Skywatcher star discovery 150p

[Trillian!]

Hello :-)

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto/sky-watcher-star-discovery-150p.html

After much research, I have decided that this is a teleskope that has many nice features. It has a relatively big aperture ( my previous telescope had a 5inch aperture), it is economic , it can be used for basic photography, it has goto technology but also dual encoders which would allow me to also use it manually, sth that I enjoy doing. However , I haven't seen one up close and I do have a few questions, so I would really appreciate it if someone who actually owns one could help me out.

1 Dimensions. How heavy is the telescope? How much does the tube and mount-tripod weigh? Would you consider this a grab and go telescope, or one that can be carried and moved around easily?

2 Is it comfortable for viewing? Ideally , I would like to be seated but can the tripod be adjusted so that that can be possible ? Or would this only be possible with a mak tube that is smaller and the eyepiece is placed at the bottom? I am relatively short and petite so I guess size matters to me.

3 What power source do you usually use?

4. Have you tried taking pictures with it?

5. Does the tripod has the spirit level attached?

6. Are you satisfied with it?

Thank you so much for taking time to consider this :-)

[happy-kat]

Hi

The tripod legs I would expect will collapse shorter so can sit but you would have to target where you were looking so you did not keep having to get up and move your chair. I sit to observe with my set ups but it does mean viewing in one direction at a time and a mix of stretching up or bending down to reach eyepiece and it is easier with the refractor then the reflector on a dob mount.

Visiting a local astronomy club to see different tripods and telescope positions may help you.

[Trillian!]

Hi

The tripod legs I would expect will collapse shorter so can sit but you would have to target where you were looking so you did not keep having to get up and move your chair. I sit to observe with my set ups but it does mean viewing in one direction at a time and a mix of stretching up or bending down to reach eyepiece and it is easier with the refractor then the reflector on a dob mount.

Visiting a local astronomy club to see different tripods and telescope positions may help you.

Thank you :-) this gives me an idea of what I should expect.

I seen tripods with other telescopes but I haven't come across this model so I needed to ask

Thanks , one again

[happy-kat]

You can always email FirstLight Optics and ask how low the tripod can go and at what height is the top of the tripod head is to get a feel for what it could mean.

I do agre with your thought on telescpes with an eyepeice at the bottom, I have one tripod and have sat to observe using that and it had a refractor on it and it was pretty comfortable to do. Much less crnching and stretching then when I sit to use my heritage 130p.

[Flyingfuzz]

I have just ordered 1 so if you can weight a few days I can update you.

[Trillian!]

You can always email FirstLight Optics and ask how low the tripod can go and at what height is the top of the tripod head is to get a feel for what it could mean.

I do agre with your thought on telescpes with an eyepeice at the bottom, I have one tripod and have sat to observe using that and it had a refractor on it and it was pretty comfortable to do. Much less crnching and stretching then when I sit to use my heritage 130p.

I will ask them you are right, although from what I can gather from pictures and videos , because the EP is placed at the top , it won't be possible most of the time. There is a version of this mount that comes with a MAK 127 which would be a much more comfortable choice and easily transportable but I already own a130 reflector and I am not sure if the MAK would be a satisfying choice or one that would provode better viewing. Since you own the heritage as well I m sure you have enjoyed it and know what I mean :-) I hear that the MAK is good mostly for planetary viewing and because of its narrow field of view many deep sky objects would not fit in the EP.

[Trillian!]

I have just ordered 1 so if you can weight a few days I can update you.

I can definitely wait for a first hand experience account :-)

Hope you enjoy. Please don't forget to update me once you ve tried it !

Thanks a million

[John]

I hear that the MAK is good mostly for planetary viewing and because of its narrow field of view many deep sky objects would not fit in the EP.

Actually most deep sky objects will fit into the field of 1.1 degrees which is the max that the 127mm mak-cassegrain delivers.

Only the larger ones will "spill" over the edges of the field.

If you already have a 130mm reflector then even the 150mm newtonian is only a modest upgrade. Moving to 200mm would give you more "wow !" but the scopes are somewhat larger, heavier and more expensive of course.

[ronin]

When you say:

it can be used for basic photography

I would suspect this may be limited to webcam and so planetary imaging only.

