I took the plunge and bought a 4.5 Bushnell NorthStar scope. It has an onboard star tracking system. It is SWEET I must say. I was told to stay away from the Bushnell line, due to them being "NEW" in the astronomy world. But I took a chance and went for it. They have been a long time producer of rifle scopes and binoculars. I heard great things about them so I took the chance and so far am HAPPY...

1st I must say "Simple" right out of the box. It has an aluminum tri-pod, with a kinematic mount which is so nice for portability. 2 screw knobs hold the tube to the side of the mount. Unscrew the 2 knobs and the tube is off in under 30 seconds. The tri-pod folds up to about 4 inches round. Very portable. That's a must everyone should have, don't ya think?

2nd, the MIRROR was dead on out of the box! I could not believe it. I expected to collimate it, but had no need. Indeed very nice. I attached the tube put an eyepiece in and focused on the neighbor's pool down the road. (No one was swimming in case you are thinking anything LOL !!!) and the pool was crystal clear and dead on center...... I called Bushnell just to be safe in case I wasn't getting the perfect view. They stated they collimate them at the factory and package them so tight they should not need collimating. I almost fell over....WOW- big help for an amateur like myself.

3rd it came with all 1.25" eyepieces and is camera adaptable! Came with a 20mm and a 4mm and a 3x barlow . I could not believe the field of view from let alone a 60mm refractor to a 4.5 mirror, but from .965" eyepieces to 1.25" eyepieces. WOW..

4th the onboard computer is so nice. NO drive motors to wear out or break. The computer works on like an internal compass on the base and in the scope. It directs you to where you have to go in degree's. Either up or down on the scope or right to left till you hit a zero mark. You do the moving of the scope till the computer lets you know you are on the mark...

It also is a great learning tool for my son and I. It lists the object whether Jupiter or the Orion Nebulae. It lists its size, location, and its orbit in years. I was blown away with its options.

Finally it has a phone/modem jack in the side of the scope computer. I called Bushnell and asked what it is for. The customer service rep states that it is for future use. Possibly upgrades to software, or uploads from star programs from your own PC ! Again I was blown away.

So far I am very happy with the quality of the scope. Now I am comparing it to a tasco, but it is nicely equipped and nicely shipped. Seems to be very strong in structure. My skies here are in fact OVER CAST, so I am waiting for a great CLEAR night to test out the computer on the scope to see just how accurate it is. But I am excited to get a good look at mars and I am going to try for the Lagoon Nebulae after mars. Do I stand a chance for the Lagoon with a 4.5? I sure hope so...

I hope to be able to send you more info shortly after I do some clear sky viewing if YOU don't mind. It would be nice to keep in touch with a pro that enjoys hearing from an amateur, and their exciting finds....

Clear Skies-