Hi, I have this Telescope and thought of giving a complete review with my experiences. Hope this will will be helpful!
Sky-watcher P 130/650 Starquest review
“As a pencil is a friend of a writer, a telescope is a friend of an astronomer”. A One who finds a telescope with better optics for a reasonable price, which is easy to use, may have stopped in the right place! This fresh and solid Starquest telescope offers you greater experiences which will last forever.
The Sky-watcher P 130/650 Starquest, has an aperture of 5.1 inches (130 mm) which is a great and ideal size for an amateur to start. The parabolic mirror is the best about this which will resolve greater views with maximum clarity. The 130mm Parabolic mirror gives contrasting images which will be useful.
The instrument is shorter and fast with a f5 focal Ratio. It weighs a little compared to others which makes it easier to use. The secondary mirror is already collimated in the factory, so you have no need to spare time before use!
This comes with a metal mount with two Capstan style locks, and to slow motion cables, which are smooth. The Equatorial mount offers star tracking with precession. The tripod is made out of aluminium where an accessory tray sits for more stability.
Extra accessories include two powerful eyepieces (10mm and 20mm), and a Red dot finder, which is great!
Sky-watcher P 130/650 Starquest basic Specs
Aperture - 130mm
Focal length - 650mm
Focal Ratio - 5
Max useful magnification- 260x
Telescope in use…
Every part is fixable by hand effortlessly, so putting the Telescope together is very easy. After assembling it, ready to go on a clear night!
The first target, our neighbour, Moon. Moon’s views are really great and impressive. Thousands of lunar features are prominent, craters, seas and old volcanoes are clear (don’t expect Apollo landing patches!).
Jupiter and Saturn look clear and their features are clearly seen. Jupiter’s Great Red spot and its bands are visible. Saturn’s ring is visible clear.
Out of the solar system into the Deep sky. All messier objects are visible. M27 and M57 especially offer great views! M31 (Andromeda galaxy) and M33 are visible with low magnification on clear nights. The Great Orion Nebula also offers you a good view. The Pleiades star cluster is like diamond dust in the sky! You can really expect deep sky targets clearly and impressively.
The only bad thing is the tripod is not very stable, a little wobbly. But, the vibration settles down very quickly.
Sky-watcher P 130/650 Starquest vs Celestron Astromaster 130eq (specs)
Summary
Overall, the Sky-watcher P 130/650 Starquest Telescope is a durable, and a good beginner Telescope which you can enjoy the views to stay in mind forever.
Hope you enjoyed!
Nikolai.