Telescopes for Astronomy
Sky-Watcher is a First-Class, market-leading astronomical telescope brand offering an incredible range of high quality astronomical telescopes and telescope accessories, catering for users of all age groups and abilities, from the novice right up to the serious advanced astronomer.
Sky-Watcher astronomical telescopes perfectly integrate modern optical technology with precision mechanical engineering resulting in designs of superb functionality, versatility and uncompromising levels of performance.
There are many different telescope designs and ranges available:
SKYLINER FlexTubeTM DOBSONIANS
These instruments offer an incredible aperture-to-price ratio. The Dobsonian mount, popularized by John Dobson in the late 1970’s, is a very simple but effective method of mounting a Newtonian Reflector, based on the alt-azimuth principle. Fast and easy to set up, the Dobsonian mount consists of a box-type mounting which allows the telescope to pivot in altitude, while the box itself is rotated on a base in azimuth. The secret of the design is to correctly balance the optical tube and to use frictional materials, which allow it to move easily when nudged but to stay in position when not. The mount is designed to be driven by hand as opposed to slow motion controls.
Tube material: Aluminium.
Sky-Watcher are proud to introduce a new range of truss-tube dobsonian models. The new FlexTubeTM Dobsonians all feature retactable OTA’s, making them easy to transport and store, offering the ultimate flexibility for owning an otherwise large telescope. They all feature 2-part telescope tubes attached with 3-arm supports. When in use the tube is fully extended and each arm’s axis is clamped to ensure a rigid optical system. After use, the clamps can be loosened and the tube retracted into a convenient compact size. Owning a large telescope has never been so easy!!
“International Year of Astronomy Special Edition”
The Sky-Watcher Heritage-76 has been specially designed to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) and the 400th Anniversary of Galileo’s first telescope. This is not only a highly functional precision optical instrument but also a beautiful collector’s piece, desk or shelf ornament, and ideal gift.
The beautiful, luxurious tube graphics depict a richly historical theme. The images have been specially designed to symbolise Galileo and his conflict with the Catholic church. Galileo Galilei’s public championing of Copernicus’ theory of heliocentrism, which was contrary to the geocentric beliefs at the time, eventually led to him being denounced to the Roman Inquisition. He was subsequently tried, suspected of heresy, forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. Of course Galileo, “The father of modern science” and “The father of modern observational astronomy” was proved right in the end.
The telescope tube is also adorned with the words “Galileo 400” and “International Year of Astronomy” as well as key dates in the lifetime of Galileo.
The telescope comes equipped, as standard, with a 5x magnification Finderscope, for the easy location of night sky objects. Also the two supplied eyepieces have been specially upgraded to higher quality Super Modified Achromats to increase your viewing pleasure. The telescope accepts standard 1.25” accessories so the magnification range can easily be extended additional 1.25” eyepieces and/or Barlow lens.
The uncomplicated manually operated Dobsonian alt-azimuth mount makes it a convenient, highly portable, grab-and-go system. The complete telescope & mount comes fully assembled straight out of the box.
Supplied in presentation Giftbox.
76mm (3") f/300 Mini Dobsonian Telescope
Magnifications (with eyepieces supplied): x12 & x30
Diameter of Primary Mirror: 76mm
Telescope Focal Length: 300mm (f/4)
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm Super-MA
Single-arm Secondary Mirror Support
5x24 Finderscope
Rack and Pinion Focuser
Wooden Alt-Azimuth Mount
Overall maximum height: 40cm
Weight Approx 1.75kg
REFLECTOR TELESCOPES
The Sky-Watcher SKYHAWK models feature shorter, more compact telescope tube lengths resulting in lighter-weight telescopes of excellent convenience and portability. They are a particularly good choice of instrument for keen beginners to astronomy, wanting larger aperture and increased performance at a relatively low cost. The Skyhawk-1145PM model with its uperb Parabolic Primary Mirror & R.A. Motor Drive, for Automatic Tracking purposes, represents an outstanding, high quality package for the more Serious Novice Astronomer. Tube material : Aluminium
The Sky-Watcher EXPLORER range are standard Newtonian reflectors of excellent quality and versatility, ranging in aperture from a respectable 130mm to an incredible light-gulping 300mm aperture, catering for astronomers of all levels. Whether your interest is Deep-Sky, the Moon and Planets, or a combination of both, the EXPLORER range offers excellent all round Diffraction-Limited performance. Tube material : Aluminium.
