Loaner Telescopes and Accessories

Borrow a telescope, astrophotography rig, mount, or accessory kit for up to three months.

A benefit of SDAA Full Contributing Membership is access to SDAA loaner equipment. The SDAA maintains a comprehensive fleet of telescopes, mounts, eyepieces, and other accessories that Full Contributing Members are eligible to borrow in three-month stretches.

If you are interested in borrowing some equipment, you can e-mail the SDAA Loaner Equipment Coordinator. You can also review the table at the bottom of the page showing current availability.

Borrowing equipment requires that members follow these steps (see additional details in the Loaner Scope Procedures).

  1. Contact the SDAA Loaner Equipment Coordinator to verify eligibility and equipment availability. If you are not sure what equipment is right for you, the Coordinator will help you decide.
  2. Plan to meet the Coordinator at Tierra Del Sol around sunset on one of the SDAA Public or Member star party nights.
  3. At TDS, the Coordinator will train you in operation of the loaner equipment.
  4. You may now use the loaner equipment under the dark skies of TDS, and take the equipment home with you. Loans are for three months.
  5. Plan to meet the Coordinator at Tierra Del Sol when your equipment is due to be returned. The Coordinator will inspect the equipment for any damage and check the equipment back into inventory.

Note: All equipment pick-up and drop-off MUST take place at TDS and MUST be accomplished before dusk!

Dobsonian Telescopes (Visual)

The Dobsonian Telescope is a Newtonian reflecting telescope (mirror in the back, eyepiece in the front) mounted on a simple up-down-left-right mount that you move by hand. These telescopes are hugely popular for beginners all the way to advanced amateur astronomers as they prioritize high quality and large aperture optics over complex and fussy electronics and motorized mounts. Dobsonian telescopes are ideal for visual observation, and are not suitable for any kind of astrophotography.

The SDAA has numerous Dobsonian telescopes available, from compact table-top models that can be carried in a backpack, to popular 8 to 10 inch models. Larger telescopes deliver brighter and more magnified images, but can be heavier and bulkier to move around.

SDAA-023, SDAA-033
Orion SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian Reflector.
1200mm f/4.7 optics
2” focuser. Telrad.
Enjoy one of our big 10 inch “light bucket” dobsonians under the dark skies of TDS. This telescope is a great introduction to “big scopes”, including a 2″ focuser for those big wide-angle eyepieces.
SDAA-026
Zhumell 8″ Dobsonian
The Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian telescope features an 8” parabolic primary mirror with a f/6 focal ratio and 1200mm focal length. A very versatile scope: small enough to pack in compact vehicles, but large enough to observe the entire Messier catalog with ease! Sports a 2″ focuser and a 50mm RACI finder scope.
SDAA-031
Orion SkyQuest XT8
The Orion XT8 Dobsonian telescope has an 8” parabolic primary mirror with a f/6 focal ratio and 1200mm focal length. Includes a 2″ focuser and a Telrad.  This size Dobsonian scope is small enough to pack in compact vehicles, but large enough to observe the entire Messier and Caldwell catalogs.
SDAA-028
Bushnell Voyager 8″ Dobsonian
Easy to set up and easy to transport, the Bushnell Voyager features an 8″ parabolic mirror with a f/6 focal ratio and 1200mm focal length.  This is a great scope to borrow if you have kids who want to learn to use a telescope.  It is rugged and super simple to use.
SDAA-030
The OneSky telescope from Astronomers Without Borders features a 130mm paraboloidal f/5 mirror. With a truss tube that collapses to 14.5 inches in seconds and a total weight of just 14 pounds, performance and convenience are combined in one portable package.  This telescope is compact and lightweight so it’s really easy to take out and use any time there is a clear sky.  Take this scope camping!  The 5 inch aperture is big enough to observe hundreds of deep sky objects from dark skies.  Very easy to use: great for getting kids introduced to telescopes. Features a simple helical focuser and red dot finder.

Computerized GoTo Telescopes (Visual + Planetary Photography)

These telescopes are Schmidt Cassegrain optical tubes riding on motorized and computerized “GoTo” mounts. Power up the mount, perform a straightforward alignment routine, and then all you need to do is punch in the catalog ID of the object you want to observe. The mount will automatically slew to the object and once located, track it across the sky.

