Sky-Watcher

An Astrophotography Powerhouse

The EQ6-R boasts a number of features to aid astrophotographers. The built in ST-4 Autoguider port turns this mount into an astrophotography powerhouse, allowing you to utilize most of today’s best autoguiders. Using the integrated RS232 port, you can control the telescope from your computer and take advantage of today’s most advanced astronomy software. With a weight capacity of 44 lbs, the EQ6-R can handily support an optical tube, imaging accessories and camera.

Silent Yet Precise Slewing

The EQ6-R Pro uses Stepper motors with a 1.8° step angle and 64 micro steps driven. Stepper motors are quieter than servo motors, providing accuracy up to 1 arc minute without waking your neighbors from buzzing motors.

42,000 Object Database

Using our proprietary SynScan hand controller, the EQ6-R Pro provides a user-friendly interface with automatic slewing to over 42,000 objects in the night sky. The hand controller can also connect to a computer using the supplied RS232 cable (USB adapter available), enabling computer control with most astronomy programs. For the astrophotographers looking to reduce Periodic Error, the SynScan hand controller has built in PEC training that can be configured while in the field!

Flexible Polar Alignment

Sky-Watcher includes an illuminated polar finderscope to aid the polar alignment process. The finderscope features a circular grid reticle for the northern hemisphere, consistent with todays popular polar alignment apps. For astronomers in the southern hemisphere, the constellation Octans is built into the reticle as well. Even without a clear view of Polaris, the EQ Pro can be polar aligned using our SynScan hand controller. Simply choose one of the visible stars listed and use the latitude adjustment screws to center it in the eyepiece.

Bundle of Accessories

As customary with all Sky-Watcher products, an assortment of accessories are included with the EQ Pro mount. A retractable counterweight bar is supplied, allowing for easier transportation as well as two 11-lb counterweights are included to help balance any payload. The EQ Pro features a saddle compatible with both D and V style mounting plates, granting users the flexibility to utilize multiple optical tubes, even if the mounting plate is different.

• 44lbs payload capacity
• Belt drive
• SNAP port
• Auto guide port
• Carry handle
• D/V saddle plate
• Built in illuminated polar scope
• 42,000+ object data base
• Retractable counterweight bar

Specifications: 

SKY-WATCHER EvoStar 120ED APO REFRACTOR: Serious Amateurs will Love the SW 120mm ED-APO Refractor

Sky-Watcher high-performance ED-APO refractors offer premium optical performance for the discriminating amateur astronomer.  Refractors are coveted for their superb contrast, high-definition and coal-black sky background that make stars appear like diamonds embedded in black velvet.  SW APO refractors utilize the most modern optical glasses and fabricating techniques to deliver the ultimate in high-fidelity astronomical imaging.  Subtle details pop as never seen before in telescopes of lesser optical capability.

Observing with the Sky-Watcher EvoStar 120ED APO Refractor

The additional aperture compared to a 100 mm diameter lens provides a dramatic increase in resolution and a heighten sense of seeing lunar and planetary surface phenomenon in seemingly 3D high-definition.

Touring the Moon…the rugged Southern Highlands of the lunar surface are rich in craters.  To the southeast, the famous crater Theophilus is 65 miles across.  The raised triple-peaked central area is striking to observe in your SW 120ED.  The crater has massive walls and the basin is 14,000 feet deep.  One of the southernmost craters, Clavius, is a very large crater 145 miles across.  It is located south of Tycho.  In this same area can be found craters Maginus and Longomotanus which are also very worthy of exploration.  To the north, the young crater Tycho dominates the southern lunar landscape. Named after the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, it is a spectacular sight with very high-rimmed walls.  Your SW120ED will provide an impressive view.  North of Tycho appearing brightly in a basin is the famous Rupes Recta (the Straight Wall), an 800 foot mountain that is a “must see” for amateur astronomers.  Your SW 120ED will show it clearly and sharply the way you want to see it.  On the north end of Mare Nubium, almost on the lunar N-S and E-W center line can be found 3 craters grouped together: Arzachel a young impact crater 60 miles across and 13,000 feet deep shows a terraced structure and a system of channel-like narrow depressions in its basin called “rilles”.  Nearby are Alphonsus, a 70 mile wide crater, and Ptolemaus a prominent ancient crater 90 miles across with a heavily worn dark interior.  The Earth’s Moon offers a treasure trove of fascinating detail to explore with your SW 120ED-APO EQ5 PRO.  We have only featured a relative few examples of what is available.  The views you will experience are so clear and sharp it might just feel like a veritable space-walk.

