the gods are smiling on me

[steviegall]

well i must have done something right in the last week because of how the stars are all aligning for me 

last week i ordered my first telescope after months of thinking  a skywatcher 200p dob with it i got a cheshire and a telrad just to make spotting a little easier

before hand i bought a planisphere and two books, turn left at oroin(to get an idea of what i would be able to see as for a while i was settled on the skywatcher) and a little more recently sky and telescopes sky atlas incase i want to expand and it would help me with closer views when i got in the general area with the planisphere

so anyway i checked flo's clear outside when i bought the telescope and it was nothing but red red red,day after day and it stayed that way, and i thought to myself it doesnt matter my day will come

until yesterday morning i checked it without thinking, there was this sliver of green at 0200 tonight, as yesterday went on it got bigger and bigger until this morning/now when it stands at 9pm-5am with a brief appearance of cloud at 3am

what makes my fortune better i tried collimating the scope yesterday with the help of astrobabys and moonshanes guides(thanks to both btw) but it didnt go right, i would get the secondary round and centred then when i would align the secondary with the primary it would take on more of an oval shape and i couldnt fully see the mounts to centre them properly using the cheshire....3 1/2 hours later i gave up for the night

but anyway , this evening i tried again and it all clicked and it was done inside of 30 mins 3 full hours to spare before the sky gets to its darkest

i know its a full moon tonight, or the best part of it at least but looking on the bright side it gives me a target i can hit.......probably

can anyone with a skywater 200p dob confiirm a question i have, i dont seem to have a cover for the primary mirror end, was i supposed to get one or should i fashion my own,

i know it aids in cooling the mirror to have the cap off(or im my case not have one) but doesnt it also allow dust in?

[steviegall]

nvm found a topic in getting started equip that answered the lack of base plate on the primary mirror end

[damnut]

hi There,

Nice write up, reads very easily. Some folk use shower caps to protect each end whilst being stored! If you are going to use the scope leave it outside to cool avoiding garage dust.

[Charic]

steviegall.............good choices so far! On the primary mirror end there should be 9 holes? Three Philips for the adjusters,  three Alan Bolts ( the lock nuts ) the remaining three are spare, as Skywatcher do not provide a cover plate any more? I have'nt bothered with one, and leaving it exposed, helps to cool the glass. My glass is  already scratched? A perforated disc could be manufactured to keep solid objects from striking the glass, but still allowing air to circulate, but shower cap when not in use.

damnut's  advise for a shower cap is good for storage, as the spiders will find a way in, or those Thrips ( little black thunder bugs or corn lice is another name, I think)  hence the reason for the spiders!

[laudropb]

Nice write up. Hope your dark skies hold. Pouring rain here.

[ghostdance]

+3 for the shower caps, my 6" newt is resplendent in one pink, one blue

Used to even have its own bath towel, but then I got a soft case.

[steviegall]

Yeah thankfully the skies held out nicely

I have everything jotted down so it'll still be fresh in the morning for a full report

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