Sky-Watcher Explorer-200P (EQ5) Parabolic Newtonian Reflector Telescope

Comments about Sky-Watcher Explorer-200 (EQ-5) Newtonian Reflector Telescope:

This is our first telescope, and bought it because of the online reviews... we haven't been disappointed. after waiting a few nights for a clear sky, me and my son set it up in the garden, it was a moonless night, which took away what would have been our easy target to view, but after having a look on "Stellarium" on the laptop spotted where Saturn should be, I was aligning it with the spotter scope as my son was looking through the main scope, I thought I had it when it was confirmed by my son shouting at 1 in the morning "RINGS! I CAN SEE RINGS" and there it was a perfect image of Saturn in all its glory. I can tell you that telescope was worth every penny I paid for it right there and then. Now we're just waiting for the weather to get better to see what else is out there for us to explore.

Comments about Sky-Watcher Explorer-200 (EQ-5) Newtonian Reflector Telescope:

This is a great telescope for the price. This is my second 'scope and as i have just started to get into stargazing in a big way, i needed something up to the job. Its about as big as you can manage, into the garden and back, but has lots of resolution due to its 8inch mirror. The good thing about the Skywatcher series is you can add to your basic 'scope in the future, i.e. motor drives etc.
If your going to get serious about star gazing, get this!

Comments about Sky-Watcher Explorer-200 (EQ-5) Newtonian Reflector Telescope:

In astronomy one thing is always true, size matters. At 8 inches this scope represents the maximum practical size that can be moved. However the weight and size of the scope pays off the moment the sky clears. The EQ5 mount is sturdy and accurate which is a must for scopes with such high magnification. The size of the scope makes deep space astronomy a reality. The Orion nebula can be studied in detail, clusters such as M38/M36 will take your breath away, craters on the moon can be studied almost individually, The rings of Saturn can be viewed as well as its moons, the red spot can be seen on Jupiter and with patience galaxies can be observed in all there magnificence.

Now for the bad bits. The eyepieces that come with the scope are good for starters but they are not high quality. My recommendation is to buy new ones later personally I got a Baader Hyperion Zoom, you will notice the difference.

If you are buying this scope for DSLR Astrophotography you will need a T piece. However, the T piece will (When you figure out how) screw directly to the prime focus of the scope at 2". This is great as photographs of the moon are easy and spectacular. If you need to do any longer exposures however you will need a GOTO motor to attach to the mount. This can be bought when you buy the mount or you can upgrade later as the motor upgrade is sold separately (Not here though).

If you are planning to add extra scopes to this set up at a later date you should note that the EQ5 mount with this scope on is close to its maximum weight. You may struggle to add more weight to it. If you are planning on doing this you need an H-EQ5 (Heavy Duty) or an EQ6 mount.