Thanks! It's a fun little scope.

Yes, I was torn between reviewing a small beginner's refractor or this one. Refractors are more bullet proof, but then for the price point of the SW 130 they would have a lot of CA and a lot of plastic! Then you get into the £300 price range and the tech options arrive...choices choices.

Hi Tom, I often use the scope tube on one of my astro mounts, as the 130 uses a standard "vixen style" dovetail bar. It will work fine on a stable tripod (not a super light one though - asking for trouble). I found a thread on SGL that has some advise: stargazerslounge.com/topic/268257-heritage-130p-flextube-travel-friendly-tripod-required/ Cheers, Graham

Hi Karen, I just looked at the finder scope on my 130. if I give it a good shake it definitely won’t fall off so I wonder whether when you tightened the two screws if it’s correctly capturing/ squeezing the fitting on the side of the tube that the finder “grips” onto? I agree you can’t over tighten it too much because it is just plastic but mine is quite rigidly tightened down and I could hold onto the finder and shake it and the tube will move with it and won’t fall off. Not sure what else to suggest… Graham (cloudy here too!)

If you look on this page you can scroll down to a picture of the scope which shows how the finder should grip the mounting on the telescope. Does yours look like this? telescopestobuy.com/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube-dobsonian-review/

@@JenhamsAstro Hi Graham, Thank you so much for the reply. I could hold onto mine and shake it from side to side and it was OK but when I put it back in its box and touched it from above it just slid off the tube! So I have tried to put it on again and made sure the finder is gripping onto the tube it slides onto and have tightened the screws a bit more so I'll see how I go. I did take it out earlier today to try to align the Red Dot Finder and the Telescope but couldn't find anywhere with a definite fixed point in the distance that wasnt surrounded by trees. It was really grey and overcast here so although I had sight of a pylon in between some trees in the red dot finder, all I got in the eye piece was grey! I thought it was out of focus at first, and moved the focus all the way in and out but still but couldn't see anything at all. Then I realised, it just must be the grey sky it was picking up and maybe the Red Dot Finder and scope must be way out of alignment! You can tell I am a complete beginner and an old one too!! The weather looks good at Colwyn Bay tomorrow, sunshine and cloud so will have an hours drive there and try it out on the Windfarm a mile or so off shore and will make sure I donot point it at the sun!! I should at least be able to make out the sea from the sky and clouds! I really want to get it set up properly as I can't wait for my first view of the moon and stars through it. Have a great week and thanks again for your help.

That's a good question. I usefully find that i need to look along a fairly narrow cone of viewing angles to see the red dot at all, and then it works quite well assuming the RDF is initially setup parallel to the tube (an adjustment i made during the day using a distant landmark). Are you still having trouble using it?

I think the 150P is a good option as it is still quite portable, and gathers more light. Remember that both 130 and 150 are "simple" scopes. Their focusers are not the best, but the overall package is great for a first scope.

Hi Riccardo, the 2 scopes you mention could not be more different, but are both decent choices for a short list. The heritage is for casual, lower power observing of the moon and the brighter deep sky objects like open clusters and large nebulae. It is "low tech" and comes with a mount; there is nothing else to buy to get started. It is best for visual observing, not photography. The mak would need a solid tripod of preferably an astro mount of some sort, so you need to factor that into the cost. It has a small field of view, so object location will be more difficult than with the heritage, and it is best suited to high power views of the moon and planets, rather than deep sky "faint and fuzzy" objects. On a tracking mount a mak can be used for planetary photography if you are interested in this part of astronomy. There are many other good options like a 130/150 newtonian if you don't have to transport it far, or a small refractor with a wider field than the mak but the same portability. Probably if you fix a maximum budget and decide if you need to move the scope around a lot or not then it is easier to make a choice that works for you.

