The Agena AstroProducts Holiday Gift Guide

Author: Agena AstroProducts Published: January 2017 Add a Comment

The holiday shopping season has arrived again, and it's time to start crossing items off your gift list. If you have an astronomer in your life, Agena AstroProducts makes it easy for you this year to choose a gift with this handy list of useful and interesting astronomy tools and accessories. There's something here for every stargazer, whether a beginner or old pro, visual observer or astrophotographer.

Many of these suggestions, the ones marked with an asterisk (*), are now on sale through the holiday season! And if you still can't find what you're looking for, we have hundreds of astronomy products on sale during our annual holiday event. See more at this link...

Here's our hand-selected list of useful and innovative astronomy products for this holiday season...

1. EYEPIECES

Agena Starguider Eyepiece

Agena Starguider Dual ED Eyepieces*

Long a favorite of visual observers with nearly any telescope, Agena's Starguider Dual ED eyepieces give maximum detail and sharpness across a wide 60-degree field of view. Starguiders are a great upgrade from stock eyepieces that come with many telescopes. Best of all, they are surprisingly affordable, especially compared to competing Plossl and Orthoscopics! Available in seven focal lengths from 3.5mm to 25mm.

Best for: All Levels

Explore Scientific 82-Degree Eyepiece

Explore Scientific 82-Degree Series Eyepieces*

If you're looking for a premium eyepiece, Explore Scientific's 82° Series Argon-Purged Waterproof eyepieces are an ideal addition to the toolkit of the serious observer. These 1.25" and 2" eyepieces, which range from 4.7mm to 30mm, offer extremely wide fields and produce high contrast, high resolution, and superior flat field. Look through one of these, and it's like you're immersed in deep space.

Best for: Intermediate to Advanced

Baader Hyperion Zoom Eyepiece

Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Zoom Eyepiece*

While zoom eyepieces don't have a great reputation for optical quality, the Baader Hyperion Zoom Mark IV eyepiece is a remarkable exception. This premium zoom offer five magnifications that are accessible in a superbly engineered click-stop format. Great for astronomy and birding, and it also works well in binoviewers.

Available as eyepiece and adapters, or in a package with a 2.25x Hyperion Barlow.

Best for: Intermediate to Advanced

2. BINOCULARS

3D Astronomy Spacewalker Binoculars

3D Astronomy Space Walker 8x42 3D Astronomy Binoculars

Every stargazer should have a pair of binoculars, and most stargazers already do. But not many have binoculars like these! Using a new patent-pending eyepiece technology, 3D Astronomy's Space Walker binoculars give astonishing "3D" views of stars, star clouds, and larger nebulae and star clusters in dark sky. Bill Paolini, who reviewed these binoculars at AstronomyConnect.com, says the Space Walker 3D binoculars "brought a level of enjoyment and intrigue to binocular observing for astronomy that I had not experienced before."

Best for: All Levels

Kasai 2.3x40 Wide Field Binoculars

Kasai Wide-Field Binoculars*

These ingenious little binoculars give up to an incredible 28° field of view at an ultra-low magnification. You can take in entire constellations like Cygnus and Sagittarius and cruise along the rich star fields of the Milky Way to see star clusters, diffuse nebulae, star clouds, and inky-black archipelagos of dark nebulae set against the background stars. Fans of these little binoculars say it's like observing the night sky with "super vision".

Best for: Intermediate to Advanced

Agena Gift Certificate

3. AGENA GIFT CERTIFICATES

If you're overwhelmed by choice, or if you want your favorite astronomer to choose their own gift, why not choose an Agena Gift Certificate? They're available in denominations of $15 to $200.

Best for: All Levels

4. ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

Vixen Polarie Mount

Vixen Optics Polarie Star Tracker Astrophotography Mount*

Vixen's Polarie Star Tracker makes shooting long-exposure images of the night sky a breeze. Mount the Polarie on your camera tripod, align it to the north celestial pole, and you're ready to go. The Polarie tracks the apparent motion of the sky when shooting with a DSLR camera and lens (up to 4.4 lbs). Works great with a small telescope also.

