Sky Watcher Telescope Instructions

[Sherley]

Id think spherical as its the long tube version - I also notice in the pic it has thick spider vanes as per the Celestron Astromaster scopes rather than the thin vanes more typical of Sky-Watcher scopes. The price is weird - no idea whay its so cheap but I'd ask some questions.

I agree for a fast turnround on a generic item thay are good (though I did wait for about 8 weeks for a DVD from them) but once your into the realms of telescopes I;d avoid unless you know what it is your getting.

Sorry but I just happen to think the advice and support from a decent dealer is worth something - I was on the receiving end of a scope with no support. Yes the dealer changed it - and changed it again but never once was any support on offer and it soured the whole experience.

I think the colour scheme is misleading you. The OTA is black, just as the latest Skywatcher telescopoes and the mount is white, the latest colour for the EQ mounts is also white. In every other respect it is the same telescope as the blue Skywatcher Explorer 130 as imported into the UK by OVL. It probably won't be long before the rest of the Skywatcher range will follow the style of the 150P and above.

The 0.5mm vanes are only fitted to the f5 telescopes. The OVL Skywatcher 130/900 uses the same thick vanes as the one sold by Amazon.com. Adorama Cameras are also selling the same telescope for $174.95.

Beg to differ again but I have seen a 130/900 and it absolutely didndt have the thick vanes. If you look at Skywatchers US site you will see the pic they have there clearly doesnt have th thick vanes because thay are moulded onto the front part of the etelescopes whereas the thin vanes arent - they are held on with thumbscrews.

A quick search round the web reveals some of the 130/650 models with an N prefix or suffix also called 'Greatstart' have the thick vanes too so I would suspect this is Skywatcher hosing out some cheap stock to hoover up the bottom end of the market or perhaps gearing up to replace the Celestron Astromaster range. Either way theres a difference which may be only US based at the present time.

As far as the SkyWatcher 130N-eq2 for $99 on Amazon. I'd say its quite a bargain .... go for it. Really.... for a manually operated telescope .... what customer service other than an outstanding return policy such as Amazon has do you really need? Not much to go wrong with a manually operated Newtonian telescope from SkyWatcher, etc. Heck, if you are worried about reliability; buy a spare.... you can purchase two of these telescopes from Amazon for less than one from a typical telescope vendor.

Many SkyWatdher USA products are not the same as SkyWatcher rest of the world. If you pay carefull attention to web and photograph address as you go through the SkyWatcher USA site you will notice that a lot of photographs of SkyWatcher telescope refer back to a photograph of its Celestron counterpart. This is also true for their mounts as well ... eg. the SkyWatcher USA synscan az goto mount is a Celestron NexStar SLT mount complete down to the firmware ... nothing like the firmware of the SkyWatcher AZ mounts sold elsewhere.

Amazon calls the scope they are selling a SkyWatcher 130N eq2 and also shows a photograph of a skywatcher 130 N eq2. This is a f/6.9 classical Newtonian telescope with a parabolic mirror. The SkyWatcher 130NS eq2 is a f/5 classical newtonial telescope. The Bird Jones newtonian variant, a catadioptric design that uses a spherical mirror with a corrector lens, has one characteristic that easily sets it apart .... its focal length will always be longer than the telecope's tube lengh. This is not the case for either the 130N or the 130NS.

And even if the scope were a Bird Jones with a spherical mirror and corrector lens ... it's still a bargain at $99. This design is getting a lot of bad press because of colliimation issues as the process provided by the manufactures in the manuals are next to impossible to do. However, excellent work arounds have been developed and published on internet forms ... simply remove the corrector lens, collimate as with a regular Newtonian, then replace the corrector lens.

As far as the price. Celestron and SkyWatcher's parent company has a history of dumping scopes they are discontinuing on the market through selected retailers. A little over a year ago, Celestron dumped the Advanced Series C6S(XLT) and C6N(XLT). For this exercise they chose some UK vendors. I was able to purchase my C6S(XLT) from Telescope Planet at a price cheaper than Celestron was selling the OTA alone in the USA and the rest of the world.

