Obviously, given that this is a tabletop telescope, you’re probably wondering what we recommend putting it on. My personal preference would be a 3-legged stool. They’re cheap, they’re sturdy, and they look classy. A 4-legged stool works too, but it’s more likely to wobble. You could also make your own stand for the scope that could accommodate an accessory tray or storage container, or in a pinch, the telescope will work on the hood of most cars; the rubber feet allow it to rest on a slight incline. Should I buy a Used Skywatcher Heritage 130P? Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value. If you’re just starting out your stargazing journey and are wondering which telescope will best suit your needs, then look no further than the SkyLiner 200 P Parabolic Sky Watcher. Not only is this telescope among the most affordable Dobsonians out there, but its ease of assembly and use make it a favourite among beginner stargazers. Most scopes of the same class wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near the power range; but with this beauty, the universe is indeed your oyster. Lift them out of the box, set them on a tabletop or other flat surface and you can get on with observing the night sky. Lastly, the Heritage 150P’s focuser is probably the weakest link in the whole telescope. It is of the simplest helical design – just a threaded tube that screws in and out of a corresponding receptacle, both of which are plastic. For eyepieces like the ones included with the 150P this is fine, but the helical focuser is not really capable of holding anything heavy such as a nice ultra-wide-angle eyepiece or Barlow lens.

Instructions are included for setup, but like most tabletops, getting started is rather simple: attach the tube to the mount via a Vixen dovetail, slot in the finderscope, diagonal and eyepiece, and you're good to go. The Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P Virtuoso GTi was a lot of fun to use, and beginners and youngsters would particularly appreciate its presentation, compact size, easy-to-set-up design and its control via a smartphone. Being able to manually locate objects without losing the electronic alignment is a real bonus, and the 150mm aperture allows observations of a wide range of objects.The Bresser Messier 5” Dobsonian has similar optics to the Heritage 130P but in a simpler solid tube. However, the provided accessories are not quite as good.

The Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P offers significantly more aperture than the Heritage 100P for bolder, brighter, and sharper views, and a collapsible tube to maximize portability. The Heritage 100P is easy to set up: simply attach the finderscope, slot in your eyepiece and you're ready to go in no time at all. If your observing location requires walking up or downstairs, or you can’t handle carrying something too heavy, or if you just decide you want to travel a lot with your scope, choosing a smaller one might be a better idea. 8" dobsonians are what we consider to be perfect in terms of the balance between portability and viewability.While the SkyLiner 200 P Parabolic Sky Watcher is definitely one of the best in its class, even it isn’t immune to a few imperfections and flaws. The first and obvious shortcoming has to be the sheer weight of it. As with all dobsonian telescopes, the mount contributes a very large portion of the final weight. The Bresser Messier 6” f/8 Planetary Dobsonian has a narrower field than the 150P, thanks to its f/8 focal ratio, though this is somewhat compensated for by its hefty 2” Crayford focuser. The main advantage of the XT6 is that it stands flat on the ground without additional support or elevation, though it’s significantly less compact, lightweight, or portable than a tabletop instrument of similar aperture like the Sky-Watcher Heritage telescopes. Sky-Watcher’s own 6” Classic also works pretty well and shares the XT6’s basic design and features, but has inferior bearings and a mediocre focuser. The Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P borrows a lot from the smaller 130P, having essentially the same features but with 20mm more aperture. That extra 20mm may not seem like much, but it makes a significant difference when it comes to viewing galaxies and globular star clusters. Collecting 319% more light than the human eye, the Heritage 130 is a powerful tabletop dobsonian capable of delivering stunning views of planets, galaxies and nebulae while remaining affordable. Each mirror is constructed of durable borosilicate glass with our signature Radiant ™ Aluminum Quartz (RAQ™) coating. The Heritage 130 uses a unique system that allows it to be collapsed for easy portability and storage while retaining collimation.

Its a shame no one sells a proper shroud for it but making on is easy Astro La Vista has some good instructions on Youtube. Swapping in the 10mm eyepiece gave us a better view of M82’s edge-on aspect, we could even make out some mottled structure along it.

Diagonal– These are placed into the focuser and receive the eyepiece in refractors, SCTs, and MCTs. Common sizes are 1.25 inch and 2 inch which determines the diameter of the eyepiece that can be accepted. The diagonal turns the direction of the eyepiece either 45 degrees or 90 degrees to provide a more comfortable viewing angle. The 45-degree models are usually for daytime use when the optical tube is fairly level for use as a spotting scope. The 90-degree diagonals, also called star diagonals, are better for astronomy as the optical tube is usually pointing high in the sky. Sky-Watcher's tabletop Dobsonian designs breaks the mould, bringing the solid and reliable Dobsonian mounting method within the reach of those desiring a smaller, more manageable telescope. The Heritage 150P attaches to its tabletop Dobsonian mount with a standard Vixen-style dovetail bar bolted directly to the lower half of the tube. Thus, you could theoretically put the telescope on another mount, but it’s possible this could result in the focuser/eyepiece being located in an awkward position. Accessories The Heritage 150P comes already assembled and in a presentation box, with smaller boxes included to hold the red dot finder and eyepieces: 25mm and 10mm, providing magnifications of 30x and 75x.