Sky-Watcher Skymax 102 mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope OTA

Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes are all about portability, sharp, contrasty images, and the flexibility to use them as a telescope for astronomy, a spotting scope for terrestrial use, a lens for photography, or a travel companion for all three! The Sky-Watcher 102 mm Maksutov-Cassegrain is just 11” long and weighs 4.25 lb., but it uses a 4” lens system to do the job of gathering light so you can see faint objects millions of light years away. The classic long focal length of f/12.7 will give you inky dark background skies so that celestial targets stand out beautifully.The Skymax 102 comes with a nice selection of accessories, including a 1.25” 90-degree star diagonal, two 1.25” Kellner eyepieces (10 mm & 25 mm), a red dot finder for easy location and centering of objects, and a Vixen-style dovetail plate, which allows you to mount your telescope on a wide variety of alt-azimuth or equatorial mounts.

Why a Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope?

Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes offer a combination of relatively compact optical tubes, long focal lengths, and large apertures. Compared with a refractor or Newtonian telescope of similar aperture, the compact optical design makes a 180 mm Maksutov-Cassegrain practical for a range of observing applications.The 180 mm aperture provides good light-gathering capability for observing the Moon, planets, double stars, and a variety of deep-sky objects. The telescope can also be used for terrestrial observation when paired with suitable accessories and mounting equipment.

Compared with an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, the 180 mm Maksutov-Cassegrain has a longer focal length and a slower focal ratio. The Sky-Watcher 180 mm Skymax features a 2700 mm focal length and an f/15 focal ratio, while many Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes use an f/10 focal ratio. This results in a narrower field of view and makes the Skymax particularly suitable for detailed, high-magnification observation rather than wide-field applications.For observers who prefer a long focal length telescope for lunar, planetary, double-star, and other detailed observations, the Sky-Watcher 180 mm Skymax is a practical Maksutov-Cassegrain option.

Skywatcher Skymax 102 Specs

• Optical Design: Maksutov-Cassegrain

• Aperture: 102 mm (4.02in)

• Focal Length: 1300 mm

• Focal Ratio: f/12.7

• Included Eyepieces: 25 mm, 10 mm

• Finderscope: Red Dot finder

• Diagonal: 1.25” 90 degree Star diagonal

• Highest Useful Magnification: 204x

• Optical Coatings: Fully multi-coated

• Tube Weight: 4.25 lb.

• Tube Length: 12.25”

• Tube Width: 4.625”