In a hurry or only need a few questions answered regarding the set up or use of your telescope? Below is a list of links to sections in this Guide. Just find the question that best reflects what you need to know and click it to be taken to that section. Enjoy.

An Alt-Azimuth mount allows you to move your telescope in straight lines - up, down, right, and left. In its simplest form, the alt-azimuth mount is completely manual with basic movement controls, like the one shown in the photograph to the left, but it is also used on some of the most high-tech telescopes today, and can be fully computerized with mega bells & whistles.

An equatorial mount does not move in straight lines like an alt-azimuth mount does. It was designed to track the stars as they move in an arc across the sky. The shape of that arc depends on the latitude you are observing from, and an equatorial mount can be adjusted to compensate for your location in latitude. Equatorial mounts can be very basic or come with a wide range of capabilities and components, from simple motors on one or both axes, to a full-on computerized system that can handle observatory-sized telescopes.

Use the included hand controller to move your computerized telescope. Choose the speed, or slew rate, based on how far you need to move the telescope across the sky. Faster speeds are used to move from one object to another, and slower speeds are used to center the object or keep it in your eyepiece. Take some time to try out these speeds and experiment with the directional buttons on the hand controller.

Barlows are a super economical way to increase the number of magnifications you have available. For instance, three eyepieces and a Barlow lens would give you six different magnifications. To use a Barlow, insert it into your focuser or diagonal just as you would an eyepiece, and then insert your choice of eyepiece into the open end of the Barlow and tighten the thumbscrew.

So far, you have assembled your telescope, you have practiced moving it around, either manually, electronically, or both, and you have figured out which eyepieces are for lower powers or higher powers. Next, we are going to align your finderscope, and trust me, this simple step can either make or break your first observing session, so do not skip ahead!

Both telescope finder types work well, but they must be aligned to the telescope or they will be worthless. Check out your particular finder and make note of the adjustment knobs. They will either be on the red dot finder body itself or, if you have an optical finder, you will use the thumbscrews that suspend the finder in the bracket. Now, we are going to align your finder:

The equipment that you will use to observe the night sky is just one part of the equation for a successful evening of exploration. There are a few key questions you need to ask yourself before you head out, and a few accessories that we recommend you gather together that will help elevate your enjoyment and success.

This inexpensive, simple disc displays the night sky for a range of latitudes, including the constellations and more prominent celestial objects. By aligning the date with the time, you can quickly see which constellations are going to be up at any given moment.

High Point highly recommends a planisphere or a star chart with planisphere for anyone who is interested in observing the night sky, whether you have a telescope or not! Learning the constellations definitely enriches your experience in astronomy; it makes you feel more connected to the world around you, and expands your view. That is an important part of what astronomy is all about.

Earthly maps have latitude and longitude marked on them so that those with training in surveying, navigation, etc. can find any point by locating those coordinates. Celestial maps, star charts, and atlases are very similar in that they are printed with the equivalent of longitude and latitude (right ascension & declination) so that astronomers and celestial navigators can find their way.

If you have a smart device, such as an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet, there are several apps available for observational astronomy. Some apps will even tell you which celestial object you are looking at when you point your device at it! The apps listed below are just a sampling of what is available, and of course there are new apps being developed all the time.

This is pretty easy, because computerized telescopes have a built-in navigation system. Not only can they align themselves with little help from you, they have a built-in database and drive system that can show you thousands of objects with the push of a few buttons.

Artificial light is the enemy of amateur astronomers. When you are out observing faint celestial objects, you need your eyes to perform at their best, and that can only be accomplished when your pupils are as dilated as possible. Our pupils dilate to allow us to see better in the dark, and any white light that interferes with that process also interferes with our ability to see detail in those beautiful, ethereal galaxies and other deep-sky objects. However, we are still human and we need to be safe whilst traipsing around in the dark! Enter the red flashlight.

You will be amazed at how quickly seeing conditions change, and what effect they have on observations! The sky may be perfectly clear, but seeing can be so bad that Jupiter or Saturn might look like they are under water, and even low magnification views are not in focus. The next night (or the next hour!) those same planets will look perfectly focused in your highest magnification eyepiece, and all because the seeing conditions improved.

3a8082e126