Dark Vader

I definitely feel a disturbance in the force - probably due to last night's curry...😂

That's got it, thanks. 👍

I need to do this with mine but the only thing I can see holding it in are the adjustment screws. Do we just loosen those and twist? I don't want to break anything through brute force and ignorance 😀 Andy

Here's my Skywatcher 8" Dob. It stands 52" high and the base measures 20.5" diameter. It fits nicely in a spare corner. It's quite heavy but much easier / better to move in 2 trips. The base has a strong handle, and I can carry it with one hand although your experience may differ. Take the OTA off the base, move the base, put the OTA back on the base - job's a good un! Hth Andy ......for some reason the picture won't load......

I've got the premium FLO one, only used it twice but it seems well made (he says knowledgeably) 😂 and does what it says on the tin 😃 got my 200p to what I believe is spot on with it. Andy

I have the FLO premium one. Have only really used it once and assumed it had to go in up to the hilt, as it were. 😃 The thought behind that was the eye hole would be nearer to the height of the supplied EP when looking through it. I don't know if I'm using it correctly... I can see the secondary, primary clips and cross hairs through it so shouldn't be far wrong. Andy

Starguider 21-7 zoom EP. Thought it was as good a place as any to start 😀

Hello and welcome. I took delivery of a Skywatcher Skyliner 200p last week. From order through FLO to delivery was just over 4 weeks. Given the shortage due to C19, that's pretty good IMO. Ive managed to get out once with it so far and I can tell you the views through this scope are astonishing. This is a cracking bit of kit. Very big though... Andy

Thanks, I think he has... I just paid £39 delivered for the Starguider zoom and I'm hoping it turns out to be a bargain. It should give me all the magnification I can use, especially barlowed.

Thanks Des, I think you're right but it was a close one...I had to keep lining up the views for him without really knowing what I was doing. I've taken him out a few times with the binos and he enjoys that too. The recent Mercury Venus conjunction and of course comet Neowise were def. the best of them.

Looking out to the SE around 10ish I saw the 2 gas giants up in a clear sky, with a good forecast on CO I put the new dob out to cool. As I turned to fetch the OTA, my 9 year old son had escaped from his bedroom (should have been asleep by then) and was watching me set up the scope. "Can I do stargazing with you?" he says. I told him not to expect too much as I'm not used to moving it around and finding stuff yet. Also, I had little confidence my finderscope alignment was any good...turns out it wasn't! I found Jupiter in the raci finder - scope was nowhere near it! Couldn't get the scope view to clear the garden fence. I'm hoping for a better view when the water butt stand turns up. He pointed out that he could see the moon coming up through the trees so I found that and waited for it to clear the branches. As it climbed higher, I put the supplied 25mm EP in, focussed and the first wow moment of many came along. Beautiful crisp detail, the rays around Tycho and Copernicus nice and clear and some lovely views of peaks and craters around the top. I told him to sit at the eyepiece - the wow moments started coming fast at that point. That look of wide eyed excitement as he looked up having seen the craters and mountains alone was worth the time and money. Then I put the 2x Barlow in, refocused and was blown away by the clarity of the view. I briefly put the 10mm into the Barlow just to see what it was like. So much detail visible. He asked me if it was normal to see what he called "a slight wobbling, like looking over a heater." I explained it was caused by the atmosphere. I noticed Mars just clearing the trees to the East, checked it in the 10x50 bins and told him we'd have a look when it got a bit higher. Went back to the 25mm, found it, just looked like a reddish disc. Popped the 10mm in and the wish could have been father to the thought but I'm sure I could make out the phase and some slightly darker shadow detail on the surface, and a point of light that, when checked on Sky Safari, had to be Deimos. I tried realigning the finder on Mars, got it central but then Barlowed the 10mm and although still central in the finder had disappeared from the EP. Couldn't find it again without going back to the 25mm and starting again. There must be a knack to it... experience will no doubt make things like that easier. By this point, young un was tiring (it was gone half past midnight) and we called it a night. 1st impression - This scope is a beast, even better than I'd hoped. Even though Jupiter and Saturn were obscured by trees and the fence and I still have little idea what I'm doing, that was brilliant. Mind = blown. I've ordered a 21-7 Starguider zoom. Can't wait for that to turn up... I assume its possible to Barlow a zoom? Another question - can I turn the eyepiece on the raci finder to the same angle as the main eyepiece, and how do I do it without breaking anything? TIA Andy

