One feature not mentioned is the telescope can be operated with the truss tubes not fully extended in order to increase backfocus. I've used this with a ZWO camera and a short helical focuser (since the built-in one isn't so precise and also rotates).
My father and I built a 6" table-top dob in the in the 1990s, used old reel-to-reel film cases as the alt bearings. It was a great little scope. We couldn't figure out how to add wifi though :)
Thanks for the video and the great review. I bought the "Skywatcher Dobson Teleskop N 150/750 Heritage FlexTube Virtuoso GTi" in November 2021 here in Germany. It is my secound telescope and I am very happy with it. Used it last summer, to show some friends Jupiter, Saturn, the pleiades star cluster and Andromeda. Andromeda was kinda faint though. I would totaly recommand this telescope.
Thanks for the review, Ed. I bought one of these recently, and although I know very little about telescopes (my first meeting with the local astronomical society is next week!), I've been able to get it working reasonably well. I've had success with both lenses, getting good focus on (and tracking) the Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter. We're near a small city, so deep sky stuff isn't possible until we venture out. I made a very heavy, custom-built timber stand, and I incorporated the foam insert that the scope came in. I figured it already had the holes for the legs, plus it would absorb any small vibrations. I'm Australia, and the stars of the Southern hemisphere don't seem to be as alignment-friendly as those of the North, so I'm still working on that. TL/DR: I really like it, and my family and I have already had great fun with it.
I have a 150p that I put together with the skywatcher AZ-GTI mount and it’s associated tripod. A fantastic setup for a beginner like myself and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get started.
Hi Ed! The end table from Ikea you mentioned may actually be their stool called the "Kyrre". I have one for my AWB Onesky, and it fits perfectly. :) I found out about it from a Cloudy Nights thread.
Looks like it was made for it. I thought about Kallax, maybe 2x1 size with additional weight in it but that stool is much lighter and doesn't need a level surface.
@@rememberkani3208 I just checked the Heritage 130 (I think it's the Onesky in the USA): The three feet under the base are ca. 30mm diameter, 32mm high and form a 30cm triangle (middle-middle). In the middle of the base the bolt sticks out a few millimetres.
I have the Heritage 150p thanks to your earlier review. I got rid of the dob base and put the tube on a Skywatcher AZ-gte mount which uses the same SynScan app. The optics are quite good and the combo of the 150p and Az-gte (or Az-gti) makes for a great grab and go telescope combo. It's such a good combo I'm surprised Skywatcher hasn't paired these two in an official release.
I thought that was exactly what Ed was reviewing from the thumbnail! I use the AWB OneSky (130mm) with the AZ-GTi myself, and I'm also surprised this combo hasn't already been offered before.
They paired the AZ-GTI with the Pronto Tripod that comes with the 130p solid tube (not Heritage but same mirrors)/SkyHawk 114p/StarTravel 102 and both 102 and 127 SkyMax telescopes in the UK but cost more than both the virtuoso and the AZ-Go2 versions.
The solution to astrocams and DSLRS is to reduce the length you pull out the secondary mirror, slide it up and down until you get focus thus avoiding the need of a barlow lens to bring the focal point further out for cameras. I have seen some people slide the tube up and down with eyepieces and fine tune with the helical focuser. This gives a lot more focusing flexibility than solid tube design telescopes. Skywatcher shortened the tube on the PDS 130 to make it easier to focus with cameras, with any of the Heirtage truss telescopes, you have free reign and they have the same mirrors, as do the Explorer DS and M 130p. Software can fix most jitters when doing astrophotography to get a final stacked image. The 130p Heritage (AWB OneSky) is available in the UK but not the 130p virtuoso version. We have the 150p Heritage and 150p virtuoso and after looking at the prices in the USA and comparing them to UK prices, the USA 130p virtuoso is considerably more than the 150p virtuoso in the UK after currency conversion and this is before USA tax is added to the product. Not surprised i see on forums from the USA that they ordered the 150p from the UK. Skywatcher have a new (at the time of posting) AZ-Go2 versions on a more traditional? 3-legged tripod/mount rather than a dobsonian base but so fat haven't seen or heard of anyone using one.
Do you have this scope mate?, I just bought the 150p heritage GTi , traded my nearly new 8 inch skyliner dob for it, cause of portability etc.. and most important the GoTo.
@@Paulie1978100 Yea, i bought the 150p Heritage Virtuoso GTI awhile back, also bought the Sky-Watcher Stainless Steel 1.75" Tripod with 3/8" thread too, not required but it has its advantages when you cant find something flat to put the telescope on, this ads a lot of hight, this also has advantages but you need a stool or something to stand on.
Ed, Interesting review of the Sky-Watcher 130p Newtonian GOTO telescope. I used something similar for outreach but it was all manual in operation. I could see this model being used for the younger astronomy enthusiast who do not have pristine skies or who have a limited knowledge of their skies. Great review and video! Thank you for sharing.
I used my "Ikea BEKVAM Wooden Utility Step". It is very strong and stable (since it is actually a step stool). The slot in the top (used for carrying) fits the centre bolt at the bottom of mount and the feet fit on either side of the top step. It's also really good for sawing wood, as it turns out.
I bought my young daughter the Orion Starblast Autotracker a few years back, which does much the same. We only have the base tracking unit, but a hand controller will turn it into a goto. Have been very happy with it and it's a nice small child friendly unit she can carry outside and set on a table with minimal parental assistance. I'd like to find a used DSLR some day to toy around attaching to it too. Edit: that's what I get for listening and not watching. It appears to be the same unit, maybe a generation older.
Thank you so much for this review . I just recently purchased the 150p virtouso for my daughter and was a little stumped on trying to figure out the alignment process. Your review helped us out thank you so much we now have a very happy 8year old.
People are buying this for the mount, if they were buying it for the OTA, they would buy the manual version or the solid tube Explorer DS or PDS version which comes with a 2 inch focuser for considerably less.
i already have an orion st80a and like this mount. will look into the possibility of getting just the base and a remote controller. there are those of us who have physical....issues/challenges and need workarounds to fully enjoy stargazing. will do some investigating. at present i use a pretty stable camera tripod. the base of the sky watcher might have a 1/4"x20 thread screwhole in the base, but that base is probably made of compressed sawdust and won't take stress well. jack horkheimer: keep looking up!
Ed. Got the earlier Mak 90 Virtuoso version. All comments are spot on given my journey with mine. Think ideally needs a substantial tripod under it? But love the way it can go back to objects you enjoyed earlier.
