SKY-WATCHER 150AR EQ5 PRO: Heroic Size Refractor with GO TO!
The razor sharp resolution of this heroic size refractor will perform on a par with a reflector of up to perhaps 9-inches in diameter on numerous astronomical phenomena. The generous 150mm (6") of light gathering will deliver breathtaking clarity and unrivaled richness of detail in solar system gems, plus vividly express the rich subtle nuisances of intriguing phenomena in deep-space. This is an eminently manageable large aperture refractor that will become your valued companion for backyard observation and remote excursions to view the primordial sky where bewilderingly rich star fields blanket the firmament. This dream machine will deliver pristine panoramas of massive aggregations of stars forming clusters, brighter galaxies, and nebulae contrasted against the deepest-darkest sky imaginable. It conjures a feeling the very voids in space are palpable. In an astronomical sense, it is very moving experience. For most of us, observing the heavens with this caliber of instrument profoundly touches our soul.
Sky-Watcher 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 telescope is taken into the field. We know that amateur astronomers have very high expectations regarding astronomical equipment purchases. We are confident you will be proud to own a SW 150AR EQ5 PRO refractor, one of the most prestigious products from Sky-Watcher, a global leader in the engineering and manufacturing of astronomical equipment. Sky-Watcher has been delivering consistent satisfaction for decades.
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. This assures there is absolutely minimal distortion to the optical wavefront.
Pride and Perfection in Optical Manufacturing
Sky-Watcher's Crown (BK7) and Flint (F2) achromatic lenses are fabricated to the highest optical standards from Grade-A glass free of striae and other image-degrading imperfections. Each lens set is individually pitch-polished, and hand figured by a highly skilled master optician utilizing state-of-the-art methodology and rigidly controlled optical testing procedures. This ensures diffraction-limited optical performance commensurate with the theoretical resolving limits of the telescope's aperture size. All lenses are uniformly air-spaced. Each optical lens surface is coated with exotic anti-reflection metallic coatings (fully multi-coated) to ensure the optimum light through-put. Four layers are applied to each surface (Magnesium Fluorite, MgF2, and Hafnium Dioxide, HfO2). The proprietary Sky-Watcher "Metallic High-Transmission Coatings" (MHC) are the finest photon anti-rejection coatings in their class.
The objective lens cell is light-baffled to reject stray, unfocused light. The draw tube is likewise baffled to insure optimum contrast. The tube's interior is flat blackened to help prevent unfocused internal light reflections from reaching the focal plane. The optical tube is aluminum, powder coated reflective gloss black with gold fleck accent. The front and back cells are cast aluminum painted black. Optical focus is achieved by means of a mechanically ultra-smooth, backlash-free, precision 2" Crayford-style rack & pinion focuser-assembly.
Note: Select models of large 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 highly respected, high-quality glass manufacturers.
Quality Accessories: Included are two high quality 1.25" eyepieces (Super Plossl 32mm and 10mm), 8x50 optical Viewfinder finderscope with bracket, and 2" mirror diagonal.
Observing with Sky-Watcher 150mm Refractor:
An unobstructed 150mm aperture refractor provides a dramatic increase in brightness and resolution over smaller 120mm and 100mm aperture telescopes.
Touring the Moon...
Toward the northeast edge of the northern Moon, north of Lacus Sonminiorum (Lake of Sleep) can be found the prominent craters Atlas, the high-walled Hercules, and Endymion. You will be able to discern more detail in crater walls, see smaller craters within the large craters, and observe more distinction in other structural detail. These craters are marvelous to view. On the north-south centerline in the lunar north, just below Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold) can be found the prominent crater Plato. The smoothness of its basin floor and aging walls is manifested well in the SW 150AR. East of Plato near the Montes Alpes are prominent rilles associated with Plato that make great subject matter for the SW 150AR. 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 very striking to view in your SW 150AR. The crater has massive walls and the basin is 14,000 thousand feet deep. 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. Impact rays extend from the crater to the surrounding landscape. Your SW150AR will provide an impressive view. North of Tycho appearing brightly in a basin is the famous Rupes Rect (the Straight Wall), an 800 foot mountain that is a "must see" for amateur astronomers. Your SW 150AR will show it clearly and sharply the way you want to see it. On the north end of Mare Nubium, almost on the lunar center line N-S and E-W 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" which appear prominently in the large aperture SW 150AR. The Earth's Moon offers a treasure trove of fascinating detail to explore with your SW 150AR-EQ5 PRO. We have only featured a few examples of what is available to be seen. The views you will experience are so clear and sharp it might just feel like a veritable space-walk.
Beyond our Moon in the inner solar-system, the colorful rusty-red orb Mars is a challenge for amateur astronomers, but your SW 150AR 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 SW150AR can tackle far better than a smaller aperture refractor. Nirgal Vallis is a Martian channel 600 miles long that responds well to the razor sharp contrast provided by the SW 150AR. 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 150AR 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 the equator.
