Explore FirstLight 80mm f/8 Refractor Telescope Go-To Tracker Combo

As the Earth turns, the Moon and planets drift out of the eyepiece, and a tracking mount turns the telescope to follow them. This combo pairs the Explore FirstLight 80mm f/8 refractor with Explore Scientific's iEXOS-100 GoTo tracker mount, which finds targets from the ExploreStars app on a tablet and follows them across the sky.

Key Features

• 80mm f/8 refractor. 640mm focal length. Explore Scientific says the 80mm aperture shows lunar craters and rilles, Saturn's rings, Jupiter's cloud belts, and bright galaxies, nebulae and clusters.
• Built-in dew shield. Reduces moisture buildup and ambient light interference.
• Eyepiece, diagonal, finder and phone adapter. A 25mm Plössl, a 90° diagonal for more comfortable viewing, a red dot viewfinder for locating objects, and an adapter for capturing and sharing images with your smart device.
• PMC-Eight control. Eight CPUs that operate independently, each on its own functions.
• ExploreStars app. For Apple, Android and Windows tablets: align the telescope, navigate the stars and read about tens of thousands of objects.
• Clutched worm gears, belt drives. Clutched RA and declination axes for balancing and repositioning, with quiet stepper motor belt drives on both.
• Polar alignment without a polar scope. A sight hole through the RA axis and precise altitude control.
• Glow-in-the-dark markings on the mount and tripod.

Ideal For

• Beginners who want a telescope, GoTo mount, tripod, eyepiece, diagonal and finder in one package.
• Lunar and planetary observers who want the Moon, Saturn or Jupiter kept in the eyepiece while they look.
• Smartphone imagers, with the included adapter for capturing and sharing images.

Accessories & Compatibility

• Power. The battery pack mounts on a tripod leg bracket and takes 8 C batteries (not included). Explore Scientific says alkaline cells typically last under two hours before voltage drop affects the motors, and recommends a lithium-ion power bank or an AC power adapter for longer sessions.
• Tablet. The tablet or computer that runs ExploreStars is sold separately.
• Capacity. Up to 19 lb in total for visual use, telescope, accessories and counterweights included, and about 15 lb for photography. Two 1 kg counterweights come with it.
• With a solar filter. The FirstLight 80mm CF combo adds an over-the-lens solar filter for observing the Sun.