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This means that once you’ve aligned the telescope on an object using the ‘horizontal’ adjustment (right ascension – RA) and the ‘vertical’ adjustment (declination – Dec.), it’s only necessary to make adjustments in the RA plane to follow the object as it traverses the sky. Sky-Watcher Explorer-130PS telescope: 5 best features Counterbalance bar and weight GoTo or computerised telescopes are the new generation of stargazing, and if you are into your gadgetry then you will definitely want to get one! The best one we have found is the Orion 27191 Starblast IntelliScope Reflector. Although it uses manual controls rather than computerised spotting, this does not detract from the overall performance. It is compact and light, making it a great choice to take out and about on stargazing trips, or even just a camping stay where you want to get some great shots of the night sky. What I like about it: Once the star is located in the eyepiece, nearby objects can be found from this start point. Tripod In equatorial (EQ) mode, the whole mount head is tilted on an adjustable wedge so that it points to the North Celestial Pole (in the northern hemisphere) or South Celestial Pole (in the southern hemisphere), around which the sky appears to rotate.
Our most popular beginners telescope ideal for older children and adults. The large 130mm aperture will show some nice detail in bright deep sky objects, plus the long 900mm focal length is ideal for close up views of the moon and will resolve some planetary detail too.The Explorer-130PS also comes with a pier extension to keep the telescope from clipping the tripod legs while slewing and this got a lot of use throughout the review period.
In altazimuth (AZ) mode, the mount moves horizontally in a 360° circle (azimuth) and vertically (altitude) from the horizon to the zenith, the point in the sky immediately above the observer. For telescopes that look deep into the night sky and give amazing shots of our celestial neighbours, you would be hard pressed to find a better one than the Meade Polaris 130EQ MD Reflector. With a variety of different eyepieces, you can choose whether you want to view planets, the lunar surface, stars or distant galaxies – all these different things are available right at your fingertips. What I like about it: Swing your telescope to the right spot in the sky and look for a yellowish-golden bright object that’s shining steadily. Once you find it, use your finderscope to focus on it then increase the magnification of your eyepiece until you can see the planet’s rings. So I dusted off the 130M and discovered that it was comparatively easy for me to set it up for viewing objects in the plane of the ecliptic. As the Mars Opposition was close I have been using mine to observe Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon recently. Tripod: The Explorer 130 from Sky-Watcher comes with an aluminum tripod. At 2.5kg, it is considerably sturdy and durable and adequate for a telescope with a 130mm aperture. The tripod reaches about 4 feet or 1.2 meters off the ground at full extension. The tripod is also collapsible, thanks to the struts across the center.Most DSLR cameras will require a barlow with T thread to reach infinity focus, search codes 20364, 93640 or bar2x in combination with a T-Ring - see related products. Overall, the telescope’s build and design are commensurate with its price. Sky-Watcher Explorer 130m optics and performance Counterweight: Due to the telescope’s weight, the Sky-Watcher Explorer 130 comes with a counterweight to keep it balanced while you use it. The counterweight weighs as much as the telescope, about 3.6 kg or 8 lbs. It also means you can add any accessory with reasonable weight without losing balance.
You are supplied with two eyepieces that give you two different magnifications to play with. The first eyepiece has a focal length of 10mm and the second 25mm, which provides magnification of 90X and 36X, respectively. You can create a “sky tour” of all the best celestial bodies, based on your exact time and location It is also supplied with some quality accessories including a 2x Barlow which doubles the power of the supplied standard 10mm and 25mm eyepieces. The mount is very well thought out, light yet sturdy and the complete setup is very appealing. Sky-Watcher Explorer-130PS telescope mountThe 25mm has generous eye relief, making it suitable for spectacle wearers. Both have fold-up rubber eyecups. Vital stats As with every telescope we review, we strongly recommend you read the instruction a few times to familiarize yourself with the telescope. It will pay dividends in the long run. Going out and about and capturing images of the night sky from different places is one of the best things you can do with your telescope. For the best travel portable telescope, look no further than the Celestron 52304 Regal M2 65ED Spotting Scope. This scope is not just for nighttime viewing; you can use it in the daytime for amazing imagery too. Perfect for bird watching or spotting wildlife from afar, the 52304 provides crystal clear images and great focus. The Extra Low Dispersion (ED) glass is ideal for capturing accurate colour reproduction and minimising chromatic aberration. It’s great for those that wish to dabble in astronomy as well as using the scope to view things closer to home. What I like about it: The motorised function, once you get used to it, is a fantastic addition and once which makes the whole journey even more rewarding We enjoyed some excellent views of M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, and M15 in Pegasus very early in the evening, then the Pleiades and the Hyades star clusters and M42 later during the night.
Accessory tray: There’s an accessory tray where you can keep items or accessories you intend to use while stargazing. Patience is a virtue, in this hobby and in general life. It's something I've learned (and am still learning in astronomy and elsewhere in life).
A budget telescope with a high-end equatorial mount that’s perfect for exploring the deep sky
The aluminium tripod is lightweight but surprisingly stable and proved to be a good match for the telescope and mount. It has a fairly long focal length (900mm), which allows you to achieve high magnifications. Long focal lengths enable you to get higher magnifications for viewing the planets and the moon. In the Explorer 130 telescope, the secondary obstruction is 46mm. As a result, you may observe diffraction rings when observing night sky targets. I talked about the telescope’s high obstruction earlier. Consequently, you’ll particularly observe reduced contrast and brighter diffraction rings when observing the planets. You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is.
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