Love the look of the green open truss telescope!

Do you ever even mess with the secondary mirror screws on the OneSky? (Assuming I'm looking in the right place) They appear so deep I don't think I could ever get a screw driver on them, much less an Allen key if it was called for. Can't even tell what kind of head they've got on them.

Need a better description of how to collimate.

Fantastic video and explanation! Thank you for making this it worked like a dream!

Astronomy has been one of my hobbies since I was 10 yrs old (now 75) and I have many telescopes in my scope shed. From 4" to 16" but the bigger scopes take some time and muscle to set up. Many nights I just want to view for 30 mins or so which leaves out the setting up most of the larger scopes. A grab and go telescope makes for a better choice for a short viewing time sooooo I bought one of these Astronomer Without Borders scopes used for $100 and it has been one of my best buys ever. Lite to carry and fast to setup and get viewing. Small mirror, yes but very capable for a quick look at the night sky. Images are very good if collimated well. I worked at an observatory for 20+ years with 32" and 24" telescopes so I believe that I can give a fairly decent review. This 5" telescope is limited for sure but for it's size it is remarkable in what it can do. I believe it is the best beginner scope and at a great price. I used mine just last night in fact and got good views of Saturn and Jupiter and a few brighter globular clusters. 8/29/2022

this looks lovely. Thank you. is there a mount for a webcam or cell phone to get continuous video shots, and/or night vision scope in addition to this telescope? i have an ad astra II (oldie!) and use my cell and get awesome Moon shots, but want something i can connect or rig up (with pvc piping and twist ties if i have to!) a way to get good digital footage on my laptop with a better result. any suggestions? Thanks- wixx

You have a good one. I bought mine in 2018. The secondary mirror is angled a bit too low on mine. I would have had to bend the little pole it hangs from forward to get it right. However, I'd risk breaking it if I do that, so I can never really collimate it dead on center. Also, when the pole is screwed all the way in, the 2nd mirror is turned off to the side. For that mirror to be straight, the pole has to be loose, so the mirror constantly wobbles and has to be swung back into place every few minutes. That is easy enough to do. It does, however, collect a lot of light for a $200 telescope and is easy to use (if there are no quirks) and carry around. The images of brighter, bigger objects, such as Jupiter, are pretty clear, even with my alignment issues. Even the moons of Jupiter and Saturn can be seen on a clear night from my porch in my small city.

I’m (much) older and I’ve purchased this as my first telescope. I’m so excited, I feel like a kid again. Thanks for the review.

Great video, nice and simple. Looks like a great scope for someone curious and handy to get a better look at the planets. I have a couple of things of concerns before I'd take the plunge and buy one: A. Collimation (a brief video on this would be great) which I don't quite understand from the instruction manual or this video. Many are instruction-manual challenged so a visual guide would be really helpful. B. If I could somehow attach a camera to get photographs. Best is my Canon M3 or as second choice an iPhone. Thank you.

Nice video. I have a question related to astronomy and I thought someone here might know. Is there a prominent star that someone could follow from anywhere in the States that would guide them to Old Crow in the Yukon? I'm researching a story I'm attempting to write that is the reason for this question. Thanks for any advice you can give.

I don't need subscribers..I don't even say subscribe my channel..I just wish pls watch my videos and chear me kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qJdmaLZqs6fbfZc.html Here's my handmade 6" telescope lunar view

Crappy focuser and finder aside - a great telescope, for beginners and travellers alike.

Back in early to mid 2018, when I was deciding on what telescope to buy, I somehow missed this video. My needs were, beginner telescope, light weight for carrying up and down 2 stories, and small footprint for use on my apartment balcony. That made for a very short list. SkyWatcher Heritage 130P/AWB OneSky. I bought my 130P in late July 2018, and it's been a brilliant buy. It's an entry level telescope which straddles the border between the high end of beginner/entry gear, and the lower end of the more serious and larger intermediate stuff. The moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, obvious and easy targets. Add a better quality/more powerful eyepiece, and splitting doubles is do-able. But straight out of the box, this is a _good_ scope.

I have been looking for a good table top for a while now. This solves my problem on which one. A great scope and a great cause.

thank you I feel like I got a lesson from Walt white

Annoys me that they won’t ship here, how is it without borders

Ok astronomer I love

during collimation the adjusting screws popped off and now i can't get them back on. this is ridiculous! terrible manufacturing!!!

thank you for the wonderful review. very informative and you have a *wonderful* manner and presence.

great video! I bought one a few months ago and inadvertently loosened the locking bolt you mentioned too much resulting in the need for my first collimation after it fell off the mount and hit the deck. prior to that I didn't have to make any adjustments even though I used it numerous times. i'm a noob at all of this, lol. I love the telescope and didn't realize just how much I could see with it, like the coloration of Jupiter and the moons of Jupiter.

It would have been nice if you explained what you were doing and how to center the ?dot?. It's great that you have done it hundreds of times, but this is telescope for beginners and that is why I am watching.