ALSO AVAILABLE WITH R.A. MOTOR DRIVE (D.C.)
EXPLORER-130M
130mm (5.1") f/900 Newtonian Reflector Telescope
Magnifications (with optics supplied): x36, x72, x90, x180
Highest Practical Power (Potential): x260
Diameter of Primary Mirror: 130mm
Telescope Focal Length: 900mm (f/6.92)
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
x2 Barlow Lens
0.5mm Ultra-Thin Secondary Mirror Supports
Red Dot Finder
EQ2 Equatorial Mount
Aluminium Tripod with Accessory Tray
30% more Light Gathering than 114mm
ALSO AVAILABLE WITH R.A. MOTOR DRIVE (D.C.)
The highly affordable Sky-Watcher MERCURY series of refractor telescopes allow you to take your first steps into the fascinating world of astronomy. They are supplied with good levels of equipment for both astronomical and terrestrial observations. Although similar externally to many other telescopes on the market, these telescopes are supplied with superior 1.25" eyepieces and accessories (not 0.96" or hybrid 1.25") and moreover, the eyepieces have been specially selected to give a much more useful and practical range of magnifications, to increase your viewing experience. The Sky-Watcher CAPRICORN model is an excellent choice for the more serious novice astronomer. The Sky-watcher EVOSTAR series are two-element, air-spaced, multi-coated objective achromatic refractors. They are truly outstanding, high-performance, high-resolution instruments manufactured to extremely high standards of optical and mechanical precision. With their long focal lenghs and breathtaking, diffraction limited optical performance, they are ideal for the detailed high-power study of the Moon, Planetary Surfaces and other objects in our solar system, giving crisp contrasty images.
TELSTAR 700x60
60mm (2.4") f/700 REFRACTOR TELESCOPE
Magnifications (with optics supplied): x35 & x175
Objective Lens Diameter: 60mm
Telescope Focal Length: 700mm
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 4mm & 20mm
x1.5 Erecting Eyepiece 53x & 263x (Including 10mm & 4mm Eyepieces)
x3 Barlow Lens 1.25" 105x & 525x (Including 10mm & 4mm Eyepieces)
Finderscope
1.25"/31.7mm Star Diagonal
Alt-Azimuth Mount
Aluminium Tripod with Accessory Tray
Tube material: Aluminium
(NOT A SKYWATCHER PRODUCT, BUT GREAT STARTER MODEL!!!)
70mm (2.75") f/700 REFRACTOR TELESCOPE
Magnification (with optics supplied): x28, x56, x70, x140
Highest Practical Power (Potential): x140
Objective Lens Diameter: 70mm
Telescope Focal Length: 700mm (f/10)
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
x2 Barlow Lens
6x24 Finder
1.25"/31.7mm Star Diagonal
Multi-Coated Objective Lens
Alt-Azimuth Mount
Aluminium Tripod with Accessory Tray
36% more Light Gathering than 60mm
Tube material: Aluminium
CAPRICORN-70 (EQ1) OUT OF STOCK
70mm (2.75") f/900 REFRACTOR TELESCOPE
Magnifications (with optics supplied): x36, x72, x90, x180
Highest Practical Power (Potential): x140
Objective Lens Diameter: 70mm
Telescope Focal Length: 900mm (f/12.8)
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
x2 Barlow Lens
6x24 Finderscope
1.25"/31.7mm Star Diagonal
Multi-Coated Objective Lens
EQ1 Equatorial Mount
Aluminium Tripod with Accessory Tray
Tube material: Aluminium
36% more Light Gathering than 60mm
90mm (3.5") f/900 REFRACTOR TELESCOPE
Magnifications (with eyepieces supplied): x36 & x90
Highest Practical Power (Potential): x180
Objective Lens Diameter: 90mm
Telescope Focal Length: 900mm (f/10)
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
6x30 Finderscope
1.25"/31.7mm Star Diagonal
Multi-Coated Objective Lens
EQ2 Equatorial Mount
Aluminium Tripod with Accessory Tray
65% more Light Gathering than 70mm
The exciting new Sky-Watcher SynScan™ Alt-Azimuth GoTo Mount is a precision engineered instrument that will allow you to easily find and enjoy viewing night sky treasures, such as Planets, Nebulae, Star Clusters, Galaxies and much more. The SynScan™ AZ hand control allows you point your telescope at a specific object, or even tour the night sky at the touch of a button!! The user-friendly menu system allows automatic slewing to over 42,900+ objects. Even an inexperienced astronomer can master its variety of features in a few observing sessions.
