เมาท์ตามดาว Sky-Watcher AZ-GO2 WiFi mount พร้อมควบคุมด้วย Smartphone/Tablet

• ได้รับคะแนนรีวิว 4/5 ดาวจากนิตยสาร BBC Sky at Night magazine!
• Telescope with smartphone controls
• Easy set-up and quick skyward orientation
• Servomotors for automatic tracking
• Includes AZ-Go2 mount, stainless steel tripod and tray, OTA not included
• Supports OTA size up to 6" F5 (use with collapsible OTA design recommended)
• Nature observation and photography possible

BBC Sky at Night magazine rating

 4 out of 5 stars!

".. AZ GO-2 ticks a lot of boxes, especially for beginners, as it is lightweight and easy to set up, with the bonus of Go-To functionality.."  - BBC Sky at Night magazine

Note: OTA is for illustration purposes only.

The AZ-Go2 mount uses its motors to make the telescope follow the rotation of the sky. Its integrated computer controls (“GoTo”) helps by selecting a suitable celestial object and points the telescope towards it.

The AZ-Go2 mount is a single-arm mount. This makes it lightweight and compact. Due to the mount's curvature, the telescope does not touch the mount when it is pointed sharply towards the zenith. The telescope is attached to the mount using a clamp (mounting saddle).

This is a Vixen-style clamp and enables various scopes to be attached, even from other manufacturers. The height-adjustable stainless steel tripod with accessory tray holds the mount and the telescope steady with no shaking whatsoever. The mount has a battery compartment but can also be powered using an external battery (12V/1A).

Full computerized Goto and Tracking with SynScan app via WiFi

One of the AZ-Go2 mount’s special features is its integrated Wi-Fi. This enables the mount to be controlled remotely using the free SynScan app for iOS or Android.

You need a smartphone or tablet with this app to control the mount this way. It is also possible to control the mount using optional hand-held controls, but the app provides more functions and can always be kept up-to-date.

SPECIFICATIONS

Magnifications (with optics supplied): x60 & x150
Highest Practical Power (Potential): x254
Diameter of Primary Mirror: 127mm
Telescope Focal Length: 1500mm (f/11.8)
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
Red Dot Finder
90° Star Diagonal (1.25”)
AZ-Go2 WiFi Go-To Alt-Azimuth Mount
Controller: Free SynScan App for iOS and Android mobile device or Synscan Hand Controller (available separately)
SynScan App Database: Total 10,000+ Objects. Deep Sky Objects: 10759, including Messier, NGC, IC, Caldwell Catalogues, Named DSOs, Named Stars: 305, Double Stars: 55, Solar system objects: 7 planets, Sun , Moon. (Unlimited objects when working with a 3rd party planetarium software).
SynScan App Alignment Method: Brightest Star Alignment, North-Level Alignment
SynScan App's Other Features: Tonight's Best Sky Tour, Point and Go with a mobile device, Identification of Celestial Objects, Remote control over Internet, User defined objects, Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE)
Tracking Rates: Sidereal, Lunar, Solar, Alignment-Free Solar Tracking
Slewing Speeds: 1.0x, 8.0x, 16x, 32x, 64x, 128x, 400x, 800x
Tracking Mode: Dual Axis Tracking
Motor: DC Servo Motor
45mm Sky-Watcher/Vixen type dovetail saddle
Interface: SynScan Hand Control Port, Built-in Wi-Fi Module
Connectivity: ASCOM platform for Windows PC, Mobile planetarium App for iOS and Android ( SkySafari Plus/Pro, more are coming).
Adjustable Stainless Steel Tripod with Accessory Tray
Power Requirement: 8 AA Size Batteries (not supplied) or External Power Supply (12V 1A) Tip Positive.

REVIEW

BBC Sky at Night magazine

by Steve Richards

Read original article here

A smartphone-controlled, beginner-friendly reflector boasting excellent views.

Our rating

 4 out of 5 stars! (with a 130mm tube)

Compact enough to be portable, but with enough light grasp to observe a wide range of objects, 130mm-aperture Newtonian reflectors hit the sweet spot for stargazing. Fitting nicely into this very popular spot is the Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P AZ GO-2, especially with its Wi-Fi-enabled altazimuth mount, giving it the power to seek out numerous objects using your smartphone as a controller.

The telescope’s metallic black gloss finish with green highlights contrasts nicely with the mount’s white powder coating, sitting on a stainless steel tripod, inviting you to turn it on and observe; we were keen to accept the invitation.

This telescope features in our list of the best telescopes for beginners.

Assembly of the various components was straightforward and well-explained in the printed manual, with the optical tube attaching to the mount via a 45mm Vixen-style dovetail bar. The telescope required collimation on delivery, which was quickly accomplished using our own Cheshire collimator.

The mount is fully SynScan-compatible, but doesn’t come with a hand controller. Instead, you install the SynScan app on your phone and then connect that to the mount’s own built-in Wi-Fi hub. Once that’s done you get a convenient and intuitive on-screen interface.

The mount will track objects at three different rates: solar, lunar and sidereal. The first two relate to the Sun and Moon respectively, but the third is used to track stars and other deep-sky objects. To ready the telescope for observing, it is necessary to align the red dot finder with the telescope. We carried out this procedure during daytime by centring a distant object in the field of view of the 25mm eyepiece and then using the adjustment knobs on the finder to overlay the red dot on the same object. 

