Skywatcher 130P

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Skywatcher 130P
This is an excellent little telescope,the optics are really sharp.Saturn is a beautiful sight through this scope,the Cassini division easily visible as an ink black line and surface markings are also visible.Four bands are visible on Jupiter and the Great red spot is easy.Individual stars in M13 and other globular clusters are resolved,I believe that at least a 6 inch scope is generally required for this kind of performance.
For deep sky this scope works well,the ring nebula M57,appears as a ditinct "doughnut" shape with the central hole easily visible,(it really would be expecting too much to see the central star).
On the down side the EQ 2 mount is a little lightweight,the red dot finder is ok for brighter objects,but practically useless for deep sky,(older 130p's were fitted with a 6x30 finderscope).The supplied eyepieces (25&10mm)are adequate kellner type,Plossls would have been a nicer accessory.
I highly recommend the 130p,at only £169(uk)it is excellent value.It's performance is almost on a par with 6 inch reflectors and decidedly better than 114mm models,buy one,this is an excellent beginners scope with the aperture to do some serious viewing too.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=365543

Skywatcher 130P
Generally a good scope,star test showed a fuzzy ring pattern inside of focus, indicating a possible turned down mirror edge.
Despite this the views are pleasing,planetary views are sharp,with plenty of detail apparent,Lunar observing is impressive.
For deep sky use this scope excels,M31 in Andromeda is a splendid sight,the whole of the galaxy with M32 and even M110 are observable in the wide field view with the supplied 25mm eyepiece.The globular clusters M13 and M92 in Hercules are rewarding,with some resolution apparent.The Eskimo planetary nebula in Gemini was easy to find and appeared very bright at 90x magnification.
The EQ2 mount is adequate,but an EQ3 mount would have provided greater stability.I was a little disappointed with the focusser which is of plastic construction.However it works well enough and is actually quite smooth in operation,I would not risk heavy loads such as an SLR camera though.
The supplied 25mm and 10mm(31.7mm barell)eyepieces are quite good despite being budget SMA type models and are a massive improvement over the 24.5mm size eyepieces I had with my old 114mm reflector.
What is it with telescope companies supplying these red-dot reflex finders these days,bring back the old 6x30 finderscopes they are far better.
Overall the 130p is a decent telescope which is a marked improvement over my old Tasco reflector,I would have given a higher score if the star test had been perfect,recommended.

Overall Rating: 7
Optics:7 Mount:7 Ease of Use:8 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=368918

Skywatcher 130P
I have only used this telescope a couple of times,but Iam impressed by what I have observed so far.The optics are really good providing very detailed planetary views although at present(october 2004)only Saturn is visible.
Lunar views are exeptional,by far the best I have had in a scope in this size range and equal to some of the 6 inch scopes I have used.
I have'nt had chance to observe many deep sky objects yet,what I have seen has been impressive,M11,M31,M15 and M27 have all shown good detail and structure.
The mount could be steadier,but is just about adequate for a telescope of this size.I have added a RA drive and it tracks objects surprisingly accurately.I keep the scope permanently set up and at 28lbs it is light enough to carry outside.It takes about 15-20 minutes to cool down thourougly,although there is a steel plate held on by 3 small screws that covers the main mirror cell,that I remove to help speed up this process.
The 130p is tremendous value,it's worth paying a little more for this parabolic reflector and then add a drive yourself,than buying the spherical mirrored 130m which comes with a drive.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Mount:7 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=394486

Skywatcher 130P
I,ve owned my SW Explorer 130p for almost two years.In that time I have observed so many celestial objects that I could'nt possibly list them all here.
The Lunar and planetary views are outstanding,with detail revealed that you simply would not expect from such a modest aperture.
I own a number of telescopes,all of them more expensive than this one,yet the 130p has become my most frequently used telescope.
It has a few drawbacks,as has been mentioned in previous messages,the mount could be sturdier and it could have been fitted with metal focusser.
I actually quite like the red -dot reflex finder,once I got used to it.
If your looking for a reasonably priced beginner-intermediate telescope with a decent aperture,then you won't go far wrong with this.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:7 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=435085

Skywatcher 130P
Good optics,fine views,lots of scope for little money,highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:7 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=488027

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