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| {{Short description|Astronomical company}} | |||
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| ] refractor]] | ] refractor]] | ||
| '''Sky-Watcher''' is a commercial ] established in 1999 by the ] (Synta Taiwan) |
'''Sky-Watcher''' is a commercial ] established in 1999 by the ] (Synta Taiwan). It markets ] and astronomy equipment, such as ] and ]s, aimed at the ] market. The products are manufactured at Synta Taiwan's ] in ], ].<ref></ref> The brand is distributed in ], ] and in the late 2000s, it was extended to the ] market.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133250/http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/05/22/idUS287328+22-May-2008+BW20080522 |date=24 September 2015 }}</ref> | ||
| ==Company history== | ==Company history== | ||
| In 1999, the |
In 1999, the Sky-Watcher brand was established to sell Synta Taiwan's optics, with head offices in ], Canada. They began producing ] in 2000, followed by ]s in 2001, and ] refracting telescopes in 2004. | ||
| Sky-Watcher |
Sky-Watcher sells telescopes from 2.4" (62mm) up to 16" (406mm) ] with manual, motor-driven, or ] mounts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Astronomy |first=Go |title=All Sky-Watcher Telescope Models {{!}} GO ASTRONOMY |url=https://www.go-astronomy.com/telescopes/sky-watcher-telescopes.php |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Go-Astronomy.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Since 2008, Sky-Watcher has manufactured ] with collapsible tubes, a product line they call Flex Tube-Dobsonians. | ||
| ==Products== | ==Products== | ||
| Sky-Watcher products include telescopes, spotting scopes, mounts, and other accessories.].]] | |||
| ===Telescopes=== | |||
| ].]] | |||
| Sky-Watcher has eleven model series of telescopes. These are listed below: | |||
| ====Esprit==== | |||
| Esprit 80ED, 100ED, 120ED, and 150ED Super APO refractors have a doublet field flattener to get a flat field and minimize aberration, and distortion. Their wide 48mm opener gives a larger and clearer aperture and also minimized halation. Connect the triplet and doublet field flattener with a high-precision thin thread to keep the optical axis perpendicular to the image. | |||
| ====Equinox==== | |||
| The Equinox series are relatively affordable Extra-low Dispersion (ED) ]ic refractors in Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) between 66 mm and 120 mm (2.60" - 4.72"), suitable for ]. The smaller apertures have medium focal ratios and the larger ones have long focal ratios. These telescopes have black-colored tubes. | |||
| ====ED Refractors Series==== | |||
| The pro series telescopes include two-element air-spaced OTA ED apochromatic refractors between 80 mm and 120 mm (3.15–4.72") with long focal ratios, also suitable for astrophotography, as well as OTA ]s with long focal ratios and apertures of 150 mm and 180 mm (5.91" and 7.09"). They are presented in Black Diamond tubes. | |||
| ====Refractors==== | |||
| The refractors series are multi-coated ]ic refractors between 70 and 150 mm (2.76–5.91"). They are available in ] mounting for smaller apertures and ]ing for larger ones. They have long focal ratios and are constructed with a black ] tube. | |||
| ====Reflectors==== | |||
| The Reflector series telescopes are ] with optics aluminized and overcoated with ], available in 76 mm to 254 mm sizes (2.99–10.00"). All but the smallest size are presented in equatorial mounting; the smallest one in Alt-azimuth. They are available in short, medium, and long focal ratios and chiefly parabolic mirrors. They are made with Black Diamond aluminum tubes. The 130 to 200 mm aperture parabolic mirror scopes are available with shorter tubes and dual-speed ]s and are optimized for astrophotography. | |||
| ====Table top==== | |||
| Tabletop telescopes have a 13" (330 mm) high equatorial mount, designed to be extremely portable. They include 130 mm (5.10") and 80 mm (3.15") refractors of short and medium focal lengths respectively, as well as a long-focal length 90 mm (3.54") Maksutov. They are presented in variable-colored tubes. | |||
| ====Solid-tube Dobsonians==== | |||
| The Solid-tube (traditional) ]s are Dobsonian-mounted Newtonian reflectors available in 153 mm (6"), 203 mm (8"), 254 mm (10"), and 305 mm (12") models. They have thin 0.5 mm (0.02")-thick secondary mirror supports, tension control handles, and the 10" - 12" version is made from ] glass. They have long, medium, and short focal ratios respectively, in order of increasing aperture. They have white-colored tubes. | |||
| ====Collapsible Dobsonians==== | |||
| The Collapsible Dobsonians are Dobsonian-mounted Newtonian reflectors available in 200 mm (8"), 254 mm (10"), 305 mm (12") and 406 mm (16") models. They are similar in design to the Solid-Tube Dobsonians but have black-colored tubes with the middle section of the tube replaced with struts. The struts allow the top portion of the tube to collapse down on the bottom portion, decreasing the tube length when in storage or being transported. The Collapsible Dobsonians also feature ]s instead of the traditional ] focuser that was included with the Solid-tube Dobsonians. | |||