Thanks for the video! Very informative.

Hi Dave, great video thank you for your review. I'm a bit confused, and google is failing me. I want to be able to put my DSLR on this (or any "first telescope" I buy). Can you shed some light on how that works? Do I just need a "T" adapter for my camera mount? Or does a camera lens need to be used in place of the eyepiece? I'm pretty much set on getting this, but some clarification on taking photos with it would be helpful, just if you have any insight. Thanks man.

Thanks! - really interested in getting this as my first and only telescope! What I really want to do is connect this to my Olympus OMD camera...IF that is even possible? Need to find exact step-by-step instructions. Just starting out.

Is it possible to show the kind of sky that can be seen with this?

Should you store this telescope with the base not resting directly on the mount? Thinking the screws might scratch the mount.

Hi There, would you be able to show how to separate the telescope from the stand ?

Love that 123-Contact scope. I think I will build one since they are no longer available. 3" f/4 would be about the right size for a functioning table top model. Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful curiosities.

With that collapsing system, high power is out. This is an intro scope for use in third world countries. It is a community demo scope. Unistellar's eVscope will serve this function when it comes out next year (May, 2019). The eVscope stands to revolutionize amateur astronomy. Worth checking out.

The wonderful world of cheapies. Not all are bad, there is a luck factor.

Excellent presentation ! Liked/Subscribed !

i have another question, whats the highest magnification you would go with this telescope and what eyepiece would you have to buy in that case? If i understood correct, the scope only offers x65 with the included eyepiece.I gotta say that a little bit disappointing allthough i know magnification isnt all.

130mm reflector dob seems to be the way to go for ambitioned beginners. Seems there are quite a few decent ones for 200 dollar. Originally i wanted to get a refractor as my 1st teleskop, but i wanted to go 90-100 mm at least, but the there seems nothing decent in my budget. 70mm at best.

We don't need political statements attached to astronomy.

Nice video! That Hale telescope model is super cool, I used to live near the Palomar Mountain Observatory and would've loved to have a scope like that. Even if the optics are junk it's still a pretty cool model. p.s. The name of the mountain is not "Mt. Palomar" but rather "Palomar Mountain". I don't really mind all that much, but most people in SoCal (especially the people who live on/near the mountain) can't stand hearing that. Just a quick heads up.

I’m not really into collecting quirky things but man I need that space shuttle telescope. One of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen and I love it. You even put your face is the SSMEs!

I had a 3 inch reflector,cardboard tube with a clamp to hold it a chair back rather than a tripod.the first thing I tried it out on was a light bulb on a house on a hill 300 yards away.i just checked that on goggle earth! I spent many nights to find and focus that bulb and when I did it came in really looking like a light on a porch.i fiddled with the nuts on the back and it took months to get it focused again! if nothing else these toy scopes taught a boy in the 50's the value of patience

I bought a Celestron Firstscope merely because it commemorates the year of astronomy and I wanted it for it's keepsake value. I don't have a green telescope (I think it comes in other colors) but always thought it would be handy in an educational setting to show how a Newtonian works.

i bet my $35 cometron 7x50 binoculars are more powerfull than these telescopes...

its just 200!!!!!!! so cheap!!! now i need $200😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Thanks for sharing Dave! The Gilbert reflector shows up on Ebay from time to time...

Really nice review! I would get one for myself, if not for the fact that I already have the Bushnell version of it. A serious sized aperture scope, especially for someone like me who uses smaller aperture scopes.

My SkilCraft telescope! In high school, a teacher sparked my interest in astronomy. With little money, I looked to buy a telescope at a yard sale and came on a SkilCraft scope exactly like in your video. The tripod was broken so I couldn't try it out until I got home and mounted it on my dad's camera tripod. If you detach the scope from its ball mount it should fit on a standard camera tripod screw. Optics were beyond terrible. Got a dim view of the moon and that's it. Couldn't even make out Jupiter's moons. The eyepieces were unique. If you unscrew the top you'll see the lens elements are kept in place by a spring. That's right. There is a spring in the eyepiece! After getting rid of this piece of junk, I bought a 60mm refractor, which was the proper beginner scope at the time. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Dave! (I always thought the SkilCraft was from the 1960's).

Thanks so much for this presentation. I just ordered one myself and reviews such as yours were very helpful. Cheers!

hi, i'm looking to buy a cheap telescope because i can't afford expensive ones. I want to look at planets, mars, jupiter etc. Will I be able to see them or will it be very blur?

Excellent review, thorough and clearly presented. You sold me. I just ordered one. Thanks!

Hi Dave, A funny video. I liked the Tasco 20x40, the minute 5:15, very similar to Lafayette. Do you know the model of the Tasco?

Great grab'n go! Thanks for sharing Mr Trott!

Rocket telescope has an outstanding COOL factor Mr Trott! Thanks for sharing!

I've got the little celestron best 7.5 X monocular ever with a plossl 40mm! Thanks for sharing Mr Trott!