saxon 1309-EQ2 Velocity Reflector Telescope with Motor Drive

The Saxon 1309-EQ2 with Motor Drive combines substantial 130mm visual astronomy with one particularly useful extra: once you have found your target, the telescope can keep following it for you.

The 130mm aperture gives you plenty to explore. Saturn's rings are clearly recognisable, Jupiter reveals its four major moons and main cloud belts under good conditions, while rich star clusters and bright nebulae provide an enormous variety of targets beyond the planets.

New Zealand's southern sky is especially rewarding, with Omega Centauri, 47 Tucanae and the Carina Nebula all excellent objects for a telescope of this size. Darker skies bring more faint stars and brighter galaxies within reach.

The included motor drive operates on the Right Ascension axis of the EQ2 mount. After a basic polar alignment and once you have manually located your target, the motor compensates for the Earth's rotation and keeps the telescope following the sky.

That becomes particularly useful at higher magnification, where planets and other objects otherwise drift across the eyepiece relatively quickly. It is also convenient when several people are sharing the telescope, because the target remains in view rather than needing to be repeatedly repositioned.

The motor drive is not GoTo and does not find objects for you. You still choose and locate the target yourself; the motor's job is to keep tracking it once you are there.

For someone wanting the visual capability of a 130mm reflector with the added convenience of motorised tracking, the Saxon 1309-EQ2 Motor Drive provides a very complete astronomy setup.

Why Choose the Saxon 1309-EQ2 Motor Drive?

• 130mm aperture — rewarding on planets, star clusters, bright nebulae and a broad range of other night-sky targets.
• Motorised tracking — keeps following an object once you have located it and aligned the mount.
• Particularly useful at higher magnification — reduces the need to repeatedly reposition planets and other targets as they move across the eyepiece.
• Excellent for shared observing — keeps the object in view while different people take turns at the telescope.
• Manual control remains available — you still locate objects yourself and can use the telescope without relying on automatic GoTo technology.
• Three eyepieces included — provides a useful range of observing magnifications.
• 5x24 finderscope and 1.5x erecting prism included.
• 5-year Saxon warranty.

What Can You See?

The Saxon 1309-EQ2 Motor Drive gives you the same strong 130mm visual capability as the manual version.

Saturn's rings are clearly visible, Jupiter's four major moons are easy to follow and its main cloud belts appear under favourable conditions. Mars becomes a distinct reddish disc when well positioned, while the Moon reveals extensive fine detail.

Star clusters such as Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae become dense concentrations of stars, while open clusters provide attractive wider fields.

The Carina and Orion nebulae are excellent bright deep-sky targets, and darker skies allow brighter galaxies and other fainter objects to become accessible.

The motor drive does not make the optics more powerful; its advantage is that once you have found one of these objects, it can remain centred for longer while you concentrate on observing.

How the Motor Drive Works

The telescope still behaves like a normal manual EQ2 reflector when you are locating your target.

Once the mount has been approximately polar aligned and you have centred the object, the motor drive turns the Right Ascension axis at the rate needed to compensate for the apparent movement of the sky.

The included clutch, hand controller and battery case allow you to engage and control the drive without converting the telescope into a complicated computerised system.

It is not a GoTo telescope: the motor does not know where Saturn, Jupiter or a nebula is. You find the target; the motor keeps following it.

FAQ's

Does the motor drive automatically find objects?

No. This is not a GoTo system. You locate the object manually using the telescope and finderscope. Once the target is centred, the motor drive tracks the movement of the sky to help keep it in view.

Do I have to use the motor drive every time?

No. The telescope can still be used as a conventional manual EQ2 reflector. The motor drive is an additional convenience when you want automatic tracking.

Why is motorised tracking useful?

Objects naturally drift across the eyepiece as the Earth rotates. The effect becomes more noticeable at higher magnification. Motorised tracking reduces the need for repeated manual adjustment and lets you spend more time simply observing.

Can this telescope be used for astrophotography?

The motor drive can assist with simple lunar and planetary imaging by keeping bright targets centred more consistently. The EQ2 mount is primarily designed for visual observing rather than demanding long-exposure deep-sky astrophotography.

Features

• 130mm aperture
• 900mm focal length (f/6.9)
• 5.2" aluminised & overcoated mirror
• Motor drive with clutch, hand control and battery case
• 5x24 finderscope
• German Equatorial EQ2 Mount
• Smooth rack and pinion 1.25" focuser
• Super 1.25" eyepieces
• 1.5x erecting prism for terrestrial use 
• Aluminium tripod with accessory tray.

Warranty - 5-Years Limited Warranty

Product Manual