Sky-Watcher Explorer 200 F/5

Skywatcher Explorer 200 F/5 & HEQ5 Mount

As this telescope comes in two parts (the scope - the mount) and each part is available separately, I've written two reviews, one for each.

Firstly the Scope

***Specifications***
Main Mirror Size = 8" (200mm), generally the bigger the better. But the bigger it is the less portable everything becomes, it's a bit of a balancing act...

Focal Length = 1000mm, the length from the main mirror to the Eyepiece. There is no "better" here; a lot depends on what you want the scope to do.

Focal Ratio = F/5 (Fast), associated with Focal length above. The lower the F/# the faster the scope which will make photography easier and give bigger field of views. Low F/#'s = good for Deep sky Objects (galaxies, star clusters). High F/#'s = good for Planets. This does not mean that if you have a Low F/# that you can't view the planets, it's just not an ideal telescope for that object.

***Standard Equipment***
Eyepieces, 25mm & 10mm (varies)
Tube Rings & Dovetail plate (for connecting to the mount)
50mm Rich Field Finder scope
Piggyback mount (on tube rings)
2" Focuser (includes a 1.25" adapter)
4 Solid Dust covers (includes dust cover for Finder (2) and focuser (1))

***Pro's***
Portable tube
Big finder (compared to other models)
2" Focuser
Great Value for money.

***Cons**
Small amount of Image shift while focusing (movement of the object within the FOV when focusing)
Requires regular collimation (the alignment of mirror system)

***Using the scope***
The large field of view under low powers give stunning views of star clusters showing sharp star images to the edge of the field of view. It also has the advantage of a large high contrast view, which makes finding faint objects easier. Once the object has been located this scope will allow a big increase of magnification before the quality drops off. Generally the local seeing conditions will limit the magnification before the telescopes optics do.

***DO NOT VIEW THE SUN WITHOUT THE CORRECT SOLAR FILTER - YOU WILL GO BLIND***

Views of objects within the solar system generally require higher magnification and I have viewed (and photographed) The Sun, Mercury, Venus, The Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Details that you can expect from this scope include the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, 4 or more moons of Jupiter. The rings and cloud detail on Saturn. The polar ice caps and some ground detail on Mars. The phases of Venus... The list goes on and on.

Deepsky Objects generally require a bigger field of view, and this is where this telescope really starts to show off. Galaxies, star clusters and nebula are all easily visible with this scope. Star clusters start to be resolved from faint "blobs" (yes that is a technical term) into rich clusters of hundreds of thousands of stars.

The best views I have ever had of Star Clusters etc have been through this telescope!Now the mount, HEQ5 Equatorial Mount

***Specifications**
Maximum Payload, ~ 10kg
2" Tubular extending legs - including vibration suppressors
Built in Accessory tray
Built in Dual Drive
Handset
Polar scope
Retractable counter weight shaft
2 x 5kg Weights

***Pros***
Very sturdy
Easy to set-up and use
Very precise mount (very little backlash)
Heavy

***Cons***
No Bubble level on mount
Polar scope NOT illuminated
Heavy :)

***Using the mount***
The mount is too heavy to be left in one piece and stores, so I tend to remove the telescope tube and the weights and store in three parts. This means that setting up now takes about 15 minutes or so. For photography the mount needs to be polar aligned. Having a polar alignment scope is very handy for this and you can get a rough alignment (good enough for a 30 second exposure) in a few minutes.

Power is supplied through 8 x "C" batteries (or an optional power station, around £30 - £50). Once plugged in the mount will track the stars overhead and the handset can be used to move the telescope (over short distances) and to centre objects. The accuracy of tracking is determined by the polar alignment. There are reverse switches on the handset that reverse the direction of the direction buttons - this is a very handy feature (not available on lesser mounts).

The movement of this mount is very smooth and positive. The increase in payload capacity makes this a very stable mount/tube combination. Vibrations from cats jumping on the tube die very quickly - almost as quickly as the cat :). If in the future you decided to change the scope you wouldn't have to change the mount, this mount will take up to a 10" Reflector or a 6" Refractor - truly a mount for life.

The accessory tray is well designed and contains slots for 2 x 2" Eyepiece’s and 4 x 1.25 Eyepiece’s, there is also a little slot that I use to hang the handset on.

Even though I had the next scope down for some time the actual size and weight of this whole set up took me by surprise!!! I would recommend anyone thinking of buying this scope as a first telescope to see one in the flesh first if possible.

***Summary***
Well happy with this scope!
Price ~ £600 (depending on Extra's)