More Information  · Supplied Accessories Price $395.00 List Price $495.00 Highest Useful Magnification 217x Visual Limiting Magnitude 13.1 Focal Length 650mm Focal Ratio f/5 Resolution 0.89 arc seconds Aperture 5.1" Net Weight 18 lbs Warranty 1 year

Compared with the typical 80mm refractor-type telescope popular in this price range, the 130mm LightChariot 130N-AZ is two and a half times brighter, with over 60% higher resolution, to show you details in faint deep space objects that are simply invisible in the smaller scope. The huge 2° field of its low power standard eyepiece is superb for scanning wide deep space vistas. It will hold the full Pleiades open star cluster within its field. With the excellent resolution of its 5.1” optics, views of the Moon and planets within the solar system are sharp and detailed as well. And the LightChariot’s Newtonian reflector optics are totally free of the violet halo of chromatic aberration visible in conventional achromatic refractors.

The Sky-Watcher LightChariot’s new Astro-Tri-Align easy alignment technology and red dot illuminated finder make lining up on the sky a breeze. Once aligned, the scope’s SynScan computer hand control finds more than 4,000 celestial objects for you and tracks them unerringly while you observe at your leisure. With its pre-assembled adjustable height steel tripod and easy no-tool assembly, the Sky-Watcher LightChariot 130N-AZ can be up and ready to take you on a tour of the Universe in only minutes.

This LightChariot lists for $495 and normally sells for $395. It has been sale-priced on the Sky-Watcher website at $345, plus freight. We’ll sell it to you for $279.99, freight paid! That saves you up to $40 in freight costs, on top of the extra savings. The closest competitive scope retails for $349, making this Sky-Watcher LightChariot one of the best deals in backyard astronomy!

Whether an entry-level scope for the beginning astronomer, or a second scope for the more-than-casual backyard astronomer, the Sky-Watcher LightChariot 130N-AZ has the features and optical performance that will keep any skywatcher happily observing for years to come. This Telescope’s Optical System . . .

• Newtonian reflector optical system: 130mm (5.1”) aperture 650mm focal length f/5 reflector with all-glass mirrors. Each mirror is coated with highly reflective aluminum and overcoated with quartz for long life. No plastic mirrors. The optical tube is made of aluminum, for fast cooldown in the field. The tube’s lower end is sealed to reduce image-degrading thermal currents in the optics. You can collimate (align) the mirrors for the sharpest images, although this will rarely have to be done, thanks to the push-pull collimation system that locks in the optical alignment for minimal maintenance. The f/5 focal ratio can provide both low power wide-angle views and high power close-ups. The reflector design of the scope is free of the purple haze of spurious color visible around the Moon and planets in lesser refractor scopes. Images are sharp and clear.

• Finderscope: Illuminated non-magnifying variable brightness red dot finder. The red dot finder is a quick and easy way to point your telescope at the desired object on land or in the sky. There’s no need to worry about the inverted images you see through traditional finders. Just align the red dot that the finder seems to project on the sky with the desired star and you’re done.

• Focuser: 2” rack and pinion with a 1.25.1” accessory adapter.

• Two premium eyepieces: You get a low power 1.25.1” 25mm (26x) eyepiece that has a field of view 2° across, four times as wide as the full Moon, for expansive views of nebulas, galaxies, and open star clusters. You also get a medium power 1.25.1” 12mm (54x) eyepiece with a 0.96° field for closer views of the Moon, nebulas, galaxies, and globular star clusters, and the beginnings of planetary exploration. Both fully multicoated eyepieces are a premium 4-element Super Plössl design, the same eyepieces often supplied as standard equipment on telescopes costing thousands of dollars.

• Supplied software: The LightChariot includes a comprehensive “Planetarium Software for the PC" CD-ROM, a computerized sky map for your PC that lets you explore the heavens on your computer.

This Telescope’s Mount . . .

• Fork mount/drive system: Single fork arm altazimuth design with pre-installed dual DC servo motor drives. A compartment in the drive base accepts eight user-supplied AA batteries for powering the LightChariot. There are user-selectable lunar, solar, or sidereal (star) tracking rates, with a variety of different slewing and centering speeds for locating objects ranging from a fast 5° per second down to a very precise 2x the sidereal rate.

• Sky-Watcher computer control: The supplied SynScan computer hand control has an illuminated numeric keypad and a two-line 16-character LCD display. It has a database of more than 4,000 stars and objects, including the complete Messier and Caldwell catalogs of famous deep space objects; a selection of the brightest and best deep space objects from the Revised New General Catalog (NGC); selected SAO stars, including the best variable stars and multiple star systems; the planets; the Moon; and more. A few keystrokes on the Sky-Watcher hand control automatically slews the LightChariot 130N-AZ to any of those 4,000+ objects, including over 600 galaxies, 300 star clusters, and dozens of beautiful binary stars, then tracks the object flawlessly while you observe at your leisure .

• Astro-Tri-Align Technology: With new patent-pending Sky-Watcher Astro-Tri-Align technology, you don’t have to know Altair from Zubenelgenubi or know how to read a star chart to line up your telescope on the sky. Simply input the date, time, and your location into the computer hand control. The computer will normally default to your last observing site automatically, but can remember up to ten different favorite observing locations for you to choose from.
      Once you’ve entered the date, time, and location, use the red dot finder to align the telescope on any three bright stars, or on two stars and a bright planet or the Moon. The Sky-Watcher computer system will automatically determine which objects were chosen and then generate an internal map of the sky that lets it move automatically to any star or object you select for the rest of the night.
      After the scope has aligned itself with the sky, it takes only a few keystrokes on the computer hand control to have the scope move automatically to your night’s first observing target and start tracking it so you can observe for as long as you like. You can find hundreds of fascinating deep space objects your first night out, even if you have never used a telescope before. No matter what level of experience you start from, your Sky-Watcher LightChariot will unfold all the wonders of the Universe for you, your family, and your friends.

• Computer cable: An RS-232 cord is provided to let the LightChariot communicate with a PC.

• Adjustable height tripod: The preassembled tripod has stainless steel legs to damp vibrations quickly. The center leg brace holds a convenient no-tool quick-release accessory tray to keep your eyepieces and accessories up and out of the dew-soaked grass.