Hammacher Schlemmer‘s new Observatory Class Telescope is similar to the Ritchey-Chrétien design used by the U.S. Naval Observatory’s telescope in Flagstaff, Arizona and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. It uses a coma-free optical system that eliminates aberrations to provide a flat, crisp field of view. Its carbon fiber optical tube’s 20″ diameter aperture provides a light gathering power 5000 times greater than the human eye, ideal for observing the effects of stellar winds within the Orion Nebula, marveling at the counter-rotating cloud bands of Jupiter, or gazing at the one-trillion stars of the Andromeda Galaxy.
Its built-in GPS automatically orients to and tracks any of the 144,000 celestial objects stored in its on-board computer. Telescope also uses a large-format CCD camera, which isn’t included), so can take pictures and videos of objects in real-time as they move in the heavens, remotely controlled from a computer using the included software or the Internet. Its 12-volt power supply powers a cooling fan and heater that prevents dew from forming on the optics.
The massive telescope weighs 640 lbs and measures 104″ H x 76″ W x 42″ L. And, the price is $35,000.
