upgrade sky-watcher 1145 to 130

[MGB]

hi there i have a sky-watcher 1145p synscan goto but want to get a bigger scope i think the mount can take a 130p newtonian theres a clamp on the 1145 to put it on the mount how would i go about getting a bigger scope and the fittings for it anyhelp would be appreciated thanks!!

[ronin]

Wait, save the money, buy a 150P or something bigger still.

Must it be goto?

130 is not that big a step up.

To attach a 130P you would need the scope, a set of scope rings, and a suitable dovetail.

Not sure what your mount is so not sure how easily it will handle the 130P. But they tend to put a scope on a mount that will just handle the scope so adding a heavier one may be pushing your luck.

Additionally a scope alone costs proportionally more then with a mount, then comes the rings and dovetail, not high but it all adds up.

[Schorhr]

Hello,

if it's the skywatcher synscan az goto mount it may carry a 130p, but the difference between 4.5" ind a 5" telescope is not that much of an upgrade, as Ronin allready said.

IF it's an option, try a dobsonian (local star party, observatory, club) With telrad and maps, you will be surprised how easy it is to find objects compared to the finder scope approach.

If you sell yours, you may get a 6" or 8" used, that will gather so much more light, showing amazing details on galaxies.

As for larger goto telescopes, there is either the neq-5 goto synscan mount (as the neq 3 will allready have problems carrying a 6" stable), larger AltAz goto mounts that are almost as expensive as the eq mounts, and dobsonians with Goto that offer the best stability, but are AltAz mounts not suited for photography.

There is a cheap solution to use a dobsonian without goto; Attach an end-of-line android phone (20-40£ on sale) with a red transparency sheet (to preserve the eye's adaption to the dark) and astro tools.

It will be a sort of "moveTo" navigation, but the eye's adaption is still a problem with the red screen.

If you want to see more with your current setup, you could also look into video astronomy ;-) My mount, probably similar to yours, will arive today

[Naemeth]

I'd personally save up a bit more for either a 6" dob or 8" dob. You won't see much difference between the 114P and 130P. Are you set on GoTo?

[MGB]

ok thanks for the input i proberly sell this one and look for a 8 dobs