Thanks....Another great video and a good review of the Synscan app. For grab'n go, I use a Skywatcher AZ GTi mount on an old Gitzo tripod with an ETX 90mm mak. I just upgraded to the new Svbony 105 mak optical tube with their 305 camera connected to my laptop. I'm thinking of adding the ZWO ASIAIR Mini and a tablet to go totally wifi. Thanks again for what you bring to amateur astronomy.
4:58 I hope not! I have a WIFI enabled Skywatcher Star Discovery 2i mount and problems using my phone and tablet has given me nothing but grief . As soon as I started using a handset it was a blessed relief and the frustrations immedietely melted away.
I have an 8” dob and I’d love to get a goto. I have issues finding things with my 8”. Thanks for the review. The price tag on this doesn’t seem to be too steep so maybe it’s worth trying even if it means having both scopes setup near each other to be able to use this goto to get me closer with the 8”.
Just ordered my 7 year old granddaughter a celestron starsense dx 130. I want a Dobsonian telescope. If we like star gazing I will probably get us a larger Dobsonian. We both watch and enjoy your videos. Thank You.
I have the hand controller ordered and will arrive Tuesday. Also the hand controller has a 40,000 database instead of 10,000 in the app. Not that I would look at all of either one.
the rods can slide back a bit ☺️ that's a good way to make say an uncooled color camera reach focus and get you going in EAA ... seems like an ideal travel setup ... compact and lightweight... just bring a laptop 😂 I have a friend who bought the 6" virtuoso and he's getting good results using Sharpcap and a self made reducer bringing the focal ratio close to 3.8 from 5 ... he's using an ASI294c and just at the very edge you can see some coma. with the new camera ASI585c I'm pretty sure no optical aberration will be detectable since smaller sensor. of course long exposure is out of question on two accounts... the mount is not meant for sharp tracking and there is the field rotation... Sharpcap can compensate for field rotation in livestacking via live alignment and filter the bad subs with a full width half max measure of the stars. I wish I had one and a 585 ... nice video! thanks 🙏
@@edting I have seen some people on other channels that are doing the slide back as well for focus. I have the 150 GTi arriving tomorrow. I have a 6 and 10 in Dob but want to use this with my 6 yr old grandson because of ease of portability and when he gets older probably be his, lol. Great review as always Ed. Thanks.
Great review! Seems like a nice portable setup. Interesting to hear your thoughts on focal lengths and accuracy with this mount. I thought it would be similar to the Az-Gti mount. I bought the skymax 102 mak version. I haven't used it much but it seemed ok. Although I did find myself wanting less focal length and more aperture at times.
Oh my beginner experience with the syscan app... rofl. Everything you said is absolutely true. I think I spent nearly all of my first 3 tries just fumbling with alignment and "is that the star? Wait... no, is THAT the star? Wait... what's this object?". Next: enter up being moving right, left moving up, right moving down, down moving left because of the way the scope is facing. Rofl. Fast forward to using this for 4 nights now and I'm not quite as lost (i only have had 1 or 2 nights per 2 weeks of clear skies and days off work to even attempt to get used to it). 😂
Hi Ed, thanks for the great review! I have been looking at the same mount lately but with their 127 Maksutov attached. You mentioned that astrophotography would not be a thing with the one you just reviewed, but would that be the case with its MC brother as well, which is 1500 mm is I remember correctly. I'm mainly into lunar imaging and Saturn/Jupiter, because I heard that these F-12.5 maks are mainly for planetary imaging, and as I don't have a good camera either, I'm bold enough to mount my smartphone on my Svbony zoom 7-21 eyepiece. So do you think the mount itself is good enough to track the planets and the moon at about a 250-300x expected magnification? I have some concrete slabs to put it on, and even clamp it down if I need to...
Hi Mr Ting I have been following you for a while now and very much enjoy your videos. And I feel I'm now ready to purchase my first telescope I am thinking of buying the skywatcher explorer 200 with the eq5 mount. Manual version for now maybe buy a motor later. Do you think its a reasonable choice or is there something else. Hoping later down the Road to do astrophotography with it. All the best and keep up the great videos, many thanks.
Hi ed, I purchased a sky watcher 102AZ sky traveler, telescope. I also purchased a Celestron 90 MAK as a beginner in astronomy. I’m not sure how good these scopes are . I live in a very light polluted area and will probably be doing most of my viewing from the backyard, which means I’m pretty much probably limited to planets however, if I get a chance to take to the mountains or the country, I will have a chance to maybe do you some more dso’s. So I was wanting something that kind of could be good for both. The smaller scope I purchased because of making it something more compact or easier to travel with however, I am thinking about maybe returning both, but I just don’t know what to go with an 8 inch Dobson would be great, but I think the light pollution might mess things up. I would like to be able to get a really good close-up view of planets and some something that I can see some brighter nebula and just get a good view overall, do you have any suggestions or do you think what I have will work just fine. Also would like to know a good inexpensive mount for the Celestron C 90.
The combined price of those two telescopes would have been better put towards a 130p or 150p Heritage and a 80mm refractor for general purpose and would have been cheaper. There is nothing wrong with those telescopes but a single Heritage telescope would do what both of those two telescopes are capable of doing and likely much more because of the lack of chromatic aberration and could match the C90 focal length with a good barlow lens or eyepiece.
I would think these "Tabletop" telescopes are meant to be on a "Table". A small round garden table for 2 will be ideal. And you would be comfortably sitting while observing, like Galileo did. :) I have a small square garden table from Costco in my deck and I think it will work beautifully there too.
Ok but just be careful, once an electronic scope is calibrated, it cannot be moved or nudged at all. If you bump the edge of the table with your forearm leaning in to look at the eyepiece, you have to start all over again.
i ned help fast... what is better: Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor Telescope with Twilight Nano Mount - FL-AR102600TN or Explore Scientific 102 mm Doublet Refractor - DAR102065-01 - Silver Grade Refurb? what is better for deep sky?
Looking at the specs, they would have the same amount of chromatic aberration so i cant really see there being any difference optics wise. One comes with a 2 inch diagonal, the other with a tripod, which is more important? diagonal upgrades are optional but you'll always need a tripod.
Sky Watcher makes a tripod which can be used by this telescope. There is a 3/8" hole in the bottom of the base into which the screw on the tripod will fit. That is how I have mine mounted for EAA.
First off great video I was considering getting this scope. One thing I wanted to know, I am a beginner and I use my current scope for just viewing, but occasionally I tend to put a smartphone adapter up to the eyepiece and take photos with my phone. Can I use that with the 150P version or would it add too much weight?.
You are really asking two questions: 1) Can I attach a smartphone adapter to the scope? The answer is yes. 2) Will this actually work? Ehhhhh....I've never had any luck doing this but you can try. Hint: lower your expectations.
