Celestron C5 Spotting Scope
The Celestron C5 Spotting Scope, with iOptron Cube Pro Alt-Az GoTo mount, TeleVue Everbright diagonal, and the TeleVue Panoptic 24mm eye piece.
GRAB AND GO
Make no mistake, this is a BIG, little grab-and-go. The biggest I could fit on the iOptron Cube Pro mount. The AT60ED wasn't cutting it for planetary views. The mount has a weight limit of 8lbs, so I opted for the largest scope with the longest focal length that I could get to fit on this class of mount. That happened to be Celestron's C5 Spotting Scope. Yes, Celestron sells this as a spotting scope, but at it's heart, it's really a 5" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope with XLT Starbright anti-reflective coatings. It's focal length is 1250 at a speed of F10. It's perfect for planet and moon viewing. It's got almost 3 times the focal length of the AT60ED and it's only 6lbs. Two pounds under the weight limit of the mount. This gives me room to add a few light accessories. It pairs well with eye pieces from 32mm down to about 6mm.
I’ve done a handful of images with this scope by replacing the eye piece with the ZWO ASI224MC planetary imaging camera. Check out these awesome shots.
The big, little grab-and-go.
