Orion SkyView Pro 120mm GoTo Refractor Telescope

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Orion SkyView Pro 120mm GoTo Achromatic Refractor Telescope

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120mm refractor telescope with GoTo computerized control lets you automatically locate 42,900 celestial wonders with pushbutton ease
Big 120mm achromatic refractor f/8.3 telescope optical system provides dazzling solar system detail and pinpoint star images
With less chromatic aberration than short focal length achromatic refractor telescopes, the SkyView Pro 120 provides crisp, pleasing star astrophotography with a minimum of color fringing
SkyView Pro equatorial telescope mount provides an outstanding platform for visual astronomy and astrophotography
Includes 2" focuser, 8x40 finder scope, 90deg diagonal, two Sirius Plossl 1.25" eyepieces, Starry Night astronomy software, and more

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Item # 24712

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How could you improve upon the refractor of your dreams? Would adding a computerized guidance system do the trick? That's what the GoTo system brings to this venerable refractor. Now, pushing a button or two on the convenient hand controller activates two stepper motors to power the "big gun" to any one of 13,400+ celestial gems at a quick 3.4° per second. The GoTo system can even take you on a guided tour of the celestial highlights for any month of the year. A simple alignment is all it takes to get started. What a great addition to a great telesfcope!

The GoTo system provides computerized electronic control that can pinpoint the location of any celestial target in the hand controller's 13,436-object databank. Backlash compensation and programmable periodic error correction (PEC) provide the responsiveness for guiding and the tracking accuracy needed for astrophotography. The drive base is equipped with a charge couupled device (CCD) autoguider port. The hand controller has a two-line, backlit LCD screen and a red-illuminated keypad. Navigating the menu buttons is very intuitive and takes little time to master. The database includes the complete Messier, NGC, and IC catalogs; eight planets; 100 named stars; and 25 user-defined objects.

With all that convenience you'll have more time to enjoy the sights revealed by an outstanding optical system. With 120mm of clear aperture and 1000mm focal length, the Orion SkyView Pro 120 GoTo Achromatic Refractor can split 2-arcscond double stars and reveal subtle lunar and planetary details. With less chromatic aberration than short-focal-length achromatic refractor telescopes, the SVP 120 provides crisp, pleasing star astrophotography with a minimum of color fringing. Attach an Orion Solar System Color Imaging Camera to capture spectacularly detailed shots of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and lunar landscapes galore!

This telescope features a fully multi-coated 120mm (4.7") achromatic objective lens in an adjustable cell. The 2" aluminum focuser (with 1.25" adapter) allows use of optional 2" eyepieces. The optical tube rides on the sturdy SkyView Pro equatorial mount with stainless steel tripod.

The SkyView Pro 120mm GoTo Achromatic Refractor will take you to more amazing places than you ever dreamed possible! The GoTo system requires an external 12-volt power source (sold separately).

For owners of the SkyView Pro EQ GoTo Mount whose version of the GoTo hand controller is 3.0 or greater, the GoTo hand controller's firmware can be updated over the internet.

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

Product Support

Visit our product support section for instruction manuals and more

Specs

Best for viewing

Brighter deep sky
Best for imaging

Deep sky
User level

User level

Beginner Level - Suited for a wide range of uses, these products are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required depending on the type of product. Optical instruments with this rating will have very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment and complexity. Beginning level telescopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulae! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Intermediate Level - These products offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1: Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

Advanced Level - These products provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. Optical instruments with this rating have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but might be on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These products will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Advanced
Optical design

Optical design

Reflector telescopes use a pair of large and small mirrors to direct incoming light to the eyepiece. Refractor telescopes refract, or "bend" incoming light to a focus by means of an objective lens. Cassegrain telescopes, such as Maksutov-Cassegrains, "fold" incoming light using two mirrors and a front "corrector" lens.

Refractor
Optical diameter

Optical diameter

For telescopes, the optical diameter (also known as aperture) is the size of a telescope's main light-collecting lens or primary mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. Telescopes with larger optical diameters collect more light, which leads to an increase in brightness and image resolution compared to smaller instruments.

For binoculars, the optical diameter (also known as objective lens diameter) is the size of each of the front-facing objective lenses of a binocular measured in millimeters. Binoculars with larger objective lenses collect more light, which increases image resolution and brightness. Binoculars with larger objective lenses are recommended for low light situations, and binoculars with at least 50mm or larger objective lenses are recommended for pleasing astronomical observations at night.

