Sky-Watcher Skymax 150 Pro 10885

“Jupiter was a mesmerising sight” ….. “High contrast optics indeed”
BBC Sky At Night Magazine

“Great package for the price…The telescope optics are fully multicoated and the secondary mirror obstructs just 26 per cent of the primary diameter, making it good for planetary imaging. Testing the optics showed excellent correction and contrast; results that were backed up by our observations of a variety of celestial objects. Views of Saturn during a night of superb seeing were excellent – we could clearly see the Cassini Division in the rings and the planet’s equatorial band. Contrast on the Moon was very high and it split the stars of the ‘Double-Double’ very cleanly.”

The Skymax 150 Maksutov-Cassegrain is a powerful, high-resolution f/12 optical system that is free from chromatic aberration and provides outstanding high-contrast and image sharpness. Sky-Watcher is a leading expert manufacturer of Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes of a wide range of apertures and have been honing their skills over decades.

It excels for the observation of tight double-stars and the surface detail of the Moon & bright planets as well as being useful on galaxies & nebulae. It can also be used as a terrestrial telescope for daytime observations with an optional 1.25” or 2” erecting prism diagonal. A DSLR can be easily attached using the integrated T2 adaptor thread. Please note astrophotography is of limited use on faint deep-sky objects due to its long focal length.

The telescope features a high quality, internally darkened aluminium tube of excellent rigidity.  Supplied with a 45mm dovetail bar, a 9×50 fully multi-coated finderscope with crosshair reticle, 2” Star Diagonal (with 1.25” & 2” eyepiece adaptors) and a 28mm 2” LET Eyepiece.

Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes are a closed tube catadioptric design that use a combination of mirrors and a full-aperture meniscus corrector lens. The optical design cleverly folds a long focal length into a tube length of highly compact dimensions, making them a convenient design to store and transport.
The Skymax 150 employs a 6” (150mm) spherical primary mirror and a front full-aperture meniscus corrector lens with a secondary mirror spot. The primary and secondary mirrors are both finished with Sky-Watcher’s RAQ™ Radiant Aluminium Quartz coatings, which include layers of aluminium, tantalum pentoxide and silicon dioxide for a brilliant, highly durable finish with a remarkable 94% reflectivity that will last for years.

The primary mirror is made from special Low-Expansion Borosilicate glass, similar to Pyrex. It has an exceptionally low coefficient of thermal expansion compared to regular glass types. In practice this means a quicker cool-down time to reach thermal equilibrium, and during the cool-down process the mirror will maintain a better shape, reducing distortions, allowing you to start observing sooner.

The front corrector lens is multi-coated with Sky-Watcher’s signature Metallic High-Transmission Coatings™ (MHTC™) which are the finest photon anti-rejection coatings in their class, to allow maximum light throughput.

The colour scheme is not just an aesthetic. The OTA is tastefully finished in Sky-Watcher’s proprietary Black Diamond flecked metallic paintwork and features, by design, complementary contrasting white painted surfaces. The white surfaces are a highly practical feature for providing more visibility, which can help prevent your expensive and carefully aligned telescope from being knocked accidentally in the dark.

The colour scheme is not just an aesthetic. The OTA is tastefully finished in Sky-Watcher’s proprietary Black Diamond flecked metallic paintwork and features, by design, complementary contrasting white painted surfaces. The white surfaces are a highly practical feature for providing more visibility, which can help prevent your expensive and carefully aligned telescope from being knocked accidentally in the dark.

With a tube weight of 5.6kg, this OTA would be a good match for the Sky-Watcher EQ5, EQ5 Pro, EQM-35 Pro, EQ-AL55i Pro, HEQ5-R Pro and Wave-100i Mountings

Budget for a neutral density 1.25″ filter or Baader polariser set for the moon, a Baader UHC and OIII filter and a dew shield. Budget also for an A4 sheet of Baader Astrosolar.

With any Cassegrain telescope you will have to consider the affect dew fall. The cheapest solution is a lens hood but when dew is a real problem then heater straps will evaporate dew off.