Sky-Watcher BK 1145 EQ1 114/500 Telescope (SW-1210)

Sky-Watcher BK1145EQ1 Telescope

The Sky-Watcher BK1145EQ1 is an excellent choice for beginner amateur astronomers, offering solid observing performance at an affordable price. It is a popular first telescope thanks to its portability, versatility, and ease of use. With a short focal length of 500 mm, it provides a wide field of view, making it easier to locate and observe celestial objects.

Optical Design

This telescope features a Newtonian reflector optical system with a 114 mm aperture and a 500 mm focal length. Its fast focal ratio of f/4.4 makes it particularly well suited for observing deep-sky objects such as star clusters, nebulae, and brighter galaxies. It also performs well when observing the Moon and planets.

With its 114 mm aperture, the telescope gathers significantly more light than the human eye at night, allowing observations of celestial objects down to approximately magnitude 12.9 under favorable observing conditions.

Mount

The telescope is supplied with an EQ1 equatorial mount equipped with slow-motion controls for smooth and precise manual tracking. The equatorial design allows the telescope to be aligned with the North Celestial Pole, making it easier to follow celestial objects as they move across the sky.

The mount can also be upgraded with optional single-axis or dual-axis motor drives, enabling automatic tracking and providing a simple introduction to astrophotography.

Focuser and Eyepieces

The telescope features a standard 1.25-inch rack-and-pinion focuser compatible with a wide range of astronomical eyepieces.

The package includes three eyepieces:

• Super 20 mm (25× magnification)

• Super 12.5 mm (40× magnification)

• Super 4 mm (125× magnification)

These eyepieces provide a good selection of magnifications suitable for observing different types of celestial objects.

Astronomical Observations

Solar System

• Lunar surface features larger than approximately 2 km.

• Sunspots and their structure (when using an appropriate solar filter).

• All major planets of the Solar System.

• Phases of Venus.

• The visible disk of Mars.

• Saturn's rings.

• Jupiter's four Galilean moons.

• Asteroid movement against the background stars.

• Bright comets.

Stars

• Approximately 1.8 million stars across the sky down to around magnitude 12–12.5.

• Double and multiple star systems separated by more than approximately 1.4 arcseconds.

• The natural colors of many bright stars.

Deep-Sky Objects

• Hundreds of open star clusters.

• Numerous globular clusters with partially resolved outer stars.

• Dozens of galaxies, including brighter examples where structural details become visible.

• Many bright nebulae with observable internal structure.

• Beautiful planetary nebulae.

This telescope provides an excellent introduction to amateur astronomy, allowing users to explore a wide variety of celestial objects throughout the night sky.

Included Accessories

• Super 20 mm eyepiece.

• Super 12.5 mm eyepiece.

• Super 4 mm eyepiece.

• 5×24 finder scope.

• Decorative retail packaging.

Specifications

• Catalog Number: SW-1210

• Telescope Series: Sky-Watcher EQ1

• Optical Design: Newtonian Reflector

• Mount Type: Equatorial (EQ1)

• Aperture: 114 mm

• Focal Length: 500 mm

• Focal Ratio: f/4.4

• Limiting Stellar Magnitude: 12.9

• Maximum Useful Magnification: 228×

• Rayleigh Resolution: 1.25 arcseconds

• Dawes Resolution: 1.02 arcseconds

• Light Gathering Power: 265×

• Mount Weight: 5 kg

• Counterweight: 2 kg

• Total Weight: 12 kg

• Optical Tube Length: 410 mm

• Optical Tube Diameter: 120 mm

• Tripod Material: Aluminum

• Tripod Height: 670–1192 mm

• Mount Controls: Slow-motion control knobs

• Focuser Type: Rack-and-Pinion

• Eyepiece Holder Diameter: 1.25 inches

• Fine Focuser: No

• Warranty: 60 months