Stuck between 2 scopes

[Monzilla]

Hi all

Would anyone be able to tell me what would be best out the 2 scopes?

I'd like to be able to see planets in detail and the odd bit of deep space.

Im looking at the:

Sky-Watcher SKYMAX-127 (AZ-Go2)

Or

Skywatcher EXPLORER 130PS AZ-GTi 

Many thanks 

Chris 

[cajen2]

They are really quite different scopes with very different strengths and weaknesses.

The Mak has a long focal length and is thus easy to use at high magnifications, so it's great on the planets, Moon, etc. The issues are with its narrow field of view which means larger deep sky objects are difficult, plus finding stuff in the first place can be hard. It can also suffer with dew problems and long cool-down times.

The 130PS will give you a wider FOV and thus may be better for the DSOs. It will not be as good on planets unless you invest in some small focal length eyepieces or a good quality Barlow. Its cool- down time is better and is a little less likely to dew up quickly.

IMHO, the 130 is your best bet for a scope that can do most things well enough. If the planetary stuff is your priority, go for the Mak.

No scope is good at everything....

[dweller25]

Hello Chris and welcome to SGL.

For deep sky and planets the 130PS would be my preference.

You may need to add a barlow lens to get high magnifications for the planets.

But for a similar price you can get this which is larger but will give much better views….

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-8-f6-dobsonian.html

Edited February 1 by dweller25

[PeterStudz]

I agree with @dweller25. I have an 8” Dob and it does give good views of the planets, better than the two telescopes mentioned. 

For planets you don’t really need GoTo as they are bright and easy to find. But you could argue that tracking is useful for planetary. GoTo does make finding DSO easy but then I enjoy finding them myself and also use a smartphone app to help. 

[Carbon Brush]

What sort of location are you viewing from? Light polluted city centre?
Where will you store & use the scope? 3 flights of stairs to the back garden?
Do you want to take a scope on a holiday flight?
To me, these are the only arguments in favour of a 127Mak as a sole scope.
They are good scopes, but.....

+1 for @dweller25  and @PeterStudz suggestion.
An 8" dob is very much a 'keeper' scope. It has the light gather for DSO and will take the magnification for planetary.
Less convenient to carry than a 127Mak - but do you want views or portability?

Speaking here as someone who owns or has owned reflectors in the 8" to 12" flavours, and Maks 90mm up to 150mm.

Don't rush. Ask around. Try to have a hold of the scopes, and a look through if someone local has one, or you can go to a club.

Enjoy the hobby.

David.

 

[lunator]

We might sound like a broken record but of the 3 scopes I have an 80mm refractor, a 250mm Mak and a 200mm Newt which is now on a Dob base, the 2000mm newt is the best all-rounder. Each has their individual  strengths but the Newt is the best compromise overall if you want to try several aspects of the hobby. 

Cheers

Ian

[bosun21]

If you want a good planetary scope with go to and tracking get the 127 Maksutov.   For everything else get yourself an 8” dobsonian(apart from astrophotography).

Edited February 1 by bosun21

[AstroMuni]

4 hours ago, Monzilla said:

I'd like to be able to see planets in detail and the odd bit of deep space.

If you want to see the planets up close then the Mak is more suited due to its long FL vs the 130PS.

See this comparison using https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/.

On the right you can see what eyepiece & barlow I have used. Try using the tool with different planets & other objects to see the difference.

Regarding the mount, get the best mount you can afford as that can be your workhorse and carry other scopes that you may decide to buy a few months/years down the line.

Edited February 1 by AstroMuni

[Zermelo]

I think either of these scopes would give you a lot of enjoyment and a wide variety of possible targets.

I have the Skymax 127 and a (slightly larger than the 130PS) SW 150mm reflector, both of which I use on a goto mount. The reflector is a bit better for the largest DSOs, the Mak is better on solar system targets. But it's not clear-cut: the Skymax has a shorter focal length than some other Maks, so it has a slightly wider field of view than they do; while the reflector, although not a natural for the highest magnifications, can still give decent views of planets with shorter focal length eyepieces.

