Q1: I am getting ready to purchase my first telescope, I was just wondering if the Zumell pedigree 100 was a decent choice by a reliable manufacturer. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

A: Yes, the Zhumell Perigee is a good beginning scope. It has very nice optics and a good, sturdy mount and tripod. It also includes a motor drive to automate tracking of celestial objects across the sky as the Earth moves out from "under" them. Without this, youd constantly be making manual adjustments, and the scope would not be of much use for astrophotography. The Perigee's 100mm aperture will gather many, many times as much light as your unaided eye, allowing you to see out to Magnitude 12.5. That will bring in about 13 million stars. You'll also get nice views of Saturn and its rings, Jupiter and its Great Red Spot, Mars' polar regions, Venus' cloud banks, nearby star clusters, a number of Nebulae, including Orion and The Ring, plus the Andromeda Galaxy and others. Of course, views of the Moon will be spectacular.

Q2: How much do the components weigh and the entire assembly weigh? How easily can it be disasembled and reassembled? - efm

A: The Perigee's optical tube weighs 7.5 pounds, and the mount weighs 11.50 pounds for a total weight of 19 pounds. Assembly is simply a matter of extending the tripod legs, locking the optical tube in place and plugging in the motor controller.

Q3: I just purchased the Perigee and awaiting on arrival, I must add, like a kid a Christmas. Anyway, when I spoke to the salesman he said something about coatings or a special kind of lens that made the Perigee a good scope to buy. Could you give me more det

A: The Perigee is a Maksutov-Cassegrain scope, meaning it incorporates both a primary mirror and a corrector lens to focus light and make an image. The Perigee's primary mirror is ground to very, very close tolerances (less than 1/12th wave accuracy) and is coated with top-grade aluminized material. In addition, the Maksutov corrector lens is precision-ground and fully multi-coated to optimize light transmission and minimize light scatter. The scope has been garnering some very good reviews on amateur astronomer web sites, including Cloudynights.com.

Q4: 1. Is this okey for a starter? 2. Can I connect it to my computer for imaging and viewing? 3. I live in Pakistan, how much would be the courier charges? 4. Where can I see those scopes near to my location? How can I have it picked up by hand?

A: Zhumell's Perigee 100mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope would be a great starter scope. It's garnering excellent reviews from customers and online astronomy forums. With the addition of the Zhumell Digital Eyepiece or a CCD camera, it can be used for imaging and display on a PC or laptop. Here's the URL for the Digital Eyepiece; just paste it into your browser's address window: http://telescopes.com/products/zhumell-1-25in-digital-eyepiece-super-sale-closeout-32584.html. Unfortunately, we are unable to quote shipping charges without knowing your postal code or address. If you could let us know the code, we'll be glad to give you an estimate. Currently the only place the Perigee telescope is available is on our web site. There is no dealer in Pakistan at present.

Q5: Can you please tell me the difference between Zhumell Perigee 100 Maksutov Cassegrain Telescope and Zhumell Eclipse 114 with Motor Drive? I am a fine artist I also do Photography I have Nikon D70 digital SLR. From internet I got to know that in Refle

A: The Zhumell Perigee 100 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope is a catadioptric, or hybrid, telescope incorporating both a primary mirror and a lens. This corrects both the coma one experiences with reflector telescopes and the chromatic aberration that one gets with refractors. Its images can be corrected with an erecting prism to the proper orientation for viewing land objects. The Zhumell Eclipse 114 is a reflecting telescope that is subject to coma and that produces upside down images. This image orientation cannot be entirely corrected for land viewing. Both reflecting and refracting telescopes, as well as catadioptrics like the Perigee, work with visible light, so you'll see whatever color there is out there to see. Refracting telescopes CAN produce sharper images. However, most of the observatories built since the middle of the 20th Century use catadioptric telescopes, and they produce exquisite images. Thus, for photographic work, we'd probably recommend the Perigee.

Q6: I am a beginner but would like to use this for digital photography. I have a Pentax *ist DS and need to know if I will be needing more counterweights. If so, where do I get them from? Also, will this scope need collimating? Thanks.

A: Your camera body weighs just under 8 ounces, and the counterweight supplied with the Zhumell Perigee should be sufficient. If you do find you need additional weight, you can purchase them from us at Telescopes.com. Most standard weights will fit the Perigee. The scope should arrive completely collimated, and its optics should not require realignment. In the event they do, however, it's a simple procedure outlined in the product manual.

Q7: I was wondering what is the weight of this telescope and would it be useful for viewing DSO and planets from a small town? I live in the suburbs and as just wondering. Regards, Adam

A: The Zhumell Perigee 100 Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope weighs 15.3 pounds including both optical tube and mount. A 100mm scope has a limiting magnitude of about 12.5, so you'll be able to view at least 5.3 million stars. A scope with a larger objective, of course, would bring in more stars and give more detail on the planets and Moon. Still, the Perigee is a good little scope that's well worth using for some deep-space objects and lunar/planetary viewing.

Q8: did not see if telescope is computer friendly

A: You can use an imaging device, such as the Zhumell Digital Eyepiece to view real-time images and video on your computer. There is, however, no provision for controlling the telescope via computer.

Q9: Ive previously owned a Meade ETX125 and was wondering how you would rate the optic of this scope compared to the Meade? I own a pair of 15x100 binos made by Zhumell i purchased from you guys and they are absolutely fantastic. Are crisp views a standard a

A: We've found the Perigee's optics to be pretty darn good; the equal of the ETX's. Folks on the online astronomy forums are favorably impressed, too. Zhumell's been coming out with some pretty good products of late, notably the Perigee, its line of Dobsonian telescopes and its astronomical binoculars. All have great optics.

Q10: is the controller on the telescope automatic or do you have to move it yourself.

A: The Zhumell Perigee has a motor drive that automates tracking. Set it correctly, and you won't have to touch the manual controls.

Q11: In the Zhumell eyepice kit there is a 32mm eyepiece but it does not fit on an erecting prism

A: Hi Wade, thank you for your email and sorry for the delay in our response. I'm not sure what the problem would be.(?) The 32mm should be no different than the other 1.25" eyepieces. If you haven't resolved this issue as of yet, please let us know. Best regards, Denny

Q12: I have the zhumell eyepiece kit but i need to know how to put on the 32mm eyepiece and the color and moon filters. "thankyou"

A: Hi Wade, Thank you for your email. The filters should thread onto the bottom inside of the eyepiece. You should be able to simply place the eyepiece into the eyepiece holder. If I've misunderstood your problem or question, please feel free to let me know and I'll be happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Thanks Wade! Best Regards, Denny

Q13: I am a lazy astronomer; I was wondering if this scope would work while in a seated position? It looks like it cannot because the tripod would be in the way.What is the height adjustment of the tripod?

A: You're our kind of astronomer! Tripod height for the Zhumell Perigee 100 Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope adjusts between 32 inches and about 56 inches.

Q14: Hi, I read this Perigee has automatic tracking. Is this same as Goto? If not, What is the difference? Thanks for your time.

A: The Zhumell Perigee 100 Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope does not have GoTo capability. It has a motor drive that will move the scope to cancel out the effects of the Earth's rotation, saving fiddling with manual tracking controls. You will, however, still have to locate the objects you want to view "by hand."