Beyond the solar-system, hunt down double stars like Epsilon Lyrae, the "double-double" in Lyra. A 150mm AR refractor will provide a crisp well defined image on a par with up to a 9" 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 150AR. Algol, an eclipsing variable star, sometimes called the "winking eye" fluctuates in brightness and is a suitable subject for the SW 150AR. Aldebaran, a beautiful orange giant in Constellation Taurus is a delightful sight to view with the SW 150AR. 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 150AR. Tight globular star clusters like M13 in Constellation Hercules appears 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. M92 in Constellation Hercules is very compact globular with a bright core. It is a great object to view with the SW 150AR. The Orion Nebula is a marvelous sight in the SW 150AR with good resolution of nebulosity. The emission nebulae the Lagoon, Trifid, and Swan show bright central cores and interesting surrounding nebulously which as ghostly apparitions.
The capabilities of the SW 150AR provide performance approximating a reflector of up to perhaps 9" in aperture on lunar, planetary, double-stars, globular star clusters, and depending on your ranking of unobstructed high contrast views as a necessary attribute, even the brighter nebulae and star clusters may look better to you in a SW 150AR. These objects will stand out in bold relief contrasted against a very dark velvet-black sky background. Many advanced amateur astronomers feel the refractor experience is astronomy's richest.
As light gathering varies as per the square of the aperture, the SW 150AR offers 56% more light than the SW 120AR. The visual difference between the SW 120AR and SW 150AR will primarily manifest itself in significantly greater brightness in fainter objects in deep-space. The higher resolution will show richer detail in solar system surface phenomenon and more stars resolved in clusters and other objects outside the solar system.
Telescope Tube Attachment Hardware:
The optical tube comes with attachment hardware that allows it to be securely fastened to the SW EQ5 PRO mount. These quick-release tube rings and dove tail plates are cast-aluminum, power coated white.
The SW EQ5 PRO Computerized Mount is Standard-Equipment:
The Sky-Watcher EQ5 PRO equatorial mount is a premium-grade observing platform utilizing quality mechanical and electronic component materials throughout...
Polar Alignment Scope. To facilitate precise equatorial alignment of the SW EQ5 PRO mount, a polar alignment scope is installed as standard equipment in the R.A. axis. A transparent etched glass screen illustrates the region about the north celestial pole. The screen shows the position of Constellation Cassiopeia, Ursa Major (Big Dipper), and the defining position of Polaris, the North Star. It also shows Constellation Octans whose star Sigma Octantis visually defines the south celestial pole.
Equatorial Body. The elegantly appointed equatorial body is cast from virgin aluminum and powder coated in classic scientific instrument white. The professional fit and finish of the SW EQ5 PRO mount is abundantly obvious from the very first minute the mount is uncrated. The large polar and declination castings provide large, stable thrust bearing surfaces with tight tolerances. Setting-circles are provided in both RA and Dec. axes. All gears, motors, and electronics are internalized within the equatorial body or separate motor-controller chasse box. The counterweight shaft is made from solid stainless steel. The provided two 11 lb. counterweights are cast iron, powder coated white. (Note: All SW EQ5 PRO Series telescope models come with optical tube mounting rings and/ or dovetail attachment brackets of cast aluminum)
Motors, Gears & Bearings. Sky-Watcher EQ5 PRO computer models utilize high-torque DC stepper motors with 1.8? angle steps yielding resolution of 0.28764 arc-seconds. The advanced Allegro IC driver is a DMOS dual full-bridge micro-stepping PWM motor driver with power savings feature. A 12vDC car plug adapter is provided to connect to a user supplied power supply (Power requirement: 12V DC-power 2000mA mini w/2.1mm tip positive plug). Bronze-metal worm-gear control systems enable precise, incremental mechanical movement with minimal gear backlash in RA and DEC. Gear size in R.A. and DEC. is a robust 72mm (2.83") with 144 teeth. Sealed ball-bearings are used on load bearing surfaces in RA and DEC. Mount tracks celestial objects in R.A. axis when equatorially aligned.
Mechanical Surface Controls. Thumb locks are provided in RA and Dec. to allow swift manual orientation of the optical tube assembly. Micrometric elevation and azimuth controls are provided to help achieve precise polar alignment. For manually operated SW telescope models, deluxe spring-steel cable control knobs are provided in R.A. and Dec. to enable precise manual tracking of sky objects.
