Orion Mini 50mm Guide Scope

This Mini 50mm Guide Scope is a complete and compact guide scope solution designed for use with small-chip CCD autoguider devices. The  Mini 50mm Guide Scope is ideal for guiding long-exposure astrophotographs with imaging telescopes up to 1500mm in focal length.

Thanks to the high level of guiding accuracy offered by modern autoguider devices such as the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider, astro-imagers of today can use guide scopes with much shorter focal lengths and smaller apertures compared to the large, bulky models used in the past. Using a more optically "fast" refractor as a guide scope can save astro-imagers time, space, and money, but will still provide the unrivaled accuracy that only autoguiding can bring to long-exposure astrophotographs. Although modern dedicated autoguider devices allow small, optically fast guide scopes to be used with excellent results, there is an unfortunate scarcity of quality offerings available. That is, until now. The Orion Mini 50mm Guide Scope brings autoguiding into the realm of affordability for any astrophotographer, and brings the guide scope to a position that was previously occupied by a telescope finder scope.

Consisting of a 50mm aperture, 162mm focal length (f/3.2) achromatic refractor guide scope, an adjustable dovetail guide scope bracket, an 1.25" aluminum parfocal ring, a dovetail mounting base, and an adapter plate, the Arcturus Mini 50mm Guide Scope makes it easy for any astro-imager to enjoy the precision of autoguiding in their images. All this pint-sized setup requires is a StarShoot AutoGuider (sold separately) or similar small-chip CCD autoguider and it’s ready for night, camera, action! The guide scope bracket fits into the standard Vixen/Orion dovetail finder scope base found on most popular telescopes. If your imaging scope doesn’t feature a dovetail base or has one already occupied by an oft-used finder, the included dovetail base and attachment hardware lets you attach the Mini 50mm Guide Scope to any optical tube. Alternatively, the included adapter plate can be used to attach the dovetail base and Mini 50mm Guide Scope to any standard dovetail plate or side-by-side plate if preferred.

The featherweight guide scope tips the scales at a mere 16oz., and has been designed for use with imaging telescopes measuring up to 1500mm in focal length. This one-pound wonder Mini 50mm Guide Scope features fully multi-coated optics and a focus-adjusting front ring with locking collar. The included parfocal ring makes it easy to repeat autoguiding performance night to night, by letting you set the ideal focus position of the autoguider.