| ====Short-tube Refractors==== | |||
| The Short-tube Refractors series are multi-coated two-element air-spaced ] achromatic refractors with focal ratios that allow them to have short and compact tube lengths. They are available in Alt-azimuth versions for smaller apertures and equatorial mounts for larger ones, and are available in 70 mm to 150 mm (2.76" - 5.91") apertures. They are presented with blue tubes, and are suited for terrestrial photography as well as astrophotography in the larger versions. | |||
| ====Maksutov–Cassegrains==== | |||
| The Maksutov–Cassegrain telescopes are compact portable multi-coated ]. They are sold in equatorial mounts and are available in 90–180 mm (3.54–7") apertures. They have very long focal ratios and are sold in blue aluminum tubes. As with the Newtonians, newer ones can have the "Black Diamond" finish. | |||
| ====Auto-tracking==== | |||
| The auto-tracking series telescopes are motorized alt-azimuth telescopes, allowing the user to automatically track celestial objects. They are available in 70 mm and 80 mm (2.76" and 3.15") apertures for refractors with medium, long, and very long focal ratios, as reflectors with 76 mm and 114 mm (2.99" and 4.49") apertures and have long and short focal ratios respectively, as well as in 80 mm (3.15") Maksutov form with a very long focal ratio. They are sold in blue tubes with ] style ] finders. | |||
| ===Spotting scopes=== | |||
| Sky-Watcher spotting scopes come in three different designs. Maksutov Spottings are sold as Maksutov telescopes available in 80–127 mm (3.15–5") apertures, and are sold as OTA with very long focal ratios and red-dot style reflector sight finders. They are constructed with blue tubes and include a carrying bag. ST1545 and ST2060 spotting scopes are wide-angle and available in 50 mm and 60 mm (1.97" and 2.36") sizes with 15–45x and 20–60x zoom respectively. They are sold with tripod attachment capability and a camera adapter and blue tubes. Digital spotting scopes are a multi-purpose ], spotting scope, and telescope. They have a 70 mm (2.36") refractor design at 14x with zoom capability between 6x and 22x, and have many features including an optional solar filter, video capability, and a tripod adaptor. | |||
| ===Mounts=== | |||
| Alt-azimuth mount: AZ1, AZ2, AZ3, and AZ4 | |||
| Equatorial mount: EQ1, EQ2, EQ3, and EQ5 | |||
| SynScan GoTo mount: EQ3 SynScan, EQ5 SynScan, HEQ5, EQ6, AZ-EQ5, AZ-EQ6 and EQ8 | |||
| Equatorial travel mount: Star adventurer, Star adventurer mini, Star adventurer 2i WiFi, Star adventurer GTI | |||
| Multi-Purpose mount: AllView mount, and Virtuoso mount | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist|30em}} | {{Reflist|30em}} | ||
Latest revision as of 07:18, 16 February 2024
Astronomical company | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Company type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology |
| Founded | 1999; 26 years ago (1999) |
| Headquarters | Suzhou, China |
| Website | http://www.skywatcher.com |
Sky-Watcher is a commercial distribution company established in 1999 by the Synta Technology Corporation of Taiwan (Synta Taiwan). It markets telescopes and astronomy equipment, such as mounts and eyepieces, aimed at the amateur astronomy market. The products are manufactured at Synta Taiwan's Suzhou Synta Optical Technology Co., Ltd. in Suzhou (Jiangsu), China. The brand is distributed in Canada, Europe and in the late 2000s, it was extended to the United States market.
Company history
In 1999, the Sky-Watcher brand was established to sell Synta Taiwan's optics, with head offices in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. They began producing Dobsonian telescopes in 2000, followed by Maksutov–Cassegrains in 2001, and Apochromat ED-APO refracting telescopes in 2004.
Sky-Watcher sells telescopes from 2.4" (62mm) up to 16" (406mm) aperture with manual, motor-driven, or GoTo mounts. Since 2008, Sky-Watcher has manufactured Dobsonians with collapsible tubes, a product line they call Flex Tube-Dobsonians.
Products
Sky-Watcher products include telescopes, spotting scopes, mounts, and other accessories.
References
- Tammy Plotner, The Sky-Watcher AZ4 102 Refractor Telescope… How Sweet It is!, universetoday.com, 30 September 2009
- Reuters - press release, Synta Optical Technology and Celestron Announce a New Telescope Supplier in the US. Thu 22 May 2008 7:18pm EDT Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Astronomy, Go. "All Sky-Watcher Telescope Models [2024 List] | GO ASTRONOMY". Go-Astronomy.com. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
External links
- Official Sky-Watcher International website
- Official Canadian website
- Sky-Watcher U.S.A Telescopes and Optics