Sky-Watcher Star Discovery 90i WiFi
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Sky-Watcher Star Discovery 90i WiFiSky-Watcher Star Discovery 90i WiFiSky-Watcher Star Discovery 90i WiFi

Sky-Watcher Star Discovery 90i WiFi

£365.00
  (1 Review)
✓ 2 year warranty

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9x in stock shipped 1-2 working days

About this product

Model:  sw_star_discovery_90i
Part Number:  10273

New Wi-Fi Sky-Watcher Star Discovery 90i f/10 computerised go-to refractor.

The Sky-Watcher Star Discovery 90i has been designed for wireless control using your Smartphone or Tablet via the free SynScan App for iOS or Android.

The telescope is a classic two-element, air-spaced, achromatic refractor. Its long focal length makes it a good choice for the detailed high-magnification study of the Moon, planets and the brighter deep-sky targets. 

When combined with a 1.25" Erecting prism (available separately), the telescope can also be used during daytime for high-power terrestrial observations. 

The mount creates its own Wi-Fi network, so it can be used anywhere without reliance on other WiFi or mobile networks.

The Star Discovery 90i and SynSca App provide full computerised GO-TO control, enabling the telescope to be automatically slewed to any of the 10.000+ celestial objects in the App’s extensive database. After entering your coordinates into the App and following a simple alignment procedure, you can explore the universe using the App’s intuitive touchscreen menu. 

The mount also features Sky-Watcher’s Freedom-Fin patented Dual-Encoder Technology, which enables the telescope to be moved manually in either axis without the mount losing its positional information. This provides freedom, convenience and flexibility during observing sessions. 

FEATURES

  • Magnifications (with eyepieces supplied): x36 & x90 
  • Highest Practical Power (Potential): x180
  • Objective Lens Diameter: 90mm
  • Telescope Focal Length: 900mm (f/10)
  • Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
  • Red Dot Finder
  • 90° Star Diagonal
  • 1.25” Rack & Pinion Focuser
  • Star Discovery AZ Go-To  Alt-Azimuth Go-To Mount with Dual-Axis Tracking
  • Freedom-Find™ Dual Encoder Technology
  • Synscan™ Wi-Fi Adaptor Module
  • Controller: Free SynScan App for iOS and Android mobile devices or Synscan Hand Controller (available separately)
  • SynScan App Database: Total 10,000+ Objects. Deep Sky Objects: 10759, including Messier, NGC, IC, Caldwell Catalogues, Named DSOs, Named Stars: 305, Double Stars: 55, Solar system objects: 7 planets, Sun, Moon. (Unlimited objects when working with a 3rd party planetarium software).
  • SynScan App Alignment Method: Brightest Star Alignment, North-Level Alignment
  • SynScan App's Other Features:  Tonight's Best Sky Tour, Point and Go with a mobile device, Identification of Celestial Objects, Remote control over the Internet, User defined objects, Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE)
  • 45mm Sky-Watcher/Vixen-type dovetail saddle
  • Interface: SynScan Hand Control Port, DSLR Shutter Release Port (optional cables available separately)
  • Connectivity:  ASCOM platform for Windows PC, Mobile planetarium App for iOS and Android ( SkySafari Plus/Pro, more are coming).
  • Power Requirement: 12v DC 1Amp Power Supply (Tip Positive) or 8 x AA Batteries (not supplied)
  • Sky-Watcher 7Ah or 17Ah Power Tank Recommended
  • Stainless Steel Tripod with Accessory Tray

Telescope Field of View Simulator

Downloads / Manuals

The following manuals and downloads are available for this product:

Sky-Watcher Star Discovery Instruction Manual (PDF)

Customer reviews

Average Rating (1 Review):  
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After some initial WiFi issues, I love this 'scope!
22 December 2020  | 

When the scope arrived, I took it straight outside that evening and tried it out. I had some problems connecting to WiFi. The mount is supposed to create a WiFi network of its own called something like SynScan_WiFi_xxxx - you connect your mobile phone to this network, and then you can control the telescope mount using an app called Synscan.
For some reason most of the time it created a network called ESP_xxxxxx which I could connect to, but the app wouldn't connect to the mount. It was unreliable, sometimes it worked correctly, but most often it didn't. I tried to set the WiFi dongle to use "Station" mode, where it connects to your home WiFi instead. That didn't work at all, and from that point on, I could never get the WiFi to do anything at all, even with a factory reset.
All of this took a while (too many cloudy skies!).