Planets are spectacular…the inner solar-system presents the colorful rusty-red planet Mars.  Mars is a challenge for amateur astronomers, but your SW 120ED will show some very interesting detail.  Olympus Mons, a volcanic crater 375-miles across and 16-miles high, is just one of the quests your capable SW120ED can tackle.  Nirgal Vallis is a channel 600 miles long that responds well to the razor sharp contrast provided by the SW 120ED.  The Grand Canyon of Mars, Valles Mariners, dwarfs that of our Earth’s Grand Canyon, but it still requires superb optics to view even though it is 150 miles wide and 4 miles deep.  When prominent, the gleaming white Mars’ polar cap is in stark contrast to the redish-orange surface landscape of the rest of the planet.  The SW 120ED will show you this detail like you want to see it.  The gas giant Jupiter displays its swirling equatorial bands in high-definition with festoons and tonality within the bands.  With regular observation, you will be able to follow storms and disturbances cross the planet in the southern equatorial band.  Saturn’s storied surface phenomenon is simply stunning.  View the rings and clearly see Cassini’s Division and cloud belts across its equator.

View Wonders of Deep-Space…beyond the solar-system hunt down double stars like Epsilon Lyrae, and the “double-double” in Lyra.  A 120 mm ED-APO refractor will provide a crisp well defined image on par with up to a 7″ reflector.  Always a star-party favorite, the beautiful double Alberio located in the tail of Cygnus is sensational.  Alberio appears like a gold sparkler and its companion looks like a blue-green sparkler. It is a perfect object to view with your SW 120ED.  Algol, an eclipsing variable star, sometimes called the “winking eye” fluctuates in brightness and is a suitable subject for the SW 120ED.  Aldebaran, a beautiful orange giant in the Constellation Taurus is a delightful sight to view with the SW 120ED.  In the eastern corner of Constellation Orion, Rigel, a bright blue double has a blue-green companion that requires excellent optics to see, a worthy subject for the SW 120ED.  Tight globular star clusters like M13 in the Constellation Hercules appear like a beehive of crisp stellar pin points circling the central core, star upon thousands of stars.  Compact globular star clusters lend themselves well to a refractor.  M5 is a worthy object for viewing. M92, in the Constellation Hercules, is very compact globular with a bright core.  It is a great object to view with the SW 120ED.  M4, M10 and many other globular clusters can be seen well with the SW 120ED-APO refractor.  The bright central cores of prominent nebulae can be seen and the brightest stars can be observed illuminating the glowing nebulosity which appears as ghostly apparitions.
The superb capabilities of the SW 120ED provide performance on a par with a reflector of perhaps up to 7″ in diameter on lunar, planetary, double-stars, globular star clusters, and depending on your ranking of unobstructed high-contrast as a necessary attribute, even the brighter nebulae may look better to you in a SW 120ED.  These objects will stand out in bold relief contrasted against a very dark velvet-black sky background.  Many advanced amateur astronomers feel the ED-APO experience is astronomy’s richest.

As an astrograph, the SW EvoStar 120ED APO performs superbly delivering crisp, high-fidelity imaging of planetary, lunar and aperture appropriate deep-space phenomenon.

