The purchase was for two identical Orion StarBlast telescopes of 4.5-inch aperture at f/4. Only the mounts are different, so we thought. This page will describe the actual differences between the two.
BIG BLUE
Nicknamed Big Blue because of its beautiful blue metal tube and larger footprint created by the mount style, this telescope is shown on the right in the photo. The Orion Starblast II EQ with motor drive has many obvious differences when compared to the Dobsonian mounted version. With a total weight of 20.7 lbs it comes with a German Equatorial mount and requires some assembly. A motorized clock drive moves the telescope in right ascension using one motion control knob and a single 9-volt battery. It also has manual slow motion controls for right ascension and declination. Setting circles are provided. Differences also include the primary mirror - Orion specifications say it's made of soda lime plate glass. Also different are the two eyepieces, both Plossl design at 10mm and 25mm focus. The telescope comes with a Moon map. The product manual must be downloaded. Assembly instructions are in the manual or found on Youtube with Orion's video.
Nicknamed Little Green because of its beautiful green metal tube and small footprint compared to its sibling, this Orion StarBlast is Dobsonian mounted and is a true grab and go tabletop telescope. Weighing only 13 lbs., no assembly is needed. It sets inside the shipping box fully assembled. There is no motor drive. The primary mirror is made from low expansion borosilicate glass and the includes Ramsden eyepieces 6mm and 17mm focus. The entire telescope weighs only 20.7 lbs. and can be lifted with one hand. This is a grab and go tabletop telescope, setup and ready for action. It comes with a product manual, and Starry Night SE software.
ADDED DIFFERENCES
As of the date on this posting, Little Green gets a replacement Celestron 5x24 lightweight resin lensed finderscope to do star hopping. Big Blue gets a cell phone holder, Apple iPhone Max X, and Celestron software to do push go goto to find sky objects.
