- 6 February, 2006 -

Seeing Stars A clear May night, a group of cub scouts, and an easy-to-use telescope. It made for a great night of star gazing. The Meade EXT-70AT Telescope was a perfect pick for this application, and its Austostar controller took the guesswork out of finding items in the night sky. We set up about four miles outside of town. While stars are visible from the city, the less "light pollution" you have, the better the viewing. I set up the EXT-70AT at the top of a hill, and let it acclimate to the temperature. As the sun began to set, we noticed a bright object in the southern sky. This is where the Meade EXT-70AT shows what it is made of. It comes with a computerized motor mount at the bottom of the telescope, and is know as the Autostar Computer Controller. This wonderful piece of equipment is essential for the beginning astronomer. The Autostar is a database of 1,471 objects in the night sky, and has the ability to take you to all of them. Simply scroll through the list of objects in the handy palm sized controller until you see listed what you would like to view. Hit "GO TO", and watch as the telescope moves rapidly to place the object of your choice in the telescope's field of view. Objects stored in the Autostar's database include the entire range of celestial phenomenon and are designed to keep the active observer busy for many a starry night. And another great feature of the Autostar is, once an object is within your field of view, the Autostar will automatically track it and keep it centered in the telescope's field of view, fully compensating for the Earth's rotation. No need to continually readjust your telescope once the object you are viewing rotates out of view. And for those of us who bring the real meaning of "amateur" to astronomy, I bring you my favorite item on the Autostar. Looking at something in the night sky, but have no clue what it is or what its name is? Just let the Autostar tell you! Simply move the telescope with the Autostar's hand controller until the object you want to view is centered in the field of view. Enter into the handset "Object: Identify" and the Autostar will search its database and display to you the name of the star/planet you are viewing. No more guess work! That's when we discovered we were looking at the planet Jupiter. As I focused in for a clear view, I noticed several "dots" hovering near Jupiter. I repositioned my EXT-70AT onto one of the "dots", and within seconds, found out we were looking at Io, one of Jupiter's largest moons. I made this declaration to the kids, and quickly found parents pushing their way to the front of the line to get a look. I knew I was onto something when a 10-year-old boy looked into the telescope and said, "Wow. That's cool." I let everyone get a glimpse, then swung the telescope around to focus on a bright star in the western sky. In just a few seconds, I had the object in view, focused, and then knew I did not need the Autostar database for this one. I could make out the rings of Saturn, angled at about 45 degrees, and circling the solar system's second largest planet ? discovered with a telescope by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Next, I rotated my EXT-70AT over to the moon. I wanted to show the kids how the moon really looked, not how it appears in the night sky. Once focused on the moon, we were able to pick out large craters on the moon's surface, and when we changed from the included MA25mm lens to the more powerful (and also included) MA9mm lens, we were easily able to pick out large boulders on the surface. This brought out squeals of delight from the young people in attendance. All of the major planets except Pluto are easily observable through the EXT-70AT. Now even the most novice amateur astronomer can locate and explore the planets, galaxies, and nebulae. This truly is the ultimate telescope for the beginning astronomer, yet is fully upgradeable to fit your needs as you grow in your astronomical endeavors. Our Scout Pack used the Meade EXT-70AT to earn their Astronomy belt loop and pin, and this little piece of modern technology made it a star-studded experience for us all. - Joel Christensen When not assisting his local Cub Scout pack with model rocketry or amateur astronomy, Joel and his son Kyle can be found tearing up terrain with their Traxxas Revos. Joel also enjoys his Scalextric slot car set. HobbyTown USA

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