I doubt that it will easily take the additional weight of a DSLR being attached. Also you may not get an image to form on the DSLR sensor - the distance the sensor would sit at is likely too far out from the scope, and long exposures will be limited as the mount is Alt/Az.

[Trillian!]

If you already have a 130mm reflector then even the 150mm newtonian is only a modest upgrade. Moving to 200mm would give you more "wow !" but the scopes are somewhat larger, heavier and more expensive of course.

Thank you for your reply :-)

At first I wanted to go to a tracking mount that would allow me to view the object for some time without worrying it would lose the target and also try some basic photography.Then, what mainly attracted me to this mount was the dual encoders that gives you the freedom to handle it both manually and robotically. So the mount was my first concern, but I also wanted to upgrade my scope as well :-) within a certaind budget and without the portability and bulk issues of some other choices ( have the cake and eat it too) .

From your experience would a MAK provide a better or different viewing experience from the 130 reflector ? I know the aperture is the same , but optics are different .Or do you think that, even just modest, the 150 is an actual upgrade?

[Trillian!]

When you say:

I would suspect this may be limited to webcam and so planetary imaging only.

I doubt that it will easily take the additional weight of a DSLR being attached. Also you may not get an image to form on the DSLR sensor - the distance the sensor would sit at is likely too far out from the scope, and long exposures will be limited as the mount is Alt/Az.

Thanks for your reply .

I know that long exposures would not be possible with this mount, and I would actually just start with the moon and planets and perhaps try some easier DSO ( not the faint ones). But what you say about the additional weight and the sensor concerns me although , to be honest, I don't know exactly what you mean by the camera sensor and distance from the scope issue.

[Flyingfuzz]

Took delivery of the Star Discovery 150p on Thursday but unfortunately due to cloudy sky's have not had a chance to use it yet. Overall the scope feels well made and very sturdy and the Freedom Find systems looks to be a big advantage for a goto system. I previously had a Skywatcher 130p with eq2 mount so will compare this scope with that.

1. Is it a grad and go. Yes if the OTA is taken off the mount. The tripod assembly feels lighter than the old eq2 mount and because the spreader plate is easier to fit than the old eq2 tray it's quick to collapse the legs so much easier to transport. Fitting the OTA with the dove tail is a doodle.

2. Can you use it with a chair. With the tripod legs full collapsed the height to the eyepiece at 45° is 115cm at 90° it's 118cm, sitting on a chair 45cm height it was comfortable to look into the eyepiece, however a camping chair was too low. Ideally some sort of telescopic stool would be perfect.

3. Power, I intend getting a 12v car starter power pack to run the scope, the small packs based on rechargable batteries apposed to the lead acid type to make transporting easier. Currently using 8 AA batteries but have no ideas how long they will last.

4. Pictures. No but I will. I will either use video and process vi software or lots of short time exposures and use stack type software.

5. Spirit level. No spirit level attached to the mount which in my oppion is a failure. As the mount is all curves there is no obvious place to mount one. If the mount is off the tripod then you have a flat surface to place a sprit level but would have to remove it to fit the mount. I am thinking of somehow using the dove tail mount to fit a level. Or maybe use the battery cover to house a small level

6. Am I satisfied. So far yes but I have not used it to view any stars only terrestrial objects. The scope is very well made, feels solid and uses quality parts. The Freedom Find system is the way forward for goto's. I preformed a test setup by aligning the scope to stars where I know their location, slewing the scope 180 degree by hand was so simple and the scope then fine tunes the final location. Another benefit is simply the AZ nature of the mount, my old eq2 would rotate the OTA as you moved the OTA meaning you have to rotate the ota in the rings to keep the eyepiece in a usable position, With the AZ the eyepiece is always in the same position relative to the mount.

I can't waite for my first clear night to fully test the scope and see how much more I can see over a 130.

[CSM]

The batteries will not last - you need a power tank!

[Nick-In-Ireland]

After owning a Heritage 130p for a year and loving it i am considering this scope but i am put off by the fact that there are no collimation screws, what if it needs a little tweak? is it possible to remove the primary mirror cover and adjust it a little?

[cjdawson]

Here's my thoughts.  I'm working from the flo website link, as I don't have nor have I seen this scope.

1 Dimensions. How heavy is the telescope? How much does the tube and mount-tripod weigh? Would you consider this a grab and go telescope, or one that can be carried and moved around easily?