That product is best thought of as a fancy camera tracker. I would not use that as my daily equatorial mount. You'll see why when/if you get it. It's inconvenient. If you are going to mount a telescope, please stay with a dedicated traditional eq mount.
It would be nice if they sold the mount seperately, I'd love to throw my AWB Onesky on it, without having to purchase essentially the same scope again!
I'm thinking more experienced users would like a more upscale version of this (read built better, higher end components - no eye pieces etc.) but I fear if they did that it would compete with even better equipment sharing similar price points. But dang, the ones that come to mind are bigger and heavier (all the computer SCT scopes and the rest are on GEM's. I will venture to say this scope will provide slightly more contrast than the C5 - did you get a chance to compare the quality of view compared to a SCT?
It should come with the controller.I find using your phone lousy, just As Ed said u can't feel the buttons.Nothing better than E.S.H (electronic star hopping). Clear skies to All
wow an "all in one" review from you ed.... and you said the words "eyepiece" and "super" in the same sentence :) :) I must make a note :) :) looking at this 130 or 150 as a beginner scope for my wife
Ed, I understand that there is a standard 3/8 threaded mount block on the bottom of the base for tripod use, no idea how well it works, but at least sounds like a better option than lugging tables or tubs around :)
Hi Ed, Nice review, thanks for the video. Just to note with the point regarding putting the camera all the way in - it's possible to slightly retract the flextube part of the assembly to bring a regular camera into focus without needing to insert it all the way into the focuser. It's not ideal but works in a pinch.
Hi Ed! Your videos are very informative. You always give the correct information to your viewers. I am from India, i learn many things from your videos. So, can you please tell me one thing is there any difference in using a 2'' eye piece or 1.25'' eye piece on an 8'' Dobsonian telescope. Thank you
A 25mm eyepiece will show you the same magnification no matter what the barrel diameter. But the larger 2" eyepiece will show you more of the sky. This has two benefits - on a manual scope like a Dob, you will need to push it less often. Also, some feel that the bigger field of view is more emotionally involving. On the downside, they cost more, and some people don't care about the larger FOV.
The only benefit of a 2-inch eyepiece is when the True Field of View/Field Stop is larger than what the 1.25-inch eyepiece can allow due to the physical size of the focuser tube/opening. There are some that would say that another benefit of 2 inch is when the eyepiece weighs a lot, it would be better in a 2-inch focuser which some claim 2-inch focusers to be stronger which in my opinion is more to do with rubbish build quality of a focuser and trying to squeeze more money out of people because the eyepiece is 2 inches, not 1.25 rather than a fact. One example would be the 2 inch Explore Scientific 14mm 100-degree eyepiece which is heavy vs. the optically superior in my opinion APM 13mm (13.5mm Stellarvue, same eyepiece, different cosmetics) 100-degree 1.25-inch eyepiece, much lighter and costs a lot less. There are others where a 26mm 2-inch eyepiece costs more than a 32mm plossl but have less true field of view and because the magnification is so close, the 2-inch eyepiece is overpriced and redundant.
My first scope was a 90mm Virtuoso Maksutov - the mount's base could be screwed into a photographic tripod. I'm wondering if this scope has a similar feature?
Never occurred to me you could swap optics. That 400mm scope is probably better suited to the mount than the reflector. Wider FOV with a smaller mount is always better.
I bought a three-legged outdoor side table from The Home Depot that I think will probably work better then those four-legged IKEA tables. The one I have is about 18” high with an 18” diameter. The three table legs work great off the pavement, because, since they are essentially a tripod, they won’t rock on uneven surfaces. I recessed three holes in the top for the feet of my Starblast. It’s solid and is working great. I can grab the tabletop and telescope base at the same time and pick up the entire thing as one unit.
The Chinese-sourced Maks are all very similar. The QC is getting better. The big mistake I see people making is buying a mount that is too small. Maks have long focal lengths that need to be kept as steady as possible.
@@edting I got the 102mm Skymax with the GTI and its associated mount. Is this alright in your opinion? I definitely notice its not that steady immediately after adjusting the focus or repositioning it manually but it does become still after 3-4 seconds. Do you know of any way to make it more still, especially when I’m using it around 200x power.
@Ed Ting -- have you done a review of telescope mounts? It seems that the mount is about 80 percent of the telescope systems. (Also, saw the Oxford video. It was nice to have an everyman view of the school and campus. It seemed happier than Hogwarts.)
Hi. Do you think a 6 inch dobsonian is better than a 6 inch reflector on an eq mount. Same question with 130mm. Do you think a 135mm dobsonian is better than a 135mm on an eq mount.
If you are doing astro-imaging then the EQ mount is going to be the better mount, as the object is going to track and keep aligned in only one axis. With the 'dobsonian', you have to move two the mount in two axis... altitude and azimuth. Did you notice 'alt' and 'az'?... alt + az = alt-az mount... i.e. a 'dobsonian' is an alt-az mount. It will be OK for short exposures of the Moon and solar, (with a solar filter), and [maybe] brighter planets; but for deep-sky not so good. My advice would be to join a local astronomy society/club and/or an amateur-astronomy forum on the internet. Wishing you clear skies. 🔭
@Paulie1978100 um,, yeah man, it does. It is a goto mount, it needs to know the time, date and location, and they usually need a level starting position to orient themselves during alignment, though some don't. All need time date and location, though GPS units on some get that info automatically. I would think a smartphone app would also do that, but with the hand controller you would need to enter that. Wether it is eq or not alignment is alignment
The Mak's focal length is too long for the GT series of mounts. The perceived accuracy will not be great. If you want something in this series, pick something with a shorter (preferably much shorter) focal length.
@@edting hi Ed, Thank you for the reply. That is very generous of you to help out :) If it is not too much to ask, which telescope would you recommend at around €700 (~USD 680) price range that could be used to observe Jupiter, Saturn and some nebulae, and is good enough for mounting a DSLR for astrophotography? I shortlisted a couple Skywatchers (130/650 Explorer-130PS AZ-GTi and the one I mentioned earlier). I'd prefer a GoTo system but if you have any recommendation that is far better than the two I have identified but without GoTo, I'd go by your suggestion. I have been saving for about a year for this and I would like to avoid making a mistake :)
@@edting This has been used successfully for astrophotography with plenty of photos and video both on TH-cam and astro forums. From the moon, to planets, to deep sky. No equipment is perfect, the trick, if needed for a pseudo EQ style tracking is to slide something under the dob base to tilt it and you can get longer recording without star trails. Fiddly? a little but it gets easy, no different than faffing on with many other things in astronomy. This telescope is plug and play once you get over the few hurdles of learning to use it effectively.