Rock-Solid Tripod, and Payload. Every SW EQ5 PRO mount includes a metal tripod commensurate in rigidity and load bearing capacity to the EQ5 PRO mount itself. Tripod legs are made of industrial strength tubular steel of 1.75" diameter, except for the SW 250N EQ5 PRO, and SW 11" SCT EQ5 PRO which are supplied with 2" diameter legs. The tripod head is rigid cast aluminum. A spreader-bar with tension lock is integral to the tripod to help insure optimum rigidity. The mount and tripod support a hefty payload of up to 25 lb.
Computer Operation. Sky-Watcher GO TO telescope models include the revolutionary SynScan Computer Controller. The SynScan's remote hand-controller plugs into SW motor-control panel. The easy-to-read, 2-line, 16-character backlit LCD display will operate to approximately minus 10-degrees F?. Astronomical object location has never been easier or more fun. The telescope responds instantly to keypad commands at the touch of a fingertip. Utility and Setup functions are available to perform customized SynScan operations. Serial PC connector/ Hand-controller phone-jack plug computer interface cable included.
Motor Speeds, Tracking Modes, and Alignment Types: The operating versatility of SynScan provides guiding speeds of .25x, .5x, .75x, and 1x. Slewing speeds include 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x, 2x, 8x, 16x, 32x, 64x, 400x, 500x, 600x, 800x, or 3.4? per second. SW tracking modes offer Lunar, Solar and Sidereal rates. Sky alignment choices are One-star, Two-star, and Three-star. Mount is compatible with operations in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
Astrophotography: Sky imagers will appreciate the auto-guider port for guiding using a PC via the RS-232 port (if the software supports ASCOM). SW firm-wear includes a programming algorithm for periodic error correction (such error is common to all worm-gears). In addition, programming is provided for RA and Dec worm-gear backlash compensation to keep slewing and tracking response prompt and uniform. SW can also be controlled remotely by PC using popular planetarium software via a RS232 connection on the hand-controller. There is even a GPS upgrade option to facilitate entering precise time, date, and location. PAC: "Pointing Accuracy Enhancement" provides extra precise pointing accuracy for photographic applications.
Database: The SynScan computer includes a celestial database of over 30,000 objects, including all the crowd pleasers like planets, the Moon, Messier objects, and interesting double stars. In addition, the library includes objects for advanced studies cataloged within the CNGC, IC, Caldwell, and other lists, plus 25 user-defined celestial favorites.
Advantages of the Sky-Watcher EQ5 PRO Equatorial Telescope Mounting System:
The equatorial mount is the most versatile telescope platform ever designed. Without question it is the most popular and most utilized mounting system favored by amateur astronomers today worldwide. There are several important reasons for its popularity:
Versatility. In the process of becoming serious amateur astronomers, observers at some point often desire to vary their viewing routine. More often than not, this involves changing the optical configuration used for observing between reflective, refractive, or compound systems. It is a well established fact that no one optical design serves every situation perfectly. The SW EQ5 PRO mount, for instance, will hold a large SW 6" refractor offering pristine, textbook-like images of subtle planetary surface phenomena. It will also carry a SW 10" Newtonian reflector with huge light-gathering capability for observing faint, gaseous filamentary structure in galaxies and nebulae. The versatile SW EQ5 PRO mount will also house a SW 11" Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly. In contrast, fork-mounts typically work with one telescope optical configuration only. There is no flexibility for changing optical tubes based on observing needs or preferences.
Portability. Equatorial mounts, like the Sky-Watcher EQ5 PRO, also offer great convenience to observers seeking portable equipment that disassembles into manageable components that can be easily lifted and carried. This is especially helpful with larger aperture optical systems. In contrast, one piece optical tube/ mount configurations can be surprisingly heavy to lift and awkward to transport by one individual.
Stability and Balance. The equatorial mount is renowned for stability, and ease-of-use in achieving mechanical balance of the optical tube and mount. The SW EQ5 PRO is mechanically rigid, and mechanical motions are smooth and inherently vibration-free. An industrial strength tubular steel tripod is standard equipment.
Computer Operation. The SW EQ5 PRO Series offers manual or computerized operation. The revolutionary SW SynScan computer works seamlessly with the SW EQ5 PRO mount to facilitate effortless, automatic tracking and object location of over 30,000-objects. Serial PC connector/ Hand-controller phone-jack plug computer interface cable included.
Astrophotography. The equatorial mount is also the preferred platform for astrophotography. Why? An equatorial alignment facilitates astronomical tracking in just one axis, which is the best physical orientation for imaging the sky. Computerized altazimuth mounts track the sky in two axes, but this introduces undesirable field rotation. Field de-rotators have not proven to be particularly practical. Serious amateurs who own fork-mounted altazimuth telescopes, for instance, buy equatorial wedge adaptor plates to place between the tripod and mount. They then switch the telescope's tracking mode to equatorial. If you are seriously contemplating astrophotography, an equatorial mount is your best bet for insuring quality results.