I don't think it'll be too heavy, looks like it'll break down into three parts - OTA with mount head, tripod and accessories.  I'd expect the tripod to weight about 5kg's, the OTA and mount will weight about the same.  The accessories alot less.

I'd personally consider this a grab and go, but that's because I'm used to lugging about 50Kg's of 8" SCT with all the trimmings for Astrophotography.

Broken down, I think that scope will be very easy to carry.  Might want to get a couple of trolly bags (like cricket bags) and you'll be all set.

2 Is it comfortable for viewing? Ideally , I would like to be seated but can the tripod be adjusted so that that can be possible ? Or would this only be possible with a mak tube that is smaller and the eyepiece is placed at the bottom? I am relatively short and petite so I guess size matters to me. 

The eyepiece is near the secondardy, so with that, as the scope moves to different parts of the sky, you'll have to be a different heights.  Up at the Zenith, you'll probably have to use a small ladder, other than that, you'll probably find it's comfortable to stand at the scope.

you can get chairs like this

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/misc/mey-observing-chair.html

And that'll probably sort you for all positions.

3 What power source do you usually use?

For this scope, I think you'd be fine with one of these

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/batteries-powerpacks/skywatcher-powertank-7ah.html

just make sure that it's fully charged before each session, if you plan to be out for more than a few hours at a time, you'd probably be better off with the 17Ah version.

4. Have you tried taking pictures with it?

With that scope and mount, I'd expect that you'd have some success with the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus.   But don't expect to get images of the Deep Sky Objects.  You'll need to keep the exposures short as image rotation will be an issue before even thinking about anything.

5. Does the tripod has the spirit level attached?

I don't see one in the image, but don't let that stop you.  If a spirit level is needed, you can pick one up for about £2 from any diy store.  Calibrate it, then glue it in place. ;-)

6. Are you satisfied with it?

If I bought that scope, I'd be using it for visual observing, it's 150p so that's a decent sized light bucket.  Frankley, I think I'd be happy with it for visual work.  Actually, I'm currently eye'ing up a smaller manual scope, but I've not made any decisions and this one is now making me start to think again.  hehe.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Is the primary mirror centre marked & is it removeable for cleaning ?

I want this scope, I am soooo jelous like that girl off the teasers advert ;-D LOL

[Nick-In-Ireland]

I found a youtube vid showing that the primary mirror is marked in the usual way, all i need to know now is the primary mirror removeble for cleaning because over time it will get dirty.

I am new to computerised mounts, do these mounts need to be dead level to operate correctly?

[Trillian!]

Thank you all for the very informative replies ! I feel I know what to expect now and what problems may come up so it's been really helpful. I think this is the best scope I can get at this price and it covers most of my needs and since visual observing is my priority I guess it will provide a rather satisfying experience :-)

Clear skies

[Trillian!]

I can't waite for my first clear night to fully test the scope and see how much more I can see over a 130.

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, I think I feel I am more confident that this is the right scope for me and I know what to expect .

I also own a 130 dob so I am also curious about what more I can see :-)

Anyway, I guess I will soon order it and find out muself.

Thanks again :-)

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Same as me Trillian, i have a 130p as well, the Heritage, i bought the Heritage as a beginner scope to see if my interest would grow, i am looking to move up to this scope primarily because it has GoTo with the new peppier Synscan V4 handset & mount wich has FreedomFind and also because of the better focuser plus the slightly bigger aperture is a bonus.

I still have a few questions and would like to see an in depth warts and all review of this new scope, the best review so far is by Astronomy and nature TV on youtube as you will have most likely seen.

The spider is plastic and looks chunky,  does this have any impact on the view, does it adjust like a normal spider?

The collimation is non standard, i understand that because of the design that it will never need to be collimated but in years to come when the mirror needs a clean and needs to be removed & put back it will  need to be collimated, how is the mirror adjusted and how easy is it to do seeing as its non standard?

How level does the mount need to be in order to track correctly, how critical is this & how precise is the tracking on these computerised scopes? i have no experience of them.

How long do the 8AA batteries last, for home use ill probably go with an extension cable anyway and a 12v power adaptor as the cheapest option, but at a dark sky site a car 12v power port cable would do as i would only be powering the scope, or a power tank if i can stetch to it.