I don't know if there is a dedicated solar filter that will fit on the front of the scope. This telescope has an oddly shaped piece on the front. Please be very careful with solar observing. Don't do it unless you are absolutely sure.
Hey Ed, I have a question about a specific telescope I found for around $100 used at a store and it looks like an antique, it's a Bausch and Lomb Criterion 4000 and was curious if that telescope would be a good second-hand purchase?
Sorry it's me again, asking for purchasing advice. is celestron 127slt a good one? I'm thinking about getting one of these for it's reach and the go-to mount, then get one of those Skywatcher 150/750 for a wider field of view.
Would this be a good scope for beginners? Can’t decide between this model and celestron starsense 130mm Dobsonian and the Lt 114az model by celestron. I’m shopping for my first scope and there so many choices.
This would be good as a starter scope. Just beware, you need something very steady to set it on. In addition to the standard recommendations, check out the Orion Observer 134. I have one in for review and like it a lot for the price. A 6" or 8" Dob is still the best if you can afford it. Don't get the LT114AZ.
@@edting How about the celestron starsense explorer DX 130az. I’m not familiar with the night sky so I’m trying to get a get experience for a beginner.
My favorite feature of these mounts (I have the AZ-GTI, but assume this one is similar) is the point-and-track, which allows you to track a manually found object for a few minutes without the need for an alignment. And the fact that you can use the scope manually without losing alignment, but that could be more tricky with this unstable mount.
The scope you got is...ok...it's usable, if a little frustrating. The mount is wobbly. I assume you got it because of the StarSense. I've been seeing a lot of this lately.
Send it back, the Celestron DX 130 is the same as the Celestron Astromaster 130 which have spherical mirrors unlike Skywatcher which have parabolic mirrors.
Couldn't you just slide the telescoping portion of the tube in and inch or so and clamp it there to get focus with a camera? After re collimation of course. Ok... should have looked at the comments first as Alex T already addressed it.
I have the Sky Watcher 350 (14in) goto Dob, that runs on the same software and setup. Works great and is very easy to operate. Incredibly convenient, and with the Dob base the entire setup fits in my minivan trunk. I used a Meade 8in Newtonian with a manual GEM and charts from 1983 until I got the new scope last year. I am glad to have that skill, but goto is so much easier and time I spent navigating is now spent viewing.
Folding TV snack table. After getting first star centered then switch to the higher eyepiece for more accuracy. Then go to the second star and do the same. Phone control telescopes are terrible. As you point out you're in the dark you don't want to keep looking at a screen. You want a tactile feeling at night.
I'd say Skywatcher's Synscan is pretty terrible. It ruined the AZ GTI for me, because it constantly disconnected, and the PC version of the app is even worse. If you plan on controlling these mounts, use EQMOD or Green swamp sever. If possible, make sure they have a USB port to improve reliability.
One feature not mentioned is the telescope can be operated with the truss tubes not fully extended in order to increase backfocus. I've used this with a ZWO camera and a short helical focuser (since the built-in one isn't so precise and also rotates).
how did you replace the focuser?
My father and I built a 6" table-top dob in the in the 1990s, used old reel-to-reel film cases as the alt bearings. It was a great little scope. We couldn't figure out how to add wifi though :)
Thanks for the video and the great review.
I bought the "Skywatcher Dobson Teleskop N 150/750 Heritage FlexTube Virtuoso GTi" in November 2021 here in Germany. It is my secound telescope and I am very happy with it.
Used it last summer, to show some friends Jupiter, Saturn, the pleiades star cluster and Andromeda. Andromeda was kinda faint though.
I would totaly recommand this telescope.
Thanks for the review, Ed. I bought one of these recently, and although I know very little about telescopes (my first meeting with the local astronomical society is next week!), I've been able to get it working reasonably well. I've had success with both lenses, getting good focus on (and tracking) the Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter. We're near a small city, so deep sky stuff isn't possible until we venture out. I made a very heavy, custom-built timber stand, and I incorporated the foam insert that the scope came in. I figured it already had the holes for the legs, plus it would absorb any small vibrations. I'm Australia, and the stars of the Southern hemisphere don't seem to be as alignment-friendly as those of the North, so I'm still working on that.
TL/DR: I really like it, and my family and I have already had great fun with it.
I have a 150p that I put together with the skywatcher AZ-GTI mount and it’s associated tripod. A fantastic setup for a beginner like myself and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get started.
Hi Ed! The end table from Ikea you mentioned may actually be their stool called the "Kyrre". I have one for my AWB Onesky, and it fits perfectly. :) I found out about it from a Cloudy Nights thread.
I've also got one, it works great.
Looks like it was made for it.
I thought about Kallax, maybe 2x1 size with additional weight in it but that stool is much lighter and doesn't need a level surface.
What diameter stool would be needed for this base?
@@rememberkani3208 I just checked the Heritage 130 (I think it's the Onesky in the USA):
The three feet under the base are ca. 30mm diameter, 32mm high and form a 30cm triangle (middle-middle). In the middle of the base the bolt sticks out a few millimetres.
I have the Heritage 150p thanks to your earlier review. I got rid of the dob base and put the tube on a Skywatcher AZ-gte mount which uses the same SynScan app. The optics are quite good and the combo of the 150p and Az-gte (or Az-gti) makes for a great grab and go telescope combo. It's such a good combo I'm surprised Skywatcher hasn't paired these two in an official release.
I thought that was exactly what Ed was reviewing from the thumbnail! I use the AWB OneSky (130mm) with the AZ-GTi myself, and I'm also surprised this combo hasn't already been offered before.
They paired the AZ-GTI with the Pronto Tripod that comes with the 130p solid tube (not Heritage but same mirrors)/SkyHawk 114p/StarTravel 102 and both 102 and 127 SkyMax telescopes in the UK but cost more than both the virtuoso and the AZ-Go2 versions.
Hi! So the AZ-GTi is a better mount than this one?
A small portable workbench is a good stand. I've used an old Black Decker Workmate and found it to be pretty good.
Stacked cinder blocks
The solution to astrocams and DSLRS is to reduce the length you pull out the secondary mirror, slide it up and down until you get focus thus avoiding the need of a barlow lens to bring the focal point further out for cameras. I have seen some people slide the tube up and down with eyepieces and fine tune with the helical focuser. This gives a lot more focusing flexibility than solid tube design telescopes. Skywatcher shortened the tube on the PDS 130 to make it easier to focus with cameras, with any of the Heirtage truss telescopes, you have free reign and they have the same mirrors, as do the Explorer DS and M 130p.
Software can fix most jitters when doing astrophotography to get a final stacked image.
The 130p Heritage (AWB OneSky) is available in the UK but not the 130p virtuoso version. We have the 150p Heritage and 150p virtuoso and after looking at the prices in the USA and comparing them to UK prices, the USA 130p virtuoso is considerably more than the 150p virtuoso in the UK after currency conversion and this is before USA tax is added to the product. Not surprised i see on forums from the USA that they ordered the 150p from the UK.
Skywatcher have a new (at the time of posting) AZ-Go2 versions on a more traditional? 3-legged tripod/mount rather than a dobsonian base but so fat haven't seen or heard of anyone using one.
Do you have this scope mate?, I just bought the 150p heritage GTi , traded my nearly new 8 inch skyliner dob for it, cause of portability etc.. and most important the GoTo.
@@Paulie1978100 Yea, i bought the 150p Heritage Virtuoso GTI awhile back, also bought the Sky-Watcher Stainless Steel 1.75" Tripod with 3/8" thread too, not required but it has its advantages when you cant find something flat to put the telescope on, this ads a lot of hight, this also has advantages but you need a stool or something to stand on.
Ed,
Interesting review of the Sky-Watcher 130p Newtonian GOTO telescope. I used something similar for outreach but it was all manual in operation. I could see this model being used for the younger astronomy enthusiast who do not have pristine skies or who have a limited knowledge of their skies. Great review and video! Thank you for sharing.
I used my "Ikea BEKVAM Wooden Utility Step". It is very strong and stable (since it is actually a step stool). The slot in the top (used for carrying) fits the centre bolt at the bottom of mount and the feet fit on either side of the top step. It's also really good for sawing wood, as it turns out.
EXCELLENT review. Always fun to watch your videos
I bought my young daughter the Orion Starblast Autotracker a few years back, which does much the same. We only have the base tracking unit, but a hand controller will turn it into a goto. Have been very happy with it and it's a nice small child friendly unit she can carry outside and set on a table with minimal parental assistance. I'd like to find a used DSLR some day to toy around attaching to it too.
Edit: that's what I get for listening and not watching. It appears to be the same unit, maybe a generation older.
i love these collapsible scopes. currently have a 900mm one with the same aperture and this is very tempting.
Thank you so much for this review .
I just recently purchased the 150p virtouso for my daughter and was a little stumped on trying to figure out the alignment process.
Your review helped us out thank you so much we now have a very happy 8year old.
Excellent point that is brought up, is the upgrade to an equatorial mount. Beginners just think about the scope, but the mount is equally important.
If Your Wanting To Get Into Astro,The Mount Is Most Important
No one is buying this telescope with the intention of upgrading the mount. Considering that the supplied mount is its main selling feature.
The OTA works great on larger mount. I own a manual version of the 130 and have it on an Orion GEM.
People are buying this for the mount, if they were buying it for the OTA, they would buy the manual version or the solid tube Explorer DS or PDS version which comes with a 2 inch focuser for considerably less.
This was a really great review. Methodically went through everything you needed to know about the telescope.
i already have an orion st80a and like this mount. will look into the possibility of getting just
the base and a remote controller.
there are those of us who have physical....issues/challenges and need workarounds to fully enjoy stargazing. will do some investigating.
at present i use a pretty stable camera tripod. the base of the sky watcher might have a
1/4"x20 thread screwhole in the base, but that base is probably made of compressed sawdust and won't take stress well.
jack horkheimer: keep looking up!
A camera tripod won't be anywhere near stable enough for this scope.
It has a 3/8" connector on the bottom of the base.
Ed. Got the earlier Mak 90 Virtuoso version. All comments are spot on given my journey with mine. Think ideally needs a substantial tripod under it? But love the way it can go back to objects you enjoyed earlier.
Thanks....Another great video and a good review of the Synscan app. For grab'n go, I use a Skywatcher AZ GTi mount on an old Gitzo tripod with an ETX 90mm mak. I just upgraded to the new Svbony 105 mak optical tube with their 305 camera connected to my laptop. I'm thinking of adding the ZWO ASIAIR Mini and a tablet to go totally wifi. Thanks again for what you bring to amateur astronomy.
Very useful and informative review... Thanks :-)
4:58 I hope not! I have a WIFI enabled Skywatcher Star Discovery 2i mount and problems using my phone and tablet has given me nothing but grief .
As soon as I started using a handset it was a blessed relief and the frustrations immedietely melted away.
I have the manual 130 as my portable / take out on the balcony scope. It is well built and works great, especially on a larger mount.
thanks for the review. Good idea with the paper for glare!
Thanks Ed, great review. I have the original virtuoso and it works well with a P900 camera for terrestrial viewing too.
I have an 8” dob and I’d love to get a goto. I have issues finding things with my 8”. Thanks for the review. The price tag on this doesn’t seem to be too steep so maybe it’s worth trying even if it means having both scopes setup near each other to be able to use this goto to get me closer with the 8”.
Great review. Interesting design.
Good review of another budget scope! (I love budget scopes...) Does the mount have the ability to use it on a wedge?
Just ordered my 7 year old granddaughter a celestron starsense dx 130. I want a Dobsonian telescope. If we like star gazing I will probably get us a larger Dobsonian. We both watch and enjoy your videos. Thank You.
I have the hand controller ordered and will arrive Tuesday. Also the hand controller has a 40,000 database instead of 10,000 in the app. Not that I would look at all of either one.
the rods can slide back a bit ☺️ that's a good way to make say an uncooled color camera reach focus and get you going in EAA ...
seems like an ideal travel setup ... compact and lightweight... just bring a laptop 😂
I have a friend who bought the 6" virtuoso and he's getting good results using Sharpcap and a self made reducer bringing the focal ratio close to 3.8 from 5 ... he's using an ASI294c and just at the very edge you can see some coma.
with the new camera ASI585c I'm pretty sure no optical aberration will be detectable since smaller sensor.
of course long exposure is out of question on two accounts... the mount is not meant for sharp tracking and there is the field rotation...
Sharpcap can compensate for field rotation in livestacking via live alignment and filter the bad subs with a full width half max measure of the stars.
I wish I had one and a 585 ...
nice video! thanks 🙏
I thought about doing the "slide back the rods" trick but decided against showing it,
@@edting I have seen some people on other channels that are doing the slide back as well for focus. I have the 150 GTi arriving tomorrow. I have a 6 and 10 in Dob but want to use this with my 6 yr old grandson because of ease of portability and when he gets older probably be his, lol. Great review as always Ed. Thanks.
And for bino viewer. 😄
Great review! Seems like a nice portable setup. Interesting to hear your thoughts on focal lengths and accuracy with this mount. I thought it would be similar to the Az-Gti mount. I bought the skymax 102 mak version. I haven't used it much but it seemed ok. Although I did find myself wanting less focal length and more aperture at times.
Oh my beginner experience with the syscan app... rofl. Everything you said is absolutely true. I think I spent nearly all of my first 3 tries just fumbling with alignment and "is that the star? Wait... no, is THAT the star? Wait... what's this object?". Next: enter up being moving right, left moving up, right moving down, down moving left because of the way the scope is facing. Rofl. Fast forward to using this for 4 nights now and I'm not quite as lost (i only have had 1 or 2 nights per 2 weeks of clear skies and days off work to even attempt to get used to it). 😂
I am taking a guess that the small switch is supposed to avoid accidental presses.
Hi Ed, thanks for the great review!
I have been looking at the same mount lately but with their 127 Maksutov attached. You mentioned that astrophotography would not be a thing with the one you just reviewed, but would that be the case with its MC brother as well, which is 1500 mm is I remember correctly. I'm mainly into lunar imaging and Saturn/Jupiter, because I heard that these F-12.5 maks are mainly for planetary imaging, and as I don't have a good camera either, I'm bold enough to mount my smartphone on my Svbony zoom 7-21 eyepiece. So do you think the mount itself is good enough to track the planets and the moon at about a 250-300x expected magnification? I have some concrete slabs to put it on, and even clamp it down if I need to...
Ì just bought the 150p GTi version, would love to know the answer to your questions too man
Hi Mr Ting I have been following you for a while now and very much enjoy your videos. And I feel I'm now ready to purchase my first telescope I am thinking of buying the skywatcher explorer 200 with the eq5 mount. Manual version for now maybe buy a motor later. Do you think its a reasonable choice or is there something else. Hoping later down the Road to do astrophotography with it.
All the best and keep up the great videos, many thanks.
The 8" optical tube is a bit too heavy for that mount. I'd downsize to the 6".
Hi ed, I purchased a sky watcher 102AZ sky traveler, telescope. I also purchased a Celestron 90 MAK as a beginner in astronomy. I’m not sure how good these scopes are . I live in a very light polluted area and will probably be doing most of my viewing from the backyard, which means I’m pretty much probably limited to planets however, if I get a chance to take to the mountains or the country, I will have a chance to maybe do you some more dso’s. So I was wanting something that kind of could be good for both. The smaller scope I purchased because of making it something more compact or easier to travel with however, I am thinking about maybe returning both, but I just don’t know what to go with an 8 inch Dobson would be great, but I think the light pollution might mess things up. I would like to be able to get a really good close-up view of planets and some something that I can see some brighter nebula and just get a good view overall, do you have any suggestions or do you think what I have will work just fine. Also would like to know a good inexpensive mount for the Celestron C 90.
The combined price of those two telescopes would have been better put towards a 130p or 150p Heritage and a 80mm refractor for general purpose and would have been cheaper. There is nothing wrong with those telescopes but a single Heritage telescope would do what both of those two telescopes are capable of doing and likely much more because of the lack of chromatic aberration and could match the C90 focal length with a good barlow lens or eyepiece.
I would think these "Tabletop" telescopes are meant to be on a "Table".
A small round garden table for 2 will be ideal.
And you would be comfortably sitting while observing, like Galileo did. :)
I have a small square garden table from Costco in my deck and I think it will work beautifully there too.
Ok but just be careful, once an electronic scope is calibrated, it cannot be moved or nudged at all. If you bump the edge of the table with your forearm leaning in to look at the eyepiece, you have to start all over again.
Get a spirit level for your table man!
@@Paulie1978100 I had realized that you cannot do Galileo posture with Newtonian, even if you place the telescope in the table. My bad.
i ned help fast... what is better: Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor Telescope with Twilight Nano Mount - FL-AR102600TN or Explore Scientific 102 mm Doublet Refractor - DAR102065-01 - Silver Grade Refurb? what is better for deep sky?
Looking at the specs, they would have the same amount of chromatic aberration so i cant really see there being any difference optics wise. One comes with a 2 inch diagonal, the other with a tripod, which is more important? diagonal upgrades are optional but you'll always need a tripod.
Bought an xt6 because of your videos and have been wanting to get a go-to for a while. How does this compare to the Nexstar 6se?
Does it has a built-in compass or do you need to point it to the north 9:31 ?
You have to polar align it by hand. Very few telescopes have compasses built in. You could always use an app on your phone.
Sky Watcher makes a tripod which can be used by this telescope. There is a 3/8" hole in the bottom of the base into which the screw on the tripod will fit. That is how I have mine mounted for EAA.
I have the virtuso maksutov on the same mount also skywatcher 127/1500
First off great video I was considering getting this scope. One thing I wanted to know, I am a beginner and I use my current scope for just viewing, but occasionally I tend to put a smartphone adapter up to the eyepiece and take photos with my phone. Can I use that with the 150P version or would it add too much weight?.
You are really asking two questions: 1) Can I attach a smartphone adapter to the scope? The answer is yes. 2) Will this actually work? Ehhhhh....I've never had any luck doing this but you can try. Hint: lower your expectations.
I'm going to view Jupiter tonight, the closest it's been in 60 years.
Great review, but definitely prefer the 8 inch
Hi Ed, nice review! I was thinking of getting an AZ-GTi mount for grab n go, what cassegrain/refractor tubes do you think this mount can handle?
That product is best thought of as a fancy camera tracker. I would not use that as my daily equatorial mount. You'll see why when/if you get it. It's inconvenient. If you are going to mount a telescope, please stay with a dedicated traditional eq mount.
@@edting Sorry if I was being unclear, I just need it to be an alt-az mount for visual
Don't put a telescope on that thing! Ever!! It doesn't work. You have been warned...
@@edtingWarning heeded...
It would be nice if they sold the mount seperately, I'd love to throw my AWB Onesky on it, without having to purchase essentially the same scope again!
I'm thinking more experienced users would like a more upscale version of this (read built better, higher end components - no eye pieces etc.) but I fear if they did that it would compete with even better equipment sharing similar price points. But dang, the ones that come to mind are bigger and heavier (all the computer SCT scopes and the rest are on GEM's.
I will venture to say this scope will provide slightly more contrast than the C5 - did you get a chance to compare the quality of view compared to a SCT?
The Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P FlexTube GOTO exists if you want a larger one. There is also a 250p version.
2mm closed cell black foam and some velcro make a good shield...
Ed, can you do a video on how to collimate a skywatcher dobsonian reflector with the collimating cap it comes with?
15:33 I've played this multiple times and still can't understand why is the focuser a problem in this telescope in particular. It can't focus at all?
Helical focusers drive people nuts. Plus, this one is cheap and has play in it. But for the money, we can forgive it on this scope.
