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Orion StarBlast Telescope

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The East Longmeadow Public Library owns an Orion StarBlast 4.5 inch Astronomical Telescope and all YOU have to do to borrow it is call the library!   The Telescope is stored and secured in a strong plastic bin for easy transportation.  It is easy to take out and then simply place on top of the covered bin for viewing the stars...no tri-pod legs!

 

The telescope is user friendly.  There is nothing to assemble.    It has a wooden base and comes with a zoom eye piece and supportive material.  It is of manageable size, but has a large optical tube.  That means that the moon and deep sky objects will show far more detail than one could see with the common "beginner's" telescope.  It also has a large field of view that allows the object to stay in the eyepiece longer.  This is a quality instrument, reviewed by a number of astronomical publications and found quite worthy.  It is a great addition that will be beneficial to our library community.

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Many libraries across the country now have this exact telescope in circulation.  The Library Telescope Program started in NH and continued to demonstrate a strong interest throughout the United States.  At this time, 41 states have telescopes at various public libraries.  Some of our nearby neighbors also are a part of this program.  They include:  Belchertown, Blandford, Hampden, Ludlow, South Hadley, Southwick, Sturbridge, Wales, West Springfield, Westhampton, Whately and Wilbraham.

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The Friends of the Library funded the Telescope in 2018 and is continually maintained by the Aldrich Astronomical Society, Inc.

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These websites will provide you with additional information: 

https://www.librarytelescope.org/

https://www.aldrich.club/

https://www.facebook.com/AldrichAstro/

https://springfieldmuseums.org/about/springfield-science-museum/seymour-planetarium/

https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/news-display.cfm?News_ID=931

 

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