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Sky-Watcher Brand Joins Park Cameras

NEWS: From 19th January 2023 astronomy enthusiasts will be able to purchase Sky-Watcher Telescopes at Park Cameras, as we extend our range of astronomy optics for beginners and enthusiasts. With products that offer broad appeal, advanced functionality and competitive prices, we’re excited for Sky-Watcher to join Park Cameras.

Sky Watcher has been developing innovative telescopes for over two decades and the line-up includes great features for modern astronomy, including WiFi-enabled mounts, which work in tandem with a free App. This simple combination effectively enables the telescope to be automatically slewed to 10,000+ celestial objects by harnessing Go-To technology.

Sky-Watcher telescope range

Sky-Watcher has developed a comprehensive range of telescopes to suit every budget and to observe a huge variety of celestial objects. We’re thrilled to add a selection of WiFi controlled Refractor Telescopes, Parabolic Newtonian and Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes, each offering distinct advantages for the astronomer.

The Sky-Watcher telescopes we offer share WiFi Go2 (or Go-To) technology, allowing you to wirelessly control the telescope using a free SynScan App for iOS or Android App on your mobile device. This enables the telescope to be slewed towards various objects such as the Moon, planets, nebulae, galaxies and star clusters, which are listed in the App database, once the scope is aligned.

Telescope alignment is a simple procedure, which needs to be performed when moving to a new location, which is easy to do thanks to high portability and relatively lightweight equipment. After that you can enjoy high resolution views of celestial beings and embark on an incredible journey of discovery.

What can you view with a Sky-Watcher telescope?

Depending on the model, you will be able to view the Moon and the Sun ONLY if using the correct filters. You’ll also be able to see all of the planets in our solar system aside from Pluto. Surface details on Mars will be faintly viewable, Jupiter and Saturn, stars, globular and open clusters, bright nebulae, galaxies and nearby galaxy clusters. 

When using the telescope for terrestrial viewing you can observe wildlife and sports, however distant subjects may appear to shimmer due to convection, conduction, heat and radiation.

What is the GoTo feature for telescopes?

One of the biggest appeals to the WiFi controlled Sky-Watcher range is the ability to slew the telescope towards celestial objects with the free App. In short, GOTO is a feature where the telescope mount turns by itself to point to an object you specify, after which the mount will start tracking.

You will be prompted to optionally perform [Sync], which centres the target, and allows subsequent GOTO slews to this target or others near it to be more accurate, which continuously improves the Go-To feature.

Looking after your telescope

How do you store the telescope?

You don’t need to separate the optical tube and mount when storing the telescope, which should be stored in one unit in a clean, dry and dust-free environment. Prevent it from getting wet with a plastic tarp or similar if you need to store it outdoors. Make sure that the front and rear dust caps are in place. Accessories can be stored with caps on, in a separate box.

How can the telescope be safely transported?

The telescope tube and mount can be transported in two parts, once the tube has been unscrewed from the mount. Ideally accessories such as the finder-scope, bracket and eyepiece should be removed before transportation. Cover the telescope tube and the eyepiece with their caps and it is also convenient to remove the fine-adjustment control cables and counterweight rod/counterweights. You can add padding to the telescope, but it isn’t necessary, except to reduce the chance of scratching.

The 3 tripod legs should be closed after removing the accessory tray.

Sharing a passion for astronomy and astro photography

The Park Cameras team is full of photographers and one or two are extremely keen on astro photography, such as Tom Bridle, whose images are featured in our post which highlights some of the best astronomy tools and photography gear.

For customers starting out with astronomy and want o learn more about astrophotography, our blog is packed with tips, tricks and much more:

• Getting Started With Astrophotography
• How To Photograph The Supermoon
• Astronomy Gear For Jupiter And Saturn
• How To Capture The Lunar Eclipse

Discover our range of Sky-Watcher telescopes and browse for all-things astronomy here and begin on this rewarding journey today.

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By Nick Dautlich on 19/01/2023