120mm
Finder scope lens diameter

40mm
Focal length

Focal length

The distance from the center of a curved mirror or lens at which parallel light rays converge to a single point. The focal length is an inherent specification of a mirror or lens and is one of the factors in determining resultant magnification for a telescope (along with the focal length of the eyepiece being used).

1000mm
Focal ratio

Focal ratio

The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

f/8.4
Optics type

Optics type

Newtonian reflectors will have either a spherical shaped mirror, which is less expensive to produce, or a higher quality parabola, which does not result in spherical aberration. Cassegrain telescopes routinely use spheres in addition to other lenses in the optical path to correct for residual spherical aberration. Refractors use a series of lenses to provide a clear image. Designs range from a standard air-spaced doublet (two lenses in a row) to exotic designs such as oil-spaced triplets and 4-element multi group lenses.

Air-spaced doublet
Glass material

Glass material

Refractors use glass lenses to focus the light, and the glass material plays an important role in the quality of the resulting image. Standard achromatic refractors routinely use Crown and Flint for the two elements, but more expensive apochromatic refractors can use ED (extra low dispersion) glass for one or more of the lenses. Reflector mirrors are made from glass with different levels of thermal expansion. Standard mirrors are made from material such as Soda-Lime Plate glass and BK-7 glass. Glass with Pyrex or other low thermal expansion material will not change shape as dramatically during the cool-down period, resulting in more stable images during this period.

Crown/Flint
Eyepieces

Sirius Plossl 25.0mm,10.0mm (1.25")
Magnification with included eyepieces

40x, 100x
Resolving power

Resolving power

The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

0.96arc*sec
Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

20x
Highest useful magnification

Highest useful magnification

The highest practical limit is different from the often used "highest theoretical magnification" specification. The "theoretical" limit generally is 50x the aperture of the scope in inches (2x the aperture in mm). So for example, an 80mm refractor is capable of 160x, and a 10" telescope is theoretically capable of 500x magnification. But after approximately 300x, theory breaks down and real world problems take over. The atmosphere above us is constantly in motion, and it will distort the image seen through the telescope. This effect may not be noticeable at lower powers, but at higher powers the atmosphere will dramatically blur the object, reducing the quality of the image. On a good night (a night where the air above is steady and the stars aren't twinkling), the practical upper limit of a large telescope is 300x, even thought the theoretical limit may be much higher. This doesn't mean the scope will never be able to reach those higher "theoretical" powers - there will be that rare night where the atmosphere is perfectly still and the scope can be pushed past it's practical limit, but those nights will be few and far between.

240x
Highest theoretical magnification

283x
Limiting stellar magnitude

Limiting stellar magnitude

The limiting stellar magnitude is a measure of the faintest star you can see through the telescope.

12.2
Optical quality

Optical quality

"Diffraction Limited" means that the limits of image detail are determined by the physical properties of light, and not by optical defects in the telescope.

Diffraction limited
Finder scope

8x40
Focuser

2" Rack-and-pinion
Diagonal degrees

1.25" 90° Mirror Star
Mount type

Equatorial
Astro-imaging capability

Astro-imaging capability

The astro-photographic capability of the telescope is based on the style, stability, and accuracy of the mount and tripod. Telescopes on either very lightweight mounts or non tracking mounts (such as Dobsonians) are capable of only very short exposures such as lunar photographs. If a motor drive is attached to an equatorial mount, even a small lightweight mount is capable of capturing some planetary detail. Larger EQ mounts that utilize very precise tracking and excellent stability are capable of longer exposure deep-sky photography.

Lunar, planetary & long exposure
Dovetail bar system

Dovetail bar system

A universal attachment system for holding the optical tube onto the tripod. A dovetail bar is attached to the tube rings, then it slides onto the mount itself, making for quick assembly and disassembly.

Yes
Computerized compatibility

Computerized compatibility

Some mounts are compatible with a motorized Go-To system for fully automated computer finding of objects in the night sky. Others mounts are compatible with computer finding systems which require the user to manually move the mount to the object's position as indicated by the computer finder.