If anyone has this cope and is reading, please let me know of any good and bad points so i can have an informed purchase, i have just about googled the net dry & choked up the youtube servers researching this scope  , pictures also very welcome!

[Flyingfuzz]

Just had my first views using the Star Discovery 150p so my experience so far.

Compared to an equatorial mount set up is easy, just adjust the legs so that its level and your ready to go. Make sure the time and location are accurate or the mount will not work. The good news is once the location is input it stays in memory so you just confirm the location, then input the current date and time. Next you have to align the scope, I chose the brightest star option. This is where you need to know the names of the stars as the handset gives you a star name to align to. I did a bit of homework and using a star chart had 2 start that I knew we're in my field of sight. You manually align the first star and once entered the scope a gives a list of other stars to align to, I chose the star I had previously identified and the scope automatically slews and asks you to center on the Star, once entered its ready to go.

This is my first use of a goto and what a pleasure it was, I chose M37 as my first object and the scope slewed to it spot on. I then view about a dozen objects using the Tour function, the scope found each object with only a few off centre.

The seeing was about a 6 as the moon was high and bright even so the Messier objects were crystal clear with lots of stars in the open clusters visible using a 32 possible. The scope feels like a step up from the 130p so very please with the first outing. Used the scope for about 2 hours on the 8 AA batteries with no noticeable slowing of the slewing. I also manually move the scope to see if it would realign and yes it did spot on.

The only down side I can see is running out of objects if you have restricted views. it is so easy to move and view and move again that you tend to hop from object to object.

Am I pleased with the scope, you bet I am.

[Astro Imp]

Just had my first views using the Star Discovery 150p so my experience so far.

Compared to an equatorial mount set up is easy, just adjust the legs so that its level and your ready to go. Make sure the time and location are accurate or the mount will not work. The good news is once the location is input it stays in memory so you just confirm the location, then input the current date and time. Next you have to align the scope, I chose the brightest star option. This is where you need to know the names of the stars as the handset gives you a star name to align to. I did a bit of homework and using a star chart had 2 start that I knew we're in my field of sight. You manually align the first star and once entered the scope a gives a list of other stars to align to, I chose the star I had previously identified and the scope automatically slews and asks you to center on the Star, once entered its ready to go.

This is my first use of a goto and what a pleasure it was, I chose M37 as my first object and the scope slewed to it spot on. I then view about a dozen objects using the Tour function, the scope found each object with only a few off centre.

The seeing was about a 6 as the moon was high and bright even so the Messier objects were crystal clear with lots of stars in the open clusters visible using a 32 possible. The scope feels like a step up from the 130p so very please with the first outing. Used the scope for about 2 hours on the 8 AA batteries with no noticeable slowing of the slewing. I also manually move the scope to see if it would realign and yes it did spot on.

The only down side I can see is running out of objects if you have restricted views. it is so easy to move and view and move again that you tend to hop from object to object.

Am I pleased with the scope, you bet I am.

That's a great endorsement of the scope, so pleased you're happy with your choice.

TBH I can't see you running out of objects, as the night progresses new vistas will reveal themselves.

Good luck and keep enjoying the night sky.

[happy-kat]

Reads a great purchase for you.

[dbpetrol]

I'm about to buy my first telescope. Most forums tell me to go with an 8" dob but then I found the star discovery 150p. I know it's a bit smaller but at the same time more portable. I know my way around the sky pretty good but a GOTO-scope with tracking would still be nice.

How does it compare to the Skyliner 200p in terms of quality of the OTA and the focuser. I understand it's more plastic in the star discovery 150p but will I notice lower quality?

Should I go for the star discovery or the skyliner 200p? A dob with GOTO is to expensive for me.

[Flyingfuzz]

The goto really does make for more viewing. Before it would take me up to 30 minutes to find a M object and then was not really sure I had the correct object, with the go-to providing you set it correctly you know youvare on the right object. Does it take the fun out of finding objects? I guess so but it also takes out the frustration. A couple of objects I was looking at last night were not visable because of moonshine, before the go-to I would have spent a long time trolling the sky in case I had missed the object.

Light gathering is call important so a 200 dob would be able to see more or catch fainter objects than a 150, for me portability was important as I take my scope to my local astronomy club as was a goto.