Best for: Intermediate to Advanced

Optolong L-Pro Clip Filter

Optolong L-Pro Deep Sky Filter - Clip Filters

Light pollution is a sad fact of light for most stargazers and astrophotographers. But in some cases, a good light pollution filter can help reduce its worst effects. The L-Pro series of filters from Optolong are designed to block light pollution from some types of streetlamps while passing light from nebulae and stars. Available in a clip-in format for DSLR cameras from both Nikon and Canon, these filters improve image contrast and result in a more natural color cast. Ideal for taking beautiful wide-angle nightscape images!

Best for: All Levels

ZWO ASI224MC Astronomy Camera

ZWO ASI224MC 1.2 MP CMOS Color Astronomy Camera *

For the aspiring astrophotographer on your list, the ZWO ASI224MC astronomy camera is an ideal starter camera. It's easy to use, affordable, and works well for grabbing images of planets, the Moon and Sun (with a safe solar filter), and brighter deep-sky sights like nebulae and galaxies. Works with nearly any telescope, and it's ready to go right out of the box.

Best for: Intermediate to Advanced

William Optics Zenithstar 61

William Optics ZenithStar 61mm f/5.9 Doublet Apo Refractor

These brand-new telescopes from William Optics combine superb color-corrected optics, extreme portability, and rock-solid built quality for on-the-go visual observation and astrophotography. They're ideal instruments for wide-field visual sweeps of stars and nebulae along the Milky Way, lunar and solar observation (with an optional solar filter), and daytime nature observation. They also make superb astrographs for imagers who want to capture wide-field vistas of the night sky. Available trimmed in 3 different colors...

Best for: Intermediate to Advanced

Revolution Imager R2 1.25" Live View CCD Video Astronomy Camera System

Revolution Imager R2 1.25" Live View CCD Video Astronomy Camera System

With the Revolution R2 imager, you'll be amazed at what you can see with just a few seconds of exposure. This sensitive and easy-to-use astronomy video camera shows you color images of the mountains, valleys, and seas on the Moon. Or dial up the sensitivity to get nearly real-time views of the colorful Orion Nebula, the spiral arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy, or the apple-core color and shape of the Dumbbell Nebula. No computer or image processing required.

Best for: All Levels (intended for use with a telescope with a tracking mount)

5. ASTRONOMY ACCESSORIES

Universe2Go Personal Planetarium

Universe2Go Personal Planetarium

Get to know the night sky sky with this hand-held planetarium. It's just as if you had a personal astronomer to show you around and explain what you're seeing. In combination with the accompanying app installed on your own smartphone, this newly-developed viewer shows the stars with a wealth of information, audio, and fantastic images. Digital information is merged with the image of the real night sky, which means you're not looking at a display but at a live image of the real sky. 

Best for: Beginners

Telescope Reflex Finder with Mounting Base and Selectable Red / Green Illumination

New Telrad Telescope Reflex Finder with Mounting Base and Selectable Red/Green Illumination*

The world's most popular non-magnifying finder, now in a new model with user-selectable red OR green reticle illumination.  Use the toggle switch on the front of the Telrad to easily select the illumination color that gives you the best contrast against the sky background.

Best for: All Levels

GSO 8x50mm Right Angle Correct-Image Finder

GSO 8x50mm Right Angle Correct-Image Finder with Bracket*

If you prefer a magnifying finder scope to help you aim your telescope at fainter targets, this finder makes it easy and intuitive to navigate the night sky. The large 50mm aperture lets you star hop using fainter stars and see many deep-sky objects directly, and the right-angle. Additional optics makes the image correctly oriented. And the right-angle diagonal makes it easier to hunt faint objects without back and neck strain. A must-have for all observers!

Best for: All Levels

William Optics Binoviewer

William Optics 1.25" Binoviewer Package (with 1.25" Wide Angle Eyepieces and 1.6x Barlow)

Two eyes are better than one, the old saying goes, and that's why many visual observers pack a good set of binoviewers in their observing toolkit. These clever optical devices let you observe with both eyes and two matched eyepieces to get stunning views of the Moon, planets, and brighter deep-sky sights, all without causing fatigue and eyestrain. This high-quality binoviewer from William Optics is remarkably affordable and will provide years of pleasurable viewing.

