Two hours with a 200p

[astronymonkey]

So, after an afternoon of tinkering I left the 200p on the patio to cool while it got dark. Id spent some time sorting the collimation so I thought it would be worth having a few hours, albeit under bright summer night skies.

Now the 200p doesnt get too much sky time these days after being overshadowed by the 16inch which I make the effort to use whener I can, but after sorting out the utility room to make my scopes kore accessible this now means the 200p can serve as a handy grab and go.

At 11.30 pm I went out to a slightly hazy, but acceptable sky and decided to simplify things by only using my 22mm t4 nagler. This gives 54x mag and about 1.5 degrees of sky but as I was mainly going for faint fuzzies I felt this would be a decent choice and made finding objects easier due to the wide field.

First up I went for mizar and alcor in ursa major, this was a good object to set my finder with and easily showed the third star. Defocussing slightly showed nice collimation , although a higher power would have been nice for this but the diffraction spikes looked pin sharp.

Then across the sky to m13, which showed as a hazy blob in the finder but was a nicely defined ball of stars in the eyepiece. With averted vision the stars could be seen to the core , all pin sharp and making a nice contrast against the slightly light background.

Back over to ursa major with the owl nebula as my target. Using the charts in mobile observatory I star hopped to the right spot and very faintly could see the nebula. From my garden this was close to a street light which robbed contrast and coupled with the bright northern horizon meant this would always be a challenge. To help things I added a uhc filter to the nagler and this helped a little , darkening the sky to allow the neb to be seen. Unfortunately there was little detail but this could be expected at low power and in a bright sky.

Then off to m51, an object which always suprises me by its size. Its not huge like m31 but I always imagine objects like this to be small.... I dont know why. Star hopping to m51 was easy with both parts of the object visible as hazy smudges. Under the conditions I was suprised that it was so obvious as contrast was a challenge but even without the ucphc filter this was pretty obvious.

Next was the pinwheel galaxy, not too far from the whirlpool but a much harder challenge. Star hopping using charts got me there but unfortunately no one was home, however I looked I just couldnt see it so this was my first failure of the night. Under darker skies I may have stood a chance but in summer skies this was just out of reach.

Now on to m57, easy to find and high in the sky making it an easy find. In the eyepiece the ring was clearly visible, but small, with averted vision really making it stand out. This is one of my most favourite objects as it goes overhead so gives crisp views, is easy to find and is in a nice part of the sky. This was the joy of the night and even better it could be viewed from the comfort of a garden chair through the 200p.

Finally I had a go at the veil, maybe I should have tried with the uhc filter but unfortunately, like the pinwheel, this was just out of reach.

So, a nice few hours with a 200p. Darker skies would have been nicer but at least in summer you can observe in comfort with just a jumper or light coat.

I love the 200p dob for what it brings to astronomy...Its easy to use, has a decent aperture and is remarkably affordable for what you get. Ok the collimation could be made easier by skywatcher spending a few pounds on collimation knobs rather than grub screws, and the stock eyepieces arent the best but as a scope for under £300 I dont think much else comes close as a visual scope.

Cheers

[bobmoss]

Great report. As you say, what more can you ask for for £300!

[John]

Excellent report AM 

I agree 100%, the Skywatcher 200P provides wonderful value for money plus it's focal ratio is relatively kind both to eyepieces and collimation. It seems to do everything well.

For visual observing I can't think of a better buy.

BTW, I find M101 (the Pinwheel ?) a challenge most of the time and even with my 12" at home to be honest. 

[swamp thing]

Nice report Ian.

Some fine objects there. That pinwheel can be a bit elusive can't it. From local sites I find it stands out in my 15x70's better than my 10" Dob. M33 is the same.

Dark skies will pop both of them nicely though.

Did you get M108 in the field with M97 I love this mismatched pair. It's kinda strange to compare their relative sizes then see the distance difference one being 1900light years away the other 35 million light years . Gives a sense of scale to things out there.

Clear skies

[cotterless45]

Lovely report. The 200 Dob must be the very best grab and go , capable of picking up so much. Wish more newbies would get one , hurrah !

Nick.

[Lowjiber]

Nice, well-written report.  Thanks for sharing.

[Timbo]

A nice report - especially good and inspiring for us relative new/inexperienced gazers. I tend to look at the planets and moon and use the good old Mak 127 for these.

I venture into deep space with my large binos but would like to ask whether or not my Skymax 127 would pick up and 'present' objects such as M51 and M57 nicely in the mak?

I have some good eyepieces and a telrad.

This leads me to the question: am I missing out on not owning the famed 8" Dob such as the Skyliner; will it compliment my mak 127 or is it considered an upgrade?

Tim

[laudropb]

Great report. I have had a 200p for 3 months now and I am totally amazed at the view it gives, even in the Scottish summer skies. I have replaced the supplied EPs with maxvision 68 degree equivalents and just cant wait until the skies darken. I would greatly recommend this scope to all newbies

[Reeny]

Ours is amazing.

I try to find something brand new every time I go out to observe.

With the light nights at this time of year, I need to wait up until 1am for the really dark skies, that is when the milky way becomes visible to the naked eye.

And with the warm nights, the 200P needs 2-hours outside to cool down properly (from the 25^oc inside room temperature)

This is where the 200p grab and go dob pays dividends.

One person can dump it out side quite easily to cool down for a few hours. 

Then bring it back in again if the clouds come over.

Easy peasy.

I find that the FLO weather forecast website is helping with the cloud and rain predictions.

http://clearoutside.com/page/how_to_use/

Well done FLO.

[Bart]

Yeah, nice report.

Like you, Astromonkey, I have two scopes. A 10" and a 16". I love the 16" for  reaching out deep. It gives wonderful views. There's no denying though, that the 10" is easier to whip out and easier to use (lots of sitting  ). When I use the 10", which I do a lot during the season proper, I'm always pleased with it. It sits in the garage on a sack trolley and so can be wheeled out in a minute or two, literally. Great for when you only have a little opportunity, or when you might be a little lazy and not want to horse the big gun around

The 10" is a great sized scope and from what I hear (I've never looked through an 8") the 8" is very similar. I'd never be without the trusty 10". Mind you, when I started out, I never thought I'd hear myself refer to a 10" as a grab and go scope. My wife thought I was moonlighting for NASA when the 10" arrived. I won't repeat what was said when she saw the 16" assembled.......

Clear skies

Barry

[Lowjiber]

Very nice, well-written report.  Thanks much.

Clear Skies