Go-To included
Alignment procedure

3-Star Alignment, 2-Star Alignment, 1-Star Alignment
Number of objects in database

42,000+
Tracking rates

Sidereal, Solar and Lunar
Motor speeds

3.4°/sec, 600x, 500x, 400x, 64x, 32x, 16x, 8x, 2x, 1.75x, 1.5x, 1.25x
Motor type

Microstep driven stepper motors
Bearing material

Sealed ball bearings
Power requirement

12-volt DC - 2A (tip positive)
PEC

PEC

Periodic errors are inherent in almost all worm gears due to slight eccentricities and misalignments. PEC (Periodic Error Correction) training function provides a manual correcting method to reduce the amplitude of the worm gear errors. By recording a full cycle of guiding actions, the mount can compensate for drifting in the R.A. sidereal tracking caused by periodic errors. The PEC training function is recommended for advanced users with interest in long-exposure astrophotography only. Standard sidereal tracking is sufficient for all casual visual applications, and PEC training is not required. Also, PEC is typically not used in conjunction with an autoguider.

Yes
GPS

GPS

A GPS module automatically sets the date and exact time and location for the mount, relieving the user from the need to look up coordinates on a map or manually enter perfect time. This can be very beneficial when traveling with the scope as locations can quickly be automatically entered into the hand control.

Sold separately
Backlash compensation

Yes
Latitude range

Latitude range

The latitude range refers to the usable range on the EQ mount's latitude axis. If you live above or below the latitude specified, the mount may not be able to polar align properly because of interference with the counterweight shaft or the polar axis housing.

16-64
Setting circles

Yes
Polar-axis scope

Sold separately
Counterweights

One 7.5 lb., one 4 lb.
Available ports

Available ports

Ports allow the mount to connect to devices such as autoguiders (for long exposure photography without tedious manual guiding), PC's running planetarium software (via the RS-232 port) and GPS receivers (through the Aux port).

RS-232, autoguider
Tube material

Aluminum
Tripod material

Steel
Tripod leg diameter

1.75 in.
Counterweight bar length

10 in.
Diameter of counterweight shaft

20mm
Height range of mount

Height range of mount

The height range specification is a measure of the tripod itself - not the eyepiece height. Since telescopes come in all shapes and sizes, the eyepiece height will vary, even when using the same tripod. For an EQ tripod the mount is set up so the counterweight shaft is horizontal, and then the height is measured from the ground to the center of the mounting plate.

42.25 in. - 55.00 in.
Length of optical tube

40.5 in.
Weight, optical tube

9.0 lbs.
Weight, mount/tripod

25.0 lbs.
Weight, fully assembled

40.6 lbs.
Additional included accessories

Collimation tool
Other features

Adjustable lens cell, 2" focuser, SkyView Pro GoTo system
Warranty

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

One year

In The Box

Oriion SkyView Pro 120mm GoTo Refractor optical tube assembly
25mm Orion Sirius Pl�ssl telescope eyepiece (1.25")
10mm Orion Sirius Pl�ssl telescope eyepiece (1.25")
90� mirror star diagonal (1.25")
2" - 1.25" eyepiece adapter
Tripod
Refractor equatorial mount
Computerized hand controller
8x40 finder scope
Finder scope bracket with O-ring
Collimation tool
Tube rings
Tube ring mounting plate
7.3 lb counterweight
3.8 lb counterweight
Counterweight shaft
Tripod accessory tray
Slow-motion control knobs
Dust cap
R.A. axis rear cover
Latitude adjustment L-bolt
Declination GoTo motor assembly
R.A. GoTo motor assembly
12V DC power cable
Computer interface cable (RS-232)
Brass gears with 2mm socket-head set screws
Motor control box
Motor control box bracket
GoTo hand controller cable
GoTo hand controller bracket
Motor Cable (13")
Motor Cable (27")
Hand controller-to-PC cable (5')
Declination motor cover
Right ascension motor cover
Right ascension motor attachment screw
Declination motor attachment screw
Phillips screw (10mm)
Phillips screws (8mm)
flat washers
lock washer
4mm hex key
2mm hex key
Phillips-head screwdriver
Starry Night special edition software

Shipping Info

Orders received by 1pm Eastern Standard Time for in-stock item the same business day. Order received after noon will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

A per-item shipping charge (in addition to the standard shipping and handling charge) applies to this product due to its size and weight. This charge varies based on the shipping method.

Standard Delivery: $0.00
3 Day Delivery: $116.00
2 Day Delivery: $116.00
Next Day Delivery: $143.00

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