Refractors – the Ultimate Imaging Instruments

In a given aperture size, refractors will always exhibit sharper images than other optical designs because the refractor concentrates more light into the central airy-disk and first diffraction rings.  There is no diffraction pattern interference caused by a diagonal mirror or secondary mirror being suspended in the optical path (central obstruction) as is the case with reflectors.

Sky-Watcher ED-APOs – the Ultimate Refractors

Sky-Watcher ED-APO refractors provide the finest images obtainable – bar none – in their design class.  If you are on a quest for the ultimate in pristine, near textbook-perfect astronomical imaging, look no further! Sky-Watcher ED apochromatic refractors deliver dramatic coal-black skies and faithful, contrast-rich views of planetary and deep-space phenomenon that are second to none.  Sky-Watcher ED-APO refractors are the logical choice as an investment in advanced instrumentation for exceptional viewing or photography.

Virtually Eliminates Residual Chromatic Aberration

The Sky-Watcher ED-APO design assures virtual elimination of residual “false color” (i.e. chromatic aberration) normally present in 2-element achromatic lens designs which utilize standard crown and flint glasses.

Sky-Watcher APO refractors utilize the finest extra-low dispersion (ED) glass available, FPL-53.  This results in the best color correction for an ED doublet lens.

Schott Glass Used in Selected Models for Crown Element
Select models of ED-APO refractors will benefit from the inclusion of Schott glass being used for the positive front Crown element in the objective.  Schott is the recognized world leader in glass utilized for precision optical lens systems, including medical instrumentation and famous-brand camera lenses.  While Schott glass is only used in selected models, all other models utilize top-quality, Grade-A glass from perhaps less famous but, nonetheless, highly respected, high-quality glass manufacturers.

Pride and Perfection in Optical Manufacturing

Every lens element is individually inspected for purity and absence of striae and other image-degrading imperfections.  Every lens is pitched polished to exacting standards of optical fabrication and performance by highly skilled opticians utilizing state-of-the-art methodology and rigidly controlled optical testing procedures.  The result is high-quality, diffraction-limited optics performing to the theoretical limits of their respective aperture sizes.  All lenses are uniformly air-spaced in their cell housings.

Sky-Watcher offers one of the most extensive lines of ED-APOCHROMATIC refractors in the world.  Using only the finest fabrication materials available, Sky-Watcher APO refractors are manufactured to painstakingly rigorous, exacting standards of optical and mechanical quality to insure the amateur astronomer peak performance and a great experience each and every time a Sky-Watcher ED-APO is taken into the field.  We know the amateur astronomer has very high expectations regarding astronomical equipment purchases.  Sky-Watcher has been delivering consistent satisfaction for over a decade.

Metallic High-Transmission Lens Coatings

Each air-to-glass lens surface has exotic anti-reflection metallic coatings applied to ensure optimum light through-put.  The proprietary Sky-Watcher “Metallic High-Transmission Coatings” (MHC) are the finest photon anti-rejection coatings in their class.

Light-Baffled Optical Systems

The objective lens cell is light-baffled to reject stray, unfocused light.  The draw tube is likewise baffled to insure optimum contrast.  The tube interior is flat blackened to help prevent unfocused internal light reflections from reaching the focal plane.

Precision 2″ Crayford-style Focuser is Standard

Optical focus is achieved by means of a mechanically ultra-smooth, backlash-free, precision 2″ Crayford-style focuser-assembly.  This focuser offers 2-speed fine and ultra-fine focusing adjustments.

Tube Materials

The optical tube material is aluminum, powder-coated reflective gloss black with gold fleck accent.  The front and back cells are cast-aluminum painted white or black.

Telescope Tube Attachment Hardware

The Sky-Watcher APO optical tubes come with attachment hardware that allows them to be securely fastened to compatible mounts. The quick-release tube rings provided with SW ED-APO models 80ED, 100ED and 120ED are cast-aluminum, painted white.

