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SKYWATCHER EXPLORER-130M 130mm (5.1") f/900 MOTORISED Newtonian Reflector Telescope

mark993

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mark993

mark993

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SKYWATCHER EXPLORER-130M 130mm (5.1") f/900 MOTORISED Newtonian Reflector Telescope

I have finally convinced (or annoyed to the point of caving in) my wife to let me buy a new telescope can any one tell me if this is a good choice for a beginners scope. I think it is a good one mostly because it was a sky at night group test winner. Any help would be great.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas.

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ronin

ronin

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Check if the scope has a parabolic mirror or a spherical.

It is f/6.9 which may be long for a parabolic but short for a spherical.

If spherical the performance at approximately f/7 will not be great. If they are parabolic they do tend to say. An f/7ish parabolic should be quite decent.

Also don't believe all you read in magazines. Bet you have never seen a review that said don't consider buying.

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moogy

moogy

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I was just going to point you to this post. it helped me no end in my decision....i am having the 130p az goto. there are some good vids on youtube if you type in 130p

but i think what ever you get will be a good start :(

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xboxdevil

xboxdevil

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The motors attempt to keep the object in the field of view, otherwise you will need to constantly nudge the scope to counteract the earth's rotation. It doesn't sound like a lot at 15 degrees an hour, but under higher magnifications it can be a bit of a parlour game. Do you need them? not really, but it does make viewing a bit easier if you can handle the extra faffing about levelling & aligning the mount before you start.

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phillc

phillc

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Hello Mark, I've had a 130x900 pm for a few years now, and have always been happy with it as a starter scope, IMHO I don't think it will disappoint. If you can get your hands on the book Turn Left at Orion, the drawings in that book will give you a good idea of the views I get through my scope on a average night. If you can get the scope with a motor I would as I have found it a godsend when tracking a object.

May you have many clear nights

phillc

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bish

bish

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I had a 150p for the first couple of years, which is very similar. The 130 and 150 are great to start out with, not too bulky, easy to handle and able to show you a huge amount. I didn't have a motor to start but found it very useful for high powers. I found a pair of 10x50 bins and good star atlas made life much easier when starting out too.

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  • 7 months later...
GreenMonkee

GreenMonkee

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Hi there

Sorry to jump in on your discussion but I am in a similar position. I am just looking for my first telescope (well pretending it's a birthday present for my partner but actually I think it's me that'll like it the most!)

I have been looking at the Skywatcher 130 and everything I've heard suggests it's the best telescope to start off with. But I am really not sure which to buy and would really appreciate some advice!

I've found a second hand one that seems to have everything - finderscope, motorised, looks in great condition and only £100. But it's too far to go and collect and I'm worried about paying so much and having it sent in the post.

I've also found some brand new ones on sale. I could stretch to the 159 price (already going way over budget but figured getting something v cheap is completely false economy from what I've read) but these have a red dot finder and no motor. But they come with a 12 month guarantee so I have peace of mind with the posting issue.

Can anyone advise? Is it a bad idea to try and get one posted to me for the sake of saving a bit of money and a motor, or is posting generally okay and worth it to get the extras?

(btw i know the brand new 'motor' one is only another £25 extra but thinking it's only an extra few quid is what has already got me from a £70 budget to considering spending double!!)

Many thanks in advance!

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  • 2 weeks later...
mark993

mark993

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I went with the motor and the few times i have actually got to use it i think it was well worth the money. I even used it to get a few decent pics of the moon. It is hard to decide and it does feel like a lot of money but I truely think it is well worth it.

Good Luck buddy.

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Motors are handy, and second hand is not a problem, provided you can check the thing out. If the thing looks in good shape, it is probably OK (this is why people want to see piccies in the for sale section of SGL). These scopes pop up second hand for two reasons: Aperture fever, i.e. they caught the bug and want a bigger scope, or lack of enthusiasm, they did not get to use them. In the first case the scope may be well used, but usually well cared for as well. In the second case they are virtually unused. In either case it allows you to get good kit for less money, which cannot be a bad thing.

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