| This economical Vixen R130SF 130mm (5.1") Newtonian reflector optical tube comes with tube mounting rings and a dovetail mounting plate that fits all Vixen altazimuth and equatorial mounts, the Celestron CG-5 and Advanced Series go-to equatorial mounts, and the Meade LXD75 go-to equatorial mount, giving you a wide choice of mounts to use it with.
This Vixen R130SF optical tube is also available in several pre-packaged systems using Vixen mounts if you do not already have a mount of your own. One is the #VR130PM that puts the R130SF optical tube on a smooth Vixen altazimuth PORTA Mount for easy set-up casual astronomy. For more ease in finding celestial objects, you can also get the Vixen R130SF installed on a Vixen go-to altazimuth SkyPod mount. This Vixen package (#VR130SP) lets you observe hundreds of astronomical sights on your very first night out with your scope, even if you’ve never used a telescope before. And finally, there is an equatorial mount package for those who want to explore the skies on their own – the #VR130GP2 that puts the R130SF optical tube on a Vixen Great Polaris 2 German equatorial mount.
The 650mm focal length of the 130mm aperture R130SF gives you a fast f/5 focal ratio that shows you a wide field of view. For example, its standard 1.25" 20mm Plössl eyepiece gives you a 1.54° field of view at 32.5x, more than three times the diameter of the full Moon. This eyepiece gives you sweeping views of innumerable star clusters and dark clouds, not to mention nebulas and galaxies. All of the stars in the Pleiades can be viewed at the same time. The second standard equipment eyepiece, a 6.3mm Plössl, gives you a magnification of 103x, for close-up views of the Moon, binary stars, globular star clusters, and the beginnings of serious close-up planetary observing. Because it is a classical Newtonian reflector, the R130SF displays none of the chromatic aberration (violet halos of spurious color around the Moon, planets, and bright stars) that plagues achromatic refractors in its sensible price range. Images are sharp and clear, high in contrast, and a pleasure to view.
The 140mm diameter optical tube is aluminum, to allow the all-glass and fully collimatable mirrors to cool to ambient temperature more quickly. The scope’s tube end rings are sturdy die-cast aluminum, to protect the tube during transport and provide exceptionally rigid support for the optics. The lightweight optical tube can be rotated in its die-cast split cradle rings to bring the focuser and finder to the most comfortable viewing position. The optical tube is only 25.6" long, making it easy to transport and assemble in the field.
The mirrors are coated with high reflectivity aluminum and overcoated with a protective layer of silicon monoxide (quartz) for long life. The focuser is a 1.25" rack and pinion type. Dual focusing knobs with rubber gripping surfaces give you precise image control with either hand. The large focus knobs are easy to operate, even while wearing gloves or mittens in cold weather.
The Vixen R130SF comes standard with a 6 x 30mm straight-through achromatic finderscope and dovetail tube plate that fits directly onto all the Vixen mounts. As mentioned above, two 1.25" Vixen eyepieces are standard – a 20mm (32.5x) and a 6.3mm (103x).
The Vixen R130SF is an optical tube you can start with on your own mount or on a basic user-friendly Vixen PORTA Mount that allows fast and easy set-up for spur-of-the-moment backyard observing. You can later move up to one of the Vixen electronic mounts, such as the SkyPod or even the Sphinx, and still enjoy the economical Vixen R130SF’s excellent visual quality.
|
Printer friendly version
Email page link to a friend
Do you have a question about this product?