Included Components for Selected Models

All Sky-Watcher USA EvoStars come with 2-speed backlash-free 2” Crayford-style focusers and quality foam-lined metal carrying cases as standard equipment. EvoStars are also supplied with right-angle 8x50mm viewfinder with bracket; 2” dielectric diagonal; two 1.25” LE (Long Eye relief) eyepieces (LET20mm and LET5mm); 1.25” focuser adaptor; and tube ring attachment hardware that works with compatible mounts.

Sky-Watcher 8" DOB - Join the Ranks of Serious Observers

Corresponding to the escalating "aperture fever" that has gripped amateur astronomy for several decades, an 8" diameter is now generally regarded as the minimum entry-level aperture for serious observing. The low cost, large diameter, and fast focal ratio of the 8" Sky-Watcher Dobsonian make it an ideal dedicated telescope for wide-field, deep-space observation of faint galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. The low-power dramatically captures wide swaths of sky in a single view. Galaxies and nebula appear to pop out of the heavens as bright, expansive masses of stars, gas, and dust.

Observing with the 8" Sky-Watcher Dobsonian

If you have never before observed through a high-quality, wide-field Dobsonian, like the SW 8" DOB, you are in for one of the sweetest experiences in amateur astronomy. Imagine the exhilaration of opening a clam and discovering a pearl. The sky is full of pearls, astronomical pearls. While they won't make you rich in the financial sense, for amateur astronomers at least, observing the fabled pearls of deep-space is a rich and even exhilarating pastime. A catharsis for the soul that renders the mundane insignificant, and reconnects us with the inner child who revels in awe and wonderment. A night observing with the SW 8" Dob can leave you with a lingering sense of contentment long after the evening's viewing is over. Some of amateur astronomy's most revered and enthusiastically observed extra solar-system objects are now within your reach. This instrumentation provides entry into the brotherhood of serious amateur astronomers—you have arrived! The summer sky is aglow with astronomical pearls. In the constellation Sagittarius several of the sky's most prominent emission nebulae can be seen well in your 8" SW DOB. The Lagoon Nebula (M8) is a rich aggregation of dust and gasses illuminated by its youthful central stars. This is an area of star formation, the universe giving birth. The Lagoon Nebula appears fiery red in astrophotographs due to the hot hydrogen gas. Located nearby is the smaller, but very beautiful Trifid Nebula (M20). These two nebulae can actually be seen in the same field of view. The magnificent Swan Nebula (M17) is also located in Sagittarius. It is named the Swan for its resemblance to the stately bird. The sky's most awesome globular star cluster, M13, is located in the constellation Hercules, a bee-hive of thousands of stars swarming about a central core. Globular clusters are no longer being formed in the universe, so you are observing fossil light, a glimpse back in time. This is the brightest object of its kind and always a treat to view. The globular cluster M92 is likewise very interesting and can also be found in Hercules. The winter sky holds several stunning pearls oft referred to in popular culture, not just astronomy. Our closest external galaxy, the beautiful Andromeda, perhaps the defining galaxy of the classic spiral form can essentially be seen almost in its entirety within one eyepiece field. Winter's diffuse Great Orion Nebula (M42) is the brightest emission nebula in the heavens. While it can be seen with the naked eye from a dark location, it is nothing less than spectacular in an 8" SW DOB. A billowing cloud-like cauldron of dust and gasses illuminated by large, intensely glowing youthful stars, this object is perhaps the mother of all pearls. The preceding is just a short sampling of objects that can be seen. Many more pearls of the night sky await you.

