Wish upon a star tonight because something rare is about to happen: a full lunar eclipse on the winter solstice. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a full lunar eclipse on the winter solstice is very infrequent with tonight’s event will be the second occurence in the last two millenia (the last one happened in 1638) and the next one is expected in 2094.
The eclipse is expected to last for a spectacular three-and-a-half hour period, starting at 10:33 p.m. PT and ending 2:01 a.m. PT of the next day. Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory, posting on NASA’s solstice lunar eclipse page, said that the Earth’s shadow, which is likely to have a reddish hue, will completely cover the moon for about 72 minute.
So what better way to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event that to view it with Celestron’s Limited Edition 50th Anniversary CPC 800 GPS. Surely any avid skywatcher would not want to miss a thing for an event as remarkable and historical as this.
Celestron, one of the most trusted name in astronomy, sports optic, and microscope proudly released Limited Edition 50th Anniversary CPC 800 GPS. The company, in line with celebrating their 50 years of optical innovation, only made 300 units of the said telescope– making it a collector’s item.
The CPC 800 GPS is embellished with an awesome 50 Anniversary graphics and a limited edition gold design accent eyepiece kit. It sports a hi-tech Gold design carbon fiber optical tube. The telescope, fully computerized with internal GPS, uses SkyAlign technology which simplifies everything as the telescope automatically tracks each object as it moves through the night sky.
The Celestron CPC 800 GPS (50th Anniversary Limited Edition) works well for both beginners and professional.
FULL SPECS :
Optical Design : Schmidt-Cassegrain
Aperture : 203.2 mm (8 in)
Focal Length : 2032 mm (80 in)
Focal Ratio : 10
Finderscope : 9×50 Finderscope with quick release bracket
Mount : Dual Fork Arm
Optical Tube : Carbon Fiber
Eyepiece 1 : 32 mm (1.26 in)
Magnification 1 : 64 x
Eyepiece 2 : 4 mm (0.16 in)
Magnification 2 : 508 x
Star Diagonal : 1.25
Accessory Tray : Leg Brace / Eyepiece holder
Tripod : Heavy Duty Steel Adjustable
CD ROM : NexRemote control software with RS-232 cable
Power Supply : Car battery adapter
Highest Useful Magnification : 480 x
Lowest Useful Magnification : 29 x
Limiting Stellar Magnitude : 14
Resolution (Rayleigh) : 0.69 arcsec
Resolution (Dawes) : 0.57 arcsec
Photographic Resolution : 200 line/mm
Light Gathering Power : 843 x
Angular Field of View : 0.8 °
Linear Field of View (@1000 yds) : 42 ft (12.8 m)
Optical Coatings : Starbright XLT Coating
Secondary Mirror Obstruction : 2.5 in (63.5 mm)
Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Area : 9.8 %
Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Diameter : 31.3 %
Telescope Weight : 42 lbs (19.05 kg)
Tripod and Mount Weight : 27 lbs (12.25 kg)
Motor Drive : DC Servo motors with encoders, both axes
Motor Resolution : 0.14 arc seconds
Computer Hand Control : Flash upgradeable, double line, 16 character Liquid Crystal Display; 19 fiber optic backlit LED buttons
Tracking Rates : Sidereal, Solar and Lunar
Tracking Modes : Altazimuth, EQ North and EQ South
Alignment Procedures : SkyAlign, Auto Two-Star Alignment, Two-star Align, SolarSystem Align, EQ North Align, EQ South Align, One-Star Align
Software Precision : 24 bit, 0.08 calculations
Periodic Error Correction : Permanently Programmable
Fork Arm : Dual fork arm, cast Aluminum with detachable HC cradle
Gear : 5.625 hard anodized gear in both axes, 180 tooth, brass worm
Bearings : 9.8 azimuth bearing
Communication Ports : RS-232 communication port on hand control
Motor Ports : Aux Port, Autoguide Ports
Database : 40,000+ objects, 100 user defined programmable objects. Enhanced information on over 200 objects
Power Requirements : 12 VDC 1.5A
Power Requirements – Idle Current : 340 mA
Power Requirements – Slew one axis : 640 mA
Power Requirements – Slew both axes : 900 mA
Cord Management : Cord Wrap Software
GPS : Internal 16 channel
FULL SPECS FOR EYEPIECE:
5 Plossl 1.25″ Eyepieces (4, 6, 9, 15, and 32 mm) featuring gold design accents
2x 1.25″ Barlow Lens
6 Colored 1.25″ Eyepiece Filters for Lunar and Planetary Viewing
1.25″ Moon Filter
Aluminum Carrying Case
