Comparison - North Star Scope & Skywatcher Explorer 130M Reflector

[lighty89]

Is there much difference between my current scope (North Star - Mars 76RDF 700x76mm Netonian Reflector) and this:

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130M

Im quite tied as a budget as paying for a holiday!

The telescope I got at the moment is annoying, not seen much other than the moon through it, but going to have a bit more patience now!

So, what could I see with this Explorer 130M?

[rowan46]

you will see a fair bit more as you have 2" more apparture planets will be brighter, resolution will be better you will see dso's a little easier. do you need the motor? its a lot better scope than the one you have but this one Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130P is only £10 more and has better optics, just a thought, certainly the 130m is a good upgrade from the one you have and gets good reviews as a starter scope, its just that the 130p is slightly better

[lighty89]

you will see a fair bit more as you have 2" more apparture planets will be brighter, resolution will be better you will see dso's a little easier. do you need the motor? its a lot better scope than the one you have but this one Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130P is only £10 more and has better optics, just a thought, certainly the 130m is a good upgrade from the one you have and gets good reviews as a starter scope, its just that the 130p is slightly better

Oh I see now, what makes the 130P better? And is it a big difference, I may not necessarily need the motor but it would be cool lol:P

The main thing for me is getting the max I can for the money!

So is the 130P noticeably better?

Thanks for the quick reply!

[rowan46]

the p has better optics this means that objects will be a little sharper, especially planets and messier objects its the next step from a beginners scope nothing else has the same quality for the price. if you wish to upgrade your mount at a later stage you can buy the motor seperately Skywatcher - Skywatcher RA Motor Drive for EQ2

[cotterless45]

Go for the 150p. The optics are superb.The slow motion controls are easy to use. It'll get you seeing nearly everything.

[lighty89]

Go for the 150p. The optics are superb.The slow motion controls are easy to use. It'll get you seeing nearly everything.

That one costs quite a bit more though, out of my budget!

[spitfire12]

HI Lighty

Im actually looking at upgrading to the same scope from a very similar spec to your current, ive heard that this is a really good scope!

i havent heard of your current scope before but im assuming its a cheapo one like mine with poor optics (mines a jessops lol).

what sort of views of jupiter have you had with this scope? ive only really managed to get a decent view using my 20mm EP.

[John]

I think you would find either of the Skywatcher 130mm scopes a substantial improvement over your current 76mm newtonian. Obviously there is the big aperture increase but also that the Skywatchers are properly engineered instruments - you will see what I mean if you get a Skywatcher and compare it to your Northstar 76mm

[spitfire12]

John

Would i be right in saying that the mount and tripod on this scope would be much sturdier and produce a lot less "shake"? as thats what im suffering from the most with my current scope.

[John]

John

Would i be right in saying that the mount and tripod on this scope would be much sturdier and produce a lot less "shake"? as thats what im suffering from the most with my current scope.

Yes - having seen the Jessops scopes "in the flesh" I can safely say that the Skywatcher 130 newtonians and their mounts are in a completely different league.

I started out with a 60mm Tasco refractor on a wobbly mount which got me hooked but it was only when I got a "proper" scope that I realised just how flimsy the Tasco was and how poor the supplied eyepieces were. The actual scope optics are quite good but they get the scope to market at the price they do by economising hugely on everything else. Shame really because a solid mount is so important to getting the most out of a scope.

[spitfire12]

Thanks, thats really given me peice of mind about how much better my upgrade will be, im on huge economy drive as im saving up to do an access to uni course which i will have to pay for myself so im hoping to buy second hand.

i know what you mean about the jessops scope, the scope itself seems to be pretty decent quality however the eyepeices have a very cheap feel to them and thats the opinion of someone who has never touched another EP. Even with the wobbly tripod etc this scope has definitley got me hooked so its served its purpose well, much like your tasco!