Best for: Intermediate to Advanced

Meade Stella WiFi Adapter

WiFi Adapters for Remote Telescope Control*

Wouldn't it be nice to use your tablet or smartphone to aim your telescope and go-to mount? That's the job of a WiFi adapter for remote telescope control. These little accessories create their own WiFi network so connect and control your mount with your handheld device and favorite planetarium app. You can choose the Meade Stella WiFi adapter for Meade mounts (and many other kinds of mount), or the Celestron SkyPortal WiFi adapter for Celestron mounts.

Best for: Intermediate to Advanced

Messier Observer's Planisphere

Messier Observer's Planisphere - Large 18" Star / Constellation Finder*

There are planispheres, then there are PLANISHPERES. This beautifully drawn and oversized map is perfect for up-and-coming stargazers. Simply dial in the date and time, then hold the beautifully drawn sky map up in front of you to see what stars and constellations are currently visible overhead. Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and asterisms in the Messier list are clearly shown on the map, making them easy to locate in a telescope or binoculars.

Best for: Beginner to Intermediate 

Cosmo Laser - Green Laser Star Pointer

Cosmo Laser - Green Laser Star Pointer with Integrated Holder for Smartphone*

Mount this little 5mW green laser pointer on the edge of your phone. Aim it at an object in the sky. Then center the object on the screen with your favorite smartphone app. It's a great way to learn the sky and to help others find their way around.

Best for: Beginner to Intermediate 

6. TELESCOPE MOUNTS

GSO SkyView Deluxe Alt-Az Mount

GSO SkyView Deluxe Altitude-Azimuth Telescope Mount*

The GSO SkyView Deluxe is an exceptionally well-made and stable mount for small telescopes. It's perfect for astronomers, photographers, and nature observers for terrestrial viewing or visual astronomy. Includes metal tripod and Vixen-style dovetail. Just add your telescope and you're ready to go for fast ‘grab and go' observing sessions.

Best for: All Levels 

7. BEGINNER TELESCOPES

Meade LightBridge Mini 130

Meade LightBridge Mini 130 130mm f/5 Dobsonian Telescope

Perfect for beginners and stargazers of all skill levels, the Meade LightBridge Mini is ideal “grab-and-go" table-top telescope for observing the Moon, planets, and deep-sky objects like nebulae and galaxies. With its sleek design and compact size, it's both functional and eye-catching. Comes with everything you need to get started including two eyepieces, a red dot viewfinder to help you aim the telescope, and the Autostar Suite Astronomy planetarium DVD with over 10,000 celestial objects. A Sky and Telescope Hot Product for 2016!

Best for: All Levels

Vixen A80Mf 80mm Refractor Telescope

Vixen 80mm Refractor and Mount

Here's a great beginner scope and a perfect first telescope for a child. This achromatic refractor has a big 80mm aperture to pull in bright images of Moon, planets, and thousands of deep-sky sights. It's easy to set up and take down for fast viewing sessions, yet powerful enough for years of stargazing fun. Includes Vixen's 5 year warranty.

Best for: Beginners

Meade ETX-125 Telescope

Meade ETX-125 Observer 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope

The popular Meade ETX125 Observer 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope system marries portability with premium optics. This is a fully-featured Go-To telescope has enough aperture to reveal thousands of celestial objects. And it includes the AudioStar controller that helps you to find and track objects in the night sky from its database of over 30,000 objects. It also has a built-in speaker and over 4 hours of audio content that educates you about objects you observe. Whether you're observing on the go or from your backyard, the ETX125 Observer makes exploring the night sky easy, educational, and exciting.

Best for: All Levels

Celestron NexStar 6SE Telescope

Celestron NexStar 6SE*

Celestron also has a perfect computerized Go-To telescope with excellent optics and portability. The Celestron NexStar 6SE has a solid single-arm altazimuth mount that tracks objects across the night sky, a red dot finder, tripod, and a signature Celestron orange optical tube assembly. It also includes SkyAlign technology to get the telescope aligned in minutes, even if you're unfamiliar with the night sky. A perfect scope for quick stargazing sessions in your back yard or at your favorite observing site!

Best for: All Levels