One of these with a camping chair should save your back a bit... Andy https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lifetime-Personal-Table-20-Inch-Molded/dp/B0006D50RO/ref=mp_s_a_1_21?adgrpid=51889006063&dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyJn5BRDrARIsADZ9ykEK2iodiAwKv0RLmPL-Hgrda95w9HVJ94eT9ZmvHdXJCkvGAk1ioa0aAlK3EALw_wcB&hvadid=259100082187&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1006567&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15359359948044215000&hvtargid=kwd-312754562070&hydadcr=15723_1735163&keywords=3ft+folding+table&qid=1596368684&sr=8-21

Postie turned up with this little lot last Tuesday. Delivered it to Vader towers one box at a time an hour apart, despite Mrs. V saying "are you sure there's only 1 box, we're expecting 2?" No, he says, then comes back later looking a bit sheepish! 🤣 Due to work shifts etc. I only got the time to put it all together yesterday pm. Fits nicely in the corner I used to keep some of my guitars in. Primary tweaked today, little dot is in the hole etc. Andy

Excellent - thanks again.

Hi Geoff Thank you for that. Is it normal for the primary to look off to the right like that or am I being a bit OCD?

Hello Just finished building the Skyliner 200p, popped in the Cheshire and this is how it looks right out of the box. What do you think? Based on this dodgy phone shot through the Cheshire, is it close, what would you think needs doing if anything? All advice very much appreciated Andy

I bought the "normal" non hd version for my 9 year old son to use for £20 from Ebay. They are light, easy for him to hold and for £20 doesn't matter too much if he drops them 😀 - they work and he's happy using them. The hd, I've not looked through but are available cheaper that here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142097190406 Hth, if only to save £30 😀 Andy

Hello and welcome to SGL I use Sky Safari 6 plus on my phone (costs a few quid but well worth it) and Stellarium on my laptop (Everyone's favourite price - free!) A good one I find for the moon is Lunar map HD. There are loads of very helpful, knowledgeable people on here. Enjoy the new scope Andy

The Lunar Map HD app has an Observing instrument bit in the settings giving normal / binocular, various mirrored or upside down views. Andy

At the top of this forum is an excellent, informative and very well written article called "What can I expect to see". It certainly helped manage my expectations when I started out last year. A highly recommended read, if you've not already done so.

I've recently ordered a 200p Dob after a fair bit of research and invaluable advice on here saying that for a 1st scope it was best to avoid an EQ mount. I'm still using bins until it turns up, and reading as much as possible on how to work it! 🤪

It should still be possible to get them into conditional alignment with a bit more "tweaking". I had a pair of Strathspey marine 10x50s (2nd hand from the Bay) that I swear the delivery company must have played football with en route! The rooftop test showed 2 very different images. I got them pretty close using the rooftop in daylight, then a star test. Arcturus x 2.... 🙄 I got them even closer using the defocused right eyepiece method but still not quite there. All the adjustments were to the right side prism so far as that was the side that looked out on the roof test, so I did a small adjustment to the left and it was spot on. As stated earlier, it is a tedious process - 1/8 of a turn on the screw, check and repeat if necessary - took me just under an hour. I'll still be sending mine off to be collimated properly but until then at least they are useable, if only for my IPD. Good luck Andy

I have 7x50, 10x50 and 15x70, the 10x50 gets used the most by a long way. Get a pistol grip ball head and a monopod and you'll be well set up. Andy

Excellent advice, thanks all. The telrad is certainly something I need to look into 🤣 (ugh) Seriously contemplating the zoom ep as well, but as long as I got enough to start off it'll all come together in time. And a few more paydays... Andy

Aargh, my replies notifications had turned off... Good shout on the zoom EP, it's not something I'd thought about. I'm hearing that the standard 25 and 10mm included aren't the best and the BST range are well thought of towards the "cheaper" end of the money pit I just jumped into 😀 At this point I'm still looking for tutorials on collimation by Cheshire. Most of the YouTube stuff seems to be oriented towards lasers. I'm sure it will get easier with a bit of practice but it's the main thing I've had difficulty understanding so far. I've seen Astrobaby's guide highly recommended and have read it to a point where its beginning to sink in 🤪 Red torch and hip flask sorted 👍 Thanks everyone Andy