JOC

I didn't spend long outside - is damn parky here atm. but I did stop prevaricating and for the first time in ages and ages lugged the scope (200P) outside for a look up.  I've just got back in and outside the sky here is superb - it's crystal clear - damn cold, but crystal clear.  I've been wanting to look at Jupiter this year as it's supposed to be close - though I know I've missed closest by some large margin, but I still got a great view - very bright (brighter than I recall it), but two really clear lines across it under Morpheus 6.5mm.  Saturn I couldn't see - too close to the horizon, but then I remembered seeing this post about Mars and easily found it.  Again really bright, but I could actually see the 3 lobed dark shape indicated in the image above with the 6.5mm.  Then for a bit of fun I wandered around pleiades with the 26mm plossl that I still use that came with the scope.  I generally take it out, it's always made a pretty good 'finding' EP, after I've done red dot - optical then finally hit the object under the 26mm in the eyepiece.  Then I came in as it's damn cold out.  The views of Jupiter and Mars I think were as good as any I have had.  I've never seen lines across Jupiter that clearly before, and as for actually seeing some detail in Mars well I've never seen that at all before.  However, if I haven't already mentioned it it's damn cold out there!!!!

NB.  If you are wondering how I can make an on the spot decision to take the scope out, I keep it in our unheated porch and by this sort of hour it's very nearly outdoor temps in there, so the scope doesn't need to do much in the way of cooling down.

I guess its a case of little DONGs and big DONGs!

22 minutes ago, Sirbananad said:

I'm trying to get Jupiter's rings.

It's normally Saturn that you see the rings on 😉

Anyhow, it might be worth taking a gander at the pictures on the first page of this thread and realising that they were taken with a far more capable telescope than you have so it might be worth toning down your expectations accordingly.

12 hours ago, Mannybee said:

currys have reduced a Celestron 114 az from 189 to £89

I would recommend avoiding buying a telescope from Curry's, Amazon, National Geographic or any other multiproduct store.  Buy the telescope from a bone-fide telescope supplier like the SGL sponser First Light Optics (FLO) and you will be much more likely to buy something that is fit for purpose rather than over-advertised with unachievable statistics designed to 'con' the more gullible among the population.

11 hours ago, Mannybee said:

Thank you, we were thinking about going out and setting up in a dark sky area to look at the stars, the ones you recommended don’t have tripods , I’m guessing that you’d have to buy a special one to mount them. 

They don't need tripods they sit on tables or stools - nothing special, a picnic table would do.  You sit them on a table, point them at the stars and off you go.  Significantly easier than setting up a tripod.  the vast majority of people in the know start of with small Dobsonian mounts like those.

You would probably find a Skywatcher heritage a better starting point.  https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage.html Possibly a 100P or a 130P, look out for such things second-hand.  If you could find a 200P secondhand you would be even better off, but you might find one secondhand.

I have shifted my 8" collapsable Dob by car.  The OTA sits across the back seat with a seat belt around it.  The base goes in the boot, but even in my big estate car I find it's too tall to stand on its base and have to lay it on its side in the boot.

I would take a look at the pictures on the first page of this thread and remember they are with a telescope of 8" diameter - far larger than yours - your view could make the planets even smaller.

It is also worth bearing in mind that each EP will require a different focus.

3 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

I think the OP’s photo shows a helical focuser rather than the standard rack and pinion.

I don't think I'm even aware that something called a helical focusser exists, but if it does and the photo shows it then the OP obviously doesn't have to worry about that side of things.  Thanks for that pick-up 🙂

There is a nice graphic on telescope sizes in this thread 

It looks a decent size - someone above mentioned 10".  If the mirrors are OK I would think it's very saleable, esp. as it seems to have a solid mount with it.  Looks like its missing the focussing unit that the EP fits into and drives it up and down to reach focus, but I imagine that is easily sourced.

Whilst it won't satisfy the 'want' for an actual telescope, many people on SGL get good views of the sky and of things like the moon, through a really good set of binoculars.  However, my guess is she would be ecstatic with a Skywatcher 130P try to pick one up secondhand. 

On 10/10/2022 at 17:18, Pablo3uk said:

bag in one hand, mount in the other to counter balance whilst walking

You'll be lucky.  It will take you both hands to shift each piece IME.   Dobsonian mounts are the very essence of unweildy even with handles on them! 

On 10/10/2022 at 17:18, Pablo3uk said:

Skywatcher is supplied with "average" accessories. Would anybody be able to comment on that.

I've still got the two EP's that came with my Skywatcher.  I still find them useful and quite useable esp. if I want to reset the telescope to basic setup to test something.  I don't think they are exactly poor - when you are a beginner you probably won't even notice the difference optically.

17 minutes ago, silkels said:

the screws don't seem to move the mirror and change anything, i have no idea if im doing it right or not. 

You need this guide https://www.astro-baby.com/astrobaby/help/collimation-guide-newtonian-reflector/ which is the SGL favourite resource.  You will note that perfectly collimated 200P (at the end of the article) still looks slightly off centre.  However, I think even with the mirrors not ideal you should get something visible better than your pictures, unless of course the secondary has taken a bit of a bash.  If you follow Astrobaby's guide to the letter (even including the odd sounding instructions about bits of paper etc. ) you will end up with a collimated scope (I did and there was no-one more worried about shifting stuff than me - give yourself plenty of time, if you know what you are doing it can be done in minutes - it took me over an hour the first time).  What I did find was that you have to allow for the final tweaks of the nuts to finally position the mirrors and allow for that movement before you tighten them.  However, although mine was a bit out, they have to be really out to get an image truly un-useable IMO.  FWIW (even given that you've clearly had a fiddle) I doubt collimation is the issue unless your secondary is at an odd angle (the one below the EP).  The guide is done with a 200P so is directly applicable to your own scope.