I find a mount with Goto and tracking to be very convenient. Apart from the obvious advantages, it's very handy if you share observing sessions and, if you use it correctly, you can find most targets quite easily on a Mak equipped with a decent optical finder.

[Monzilla]

Thanks all ever so much for the warm welcome and all the great help.

 

I've now placed a order for the 127

just one quick question,  power packs...

I don't want to be carrying around a large battery or anything larger than a mobile phone. Can anyone provide a link to a rechargeable  power pack/bank that will work for this az go2 mount for the 127 mak? 

 

[Bugdozer]

On 01/02/2024 at 13:55, cajen2 said:

No scope is good at everything....

I was going to joke that one of the Dob Squad will imminently be along to say "an 8 inch Dob is good at everything" but the post immediately after yours beat me to it! 

[cajen2]

3 hours ago, Bugdozer said:

I was going to joke that one of the Dob Squad will imminently be along to say "an 8 inch Dob is good at everything" but the post immediately after yours beat me to it! 

The ironic thing is that I used to have exactly that dob.....and I sold it. 😆

I found myself not going out some nights because the scope was heavy and awkward, and I'm not, shall we say, in my first flush of youth....😉

[michael8554]

Stuck between 2 scopes.

A focuser in the kidneys can be quite painful............ 😆

Michael

[PeterStudz]

11 hours ago, cajen2 said:

The ironic thing is that I used to have exactly that dob.....and I sold it. 😆

I found myself not going out some nights because the scope was heavy and awkward, and I'm not, shall we say, in my first flush of youth....😉

Unless you know the individual very well then you really are generalising. And knowing them well from a brief post on a forum isn’t possible, so you go on what they’ve said. People do have different requirements and lives. 

I first went with a small grab and go but wish I hadn’t. Then got an 8” Dob and love it. And I’m no spring chicken, with a weak knee (dislocated 5 times now) and I find moving the Dob from my house to garden very easy. I’ve also taken it in the car for outreach events and it’s been great.

Not to say that the “grab and go” was wasted/sold. It’s now our holiday telescope as I can take it as hand luggage on an aircraft (tripod in hold). That’s obviously rather tricky with an 8” Dob. So if I was travelling a lot then the Dob would be rather useless. 

Edited February 3 by PeterStudz

[M40]

On 01/02/2024 at 20:11, Monzilla said:

Just one quick question,  power packs...

I don't want to be carrying around a large battery or anything larger than a mobile phone. Can anyone provide a link to a rechargeable  power pack/bank that will work for this az go2 mount for the 127 mak? 

I don't have this but it has good reviews....

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/batteries-powerpacks/celestron-6-1-ah-powertank-lithium-lt.html

All the best and welcome to the site

 

[Bugdozer]

15 hours ago, cajen2 said:

The ironic thing is that I used to have exactly that dob.....and I sold it. 😆

I found myself not going out some nights because the scope was heavy and awkward, and I'm not, shall we say, in my first flush of youth....😉

This is exactly my point. Everyone on this forum falls into one of two types: those who say "no scope is ideal for everything" and those who say "get an 8 inch Dob" regardless of the needs of the person. 8 inch Dobs are great, but they're not good for people who lack space, people who need to travel to observe, people who have difficulty finding faint objects, and people who may have trouble with large tubes. There's more to the ideal telescope than simply "it's a fast scope with a big aperture that doesn't cost much".

[Beardy30]

On 01/02/2024 at 12:21, Monzilla said:

Hi all

Would anyone be able to tell me what would be best out the 2 scopes?

I'd like to be able to see planets in detail and the odd bit of deep space.

Im looking at the:

Sky-Watcher SKYMAX-127 (AZ-Go2)

Or

Skywatcher EXPLORER 130PS AZ-GTi 

Many thanks 

Chris 

HI - out of those 2 if i had to choose i would go for the 130.  the 127 Mak is good for the moon and planets but not much else. I have the 127 Bresser version and i prefer using my 102 4" frac.  If i had to choose an all rounder as a scope i'd personally pick an SCT.  But that's just my personal opinion.

Edited February 3 by Beardy30