FLO were excellent: after I reported the issue (just within the 1 month return window) they suggested a couple of things I could try, which didn't work, and then sent a replacement WiFi dongle very quickly, which worked perfectly! It created the correct network every time. I found it a bit of a pain constantly switching my phone between the two networks, so decided to risk using "Station" mode, however this time, I ignored the warnings in the instructions, and enabled both Station and Access Point mode. This means that it will try to connect to my home WiFi, but if for some reason that doesn't work well, I can connect to its own network and use it that way. This works flawlessly. Occasionally when out in the garden it has trouble with my home wifi, and then I connect my phone to the SynScan access point instead.

So, enough of the wifi, what about everything else?

The tripod: it's very sturdy and doesn't react much to vibrations. The whole setup settles very quickly after refocusing or other disturbances. One problem I do have is that the feet slip on my patio when it's wet. I've found it is fine when I wedge the feet into the gravel we have between the flagstones, but can be problematic otherwise. They are slightly spiked, so no doubt would be fine on grass, and also rubberised, presumably therefore designed not to slip on hard surfaces.

The mount and app: The functions of the mount and app are really excellent. Not only is alignment easy, it is effective. You might have to learn some names of bright stars, though, if you don't know them already! I like the fact that if the alignment isn't perfect, it improves with every object you centre. Most useful is the "Point and Track" option for observing when there are no stars available for alignment, or just if you're in a hurry and don't want to go through the alignment process. This works great if you already know where the object is in the sky. Observing Jupiter and Saturn close to the 2020 Great Conjunction was a perfect example, I set the scope up, pointed it myself at the two planets, and selected "Point and Track" for Jupiter in the app - the telescope then tracks the planet so you don't need to keep moving the scope to follow it. This is a really excellent and useful feature, especially for planetary and lunar observation at twilight when there are few (or no) alignment stars available.
The app is OK - it's a bit clunky, but it does its job well. You can use alternative apps to drive the mount, (e.g. the paid version of SkySafari, but I haven't tried that. SkyWatcher's app does the job well enough for me, for now.

Power requirements: 8 AA batteries, and they don't last long, only 2-3 nights of observing I reckon. Once the batteries start going, you can hear the motor struggling to move the scope a little, and GOTO becomes more unreliable. I strongly recommend an external power supply of some kind.

Optically? Well, I'm no expert, but I think the optics are good. The supplied eyepieces give very clear, crisp images of stars, planets and the moon. Other than the Great Nebula in Orion, which is very bright, I haven't had much luck with any deep-sky objects yet. The views of that nebula were excellent though, very bright and clear, obvious contrast in the lighter and darker patches, and very clear views of the stars in that area.
I don't know whether my issues with deep-sky are down to my incompetence in finding them (because GOTO isn't quite perfect, and if they're very faint, it's hard to be sure whether you're pointing at them or not without consulting charts), my light-polluted skies or something else - I have more work to do here.

Finder: it has a basic red light finder - this was easy to align, and is useful. I find it very easy to align using the finder. One slight problem is that the finder has its own internal battery, and several times I have taken the scope out and realised I forgot to switch the finder off - perhaps a telltale LED on the top of the finder would be useful, but that's a minor point. In spite of the number of times I've done this, the battery hasn't worn down yet!
Another problem with the finder is that the control to turn it on and off is a rotary control, which in the dark is indistinguishable from the rotary controls which adjust the alignment, and I keep accidentally turning those and knocking the alignment out, when all I want to do is switch the finder on. It would be better if the control looked/felt different, or if the adjustment controls could be locked somehow, but these are fairly minor points.

In short, I'm really enjoying the telescope, and FLO's service has been excellent!

FAQ

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Q1. What is the payload capacity of this mount?

The official quoted payload capacity is 5kg.