Optical reference
Sky-Watcher Skymax 180: aperture, focal length and eyepiece fit
What the Sky-Watcher Skymax 180 measures, the magnification and true field each eyepiece produces in it, and the barrel, mount payload and camera adapter that fit.
Published specifications
Eyepiece ladder
2 pairings| Pairing | Magnification | True field |
|---|---|---|
| Tele Vue 11mm Plossl in the Sky-Watcher Skymax 180 | 245x | 0.2 deg |
| Explore Scientific 30mm 82 Degree in the Sky-Watcher Skymax 180 | 90x | 0.91 deg |
The Skymax 180 is a 180 mm Maksutov with a very long 2700 mm f/15 focal length. It is a high-resolution planetary and lunar instrument whose narrow native field is set by that long focal length.
Because magnification is the telescope's 2700 mm focal length divided by the eyepiece focal length, a 25 mm eyepiece gives 108x here and a 10 mm eyepiece gives 270x. The highest useful magnification is about 360x (roughly twice the aperture in millimetres), beyond which the image dims and softens without showing more detail.
The focuser takes 2 in eyepieces, so long 2 in wide-field eyepieces such as the Omni 56 mm fit as well as 1.25 in ones.