:

Refracting telescope - SkyProdigy 70 (Suggested Retail: $699)
Maksutov-Cassegrain design -SkyProdigy 90 (Suggested Retail: $749)
Reflecting telescope - SkyProdigy 130 (Suggested Retail: $799)

Consumers spending this amount of change will want results that these scopes cannot provide. For this price, you can get a decent Williams Optics or similar APO that will offer razor sharp views - or a very nice Dob or smaller go-to scope.

It is certainly a new development in amateur astronomy and great potential, but is this a revolutionary scope package? I don't feel it is, not like the Dob or SCTs were. I would like one to add to the arsenal, but not at the price listed.

I stand by my opinion.

[Paulie pchris00]

You both raise good arguments, but I have to side with Joe on this. I have a 4.5", one-arm, go-to scope, and while I have used it, I mostly use it for the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. I would use it more if it were the only scope I owned, but as Patrick says, aligning the go-to is not worth the hassle most of the time. The bigger scope is easier to set up and use, so it gets most of my time. I understand this telescope is supposed to eliminate the problem of aligning, but if it is targeted for beginners, a 4,000 object database is too much. Where does the beginner start? Some faint NGC object, and emission nebula perhaps, that cannot be seen without filters or time exposure astrophotography? I could see a newbie trying galaxies and nebulae that the small aperture cannot possibly do justice to on the first few tries, then gives up thinking he's been ripped off. maybe Celestron truly believes this is the perfect beginner's telescope, but they have erred putting this technology on small aperture set-ups. Self-aligning scopes will eventually be all the rage, but for now they're trying to make a quick buck. They are over priced, and a good refractor or Dob will deliver more for less, with the addd benefit of forcing a new user to learn the sky. I don't think that is a bad thing.

[patrickm]

Every newb should buy an 8-10" dob with which they will only be happy looking at solar system objects, before stowing it in the closet then, I guess.

[Paulie pchris00]

I'm not saying that this line of scopes doesn't have merits. As Joe alluded to, the 130mm might be a nice addition for a veteran observer for sessions on a tight time schedule. The pricing is my concern for use as starter scopes. 700 bucks for a 70mm? That seems awfully high for an entry level scope. If the auto alignment and optics are good, it is a reasonable price, but no way would I spend $700 for a 70mm as my first telescope. I think the bang for the buck will be lost on a beginner, unless they really know what to expect from it's performance.