These telescope systems are primarily intended for visual use, but some limited astrophotography using video captures of planets, is possible with these telescopes.

SDAA-004
8″ Meade LX-90 SCT
Weight: 70 lbs.
2000mm f/10 optics with oversized primary mirror
A full computerized GOTO telescope, with Meade Autostar. This telescope, once properly aligned, will slew to virtually any object, then track it across the sky. Note that the tracking functionality is best for visual use; this scope is challenging to use for planetary astrophotography.

Astrophotography Equipment (Deep Sky Photography)

Astrophotography is more accessible than ever, with the cost of telescopes, mounts, cameras, and accessories constantly dropping. Capturing images, stacking, and processing them is also getting much easier as software continues to improve. But make no mistake — getting amazing images like this still requires a huge amount of knowledge, patience, and the right equipment.

The SDAA can help you get started by getting you access to otherwise pricy equipment such as sturdy motorized german equatorial mounts, fast optical tubes, and guiding equipment. You can use this equipment to determine whether astrophotography is for you. If so, you will have real-world experience to inform your purchase decisions. If not, you won’t be stuck with equipment that you now have to sell.

There is also the SDAA Astro Imagers Special Interest Group (AISIG) that meets regularly to discuss all things astrophotography. After picking up your loaner astrophotography rig, it is recommended that you engage with AISIG to help you get your bearings and make the most of your loaned equipment.

SDAA-029: Beginner
iOptron Skyguider Pro with Accessories
Easy to use sky tracker that can accept your DSLR, mirrorless, point-and-shoot camera, or a small telescope.  Includes everything you need (except the camera and lens) to start shooting deep sky exposures up to 10 minutes in length.  Includes heavy duty 2″ steel tripod, upgraded William Optics alt-az base with polar scope, dual counterweights, heavy duty ball head mount for your camera, and a William Optics Vixen dovetail saddle for small telescopes.  Also includes a Bahtinov mask to assist with focusing.  The whole set packs up in two small boxes, plus the tripod: super easy to transport to dark skies.
SDAA-027: Intermediate
Intermediate Astrophotography Rig
6″ f/5 Orion Astroview telescope mounted on a Celestron CG-5 AS-GT.  This fully motorized and GOTO mount sits on a sturdy 2″ steel tripod and includes three counterweights (only one needed for the included OTA). Vixen style saddle. The OTA has a 1.25″ focuser with T-threads to accept your DSLR or mirrorless camera.  T-adapters for common DSLRs are included.  With a good polar alignment, exposures of 2-3 minutes should be possible.  Fast f/5 optics and short 750mm focal length make for a forgiving astrophotography experience.

Specialized Equipment

Some unusual or specialized equipment is also available to loan. For example, solar telescopes that are used during the day!

SDAA-034, SDAA-037
Coronado Personal Solar Telescope (PST)
Coronado’s iconic Personal Solar Telescope (or PST for short) is an incredibly portable way to view the sun in hydrogen-alpha light, capable of sitting on top of even modest photo tripods. The Sun’s got a lot going on, and the PST will show it to you. By zeroing in on the far end of the Sun’s visible light spectrum — the hydrogen-alpha line — the PST reveals our closest star rolling with violent, ever-changing activity.  40mm f/10 optics with a <1.0 Å bandpass etalon.  Observe solar prominences and surface granulation impossible to see with a simple white-light solar filter.  Mount on your own photo tripod, or pair with SDAA-029 for a sturdier base with tracking.  Includes everything you need to observe the sun in H-alpha.

We have two of these telescopes available to loan. One comes with a clever alt-az fine pointing adjustment for a photo tripod (not included). The other comes with the original Coronado case and a tabletop tripod.

Current Inventory Status

The table below shows the current status of the SDAA loaner inventory. The due date is not a gurantee that the equipment will be returned by that date: scheduling conflicts and inclement weather can often push return dates out, so do not count on equipment being returned by the due date. It is always best to contact the SDAA Loaner Equipment Coordinator to express your interest in an item, and to get on the waitlist if it is already checked out.

If viewing this page on mobile, note that you may need to scroll the table to the right to see the inventory status.

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