Heritage 130 Adventures

[jetstream]

Eventhough I have been observing for quite a while I figured that writing about what this telescope can deliver might be of interest to those starting out.

@Stu if this would be better in another section please move it, thank you.

 

Last night the sky was dark, 21.6ish and had avg to a bit better transparency .There was some extinction on the horizon.

The scope was set out to cool, remained collimated- for months lol-and 2 favourite eyepieces were up on deck- the 24Es 68 and the Televue 16mm T5 Nagler, more about the latter in a bit. A Televue eyepiece is NOT  needed.

I could write about the 15 or so DSO viewed last night but will break it up into sections. First off the 24mm ES 68 is the most used eyepiece in this scope, it is a perfect match, not too heavy and a great TFOV, and viewing M42 with it reveals a bright , super image.A bright green core with some expanse to the wings showing and with a small scale M43 easy to see.

No filter needed under dark skies, using one will "brighten" the image to the expense of the extent of the nebulosity.

The Running Man glow was easily visible, obviously with no shape but great to see. Now in goes the 82 deg 16mm eyepiece and whoa! The view was spectacular! massive nebulosity, perfectly framed, even brighter and with the "lower loop" that surrounds the bottom of M42- this feature is a test of equipment and conditions and the H130/16mm EP passed with flying colours. M43 was larger and with better separation and definition. The Running Man was even better than before.

Any experienced observer seeing M42 last night in the Heritage 130 would have been shocked, standing back, looking at this little scope, shaking his/her head in disbelief at how good the views were. I dont care if a Tec, Tak, A-P or whatever else was lined up- the presentation in the scope combination was stunning.

Believe me I was standing there shaking my head in disbelief at the views! I'm still amazed at the views this scope can deliver - this is the test- if a scope can grab your attention over and over like this its a keeper, IMHO.

To finish the night I thought I'd view Barnards Loop and with my filter it was extremely easy... no joking... more later.

 

ps If there is interest I'll relate why a Televue eyepiece is not needed to get these views.

 

Gerry, from the land of ice and snow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2023 by jetstream

[Captain Scarlet]

Gerry what were you using to find your way around? Supplied mount and RDF? I actually find those generic RDFs quite good.

Magnus

[cajen2]

The 130, like my 150, is excellent optically. In fact, it loses nothing to my StellaLyra 8" dob except needing lower f/l EPs to achieve the same mags. No doubt the 8" hoists in more light but it really isn't noticeable except with the faintest stars / DSOs.

[jetstream]

17 minutes ago, Captain Scarlet said:

Gerry what were you using to find your way around? Supplied mount and RDF? I actually find those generic RDFs quite good.

Magnus

Yes just the supplied mount and finder. I use an old steel barrel to sit it on- very fast and perfect height, no problem at zenith. From memory I found and viewed M78, Barnards Loop, Monkey Head neb, Rossette, Eskimo, the Flaming Star in Auriga, Double Cluster, M31 and its friends, Pleiades Bubble, Merope neb, Crab neb etc etc.

For me there is an ideal height for the mini dob and the barrel is it- on a tripod I find I'm too old for the gymnastic required lol I'll take the H130 in dob format any day. It is very capable on a tripod however.

[jetstream]

15 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

The 130, like my 150, is excellent optically. In fact, it loses nothing to my StellaLyra 8" dob except needing lower f/l EPs to achieve the same mags. No doubt the 8" hoists in more light but it really isn't noticeable except with the faintest stars / DSOs.

Its amazing that these little scopes work so well- I showed some non astronomer family members the moon along the terminator and all their reactions included "is it ever sharp!" They all thought this scope was a toy.... until they looked through it. I'm glad you like yours too!

Edited February 10, 2023 by jetstream

[cajen2]

Do go on about the TV Nagler, please Gerry....

[jetstream]

14 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

Do go on about the TV Nagler, please Gerry....

Thought you'd never ask

This eyepiece in general is not a favourite one, it is a great eyepiece, shortish eyerelief and light. The reason it works so well on M42 is the combination of a perfect TFOV (22mm field stop), light weight and vg optics. Out of those 3 I'd say the most important factors are the wide field and light weight. The H130 can be de collimated by heavier eyepieces, some say over 12 oz - I'd say we are ok with a tiny bit more when I tested my scope.

No doubt the good optics helped, but an Explore Scientific or equivalent 82deg 14mm, 15mm would provide the same or better views. The 24ES 68 is a great EP in this scope, really great. It even picked out the tiny Flame neb with its hindering wide field (for this object). The 16T5 did as well of course.

Btw, the supplied 25mm Super shows Barnards Loop in the H130 and the Horse Head in my larger scopes...

Many H130 enthusiasts say the 13mm Nagler T6 is the eyepiece for this scope... but I see no reason why the ES 82 series wouldnt perform the same or better.

Edited February 10, 2023 by jetstream

[cajen2]

2 hours ago, jetstream said:

Thought you'd never ask

This eyepiece in general is not a favourite one, it is a great eyepiece, shortish eyerelief and light. The reason it works so well on M42 is the combination of a perfect TFOV (22mm field stop), light weight and vg optics. Out of those 3 I'd say the most important factors are the wide field and light weight. The H130 can be de collimated by heavier eyepieces, some say over 12 oz - I'd say we are ok with a tiny bit more when I tested my scope.

No doubt the good optics helped, but an Explore Scientific or equivalent 82deg 14mm, 15mm would provide the same or better views. The 24ES 68 is a great EP in this scope, really great. It even picked out the tiny Flame neb with its hindering wide field (for this object). The 16T5 did as well of course.

Btw, the supplied 25mm Super shows Barnards Loop in the H130 and the Horse Head in my larger scopes...

Many H130 enthusiasts say the 13mm Nagler T6 is the eyepiece for this scope... but I see no reason why the ES 82 series wouldnt perform the same or better.

The new StellaLyra UFF range might give the ES 68° a run for its money. It's 65° v. 68° but if the 30mm is anything to go by, it should be great and nearly £100 cheaper.

[Whistlin Bob]

That's a really nice review. 

I recommended one of these scopes to some family friends after reading good things about them, but was a bit anxious as I'd never used one myself. I needn't have worried: they brought it round and I helped them set it up and was properly impressed with the views it delivered on a wide range of targets. A ridiculously good piece of kit for the money.

[jetstream]

4 hours ago, Whistlin Bob said:

A ridiculously good piece of kit for the money.

Thanks Bob, I still cant believe this telescopes performance either. It is the fastest scope to set up Ive seen and have used it sitting on the hood of the car, trunk, truck tailgate, picnic tables, concrete blocks, barrels etc.