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Hi from Derbyshire

oranjeboom

By oranjeboom
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oranjeboom

oranjeboom

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Hi all,

         I am now retired, and have always had an interest in Astronomy. As a retirement present my wife bought me a Skywatcher Skymax 127 Synscan Goto Mak, which I am still learning about, and getting used to. Hopefully our 5 grandkids will take an interest when I get to show them the wonders of the night sky. My interest is mainly in visual observing, but would be quite interested in some sort of camera to be able to watch on the laptop screen. Looking to complement the stock 10 and 25mm eyepieces, so any recommendations would be great.

                                       Kind Regards Keith

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MartinB

MartinB

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Hi Keith and welcome to SGL. That's a fine scope you have and will be particularly good for viewing the moon and planets. There are a number of video type camera options which can give real time viewing, have a look at the video astronomy sub forum. Alternatively you can use small sensitive cameras which normally are used as guiding cameras but they can be great for quickly showing images on a laptop. Personally I would be looking at a small webcam type camera which would be great for planetary images and the presenting images on a laptop. Try posting on on the video forum, you'll get some more detailed info.

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philj

philj

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Hi Keith and welcome from another retired derbyshire dweller/astronomer.

Congrats on the scope, a fine versatile telescope if ever there was one, I used to have a 127, I now have its bigger brother a 180 and love it.

Whereabouts in Derbyshire are you? Im in south derbyshire

Youve come to the right place for any questions you may have.

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Crater

Crater

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Hi all,

         I am now retired, and have always had an interest in Astronomy. As a retirement present my wife bought me a Skywatcher Skymax 127 Synscan Goto Mak, which I am still learning about, and getting used to. Hopefully our 5 grandkids will take an interest when I get to show them the wonders of the night sky. My interest is mainly in visual observing, but would be quite interested in some sort of camera to be able to watch on the laptop screen. Looking to complement the stock 10 and 25mm eyepieces, so any recommendations would be great.

                                       Kind Regards Keith

Welcome Keith.

Like you, I have also just joined this forum, am also retired and also possess the SW Skymax 127 Goto Mak.  I am assuming that this is the Alt-Az mount.

I have had this scope for about 2 years and found it very good, particularly for the moon and planets.

If you get a 15mm eyepiece and possibly a x2 Barlow, if you do not already have one, the possible combinations will cover all your requirements.

I have also successfully attached both a DSLR and a webcam to it and achieved some success at astrophotography.

Better results being obtained with bright objects such as the moon and planets and some DSOs.

I also possess a SW 130PDS reflector telescope that works well on this mount and is better for observing/imaging wider field objects such as Andromeda etc.

I am sure you will enjoy your system.

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oranjeboom

oranjeboom

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Welcome Keith.

Like you, I have also just joined this forum, am also retired and also possess the SW Skymax 127 Goto Mak.  I am assuming that this is the Alt-Az mount.

I have had this scope for about 2 years and found it very good, particularly for the moon and planets.

If you get a 15mm eyepiece and possibly a x2 Barlow, if you do not already have one, the possible combinations will cover all your requirements.

I have also successfully attached both a DSLR and a webcam to it and achieved some success at astrophotography.

Better results being obtained with bright objects such as the moon and planets and some DSOs.

I also possess a SW 130PDS reflector telescope that works well on this mount and is better for observing/imaging wider field objects such as Andromeda etc.

I am sure you will enjoy your system.

Hi, thanks for your reply and welcome to the forums. It is the Alt-Az mount, so I realise the only imaging feasible is of The Moon, Planets, and brightest DSO's. I agree  with you about the 15mm eyepiece, and thinking of getting a focal reducer to help with the FOV.  I also own the Celestron 130 eq reflector, and I have not thought of using it on the SW Goto, so thanks for the imput.

                  Keith

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Crater

Crater

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Hi, thanks for your reply and welcome to the forums. It is the Alt-Az mount, so I realise the only imaging feasible is of The Moon, Planets, and brightest DSO's. I agree  with you about the 15mm eyepiece, and thinking of getting a focal reducer to help with the FOV.  I also own the Celestron 130 eq reflector, and I have not thought of using it on the SW Goto, so thanks for the imput.

                  Keith

I also tried a reducer on the Mak ( a cheap x0.5), but it was rather poor and cut off the corners of the image.

This was before I got the reflector.

Your reflector is likely to possess a much lower Focal Length than the Mak.

Hence, in my experience would be much better, and cheaper, to use that for any wider field applications than a reducer on the Mak.

The big advantage of the Mak is its high magnification and narrow field of view, hence ideal for Jupiter, Saturn and close-ups of the Moon.

Regards

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