@@JenhamsAstro thank you very much

Hello Steve, I tend to use a different collimation tool called a cheshire eyepiece, which doesn't use a laser. Nonetheless there are videos online using a laser collimator with the 130. One of them is here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qpx9fs59mpfPhKc.html This guy lives on a canal boat and his videos are good fun. It shows the approach of adjusting secondary and then primary mirrors. It also notes you don't want to look at the laser (obvious advise i hope!). Let me know how you get on. Graham

Hi Alister, I can imagine why you are unsure. If the skies are polluted and you have some views towards the south then planetary may be the way to go with a Mak, but if the skies aren't too bad then a small Dob is a good choice, if you can lift it up to make viewing more comfortable. I often take my 130 OTA off its base and attach it to an alt -az tripod mount... which brings us back to the ST 120.... In general the Mak will be great on the moon and give pleasing views of planets (still small though) and double stars but it's tiny FOV will hinder other visual use. Unless you invest in a goto mount for the Mak you will struggle to find other targets if your sky is bright. Let me know what the sky conditions and aspect are like, and how much room you have on the balcony, so i can try to be more helpful. Graham

​@@JenhamsAstro Thanks a lot for answer. Yes, my heart swings between a 127 Mak and this little 130 dob which I could set on my Vixen Porta Mount. My conditions are ... dreadful. Just one mile to Paris ! But, the small dob tube may fit in a gym bag to be brought on my holiday place (Britany). Though, I already own a little very very very old orange C90 (1976) bought second hand 20 years ago. Not great in contrast. I keep it sentimentally like a dear antique! Thanks any way, good luck. Alister.

I think that's probably apples versus pears. The Heritage is all about quick, low tech viewing with no other kit needed, whereas the 127 needs as a minimum a sturdy alt-az mount. Cost/mounting aside the 127 wins for me unless you want to take a relaxed scan through the Milky Way from a dark site, where the field of view of the 130P is beneficial. For most other objects like the the moon, planets, double stars & clusters, the 127 comes out on top.

Hi Usman, you are probably too advanced to benefit much from the 130P, which is a fantastic beginners scope in a cheap package. You could learn about collimation and dobs but i'd probably advise you to look at other options instead. For portability, the obvious choice is a small apo or semi apo refractor. Something like a WO Zenithstar 61 or 73, or a Skywatcher or Orion ED80. The ED80s are affordable and great performers, and would fit on any mount you may have with the C90. I hope this helps, Graham

Hi Graham, thank you so much for your detailed response. I'll have a look at these models. Thanks once again. Usman

Xsauce Hello, I think the light bridge is discontinued now but the scope has always been more expensive in the UK than the Skywatcher/ Onesky. It cost around £190 vs £135 for the SW, which meant it was only slightly cheaper than a conventional 6” dob from SW, the 150P. If the Meade costs the same as the SW/Onesky elsewhere then the benefit of the focuser seems to make sense. But... reviews suggest (please note that I haven’t used the light bridge myself) that the focuser is sloppy and is often replaced. As for the tube, you are right that many people including me use a cheap light shroud on the Heritage scope, but against this the sliding tube makes it pack down smaller than the light bridge for transport and storage. The Meade also gets some criticism for vibrations which are not an issue on the SW/ Onesky. So the conclusion isn’t so clear to me. If you can get a light bridge at a good price then it could be a good option. But no scope is perfect for this money. Clear skies to you! Graham

One advantage to the collapsable is you can use it to focus camera quickly just by sliding the tube

Yes you are absolutely right. When i took in moon pictures (video 4) i couldn't reach focus using my ASI120 camera and i collapsed the tube a small amount to solve the problem. As i did it i was fairly convinced that the collimation would be off, but surprisingly it was still fine.

Yes it is a compromise between carrying a table or a more traditional dob! The novelty of a quick setup without wires and alignment means i tend to overlook the osteo bills if i end up lying on the ground!

Pretty nice telescope for beginners ☺

Here’s an affordable solution kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ftl3d5yeup7HgmQ.html

Hi Ann, sorry for the slow reply, I've been away for a few days. If you are still having problems, you should be able to hold the finder up in front of you, click the knob on the side and rotate it "on" fully, and see the dot just looking out of a window. I've just tried it with mine with the RDF a few inches away. Make sure you are looking through it the correct way, i.e. with your eye closest to the on/off/brightness knob and with the circular "lens" part furthest away. Always get things like this working during the day to avoid night-time frustration! If you can't see the dot then either the piece of plastic shipped with the finder (intended to stop battery discharge) has not been removed, or perhaps the finder has accidentally been left on, draining the battery. Let me know how you are getting on. Graham

I have only come across the parabolic mirror in the Heritage model. At a focal ratio of f/5, a spherical would give poor results. Skywatcher does retail some 130mm f/7 scopes with spherical mirrors though, so I recommend you check with the retailer and only buy an f/5 scope if it's parabolic. Clear skies.

