Skywatcher 130/650

[dave1978]

Upgraded from an SLt-102 as the 130 was on Ebay, just the OTA from the Synscan kit which suited me perfectly as it fits onto the exact same mount as the 102. I think i got it for a great price at £34 + £10 for posting.

Well it arrived Friday afternoon, very clean condition would say unused. Luckily Friday night was very clear for me in Cheshire so i got out early and set it up. Checked the collimation which was my biggest worry after being transported from down South. To my relief all was spot on and by 9:45 Jupiter had cleared the tree.

With the 102 refractor being the only thing i can use for comparison i was very happy with the improvement it gave. Jupiter i would say gave 20% better detail and was certainly clearer/sharper. The 130 was also easier to focus with much less vibration which is a real problem with the 102. I have never been able to see the banding on Jupiter with the 102 possibly just smudges but with the 130 the bands were much clearer. Then i moved onto Andromeda which was much the same as what i see in the 102. Apart from that i didnt get chance to view anything more, probably down to bad solar system alignment, nothing was where it should be.

Overall im very happy with it, not a mosive step from the 102 but well worth it for £34.

[Ogri]

Wow sounds a brilliant deal Dave! Well done!