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Scope upgrade....is it worth it?


RascalUK

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Aloha, just a bit of advice sought.

I have a Skywatcher GOTO 130p but have the option from a friend of geting hold of his Skywatcher Skymax 127 tube, which I think should be fine on my mount so I can still use my Synscan stuff.

Was wondering if it's worth it and will I see any benefits, and if so what, over my 5" Newt.

Am I going to see better views of solar system objects? And enough to make it worthwhile?

Cheers guys

Paul

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The moon, planets and double stars will definitely be seen better with the Skymax. For deep-sky objects the Skywatcher is the better choice.

The Skymax will show deep-sky, but because of the longer focal length of the Skymax only the best will be seen properly, M42, M31, etc. The shorter focal length of the Skywatcher will give a wider field of view and bring fainter objects into view.

Hope this helps.

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theoretically it will show the same views, but in reality it will allow you to use high mag for solar system objects while eyepieces providing more eye relief without paying a fortune,

Would i personally do the upgrade... i think it depends on the price. with a small scopes the main targets are solar system so why not have a scope that excels at those targets.

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I have a Skymak 127 & my son owns a 130P. In comparison I can tell you the 127 displays crisper resolution & detail definition for planetary & lunar work, however the 130 is slightly superior for dso observing but not well defined where planets are concerned.

If its all round work you're looking for I'd stick with the 130, if you're going to upgrade aperture is the key word............suggest going to a 200 or even a 250 if finances permit

Horses for courses I suppose.

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I actually have a 130P SuperTrak and a smaller (105mm) Mak.

You'll get considerably better planetary views with a Mak. And remember that the Mak is sold with the same mount head, so it will cope. As to whether it's worth the price difference, only you can judge - I'd recommend testing them side-by-side on the same night.

Bear in mind though that you won't be able to get such wide views. The minimum magnification (@ 52deg afov) on the 127 is 47x, but on the 130P it's a much wider 20x

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if you're going to upgrade aperture is the key word.

Only "in theory".

astro_baby has mentioned in the past that her TAL 100RS produces better planetary views than her larger scopes, and my 105 Mak easily beats the 130P. With planets, contrast is (within reasonable limits) at least as important as aperture I feel.

Bear in mind that with the 127 Mak they won't need the expense of a new mount either.

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Love my 127 on Moon & planets (absolutely outstanding), and it's quite usable on more compact DSOs, but your newt should outperform it on the more diffuse DSOs, though to see a startling difference, you would need to go up to an 8" newt.

So it's now just a question of price - you already have a mount which will accomodate the 127 - which is about £230 from FLO, tube only. So, if your friend is significantly cheaper, go for it! They seem to go for £150+/_ second hand.

Also rather suspect that, in five years, you might still have the 127, but would be surprised if you haven't outgrown the Skywatcher newt.

See, we all enjoy spending someone else's money :)

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