Sky-Watcher Dobsonians Epitomize Ease-of-Use

Observing with a Dobsonian has been described akin to shooting ducks in a gallery because it is so easy to find your target. Just swing your SW DOB to the quadrant of sky to be searched, and scan the vicinity. An 8x50mm Right Angle optical viewfinder provides both magnification and light-gathering to help narrow your search for those elusive fuzzies when star-hopping. The standard-equipment backlash-free 2" Crayford Focuser insures ultra smooth focusing adjustments. Multi-coated, 4-element Plössl eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) provide a spacious 52° Apparent Field of View. To ensure mechanical ease-of-use, SW uses a high-performance Teflon bearing system in both axes combined with tension adjustment in altitude to facilitate setting the appropriate amount of friction, assuring smooth vertical and horizontal manual movement without free-play from small bumps or gusts of wind. This also eliminates the need to have a balanced optical tube as in an equatorial mount. Sky-Watcher's Teflon bearing system is preferable to the use of ball-bearings. Ball-bearings make unintended movement of the optical tube more difficult to control. Fortunately, at low power, deep-space objects leisurely drift through the field of the SW 8" DOB, so constant mechanical adjustment of the telescope's orientation isn't needed to keep objects in the field of view. Sky-Watcher's revolutionary truss-support concept allows the optical tube's front and back cells to collapse together, aligning on the truss support rods which can then be locked down for easy and secure telescope transport. This one piece, low-hassle OTA design is mechanically simple and results in large aperture telescopes that can be reasonably handled and transported by one individual. This innovation gives Sky-Watcher users tremendous functional ease-of-transportability.

Sky-Watcher Uses Quality Components Throughout

The Sky-Watcher 8" DOB utilizes quality components throughout. Pride of workmanship manifests itself in high quality standards of optical and mechanical fabrication. The polishing process for primary and diagonal mirror yields smooth mirror surfaces ensuring good contrast, and properly corrected optics show minimum alterations to the optical wave-front. On each primary mirror, and elliptical diagonal mirror aluminum is vacuum deposited to the front glass surface and then over coated with hard quartz (SiO4). Additional layers of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) and (SiO4) are then applied. Dust covers help keep your DOB clean when not in use. The mechanical and structural components of the OTA exhibit rigid construction and outstanding stability. The mount construction is sturdy and rigid. Mount design, while simple, facilitates smooth motions about both axes. Quality accessories enhance the observer's viewing experience.

Specifications:

The exciting new Sky-Watcher Dobsonian SynScan series is 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. With its patented collapsible tube design, these Dobsonians are truly the ultimate in portability and performance.

The elegant truss tube design was carefully engineered to combine ease of use, extreme portability and consistent performance in an affordable package. Unlike other truss tube designs, the SkyWatcher Flextube Dobsonian does not need to be disassembled between uses. It transports as two compact pieces that can be assembled and ready to use in just seconds! It is easy to collimate once set up, and it holds its collimation throughout the evening! The patented Tension Control Handle allows users to add or reduce tension, thereby increasing or decreasing the friction between the optical tube and the sideboards. 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. The patented dual encoder design allows the telescope to be moved manually whenever the user wishes - but with no need for re-alignment! The Sky-Watcher Dobsonian SynScan series combines the convenience and affordability of the traditional Dobsonian with the convenience of a computerized Go-To telescope.

SynScan™ AZ hand control SPECIFICATIONS:

• Built-in WiFi control
• Power Supply: 10 to 15 V DC 1Amp, 2.1mm Plug (Center positive)
• Motor type: DC Servo Motors,
• Resolution: Motor encoder: 1,620,000 counts per revolution, Main axis encoder: 11,748 counts per revolution
• Slew speeds: 1.0X, 2.0X, 8X, 16X, 32X, 200X, 400X, 600X, 800X, 1000X
• Tracking Rates: Sidereal, Lunar, Solar
• Tracking Mode: Dual Axes Tracking
• Alignment Method: Brightest-Star Alignment, Two-Star Alignment
• Database: 25 user defined objects. Complete M, NGC and IC catalog, partial SAO catalogues, total 42,900 objects
• Go-To Pointing Accuracy: Up to 5 arc min

Specifications: