i cant decide please help

[wilso31]

im torn between an explorer 130p and a skymax 127 . what i want to view is orion nebulae close galaxies split stars. etc as well as some planetry work comets astroids etc. I can afford the 127 which is more money than the 130p. i currently own a celestron powerseeker 114 900 which i will be selling . due to interest for my wife and kids i have decided we need to get the goto versions. which one will be better ? what will i be able to see and which is better. ive spoken to the dealer and not that helpfull as the advice was contradictory heeeeelp

wilso31

[Stephen]

I'd vote for the 130P, better all rounder

[wilso31]

will i get good views of nebulae and galaxies? is it alot better than the celestron

[themos]

I don't think that either will be all that much better to look through than the 114/900. A bit better, yes. Ok, the SynScan AZ Goto versions will let you find more stuff. But reflectors at 5 inches won't show you much of those faint deep sky objects. Why don't you join an Astro society and see if you can borrow a scope like that first?

[LukeSkywatcher]

I'd go for the Explorer 130P also.

[themos]

For the £365 that the skymax goto costs, you could get a 10 inch or 12 dobsonian secondhand. And for a bit more, the 10 inch, new! And that will show you a lot more than the 5 inch will. Also, hardly anyone has trouble setting up a Dob.

[John]

I tend to agree with themos. Ideally you should be aiming to move to at least a 6" aperture scope to get an appreciable improvement in performance over your current scope.

[wilso31]

due to my shifts at work its difficult to get to astrnomical meetings. is the 127 worth the money for what i want to see. or do i go with the cheaper 130p?

is there really not much between them?

[wilso31]

as im still very fresh at this i hear where your comming from but need a bit of portability and the kids ansd wife are complete beginners. including myself really hence the questions i was happy with the 114 900 apart from being able to track.what i was seeing

[wilso31]

is there a good 6" scope with goto for around the same price that is good?

[wilso31]

this isnt much help guys apart from a good alrounder would be the 130p im commited to one or the other so any help would be gratefull. i realise that a 10 inch would suit better would i be better getting a motorised system and try and locate rather than the goto. i wont get alot of observing times even less with the weather system we get

[themos]

It's a very competitive market and both scopes on your shortlist are "worth the money". I'm just concerned that you're not going to get appreciably better views than you're currently getting. All the extra spend seems to be going on the motorisation and easy "goto" finding ability. As long as you are aware of that, it's your choice.

[earth titan]

For the £365 that the skymax goto costs, you could get a 10 inch or 12 dobsonian secondhand. And for a bit more, the 10 inch, new! And that will show you a lot more than the 5 inch will. Also, hardly anyone has trouble setting up a Dob.

Agreed. My 12" dob wasn't a lot more.

I would suggest I get more done in a night with a push pull dob, than a goto. By the time you've aligned everything accurately I could have seen loads.....

Don't get me wrong. I have goto, but only really use it for imaging.

[brucen]

I came down to the same choice as you when I was looking last year. I did a lot of research and spoke to a couple of dealers who both said that the Mak 127 would be better if light pollution was an issue but, if not, the 130P was their suggestion. I went for the 130P and although I cannot compare it with anything as it's my first scope I can say I am delighted with it. It is easy to set up and, once you get used to it the GOTO is great. I am only really interested in planetary observation and get great views of Saturn & Jupiter. Not sure on Nebulae as I haven't really tried that hard but I would imagine you would need a pretty dark location for that. Thanks to the 'Cox effect' last year it did take a few months to get hold of one though!! Hope that helps.

[todd8137]

is tracking that much of a big deal ,all that money wasted,i have a goto and its ok my daughters should i say cough,all that extra money spent on the goto part is money wasted you could get a great reflector for the same money or dif scope but rember optics may suffer at the price of the goto when all the money could be spent on optics,the 120 sounds nice they not bad to look threw,but if it was me i would choose mirror size over the goto which works in a fashion ,but do not be thinking its just a case of switching on and away you go,its not that simple and not that good either why is tracking so wanted ?

[wilso31]

i want tracking as i find it cumbersome and frustrating when trying to watch an object that keeps dissapearing due to earth move i would also like to do some computerised viewing as my wife and kids struggle with the optics and I find it hard finding stuff in the sky. i only came across the nebulae on orions sword by accident? any help on better otions. would i be better with a motorised system. i can locate mars jupiter and saturn i know where polaris is i know where the plough is i have tried locating the galaxies within the plough but not sure if I was succesfull hence the goto option. would a motorised system suffice? instead?

[brantuk]

This would probably fit the bill if your budget is around £350 and you definitely want goto:

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 130P SynScan AZ GOTO

Alternatively a motorised EQ5 or CG5 would be around £200 s/h and you can put a brand new 150P on it for £179:

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 150P OTA

You'll still have to find objects yourself (no biggie once you know what you're doing)but with a tracking motor they will stay in the eyepiece an much longer time.

Manual tracking an EQ5/CG5 is also easy so a motor is not 100% required and would save around £90. Or get an EQ3-2 manual or motorised mount brand new - still saving some budget.

(to find galaxies you do need extra aperture and a 130mm scope won't show much more than your current scope)

[wilso31]

if i was to go for the 150 and a motorised mount how much better would my viewing be?

[BazMark]

Of the two, the 130p and the 127 Mak, the 127 will be better on planets as you will get a clearer view at higher mags. However, although it is pretty good with deep sky objects the extra light gathering of the 1inch bigger mirror and the wider field of view (FOV) of the 130p will be better for DSOs. I have the 127 Mak and I really like it. If I were to buy again right now I would probably go for the biggest collapsible Dob I could afford.

[wilso31]

what about the nexstar 4 se

[wilso31]

would i be able to see the horshead nebulae ok with the 127 and split stars etc etc would the 127 suit the photograhy and webcam better or are they both equally as good?

[RikM]

would i be able to see the horshead nebulae ok with the 127 and split stars etc etc would the 127 suit the photograhy and webcam better or are they both equally as good?

You probably wouldn't even be able to see the Horsehead nebula in a 12" scope, sorry. Seeing Nebulae and splitting double stars require two different types of scope really. Nebulae need large aperture, splitting doubles needs high mag and good contrast.

For planetary imaging with a webcam, it will work with either scope but the Mak 127 is better than the 130P. A 150P either Dob or Explorer is better than both of these but you probably won't find them bundled with a GOTO mount.

[wilso31]

it is a goto im after and due when looking at galaxies and nebulae and getting that bit more detail would you agree that the 127 is still a better option than the 150p i have viewd the nebulae on orions belt through a celestron 114 900 powerseeker and was amazed with what I saw but was frustrated that i couldnt track it and it was taking me ages to re find it again. i was happy with the image i was getting as we are not enthusiasts but occasional dabblers in astronomy. i agree with a newtonian but im in a flat and live in sheffield. would i get better detail with the 127 when looking at galaxies and ring nebulae and orion sword or am i better with 130p. for this . do i get crisper and more detail with the 127 on some deep space objects?

[RikM]

I have an observing buddy with a 130P and I have a 127 Mak. With a 10mm EP in the 127 and a 10mm + 2x barlow in the 130P there is almost no difference in the view. The 127 is no sharper than the 130P

If you are pushed for space, the 127 is a little bit smaller. But for the money, the 130P is a bargain.

[wilso31]

thanks for all your help on this guys i decuided that the 127 is probably a better choice being compact and i would like to do some camera work. I looked at motorised and 150p but wifey wanted goto so that we could get stuff easier. now the choice of celestron 127 or skymax 127