It should come with the controller.I find using your phone lousy, just As Ed said u can't feel the buttons.Nothing better than E.S.H (electronic star hopping). Clear skies to All
What Ikea Table would you recommend?
wow an "all in one" review from you ed.... and you said the words "eyepiece" and "super" in the same sentence :) :) I must make a note :) :)
looking at this 130 or 150 as a beginner scope for my wife
go for the 150p man! it's a shame they didn't release a 200p version :( I just bought the 150p 2 days ago
@@Paulie1978100 There is but its called Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P FlexTube GOTO.
I have an old end table with a drawer for eyepieces and accessories for my tabletop.
Ed, I understand that there is a standard 3/8 threaded mount block on the bottom of the base for tripod use, no idea how well it works, but at least sounds like a better option than lugging tables or tubs around :)
A tripod won't be nearly steady enough. Think "Rock Solid".
Sky-Watcher Stainless Steel 1.75" Tripod with 3/8" thread which i use with the 150p Heritage Virtuoso GTI is heavy duty solid but its quite big.
Hi Ed,
Nice review, thanks for the video.
Just to note with the point regarding putting the camera all the way in - it's possible to slightly retract the flextube part of the assembly to bring a regular camera into focus without needing to insert it all the way into the focuser. It's not ideal but works in a pinch.
Great Review Ray,Im Still At No Skies🤨
Hi Ed! Your videos are very informative. You always give the correct information to your viewers.
I am from India, i learn many things from your videos.
So, can you please tell me one thing is there any difference in using a 2'' eye piece or 1.25'' eye piece on an 8'' Dobsonian telescope.
Thank you
A 25mm eyepiece will show you the same magnification no matter what the barrel diameter. But the larger 2" eyepiece will show you more of the sky. This has two benefits - on a manual scope like a Dob, you will need to push it less often. Also, some feel that the bigger field of view is more emotionally involving. On the downside, they cost more, and some people don't care about the larger FOV.
@@edting Thank you very much for your reply sir.
The only benefit of a 2-inch eyepiece is when the True Field of View/Field Stop is larger than what the 1.25-inch eyepiece can allow due to the physical size of the focuser tube/opening.
There are some that would say that another benefit of 2 inch is when the eyepiece weighs a lot, it would be better in a 2-inch focuser which some claim 2-inch focusers to be stronger which in my opinion is more to do with rubbish build quality of a focuser and trying to squeeze more money out of people because the eyepiece is 2 inches, not 1.25 rather than a fact.
One example would be the 2 inch Explore Scientific 14mm 100-degree eyepiece which is heavy vs. the optically superior in my opinion APM 13mm (13.5mm Stellarvue, same eyepiece, different cosmetics) 100-degree 1.25-inch eyepiece, much lighter and costs a lot less.
There are others where a 26mm 2-inch eyepiece costs more than a 32mm plossl but have less true field of view and because the magnification is so close, the 2-inch eyepiece is overpriced and redundant.
@@allnamesaretaken Thank you sir for giving the correct information.👍👍
Ed could you do aPVS14 night vision a focal method review? I recently got one and it has revolutionized my visual observations
My first scope was a 90mm Virtuoso Maksutov - the mount's base could be screwed into a photographic tripod. I'm wondering if this scope has a similar feature?
Never occurred to me you could swap optics. That 400mm scope is probably better suited to the mount than the reflector. Wider FOV with a smaller mount is always better.
The side table would be the Ikea Lack side table or the Gladom tray table.
I bought a three-legged outdoor side table from The Home Depot that I think will probably work better then those four-legged IKEA tables. The one I have is about 18” high with an 18” diameter. The three table legs work great off the pavement, because, since they are essentially a tripod, they won’t rock on uneven surfaces. I recessed three holes in the top for the feet of my Starblast. It’s solid and is working great. I can grab the tabletop and telescope base at the same time and pick up the entire thing as one unit.
Would love to see a review on the skywatcher skymax series of maks. Those together with the GTE mount seem like a nice combination
The Chinese-sourced Maks are all very similar. The QC is getting better. The big mistake I see people making is buying a mount that is too small. Maks have long focal lengths that need to be kept as steady as possible.
@@edting I got the 102mm Skymax with the GTI and its associated mount. Is this alright in your opinion? I definitely notice its not that steady immediately after adjusting the focus or repositioning it manually but it does become still after 3-4 seconds. Do you know of any way to make it more still, especially when I’m using it around 200x power.
@Ed Ting -- have you done a review of telescope mounts? It seems that the mount is about 80 percent of the telescope systems. (Also, saw the Oxford video. It was nice to have an everyman view of the school and campus. It seemed happier than Hogwarts.)
Anyone try a Black and Decker Workmate for a table? I've used mine as a coffee table, vise, workbench, sawhorse, etc.
Ikea Kyrre is a good base imo
That looks great. By two… One to sit on and one to put the telescope on
Hey Ed, it looks smaller than the one you're giving away on your recent video.
Neato.
Hi. Do you think a 6 inch dobsonian is better than a 6 inch reflector on an eq mount. Same question with 130mm. Do you think a 135mm dobsonian is better than a 135mm on an eq mount.
If you are doing astro-imaging then the EQ mount is going to be the better mount, as the object is going to track and keep aligned in only one axis. With the 'dobsonian', you have to move two the mount in two axis... altitude and azimuth. Did you notice 'alt' and 'az'?... alt + az = alt-az mount... i.e. a 'dobsonian' is an alt-az mount. It will be OK for short exposures of the Moon and solar, (with a solar filter), and [maybe] brighter planets; but for deep-sky not so good.
My advice would be to join a local
astronomy society/club and/or an amateur-astronomy forum on the internet.
Wishing you clear skies. 🔭
@@RT65CB-SWL 🤔👇🏽
th-cam.com/video/fcu8j9tHSpM/w-d-xo.html
Hello Mr Ting, Does the Mount need initial settings like, home position (pointing towards North), putting lat long, time-date-time zone etc?
Nah man, it ain't an equatorial so no need for that
@Paulie1978100 um,, yeah man, it does. It is a goto mount, it needs to know the time, date and location, and they usually need a level starting position to orient themselves during alignment, though some don't. All need time date and location, though GPS units on some get that info automatically. I would think a smartphone app would also do that, but with the hand controller you would need to enter that.
Wether it is eq or not alignment is alignment
Is there any other competitive products I should in know of that do the same thing for price comparison purposes?
Any others brands on the market worth looking into to?
Watch all your videos.
Thank you
👍👍
This mount also had a version with Skymax-127, which would you get? 150p or skymax-127?
The problem with the Mak is its long focal length.
Hi Ed,
What is your opinion on Skywatcher Maksutov 127/1500 SkyMax-127 AZ-GTi?
The Mak's focal length is too long for the GT series of mounts. The perceived accuracy will not be great. If you want something in this series, pick something with a shorter (preferably much shorter) focal length.
@@edting hi Ed,
Thank you for the reply. That is very generous of you to help out :)
If it is not too much to ask, which telescope would you recommend at around €700 (~USD 680) price range that could be used to observe Jupiter, Saturn and some nebulae, and is good enough for mounting a DSLR for astrophotography? I shortlisted a couple Skywatchers (130/650 Explorer-130PS AZ-GTi and the one I mentioned earlier). I'd prefer a GoTo system but if you have any recommendation that is far better than the two I have identified but without GoTo, I'd go by your suggestion. I have been saving for about a year for this and I would like to avoid making a mistake :)
I know that you have recommended 8" Dobsonian a few times in your videos but I want to avoid it as I'd like to do a bit of astrophotography.
Would you recommend this telescope or an Orion 8” dobsonian?
Aperture wins. Get the 8"
@@edting I have also seen an Explore Scientific 10" hybrid truss tube dobsonian for the same price, is this even better than the Orion?
Hey Ed,
I know it’s been 4 months since you posted this video, but I have a question. Can I use a ZWO ASI678MC camera on this telescope?
You can run some quick tests on the moon, but otherwise, I don't think you're going to get good results.
@@edting This has been used successfully for astrophotography with plenty of photos and video both on TH-cam and astro forums. From the moon, to planets, to deep sky. No equipment is perfect, the trick, if needed for a pseudo EQ style tracking is to slide something under the dob base to tilt it and you can get longer recording without star trails. Fiddly? a little but it gets easy, no different than faffing on with many other things in astronomy. This telescope is plug and play once you get over the few hurdles of learning to use it effectively.
Can I view the sun with this? Is there a solar item I can purchase?
I don't know if there is a dedicated solar filter that will fit on the front of the scope. This telescope has an oddly shaped piece on the front. Please be very careful with solar observing. Don't do it unless you are absolutely sure.
@@edting I just found out from sky watcher solar filter will come out in September for this scope
Hey Ed, I have a question about a specific telescope I found for around $100 used at a store and it looks like an antique, it's a Bausch and Lomb Criterion 4000 and was curious if that telescope would be a good second-hand purchase?
The B&L Criterion series were some of the worst telescopes ever made. Pure junk.
Thanks for letting me know, it'll stay at that antique shop then haha
wish i could only buy the virtuoso mount as i already have the 150p heritage, but it looks like they don't sell it separately
You could probably buy the telescope and mount and then sell the telescope.
I heard they do in some European country man, I think it was Serbia 🤔
Sorry it's me again, asking for purchasing advice. is celestron 127slt a good one? I'm thinking about getting one of these for it's reach and the go-to mount, then get one of those Skywatcher 150/750 for a wider field of view.
The SLT is not a great mount, and the Mak's long focal length will make it look even worse.
@@edting So the resonable choice is the 6SE? or maybe the 8SE?
Would this be a good scope for beginners? Can’t decide between this model and celestron starsense 130mm Dobsonian and the Lt 114az model by celestron. I’m shopping for my first scope and there so many choices.
This would be good as a starter scope. Just beware, you need something very steady to set it on. In addition to the standard recommendations, check out the Orion Observer 134. I have one in for review and like it a lot for the price. A 6" or 8" Dob is still the best if you can afford it. Don't get the LT114AZ.
@@edting How about the celestron starsense explorer DX 130az. I’m not familiar with the night sky so I’m trying to get a get experience for a beginner.
My favorite feature of these mounts (I have the AZ-GTI, but assume this one is similar) is the point-and-track, which allows you to track a manually found object for a few minutes without the need for an alignment. And the fact that you can use the scope manually without losing alignment, but that could be more tricky with this unstable mount.
Hi, could you track the ISS this way ?
Can you please review Celestron DX 130AZ? I got it and now I regret not getting the xt8 dobsonian. Should I return?
The scope you got is...ok...it's usable, if a little frustrating. The mount is wobbly. I assume you got it because of the StarSense. I've been seeing a lot of this lately.
Send it back, the Celestron DX 130 is the same as the Celestron Astromaster 130 which have spherical mirrors unlike Skywatcher which have parabolic mirrors.
Couldn't you just slide the telescoping portion of the tube in and inch or so and clamp it there to get focus with a camera? After re collimation of course. Ok... should have looked at the comments first as Alex T already addressed it.
Yes, you can do this. I chose not to talk about it because beginners can get overwhelmed with hack-type advice like this.
It looks like a nightmare. I had a Celestron C80 Goto once, I never found a thing. Go equatorial, star-hop, get a decent finder.
I wouldn’t be without my go to telescopes. One is an Equatorial mount and the other an Alt/Az. They both get my targets in the FOV of a 25mm eyepiece.
I have the Sky Watcher 350 (14in) goto Dob, that runs on the same software and setup. Works great and is very easy to operate. Incredibly convenient, and with the Dob base the entire setup fits in my minivan trunk.
I used a Meade 8in Newtonian with a manual GEM and charts from 1983 until I got the new scope last year. I am glad to have that skill, but goto is so much easier and time I spent navigating is now spent viewing.
Well this scope is well capable ... 👇🏽
th-cam.com/video/fcu8j9tHSpM/w-d-xo.html
Folding TV snack table. After getting first star centered then switch to the higher eyepiece for more accuracy. Then go to the second star and do the same. Phone control telescopes are terrible. As you point out you're in the dark you don't want to keep looking at a screen. You want a tactile feeling at night.
The heritage 130/150p GTi work quite well for Astrophotography 👇🏽
th-cam.com/video/fcu8j9tHSpM/w-d-xo.html
Wow. Looks way more complicated than just star-hopping...
Don't tell me that the regular heritage comes with a collimation cap and I threw it to the bin while still inside the box 💀
Yep it does
Count me in please.
I'd say Skywatcher's Synscan is pretty terrible. It ruined the AZ GTI for me, because it constantly disconnected, and the PC version of the app is even worse. If you plan on controlling these mounts, use EQMOD or Green swamp sever. If possible, make sure they have a USB port to improve reliability.
These tend to be more accurate using a 12v DC supply rather than batteries.
Break for advanced user
😂😂😀r right into the intro he picks up what is included and slams the filter on the table like it was crap
I saw this for the first day the other day
😂 "I heard someone seen something at IKEA if you know what that model number is put that in the comments below"
5 gallon bucket with quick Crete?
That might work. Be sure and figure something out to prevent the scope from being pushed off the edge.
@@edting plenty of heavy duty velcro😎