Keen to get acquainted with the telescope, rather than wait until nighttime we mounted our own Baader AstroSolar Safety Film filter on the front to do some observation of the Sun. We were rewarded with excellent views of sunspots AR 13057 and AR 13509 on the Sun’s surface. Although removing the 1.25-inch eyepiece holder revealed a standard T2 camera thread, we were unable to focus on the Sun using our DSLR camera and adaptor. However, a planetary camera with a T2 thread and less than 30mm of back focus would be suitable for imaging both the Sun (with the correct safe filter fitted) and the Moon.

As darkness fell, we carried out the star alignment process in readiness for an observing session under the stars. This started with setting the mount to its ‘home’ position by levelling the tripod using its built-in bubble level as a reference, then setting the telescope tube level and pointing it to north.The supplied compass proved accurate enough to achieve this. We then connected the mount to its power supply and, with the app running on the smartphone, connected it to the mount’s Wi-Fi hub. The app automatically determined our location using the smartphone’s GPS location sensor, in readiness for carrying out an alignment based on two stars to build a basic pointing model.

With the mount carefully aligned, we went in search of deep-sky objects selected from the SynScan app’s extensive databases. The Go-To system easily located a range of objects, placing each one within the field of view of the 25mm eyepiece. We enjoyed excellent views of globular clusters M13, M92, M15 and M71 and then the Andromeda Galaxy and Bode's Galaxy. We then headed to the planetary nebulae M27 and M57, the Double Cluster, and finally the double stars Albireo and Epsilon Lyrae. We couldn’t resist observing the prominent planets Jupiter and Saturn, easily discerning Jupiter’s bands and Saturn’s rings, as well as several of their attendant pinprick moons. Finally, we turned the telescope to the quarter Moon and enjoyed some satisfying views of numerous lunar features.

The Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P AZ GO-2 ticks a lot of boxes, especially for beginners, as it is lightweight and easy to set up, with the bonus of Go-To functionality. The free SynScan app is very intuitive and might appeal in particular to younger users who are used to doing everything on their smartphones.

Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P AZ GO-2 SynScan app

Instead of a conventional wired hand controller, the Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P AZ GO-2 has a built-in Wi-Fi hub, allowing it to connect to a smartphone. Compatible with iOS and Android smartphones, the app gives access to all of the mount’s set-up and control features in an easy-to-use and convenient user interface. There are two versions of the app; we opted for the iOS Pro version on our iPhone SE 2020 and it operated flawlessly, although the lack of any tactile feel to the direction ‘keys’ meant we had to visually check our finger position from time to time. The app contains Messier Catalogue, NGC, IC, Caldwell catalogue, named deep-sky objects, named stars, double stars, Solar System objects (seven planets, Sun, Moon and comets) and a useful ‘tonight’s best’ object listing. Overall, it gives Go-To access to nearly 11,000 objects.

In addition to standard pointing duties, the app provides information about the objects being observed, including visibility times for planning your observing sessions in advance.

Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P AZ GO-2 best features

Rack and pinion focuser

A very basic, single-speed, straight-cut rack and pinion focuser is provided with the telescope. This example resulted in the eyepiece ‘nodding’ slightly when changing focus direction, which shifts the object’s position in the field of view. There is a thumb screw on the top of the focuser to add tension if required.

Eyepieces

The telescope is supplied with 25mm and 10mm eyepieces, providing magnifications of 26x and 65x respectively. These were perfectly adequate for a beginner, especially the 25mm, but despite being described as ‘long eye relief’ they were on the margin for observing with spectacles on, even with the rubber eyecups folded down.

Red dot finder

A red dot finder with adjustable brightness is provided to help locate celestial objects. This projects an apparent red dot on the sky. Adjusting the pointing of the telescope until the star and dot are aligned with one another also aligns the telescope with the object.

Altazimuth mount and tripod

The substantial altazimuth mount can be powered by the supplied eight-cell battery box and tethered cable or by a larger

12V power bank, although no cable is supplied for this. The stainless steel tripod is light to carry but adequately stable for this size of mount and telescope, especially with the leg spreader in place.

Optics

The telescope has a 130mm-aperture parabolic primary mirror with a focal length of 650mm, making it ideal for a wide range of observations. Parabolic mirrors are configured in such a way that they focus the light passing through the telescope to a single point, producing sharp images with no spherical aberration.

This review originally appeared in the December 2022 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

SUPPORT DOCUMENTS  

Manuals:
AZ Go2 Mount: https://inter-static.skywatcher.com/downloads/bzl01-y01-187__az-go2_manual_v1_00.pdf
SynScan App: https://inter-static.skywatcher.com/downloads/synscan_app_manual_en_20230525.pdf

About Sky-Watcher 

Sky-Watcher was launched in 1999 featuring a modest line of Newtonian and refractor optical tubes, with distribution in Europe and Asia. In 2000, Sky-Watcher released their first series of Dobsonian telescopes, and two years later answered the rising popularity of digital SLRs with their first version of the famed German Equatorial Mount, the EQ6. Today, with a full product line that includes Dobsonians, APO refractors, EQ mounts, and photography products, Sky-Watcher has grown into the most popular telescope brand worldwide.