A Newbie's Impression of the Takahashi MT130 Newtonian

Here is the place to talk about all those equipment(Telescope, Mounts, Eyepieces, etc...) you have. Not sure which scope/eyepiece is best for you? Trash it out here!
Post Reply
chancy_sg
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:39 pm
Favourite scope: Galileoscope

A Newbie's Impression of the Takahashi MT130 Newtonian

Post by chancy_sg »

Last year, I came across a used MT130 on sale while looking for a visual scope . On arrival, the condition of the scope really was New Old Stock but no corrector or reducer was included. Eventually with the help of Great Red Spot, I managed to complete the set to achieve the trifocal capabilities of this remarkable 130mm Newtonian. As this OTA is not in Takahashi's current production, I will summarize its basic specification.

Aperture 130mm (5.1")
Native F6.1 for 800mm
Reducer F4.7 for 611mm
Corrector F8 for 1050mm
5kg, 72cm long, 166mm diameter tube

The primary mirror is slightly larger than the stated aperture, with the edges masked off and held in place with 3 long curved clips. It is directly attached to the rear plate which screws into the main tube. The screws double up as a push pull system for alignment and it is held rock steady in place once adjusted. There is no mirror flop. The business end has a single speed focuser, non-rotatable (unlike its bigger siblings eg MT160) and has adapters to 1.25". The corrector and reducer slides in and connects directly to a wide T mount for DSLR imaging and also M54 for adapters to CCDs. I have not yet used it for imaging, so will only comment on the visual aspects.

Initial first light revealed the optics were excellent, the moon's edges were very well contrasted against the dark sky with no bleed. Chromatic aberration is a non issue in a pure mirror setup. However, high magnification star testing revealed a slight pinch on the primary as observed by GRS and Antares (fellow visual obbies from sgastro).It was a minor pinch that did not distract from normal obbing. Taken to Mersing, M51's whorls and satellite companion was clearly seen, and the faint dust lane details were seen on M101. Antares' 12.5 inch dob revealed much more details naturally, but given the MT130's much smaller aperture, it was still surprising to all of us. Stars were tack sharp and only extremely careful observation will reveal the slight triangulated stars. We did a grand tour of the usual sights and throughout the Tak quality was evident. That obbing session at Mersing was cut short as the mount had a bent screw due to a mismatched plate size. It was fun to compare the 12.5in dob vs the mini 5" to see what could be extracted from the small Newton.

Recently, Antares and I finally got round to fixing that pinched mirror. After researching what scarce info there was on the rear mirror's attachment method, a vague reference to screwed plate was found and we took the plunge. We initially removed the side screws but then discovered the alignment screws did double duty as mentioned above. So by just unscrewing the one set of pull screws, the whole back plate/mirror cell came off with the mirror. After adjusting the retaining plates and centre marking the primary, it was reassembled. Both mirrors were very new looking, and the coating was very smooth with a slight bevelled edge. Tak's engineering quality was demonstrably top grade and ingenious. Alignment holds very well.

I only had one chance recently to look through the scope post unpinching. This time the stars were perfectly round, both infra and extra focally, with diffraction rings very even. Hopefully, it will see light again at Mersing soon maybe even an attempt to image through it. The 0.8 to 1m focal length is a missing range for me, ideal for mid sized targets.
Attachments
Thin crescent moon through 5mm EP with hp.
Thin crescent moon through 5mm EP with hp.
mt130 cresent ep.jpg (16.23 KiB) Viewed 14462 times
Dusk setup Dec 2017
Dusk setup Dec 2017
mt130 cresent.jpg (26.85 KiB) Viewed 14462 times
Mt130 setup on FTX mount
Mt130 setup on FTX mount
Mt130w.jpg (29.14 KiB) Viewed 14576 times
Last edited by chancy_sg on Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:31 am, edited 2 times in total.
Twinkle twinkle little stars,
How I wonder what you are.
User avatar
Airconvent
Super Moderator
Posts: 5784
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2003 11:49 pm
Location: United Federation of the Planets

Re: A Newbie's Impression of the Takahashi MT130 Newtonian

Post by Airconvent »

Hi
Great to see you have scope you love! Do post some photos of your setup :)
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before
Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R
United Federation of the Planets
chancy_sg
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:39 pm
Favourite scope: Galileoscope

Re: A Newbie's Impression of the Takahashi MT130 Newtonian

Post by chancy_sg »

Pic as requested. :P
Twinkle twinkle little stars,
How I wonder what you are.
chancy_sg
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:39 pm
Favourite scope: Galileoscope

Re: A Newbie's Impression of the Takahashi MT130 Newtonian

Post by chancy_sg »

Added a recent crescent moon pic with handheld handphone.
Twinkle twinkle little stars,
How I wonder what you are.
Williamexten
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2020 6:36 am
Favourite scope: 81268989761
Location: Italy
Contact:

-

Post by Williamexten »

Cant help you with the TAK ultrawide eyepieces but the TAK LE eyepieces are great. Maybe someone will be along shortly who has experience of these eyepieces Clear Skies Neil.
Post Reply