Sky-Watcher AC102 StarQuest II 102/600 Telescope (SKU: SW-2112)

The StarQuest series consists of lightweight, portable telescopes designed for quick and convenient use. These telescopes combine high-quality Sky-Watcher optics with a newly developed, precision equatorial mount. The mount features 60-tooth precision gearing in the declination axis and 93-tooth gearing in the right ascension axis, delivering excellent stability and supporting a maximum payload of up to 3 kg. Once aligned with Polaris, the equatorial mount allows for easy tracking of celestial objects using slow-motion control knobs.

Optical System

The Sky-Watcher 102/600 telescope is an achromatic doublet refractor, which ensures good image brightness. This model collects approximately 210 times more light than the human eye at night, making it possible to observe objects as faint as magnitude 12.6 (for comparison, the naked eye sees up to magnitude 6). The 102 mm objective also provides optical resolution capable of distinguishing stars separated by more than 1.4 arcseconds.

The compact and lightweight tube is ideal for observing deep sky objects such as star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae. It is also suitable for terrestrial observations, making it a versatile instrument for both astronomy and nature viewing. The telescope can provide wide fields of view with the appropriate eyepieces, similar to wide-angle binoculars, and is especially useful for observing large star fields, sections of the Milky Way, and comets with extended tails. It is well suited for observing variable stars by visual methods and, with short-focus eyepieces, for detailed observation of the Moon’s surface and basic planetary viewing.

Focuser and Accessories

The telescope comes with a 2" eyepiece extension tube. A 1.25" adapter is included, to which a standard 1.25" 90-degree diagonal mirror is attached. By default, the telescope accepts 1.25" accessories, but a 2" diagonal is required to use 2" eyepieces. The focuser operates on a rack and pinion system.

Astronomical Observation Capabilities

The Solar System:

• Surface features on the Moon larger than 2.6 km

• Sunspots and their structure (with appropriate solar filter)

• All planets of the solar system

• Phases of Mercury and Venus

• Mars’ disk and surface features

• Jupiter’s equatorial belts and Galilean moons

• Saturn’s rings and the largest moon, Titan

• Uranus and Neptune as star-like points

• Motion of asteroids among the stars

• Observation of bright comets

Stars:

• Approximately 1.1 million stars across the sky down to magnitude 12.6

• Double and multiple stars with separations greater than 1.4"

• Visible colors of the brightest stars

Nebulae and Deep Sky Objects:

• Nearly all Messier objects

• Hundreds of globular and open clusters

• Brighter nebulae and galaxies

Terrestrial Observations:
This telescope is also well-suited for ground-based observations. Using a diagonal prism, it can function as a high-quality spotting scope, and it is possible to take photographs with the given focal length.

Included Equipment

• 1.25" 90° diagonal mirror

• Red dot finder

• Smartphone adapter

• Eyepieces: 1.25" Photo 20 mm and Photo 10 mm

Technical Parameters

• Optical system: Refractor

• Mount type: Equatorial (parallactic)

• Aperture: 102 mm

• Focal length: 600 mm

• Focal ratio: f/5.9

• Limiting magnitude: 12.6

• Maximum usable magnification: 204x

• Maximum resolving power (Rayleigh): 1.40"

• Maximum resolving power (Dawes): 1.14"

• Light gathering capacity: 212x that of the human eye

• Tube weight: 2.4 kg

• Mount weight: 3.8 kg

• Counterweight: 2.25 kg

• Total weight: 8.5 kg

• Tube length: 610 mm

• Tube diameter: 100 mm

• Stand material: Steel

• Mount control: Micro-motion knobs

• Eyepiece type: Rack and pinion

• Focuser diameter: 2"

• Focuser micro-adjustment: No

• Mounting rail: Vixen type