Bresser Spica II 130/1000 EQ3 Reflector Telescope

Moon, planets, star clusters and the Sun can be observed particularly well through this entry-level telescope with plenty of astronomy accessories

Complete set of telescope, tripod, mount and accessories
Easy-to-use catadioptric telescope for beginners
Fine adjustment with flexible shafts in 2 axes
Telescope aperture: 130 mm / focal length: 1000 mm
Well suited for Sun, Moon and planets
Astrophotos with smartphone possible
Many accessories to get started immediately
With secure aperture solar filter

Embark on a voyage of discovery through our solar system and beyond using the BRESSER Spica-II reflector telescope. You can start straight away with your new hobby, because this complete astronomy set already comes with everything you need for exciting observations: an astronomical reflector telescope with 130 mm aperture and 1000 mm focal length, an equatorial mount, a tripod and extensive accessories. Perfect for the astro-novice: the system is very easy to use. So look forward to fascinating sights especially of the Moon, the planets and the Sun.

Perfect combination of mirror and lens – the telescope
Using the Spica-II you’ll start your celestial exploration tour with a classic reflecting telescope of the "Newton" type with an additional lens inside the focuser. This combination of mirror and lens is called "catadioptric". It’s immediately noticeable with this type of telescope that you do not look in at the back, but at the front and laterally. What is the advantage? Even if the telescope is pointed vertically into the sky, you can observe the beauties of the night sky in a comfortable posture. In addition, catadioptric telescopes impress with their transportability, because despite the long focal length, the tube is comparatively short.

With its 130 mm aperture, the Spica-II already collects a lot of light from celestial objects. In addition, 130 mm aperture and 1000 mm focal length result in a focal ratio (ratio of aperture to focal length) of 1 to 7.7 (F/7.7). This means you can enjoy an image with good contrast even at high magnifications. Thus, the telescope is well suited for observing the planets and details on the Moon. Even some deep sky objects are worth looking at through this entry-level telescope: admire open star clusters and globular clusters as well as bright so-called planetary nebulae such as the Ring Nebula M57 in the constellation Lyra.

And how big will the nocturnal highlights appear? The 130 mm aperture achieves a resolution that allows magnifications of up to about 260x with sharp images. Technically, even more is possible – theoretically up to 750x with the included accessories. However, as the magnification increases, the sharpness of the image may slowly decrease. In addition, as is so often the case in astronomy, you are also dependent on the prevailing conditions. For example, the air turbulence in the atmosphere (seeing conditions) always plays a role in your magnification possibilities.

Note for nature lovers:
If you choose a Newtonian telescope like the Spica-II reflector telescope, you can look forward to a specialist in astronomical observation. However, the image is always displayed laterally reversed as well as upside down, which makes no difference when observing the sky. However, this type of telescope is less suitable for nature and landscape observation during the day. Would you like to use your new telescope for exciting nature discoveries as well? Then we recommend that you choose one of the BRESSER refractor telescopes.

A good foundation for your astro-start – mount and tripod
If you want to look up at the sky, you need a solid base on the ground. That's why you will find a robust height-adjustable aluminium tripod and an equatorial mount in your telescope set. The special advantage of this type of mount: unlike an azimuthal model, the movement of the celestial bodies is compensated for only on one axis instead of two. For this purpose, one axis of the equatorial mount is aligned parallel to the Earth's axis in the course of the so-called "alignment". This is easily done by pointing it approximately at Polaris. Perfect for convenient adjustment and tracking of the entry-level telescope: the axes can be moved precisely via the two flexible shafts with fine adjustment. And if you simply place smartphone adapter, eyepieces etc. on the convenient storage plate between the tripod legs, you will have the equipment you need quickly at hand.

Keep track of things automatically: For this telescope’s equatorial EQ-3 mount, the tracking motor with item number 4951400 is available as an optional accessory. This eliminates the need to manually track a celestial object set in the telescope. When this motor is installed at the mount, it automatically tracks the celestial object, keeping it in the field of view of the eyepiece. This makes observing the night sky even more comfortable!

Everything for the astro-beginner – the accessories
For your start into the wonderful world of astronomy, the Spica-II beginner's telescope comes with lots of accessories. The LED viewfinder, for example, is great for orientation in the night sky. You simply install the direction finder parallel to the actual telescope. It projects a red dot onto a small ground-glass screen that appears to float in front of the sky when you look through it. In this way, it shows you where the telescope is pointing. A great help for the exact alignment of the telescope and the easy location of celestial objects before you gaze at them with higher magnifications.

You determine how detailed you observe your discoveries by using one of the two eyepieces, each of which provides a different magnification. They are fitted with standard 1.25-inch (31.7 mm) diameter sockets which allow them to be easily inserted into the eyepiece focuser of the entry-level telescope. Would you like to look even closer? Then grab the 3x barlow lens, which triples the magnification of the eyepieces in no time.

Explore the astronomical highlight of the daytime sky: With the safe solar filter you can examine sunspots as well as granulation on the Sun.
CAUTION: Never point the telescope at the Sun without the solar filter!

There is also a suitable accessory for your first steps in astrophotography: with the smartphone adapter, you can use your mobile phone as a camera on the telescope. First snapshots of the Moon or Sun made easy!

FEATURES

Reflector telescope with 130 mm aperture and 1000 mm focal length
Reflector type catadioptric
Well suited for observing the Sun, Moon and planets
Height-adjustable tripod with equatorial EQ3 mount
Precise adjustment through flexible shafts and fine adjustment in both axes
Easy to use, very good for beginners
Focal ratio F/7.7, therefore good for observing the planets and details on the Moon
1.25-inch focuser (31.7 mm)
Two eyepieces and one barlow lens with 1.25-inch (31.7 mm) sockets for different magnifications
Safe solar observation with the included solar filter
First steps in astrophotography with smartphone camera adapter

SCOPE OF DELIVERY

Telescope
Aluminium tripod
Equatorial EQ3 mount
Eyepieces: 4 mm and 20 mm (1.25-inch sockets)
Barlow lens 3x (1.25-inch socket)
LED illuminated viewfinder
Solar filter
Smartphone camera adapter
Accessory tray
Astronomy software as download
Instruction manual

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

Are you interested in this product but would like to speak to someone with some more information? Simply fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

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