$1,980 · Sky-Watcher ED120 refractor with CG-5 Go-To Mount and Tripod

This is a Sky-Watcher ED 120 refractor telescope with extra-low dispersion FPL-53 glass. The focal length is 900 mm and the focal ratio is f7.5. The telescope is fitted with a 10:1 precision micro Crayford-style focuser, 2" dielectic mirror diagonal (99% reflective), and an 8x 50 mm right-angle correct image finder scope (a significant upgrade on the original finder scope supplied by Sky-Watcher). It also has the necessary rings and rail for attaching to a mount. The telescope comes with a CG-5 equatorial mount - the Celestron Advanced GT - which is a motorised go-to mount with hand controller. The mount includes the counter-weight bar and counter-weight. It also includes a very useful 16" extension pier. Also included is a very sturdy 2" stainless steel tripod with all-metal centre leg brace/accessory tray for rock-solid support. Accessories include a hard case, a hand controller holder, three eyepieces (including a 7-21 mm zoom), a Celestron rechargeable 12V Power Tank with a new battery, and an operating manual. This telescope may be used for solar, lunar, planetary, and deep space observing. It may be controlled manually, or automatically using its Go-To capability. Objects in the catalogues in the telescope's extensive database can be searched for by name or number, after which the telescope will find them automatically. Once located, the telescope will track the object to compensate for the rotation of the Earth. The telescope's Go-To mount has a number of alignment procedures. It can do Quick-Align, Solar System Align, One Star Align, and Two Star Align. There is also a Tour Mode which will display the best objects to observe based on the current date and time and your location, and Constellation Tour which does the same thing for constellations. With the appropriate adapter, you can attach a digital SLR camera for, for example, photographing the Moon. Deep space photography is possible, but is more complex due to the longer exposures required (the mount has a port for an auto-guider for this purpose). The current Sky-Watcher 120ED model is $3,360 from Ontario Telescope and the equivalent CG-5 mount with tripod is $1,590. This comes to $5,000 before taxes and shipping, so my price of $1,980 is quite a deal.