17 minutes ago, silkels said:

i saw using the laser

What you need to know is that the lasers themselves can be off-centre and need collimation themselves and there are methods of introducing them into the focusser that make them more central than others.  I bought and experimented with a laser - decided that the output was proverbially bad, bought a cheap Cheshire collimator (which Astrobaby uses) and never looked back, but even those need placing centrally between the focussing nuts to be err.... central!

2 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

When I owned a 250mm Flextube I only used one of those at a time.

Me too, one takes 2" EP's and one takes 1.25" ones.  I suspect the OP just needs the smaller one directly in the focuser (the one on the right hand side in their picture) and then a 1.25" EP on top.  Since we have determined that the locking nut is not the issue, i.e. when the focus knobs are turned the focussing turret goes up and down then I think more enthusiastic turning of the focus knobs might be needed.  I would suggest that the OP sets up the telescope during the daytime (please point it away from the sun though) and then find a distant tree or aerial to experiment with - it will be upside down and back to front in the EP, but this doesn't matter)  Watching the image through a 1.25 EP fitted into the JUST the 1.25" turret mounted into the focuser drive the focus wheels from one end of travel to the other when I would be very surprised if you can't achieve a perfectly focussed image at some point - if you can't then come back and tell us.  The only possible hiccup being if the OP actually has a flex tube Skywatcher like the one in your photo @Mr Spock (or like the one I own) where the OP might not have realised that there are two clicks needed to unlock the flex tubes to the longest extent and that both clicks are needed - focus won't be achieved unless the tube is drawn out to double click position and locked in place with the small twisty locking nuts.

After taking advice on SGL I purchased an 8" Skywatcher 200P with a 1200mm focal length.  I have been very happy with what I see through it and can just about move it around unassisted,  Mine is a folding version with telescopic bars to extend it and it takes up about the space of a dining chair in its folded form on its stand.  NB.  stairs greatly complicate the movement of large telescopes.

11 minutes ago, Moon-Monkey said:

Buy your scope from an experienced telescope shop like FLO yes it will sometimes be marginally more expensive but you know that any product they sell will be fit for purpose and the after care will be there 🙂

Ditto above.  Post what you intend to buy on here first and get some good advice, that way you won't have expectations raised only to crash and burn and waste your cash.  Also, look here:

before you buy anything at all - even if you just look at the pictures on the first page.  I own a reflecting telescope with a mirror that is 8" (approx. 20cm) wide and a focal length of about 1.2m - bought after taking advice on SGL,  that's probably way more capable than what you are currently looking at.   On a good night I can see the sorts of images that are in the tiny planet pictures in that thread and about x200 to x240 is about the maximum that is useable for me to get those views.  In the UK you won't get much joy going much closer IME.  Thus, it seems unlikely that the telescope you are looking at is fit for purpose given it's optimistic descriptions.

If you haven't found it take a look at this thread 

even if you only look at the pictures on the first page.  Those pictures are what you can expect to be able to see with a far larger telescope than the table top version you have. - you views won't be as good as those pictures, but I think the thread will help.  FWIW you may have been better taking advice on SGL before spending your cash as I feel sure you could have bought something much better second hand than what you've ended up with.  Unfortunately all the hype and marketting that places like Nat. Geo. are so good at means that folks like you have their expectations raised sky high and fall at the first hurdle the moment they look at their first object.   They sell you all the stuff that sounds good like 'Barlow' and 'moon filter', but many people find they don't need either - I can cope with the brightness of the moon and the barlow will probably overegg the magnification to way beyond what is useful.  In reality I doubt you will get good use out of any of it.  Let's hope it doesn't put you off life and you end up wanting some better kit 🙂

Those are great images.  I've looked at Jupiter in the past with my telescope and not even got close to that level of detail it's amazing how the 'layering effect' of the 'persistence of vision' of cameras and videos makes all the difference.   I have always been amazed by the level detail and images captured by all of SGLs imaging community.  With many of the pictures that I've seen I've always been amazed at what can be achieved just sitting on our bit of rock so many miles away literally in some folks back yards.

I got a couple of cheap plastic bar stools that rotate to change height, I keep one set higher and one set lower.  I find these sufficient for most things.  Another handy thing is a sturdy walking pole to rest your hands on, to push down into

I have transported my 8" Dob and put the cradle in the boot and the OTA across the back seat and then chucked a blanket over it. and added a seatbelt around it

It strikes me that a useful container to help prevent scratches might be a cheap and cheerful 2nd hand duvet cover from a charity shop.

9 hours ago, Borderline Bob said:

The perfumed Ayatollah wanted wifi in her cabin and she installed one of

I'm guessing the cabin already had mains power supply, thus permitting an extender at each end.  In such a situation the overlap radius might have just cut in at 15m in each direction.  However, I am not convinced from the OP that there is facility for plugging in something at the far end of things, which very much limits the options and its a good deal further than 50m so the overlaps might not work.  I still think the OP will struggle without cable and ideally will need kit capable receiving sufficent power through that cable.

Another option might be a MiFi (often rechargeable internal battery) WiFi bubble powered by a SIM to talk to the cloud and then dial back into your internal systems via the internet.  A bit like a WiFi bubble that can be created via a mobile phone, but you can get MiFi devices specifically for just creating the bubble - Huawei make such things as do probably other manufacturers.  If you know you have mobile coverage in the area concerned then that might provide a useful alternative.

Like this:  https://consumer.huawei.com/en/routers/mobile-wifi-3s/

NB.  and the eax80 above is bouncing off a https://www.netgear.com/support/product/R9000.aspx main router so we aren't lacking in power here and I still couldn't manage it via WiFi