Sky-Watcher AZ4 102mm Refractor Telescope

Rock-and-Roll with this High Quality 102mm Refractor from Sky-Watcher

Astronomically speaking the SW 102AR-AZ4 is ready to rock your observing world.  Its “grab-in-go" design makes it the logical companion to take with you for casual observing of land or sky at a moment's notice.  Its ability to knock your socks off while viewing solar system favorites like Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon is a testament to the remarkable high contrast and richness of detail this instrument delivers to your eye.  View distant terrestrial detail close up and personal including landmarks, animals, and people.  Trust Sky-Watcher for superb optical quality.  The Sky-Watcher 102ARs 2-element, color corrected achromatic lenses are fabricated to the highest optical standards from Grade-A Crown & Flint optical glass.  Each lens set is individually pitch-polished, and hand figured by a master optician ensuring premium optical performance.  Each lens system is air-spaced with high transmission optical coatings. 

The Sky-Watcher 102AR-AZ4A offers 62% more light gathering than a smaller 80mm lens, this telescope excels at every astronomical and terrestrial endeavor.  Jupiter's bands reveal ripples, whirlpools and discontinuities; the Moon shows additional crater detail, rills, fault lines, etc. that are simply indiscernible with smaller aperture scopes; deep-space objects start to display their essential structure like the beehive of stars surrounding the core of the globular cluster M13; emission nebulae exhibit extensions of glowing gases and dust filaments far from the central area of luminosity, plus the characteristic shapes of galaxies start to unveil themselves.

Terrestrially, atmospheric conditions permitting, magnificently sharp images offering intensely rich detail are possible.  

When it comes to stability this telescope is a true rock-star.  It performs like a champ dampening vibrations so they don't compromise your viewing.   It will hold steady in a modest breeze, and won't “shake, rattle and roll" at the slightest touch like some products.

Quality Accessories Enhance Your Observing Experiences

The standard accessories are top notch: Super Plossl 4-emement 25mm and 10mm eyepieces, Image Erect Prism 1.25", Red-Dot finderscope for fast selection of stars for star-hopping, plus planetarium software to explore the heavens on your PC.

The Rock (AZ4 Mount) Includes 1.75" Diameter Tubular Steel Tripod Legs as Supplied with the SW 102AR-AZ4

The superbly designed Sky-Watcher AZ4 mount is remarkably portable with heavy-duty, yet lightweight construction—a veritable paragon of stability—perfect for demanding terrestrial and astronomical applications.

A mount's stability and ease-of-operation during the process of viewing terrestrial or moving sky objects can make the experience a consistently enjoyable pastime, or render it generally frustrating as images appear to dance around uncontrollably in the eyepiece.  Mechanical stability and fluid tracking are the keys to mount quality. The high-performance Sky-Watcher AZ4 mount excels admirably in both these important attributes.  The AZ4's altazimuth design also adds to the mount's stability as the center of gravity is directly over the tripod.

The Sky-Watcher AZ4 mechanical tracking motions about both axes glide on large thrust-bearing surfaces lubricated by industrial-standard Teflon bearings producing smooth, fluid motion.  Control knobs adjust the mount of drag (stricture) to ensure ease of movement without loss of precision.  The mount and tripod head are constructed of rigid, cast aluminum.