Telescope review

Highly portable, simple to use and ideal for beginners on a budget, this small telescope is an excellent introduction to astronomy

Is the MightyMak 60 the right ’scope for you?

If you’re looking for a telescope that’s easy to carry and set up for your very first venture into observing, or if you have children that have been hassling you for a telescope but you don’t want to spend a fortune on a ‘scope for a hobby that could end up being a fad, then the Omegon MightyMak 60 is a worthwhile option to consider.

For a low price, manufacturer Omegon provides two types of mount, a table tripod and a Dobsonian, ideal for quick night-sky viewing, a Kellner

25mm eyepiece and a handy, sleek transport bag. Unusually, however, there didn’t seem to be a finderscope or red dot finder to assist with finding objects, something that may hinder a novice astronomer’s observing sessions to a large degree. For the purpose of this review, we attached an in-house red dot finder to the telescope in order to test it sufficiently. Overall the MightyMak 60 is very well built, and the tube in particular is of superb quality. The build of the table-top tripod doesn’t seem to support the tube well without severely tightening the pan handle. The MightyMak 60 is sufficiently packaged in bubble wrap to ensure safe transportation. The flip-flop dust cap is a nice touch and fixed to the telescope’s objective lens. However, while it ensures that you don’t lose this important accessory, we can see that it can be a hindrance while observing – particularly on a windy evenings.

We selected the sturdier Dobsonian mount for our observations. Setting up was a breeze and within moments we got stuck into targeting a selection of objects. With its small aperture, the MightyMak 60 is only really suitable for observing Solar System targets and the surface of the Moon – highly recommended targets for those just breaking into observing the night sky. Slewing from one region of the sky to the other, we enjoyed the smooth operation, while it still gives just the right amount of resistance for stability when observing chosen targets. With Saturn and Mars recently

reaching opposition, we quickly located the pair as yellowish and red ‘stars’ not too far apart from each other in the constellations of Sagittarius and Taurus respectively, while Jupiter proudly shone as a bright ‘star’ in the constellation of Ophiuchus.

We made Jupiter our first target, which appeared as a bright disc. By using averted vision, we could make out two of its prominent bands – an impressive feat given the small aperture of this ’scope. The MightyMak 60 allows for basic astrophotography, which we took advantage of, revealing much more subtle detail across the gas giant’s equator. Three of the planet’s four Galilean moons were visible during our observations, appearing as lined-up points of light either side of Jupiter’s limbs. The MightyMak 60’s clarity is impressive, with no chromatic aberration – or colour fringing – visible on the edges of such a bright object. Mars appeared as a small salmon-pink disc over the southern horizon while the ringed giant stole the show. While our views of the planet were small in the field of view, we were blown away by the planet’s majestic rings. While conditions weren’t favourable enough to pick out the Cassini Division without the aid of photography equipment, the MightyMak 60 surpassed expectations. The manual states that the ‘scope isn’t very useful in observing deep-sky objects. While on the whole this is true of this desktop ’scope, it is capable of picking out rich star clusters, as well as bright nebulae.

The MightyMak 60 is a very good ‘scope for those wanting to get into astronomy without breaking the bank. Being suitable for terrestrial views, the ’scope also doubles up for terrestrial viewing, adding more bang for your buck. While the set-up came incomplete without a finderscope and could have been supplied with a few more accessories, the MightyMak is versatile and suits a wide range of eyepieces and filters. While there are cheaper instruments on the market of a more substantial size, this ‘pint-sized’ model has an advantage thanks to its portability.