Nexstar 80 SLT Refractor Telescope You'll get bright, crisp images with the NexStar 80 SLT Refractor . The computerized hand control has a database of over 4,000 celestial objects providing push button locating and tracking of objects. This 80 mm refractor comes with 36X and 100X magnification, computerized azimuth mount, and "The Sky" educational astronomy software on CD-ROM with printable sky maps. No-hassle set-up with a pre-assembled, adjustable stainless steel tripod and no-tool, quick-release mounts. Has SkyAlign alignment technology, and the StarPointer finderscope with a red LED. It's a stellar intro scope for new astronomers, and a great land-based spotting telescope for nature lovers and photographers.

Amazon.com Review Celestron’s little NexStar 80GT is a popular scope at an attractive price. It features a short 80mm f/5 optical tube assembly, mated to a single-sided swing arm assembly, tripod, and the motorized computer system. The scope also comes with 25 mm (16X) and 10 mm (40X) eyepieces, a red dot finder, star diagonal for easier viewing, and a basic version of The Sky on CD ROM.

The NexStar handset is your user-friendly guide to more than 4,000 celestial objects.

The telescope’s Goto system will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s initialized a NexStar (or Meade’s similar Autostar system.) If you haven’t done this before, the scope needs to be told some basic information: the current time, date, location on the planet, etc. Then you center two known stars to the best of your ability. The scope takes over from there, automatically slewing to the desired object, and keeping it in the field of view as the earth rotates. Mostly it works well, but there are a few minor glitches here and there. The battery pack has a loose connector, which is prone to falling off, forcing you to reinitialize (hint: try attaching the pack to the fork arm itself using velcro.) The computer sometimes takes the "long" way around, strangling itself with its own cord. And the unit’s light weight -- only 11 pounds -- won’t break your back, but it’s so light that any accidental bump (easy to do in the dark) will knock the scope out of alignment, forcing another reinitialization.

The hand held controller contains a wealth of information. The 4,000 object database is probably optimistic for such a small scope (you won't be able to actually see all those objects), but it’s a nice touch, and besides, silicon’s cheap, right? In fact, one of the fun things you can do with a scope like this on a rainy day is to do a "fake" initialization indoors (yes, even in the daytime.) Then, just start pushing buttons on the controller and read all about the objects in the sky.

So, in the end, what we have here is a nice telescope that offers good value for the price. No scope in this price range is perfect, of course, but there are few other options in this price range. Meade’s ETX70AT is similar to the NexStar 80GT. If you‘re looking for more light gathering ability, go with an Orion XT6 or XT8. If you like the NexStar system but want a more serious telescope, consider saving up for Celestron’s NexStar 5i. --Ed Ting

Pros:

• Light, compact, versatile, and inexpensive
• On-board computer makes finding objects a snap
• Good at low power

Cons:

• Optics only so-so at higher powers
• Cords tend to tangle
• Relatively small aperture (80 mm)