A good barlow is always a useful accessory and could enhance lunar viewing, for example. But as the included eyepieces are quite adequate I'd say it would not be a "must have".

Hi Salvador, from a city the view of faint objects like galaxies and nebulae will be very difficult and limited. You will be able to get good views of the moon, brighter planets and many star clusters but not much more. A dark sky will provide a much wider choice of objects - this is true of most scopes really. For the travel question, you may be able to fit the OTA into carry-on (check with your airline), with the base being carried in the hold.

Ok, Thank you. So If I want to see both, planetary and Deep space, I should have 2 telescopes? Let's say a MAk-Cass about 90mm diameter to observe planetary. And then another wider, let's say 130 or 150 mm (Reflector becouse of pricing) and take it outside from light pollution to observe deep space? I really like this skywatcher heritage 130mm that you made your videos about and I want it. But I already have a mak-cass 90mm Skywatcher Virtuoso, which I've only tried from the city and I cannot get good focus on Jupiter or the moon and stars when used with a 10mm eyepiece THAT CAME WITH IT. (Bad collimation or defective???) Or what would you buy is those were your goals? Thank's a lot, I appreciate your comments.

Salvador Ochoa Hi, starting with the Mak do you have any other eyepieces to try, and are you using a diagonal prism? I’m surprised it won’t focus as these scopes are quite robust. It could be defective. Check there are no rattles when you shake it. Assuming not I suggest investigating using a distant object during the day (keeping well away from the sun of course). See if you can reach a focus without any diagonal or erecting prism, to eliminate this as the issue. As for visual observation of fainter objects yes, I advise a reflector, ideally 150mm but of course price and size are important issues.

@@JenhamsAstro thank You again. My Mak; there are no sounds when i shake It. I have tried It with other eyepieces that focus perfectly even with a little 3" funscope (Orion's) during the same nights. My mak might have come detective, today I'm taking It to a techinician. I bought It from telescopes.net (California) they gave me tons of "explanations" which I dont trust. (I would never recommend them)😫 I Will have It fixed and then buy a 150mm. I like the Orion's starblast 6" (dob. Mount) Thank you again. I like your videos a lot. Salvador Ochoa. From Mexico City.

Salvador Ochoa OK good luck. I hope they fix it or give you your money back.

Hello Eric, now that the 150p is available I think it’s a good option. The only real weakness of these scopes is the focuser. If you think you may in future want to attach a DSLR then it’s worth looking at a more conventional solid tube 150 Newtonian OTA with a normal focuser. If you are planning for visual observing and the collapsing tube of Heritage 150P is beneficial e.g. for storage space then it’s a nice choice.

Thank you very much for your answer Graham ! Let’s go for the Skywatcher 150 !! Best regards Éric

1000 Subscribers without videos challenge You get the two eyepieces, that’s it. Enough to get started.

@@JenhamsAstro ok thanks for answering ❤️

Sorri fiz joob

Sorr

Hello Beth, it's difficult to pick an ideal "moon scope" for that price. If the tripod from your 707 could be re-used then I'd be suggesting a 90mm Maksutov like the C90, but looking online I don't think the 707's mount will easily connect to a different scope. If this is the case then what scope "package" would i suggest for £200? Most cheap scope + mount packages are reflectors, which are not my number 1 choice for moon & planets but can still be worth a look. You could see about a Skywatcher StarQuest 130P. It's has a better focus and mount than the Heritage 130P in my video. Failing that you need a better refractor, or a Maksutov - really that's the way to go. It's a bit over-budget but have a look at the 102mm Mak here: www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-pronto/sky-watcher-skymax-102-az-pronto.html or better still perhaps this one www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-starquest/sky-watcher-starquest-102mc-f127-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope.html Let me know what you think - window shopping for astro kit is half the fun! Graham