first scope

[newarcher]

well after many hours trawling the net i think i have narrowed it down to 2 possibles first the skywatcher explorer 130p synscan goto or the skywatcher skymax 127 synscan which i think is a bit more expensive but how much more am i getting for my money as a very newcomer to this hobby i would welcome any comments on the 2 choices thanks

[Dunkster]

Welcome newarcher!

Either of those are great starter scopes. The 130p can give a wide view good for DSOs whereas the 127 is narrower. However, the 127 can give more contrast on the moon and planets, but the narrower view means you won't be able to zoom out enough (effectively) for some of the large DSOs. So it really depends on what you want to see most.

Note my use of the word can, as what you see will be dependent on viewing conditions.

[Catweazel]

I would say that the 130P will probably give you the greater range out of those 2 scopes!

[jon1000]

I got the 130p synscan on tuesday and I'm quite happy with it, I have had some clear nights which have been -4 so pretty cold but I braved it and seen some good images of the moon and Jupiter with 4 of its moons, mars also and a few other things. Unfortunately the moon has been out in force to spoil the show but I'm still happy with the scope.

[Dunkster]

The moon is a great subject too

[cspindley]

hi i beg to differ. I have the 127 skymax and its great! had some really good viewings on it like mars saturn and jupiter and venus. all depends on the eyepiece. i had the 130p liked that too but the 127 skymax goes much deeper and gives you a better quality picture. Great if you get the philips webcam.

[newarcher]

thanks for the replys folks changed my mind slightly its going to be a explorer 130p but now torn between the goto or the supatrak auto the goto appeals to me as a total beginner but i have seen from the post on here that some have trouble setting it up i suppose it nice to have some one giving a bit of help the first time

[Dunkster]

I think many of the general (physical) setup niggles will be common regardless of which model you get.

The goto is a little more cash, but at least it's there if you want/need it. As both are motorised, you're moving by buttons anyhow. With the goto, you just use the direction buttons to find things manually, you don't have to align every time.

From what I understand (I've not used an SW), the synscan goto relies on 2 known stars - so just have a look at a star chart or planisphere, smart phone or computer (stellarium is free) to identify good alignment candidates.

The Celestron versions of the scope (which are a little more pricey) have an additional alignment mode called Sky Align, which lets you pick any 3 bright stars, and you don't need to know what they are.

When wanting a quick look at a planet, I often use the Solar System align - it's very quick - you tell it which planet you are aiming for, point the scope at it and it then tracks it through the sky. The tracking is probably more important with the longer FL scopes, but if you want to do any imaging its useful to have it also.

[hemihaggis]

hi there , a 127 mak blows a 130p out the water on any target , add a 32mm ep and you have the best small scope for the money available:icon_salut:

[newarcher]

thanks everyone for the opinions and advice just seen on a retailers site a meade starnavigator 102 goto as anyone got one of these