Skywatcher Explorer 150PL EQ3-2 - 150 mm f/8 Newtonian Telescope on equatorial Mount EQ3-2

Skywatcher Explorer 150PL EQ3-2 - 150 mm f/8 Newtonian Telescope on equatorial Mount EQ3-2

150 mm aperture, combined with the superb parabolic optics, provide a bright and, due to the pure mirror optics, chromatic aberration-free image.

The slow focal ratio of f/8 (nowadays common for Newtonians with this aperture is the faster f/5) together with the 1.25" focuser allows the use of a compact secondary mirror and the use of simple but very good eyepieces. This allows particularly enjoyable planetary observations, but deep sky objects also benefit from the high contrast. Up to about 240x magnification can be easily achieved without having to worry about blurring caused by the optics, above 300x the unavoidable diffraction disturbs the image. This telescope surpasses the performance of a similarly sized achromat and comes close to an apochromat, at a fraction of the price!

The Newtonian can also be used for astrophotography to a limited extent - with APS-C, vignetting is only to be expected in the outermost corners.

The features and advantages of the BKP1501:

Powerful, diffraction limited parabolic mirror

Adjustment stable due to robust metal cells for primary and secondary mirror

High-contrast imaging due to small secondary mirror and thin spider vane struts

Practical 6x30 viewfinder for easy finding of objects

1.25" rack and pinion focuser made of metal, low tilt and reliable

Direct camera connection for parallel photography to the telescope (star field photography)

Moderate speed (f/8) - simple eyepieces of high quality can be used, e.g. Orthos

Versatile instrument for observations at medium and high magnification

Uncomplicated adjustment, therefore recommended for beginners

The equatorial mount EQ3-2

This equatorial mount from Skywatcher is very well suited for mobile use, but also a solid base for astrophotography. With suitable drives you can successfully take pictures of the moon, planets, nebulae and galaxies. For visual use, manual fine adjustment using the supplied flexible shafts is sufficient.

Astrophotography with the EQ3-2:

A mount that is to be used for photography, especially for taking pictures of nebulae and galaxies, has to meet some requirements. The EQ3-2 meets these requirements:

a fine tuning in latitude and azimuth for a very precise polar alignment of the mount.

a mounting option for the polar finder scope - an effective way of fast and accurate polar alignment. You save yourself the time-consuming tuning

the possibility of retrofitting a 2-axis drive - this is important because corrections are necessary for longer exposure times. But you must not touch the mount during the exposure - so the adjustment must be done by motor.

Comments from Teleskop-Service on the mount EQ3-2

In our opinion the mount supplied by the manufacturer is somewhat undersized for use in even light winds. Due to the length of the telescope it comes then to oscillations. Therefore we recommend the mount EQ5 (see recommended accessories) as a more stable base. This mount holds the telescope with much better stiffness and allows more fun and pleasure when observing. Gladly we make you an offer with the EQ5.