Combined with telescope OTA’s of proven high quality, these Superb Packages are all you need to Explore the Universe to your Heart’s Content!!
Main Features:
SynScan™ Database: Total 42,900+ Objects, including Complete M, NGC, IC & SAO Catalogues
Alignment Method: Two-star or Brightest star alignment
Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE) feature
Unknown Object Indentification feature
Pointing Accuracy up to 10 arc min
Tracking Rates: Sidereal, Lunar, Solar
Slewing Speeds: 1.0x, 2.0x, 16x, 32x, 64x, 128x, 400x, 500x, 600x, 800x
Tracking Mode: Dual Axis Tracking
Quiet Operation
Motor Type & Resolution: DC Servo Motors. Resolution 0.8923 arc sec or 1,452,425 steps/rev
PC Compatible: can be used with popular Planetarium Software.
SynScan Handset Firmware upgradeable via the Internet
Power Requirement: 12v DC Power Supply (Tip Positive) or AA Batteries (not supplied)
114mm (4.5") f/500 COMPUTERISED parabolic Newtonian Reflector
This telescope with its superb Parabolic optics provides excellent all-round performance for both the observation of the Moon & Planets and Deep-Sky objects.
Magnifications (with eyepieces supplied): x20 & x50
Highest Practical Power (Potential): x228
Diameter of Primary Mirror: 114mm
Telescope Focal Length: 500mm (f/5)
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
Parabolic Primary Mirror
0.5mm Ultra-Thin Secondary Mirror Supports
6x24 Finderscope
1.25” Rack & Pinion Focuser
SynScan™ AZ GoTo Computerised Alt-Azimuth HD Go-To Mount
Power Requirement: 12v DC Power Supply (Tip Positive) or
AA Batteries (not supplied)
Stainless Steel Tripod with Accessory Tray
Astronomical Telescope Accessories
SKY-WATCHER LER EYEPIECE & FILTER SET ONE OUT OF STOCK
Comprises 2mm, 5mm, 9mm and 15mm Long Eye Relief Eyepieces &
4 x threaded Light Filters (Amber, Blue, Neutral Grey & Moon Filter).
Supplied in high quality aluminium case with foam-padded interior.
(1.25”/31.7mm format)
Eyepieces Available Seperately
SKY-WATCHER LER EYEPIECE & FILTER SET TWO OUT OF STOCK
Comprises 2mm, 5mm, 15mm and 20mm Long Eye Relief Eyepieces,
Dual-Beam LED Night Vision Torch (Red/White light),
4 x threaded Light Filters (Amber, Blue, Neutral Grey & Moon Filter) and
Astronomical Telescope User Guide.
Supplied in high quality aluminium case with foam-padded interior.
(1.25"/31.7mm format)
Eyepieces Available Seperately
These contrast-enhancing anodized aluminium, optical glass filters are designed to block out the wavelengths of light emitted by mercury-vapour light and other common causes of light pollution, whilst providing higher transmission at critical hydrogen-alpha and hydrogen-beta lines than competing filters. Bright, light-polluted skies appear much darker, and the contrast between object and sky is improved significantly. This contrast-enhancement effect is particularly apparent on nebulae. Unlike stars, emission nebulae give off light in a very narrow range of wavelengths. These filters allow maximum transmission of the important wavelengths of H-alpha, H-beta and doubly ionized oxygen – the ones most commonly emitted by nebulae. Views of galaxies and star clusters are also enhanced, but to a lesser degree. Also improves contrast on reddish planetary detail.
Works well in telescopes of all apertures but is highly recommended for use on smaller telescopes up to 114mm diameter, where conventional filters swallow up too much light. Available in two sizes, threaded to fit standard 1.25” astronomical eyepieces. Supplied with storage case.
Camera Adaptors
For Sky-Watcher models with
Direct SLR Camera Connection
Other Accessories also available for more please enquire.