Sky-Watcher SkyMax 102S or 127 vs Sky-Watcher Classic 130/150p with limited space

[happy-kat]

The synscan can be downloaded and used in emulator mode so it can be used to see what the app can do without a mount. Once installed and running go to settings//connection settings then pick emulator and then connect.

Once connected, enable tracking (top right) then go to alignment and can select North level alignment for just tracking without any star selection, though accuracy if then did choose a star to goto would be as good as the tripod level and north setup (I just do a level and compass North to get going).

Whether 102mm mak or 127mm mak there'll probably be reviews comparing the two to help with choosing which one fits you.

Enjoy looking 

[IzzyStardust]

@happy-kat I'll be honest, before I made this post I had been basically sold on getting the 102 mak (the AZ pronto version from sky-watcher) but your comment on a previous reply about it not being much better than my current 80mm + barlow made me reconsider. I think the 127 mak (with out without goto, I'll have to decide) is what I'm going to go for, given that a dob just wouldn't be practical with my limited viewing space.

Thanks again for all the replies you've given to me, I really appreciate it.

[happy-kat]

As I don't have a 127mm mak I haven't directly compared it to the 80mm short tube refractor, the experience might be different if it's the longer tube 80mm. The shorter tube 80mm version will have a wider field of view.  There's bound to be lots to see to read on using both mak sizes on what expected to see to help decide which size works best for you all round.

 

[Louis D]

I have both an old ST80 and a Synta 127 Mak.

The ST80's chromatic and spherical aberrations greatly limit solar system viewing with it.  I would recommend a #11 Yellow-Green filter to sharpen up the image on the moon and Jupiter.  It cuts most of the poorly focused spectrum in such a scope from both ends (blue/violet and red).  If that yellow-green color is too strong for your tastes, a #8 Yellow filter will cut some of the unfocused violet light which is the worst offender.

The 127 Mak needs time to acclimate, so it's not a good grab-n-go scope.  Until it acclimates, the meniscus corrector contributes chromatic aberrations to the image.  Once it acclimates, it shows quite a bit more detail at high powers than does the yellow-green filtered ST80.

[IzzyStardust]

I'd like to add in an edit here for the sake of everyone who has replied so far: the issue with my viewing space isn't so much the length of telescope tubes (say for a dob vs my st80) its more due to where the eyepiece is positioned on a dob, and where that would put me in terms of my balcony if I chose to get one, I would basically be right up against, or have to hang over the railing in order to get to the eyepiece. This is why I was considering getting a mak, and am now second-guessing myself and also considering a longer tubed refractor like thew Sky-Watcher Evostar 102.

Once again, I would like to thank everybody who has replied so far and I do apologise for my indecisiveness, I really do appreciated everybody's inputs.

Hi @Louis D thanks for the comment. I usually leave my telescopes out to acclimate regardless because I had heard it was best practice, so rest assured that I would have left it out for the required amount of time before hand.

I am now kind of having doubts about getting a mak and maybe thinking about getting a refractor like my ST80 but with a slightly longer tube (I know this goes against what I originally posted and the "having no space" thing) but I'm thinking about maybe getting a 102mm refractor like the Sky-Watcher Evostar instead.

Do you happen to have any input as to what that would be like vs a 127mm mak? My main issue is that at the moment I only have a 2x barlow, a 20mm plossl and a 5mm BST Starguider eyepiece to use, and from my limited testing using the astronomy.tools site, the 5mm will basically be useless in the maks due to how their magnification works.

As I've said to everyone else who's given me a reply, thank you very much for your insight and clear skies.

Edited July 11 by IzzyStardust

[happy-kat]

Could you mock up a piece of cardboard to represent a longer refractor to see what sort of viewing position was offered from your space. Could you look through an eyepiece when targets are high in the sky, would the eyepiece be lower to the floor.

Edited July 11 by happy-kat

[Louis D]

It would take a fairly slow (long, high f-ratio) achromat to tame the chromatic aberration inherent in them.  If you desire sharp, high power views, shorter achromats are not really the best way to go.

[M40]

Have you found the field of view calculator at the top of the page? Select resources - astronomy tools - field of view. Input visual mode, select your existing telescope then and an eyepiece, in choose object select solar system then Jupiter. Add to view and you will get an idea of what may be seen. Then change the telescope to the skymax 127 and using the same target and eyepiece add it to the view, you will then get a comparison between the two telescopes. Then add other telescopes, eyepieces etc With plenty of if's, but's and maybe's, I use this a lot to compare different setups. 

[IzzyStardust]

@M40 I've been using astronomy tools to check the different views between telescopes and eyepieces for a while now since I decided I wanted to upgrade from my ST80. From a brief check last night between the 102 and 127 mak, there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of difference, other than say Jupiter (my main target of interest in the night sky) appearing to be slightly larger with the 127 when simulated with my 20mm eyepiece and 2x barlow so realistically, the 127 would be the thing to go for cos it would offer me the "better" view.

I will admit that my addendum last night was maybe more out of panic I guess rather than anything else, I'm just trying to keep my options a bit more open potentially.

I suppose, realistically, its all going to come down to how much I'm willing to spend - as all things do in the end.

[Louis D]

As far as cost, Synta 127 Mak OTAs come up quite regularly on CN Classifieds for $200 to $300.  They had peaked higher during and after the pandemic, but used prices have trended back toward their pre-pandemic price points lately.  It might be useful for you to check the astro classifieds local to you to see what comes up.  I've bought both a Celestron and an Orion USA branded version, and both arrived in perfect collimation with flawless optics and mechanics, so these scope hold up well over time.  Of course, you'll need to provide your own mount for the OTA.

[IzzyStardust]

I could check the astro buy/ sell site, true, but whenever I look at it the site just seems a bit dodgy to me (not a knock at all on the people who own the site, or the people who've used it before, just how it looks to me) so I would rather use somewhere like FirstLightOptics or a similar place that I have used before and know will give me the goods.

I don't know if you've read the whole thread or not so I don't know if you have an idea of my viewing conditions but I have had yet another thought pop into my head: what if I were to get say this telescope, and simply rotate the OTA so that the eyepiece is in a more comfortable viewing position for my situation. Yes, I would have to learn how to use an equatorial mount, but it might be worth it in the long run if it'll give me a shot at comfortably using a reflector.

[Mandy D]

17 minutes ago, IzzyStardust said:

what if I were to get say this telescope, and simply rotate the OTA so that the eyepiece is in a more comfortable viewing position for my situation. Yes, I would have to learn how to use an equatorial mount, but it might be worth it in the long run if it'll give me a shot at comfortably using a reflector.

That could work. You should even be able to slide the telescope through the riings to bring the eyepiece closer to you. It might be necessary to add a bit of weight to the front end to maintain balance for the mount.

[IzzyStardust]

Thanks for the reply, I'll certainly give it a big consideration when weighing up my options later.