Artesky UltraGuide MKII 60/240 T2 1.25″ Guidescope
Precise Autoguiding for Long-Exposure Astrophotography
Long-exposure astrophotography demands accurate mount tracking. Even a small periodic error in the drive will cause stars to trail and blur your images. The Artesky UltraGuide MKII 60/240 is designed specifically to correct this - reliably and with high precision. Its combination of quality optics and a well-engineered mechanical design has made it one of the most popular autoguiding solutions among astrophotographers.
Optics and Focal Ratio
The UltraGuide MKII features a 60mm aperture objective lens and a focal length of 240mm, giving a focal ratio of f/4. This fast focal ratio is a real advantage when working with guide cameras - it makes finding a suitable guide star much easier, even in less-than-ideal conditions. The optical system includes multi-layer anti-reflection coatings that maximise contrast and minimise light loss. The guidescope is also fully usable as a visual finderscope for general orientation under the night sky.
Helical Focuser with Non-Rotating Camera Mount
A key feature of this guidescope is its rotating helical focuser with a 1.25″ output. It offers two focusing modes: coarse adjustment for quickly locating an object or guide star, and fine micrometric adjustment for maximum precision. This combination is highly practical in the field, where you need to move quickly from searching to accurate guiding.
The focuser does not rotate the camera during focusing - the camera always stays in the same orientation. This is essential for autoguiding software such as PHD2, which relies on a stable camera orientation to track the guide star correctly and calculate accurate corrections. Artesky has built this directly into the focuser design.
Camera Compatibility
The UltraGuide MKII includes a T2 thread for direct connection to the vast majority of astrophotography and guide cameras available today. The 1.25″ output accepts standard eyepieces. The back focus distance is designed to work with both quality 1.25″ eyepieces and the most widely used guide cameras on the market, including ZWO, QHY and Omegon GUIDE.
Mounting and Accessories
The package includes two 80mm diameter mounting rings, each with three nylon-tipped screws that hold the tube securely without scratching it. Also included is a short Vixen (GP) standard dovetail bar, allowing the guidescope to be attached to most standard finderscope brackets or clamped directly to a Vixen or Losmandy dovetail bar on your main mount.
Technical Specifications
| Parameter |
Value |
| Aperture |
60 mm |
| Focal length |
240 mm |
| Focal ratio |
f/4 |
| Focuser type |
Helical (rotating), non-rotating camera output |
| Focuser output |
1.25″ |
| Camera thread |
T2 |
| Optical coatings |
Multi-layer anti-reflection coating |
| Mounting rings |
2 x 80 mm (nylon-tipped screws) |
| Dovetail bar |
Vixen (GP) standard |
| Compatible guide cameras |
ZWO, QHY, Omegon GUIDE and others |
| Compatible software |
PHD2 and other autoguiding applications |
Who Is This Guidescope For?
The Artesky UltraGuide MKII 60/240 suits astrophotographers who want a reliable, well-built guidescope that works straight away without complicated setup. The fast f/4 focal ratio makes it easy to find guide stars. The non-rotating focuser keeps your guide camera stable. And the included rings and dovetail bar mean you can attach it to your setup immediately.
What Is Autoguiding and Why Does It Matter?
Autoguiding is a technique used in astrophotography to correct small tracking errors in the telescope mount during a long exposure. A separate guide camera is attached to the guidescope and continuously monitors a chosen guide star. Autoguiding software - most commonly PHD2 - measures any movement of that star and sends correction signals to the mount in real time. The result is sharp, round stars even in exposures of several minutes.
