Dumbo

4 minutes ago, Stu said:

Nice shots, and glad the scope is working out well.

Looks like you caught the eclipse in one of your images. I tweaked it a little to show it a bit better and outlined it to show you where it is slightly darker.

You know I thought that was it on the night, but I convinced myself otherwise 🤦‍♂️. 
thanks a lot

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who helped me on my very first post here in answering my very newbie questions and on deciding which scope to go for, everyone was extremely helpful and welcoming.
I thought I would post and update on how things are going.

I ended up getting the skywatcher 200p dob and I must say, so far it's working like a charm, I also purchased a Celestron Omni 2x barlow and a tabletop skywatcher heritage 100p dob for viewing from inside my apartment (I have very large sash windows).

The conditions have been pretty appalling here in the UK, but in the last few weeks here in Dorset we finally had a few days of clear skies which I took full advantage of and spent a few hours on a few occasions looking at the moon, I was absolutely blown away to say the least. 
Being such an amateur I decided to keep it simple and spent most of my time with the moon until I learn my way around the skies., I did point at Venus at least I'm pretty sure it was, which was but a tiny speck of light, hoping to get some new eyepieces and invest in a decent stronger Barlow at some point. (any advise welcome)
And I was lucky enough to catch the Penumbral Lunar Eclipse on the 10th Jan, although with my amateurish eyes I couldn't really notice anything haha
Overall I had a very positive first time experience and cant wait to get out again when this horrendous storm is out of the way.

I took some pictures with my I phone which I would like to share, I'm a generally a terrible photographer so don't expect too much from me hahaha


 

5 minutes ago, John said:

Some light dust on the primary won't affect the views at all.

If you want to remove it and can get near the mirror, a manually operated "hurricane" blower seems to be the best tool. I use one like this:

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/matin-hurricane-blower-1028568/?mkwid=suvkiEYmP_dc&pcrid=310558796614&kword=&match=&plid=&product=1028568&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-pzQ54bH5QIVAojVCh3yZQaxEAQYBSABEgLdY_D_BwE

Best not touch the primary mirror by using a duster and suchlike.

 

 

Yes I'm very cautious about touching any of the optical surfaces really. 
Thank you for the info I will probably will get one of those, it seems pretty handy. 

9 hours ago, strayring said:

This is a strap handle I made with 50mm polyprop webbing, some fabric and a rubber grip. Straps tighten on with Velcro, Very strong and easy to remove.

I've also made a weight belt the same way that can easily be moved up or down the tube to balance. Also may I suggest some kind of stool is one of the best things you can have to improve your viewing experience.

 

Yeah I need a folding stool of some sort , managed to get a nylon bag which fit the scope perfectly with just enough room for some protective bubble wrap or towels for some extra protection.
just spent the last hour collimating the secondary mirror and realised I'll need some knee pads until I get better at that too.
Was confusing in the beginning but I think I got it now, just need to get faster.
Was hoping I wouldn't need to adjust the primary mirror but it does need some light adjustment.
so I will tackle the primary mirror at some point soon.
Also that primary mirror picks up dust pretty quickly but there is no way I'm messing with that mirror for a few specks of dust.
The little OCD man inside me is crying. I probably shouldn't have worn a jumper while doing it.. I guess in the long run it's inevitable to get dirty.
Probably a stupid question but is there a safe dusting cloth that can be used lightly to remove settled dust ?

I feel like the expense of this hobby will never end.😂😂 on the plus side I have pretty much everything I need to get started so I'm well on the way.

On 25/10/2019 at 14:09, johninderby said:

The scope should be close enough to being collimated to use right away. A collimating cap is a simple cheap but helpful tool but you’ll also want to get a Cheshire eyepiece for more precise collimation.
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/rigel-aline-collimation-cap.html

Then there is a world of increasingly expensive tools available but you won’t need any of them right away. BTW the biggest mistake I see with beginners trying to collimate a scope is making huge changes to the collimation knobs and screws. Just tiny, tiny adjustments and creep up on collimation.

It arrived today!!! 
I gave it a check over and assembled it and all looks fab!
Was wondering if there might be any common faults or any other faults I should look out for straight out of the box? 
Everything seems fine to me. 
The only downside I would say is that the eye pieces seem a little of the lower end quality however I was aware that would be the case so nothing unexpected there. 

I ordered a collimating cap from flo and also a red light night reader torch, And the "sky and telescope sky atlas" from amazon (Arriving on the 18th dec... have to wait a month and 1/2 for printing lol) Still it was the cheapest I found at £15.
I will have to wait a bit to purchase any of the more expensive parts like a Cheshire or finder etc... 
My priority next is getting a bag for it, I have my eye on this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chaseley-Awning-Staffordshire-Stitched-Material/dp/B06XPJDNLD/ref=cts_sp_2_vtp.

So now all I got to do is pray for clear sky's 🤣🤣

36 minutes ago, AdeKing said:

Hi @Dumbo welcome to the group.  Badbury Rings between Wimborne and Blandford is nice and dark, I go up there occasionally. 

Another good spot is the car park overlooking Steeple https://goo.gl/maps/WQtkeX9vpCRwTReq5

Neither are too far away from Bournemouth.

Thank you that's great I hope to check some places out soon.
I can't wait now just need to hope for some clearer weather. 

That's great news! 
I have just ordered an 8' dob and was wondering where the best places around here would be, I live in Bournemouth so this is not too far at all.
Unfortunately I do not drive so I have to persuade friends, I'm hoping I wont need to do much persuading I mean, who doesn't want to watch the ghosts of our ancestors. 

11 hours ago, Rob Sellent said:

Hope that helps a little

Oh, and welcome to SGL I look forward to meeting you on the boards and please, let us know how you get along and if you have any questions, don't hesitate in asking for assistance  

Thank you so much Rob, I really appreciate all of this information and how detailed you've been.

I'm very surprised and pleased with the response and support form everybody so thank you all, what a great place and thanks for all the pictures.
I decided to go ahead with the purchase despite the fact we are about to have a months worth of rain in 2 days and or snow (cant seem to make their mind up) so I'll doubt i will get any action out of it anytime too soon. 
I had read that collimation can be a draw back for some folks but I'm used to fiddling with intricate things, I'm hoping it should be about the same fiddlyness as doing the truss in a guitar so I'm fairly confident.
It comes with 2 eyepieces I think x48 and x120 I guess this will do me for the time being and I'm hoping it will be supplied with some kind of collimation tool, I will see. 
Perhaps when there is a sale on I will think about upgrading the eyepiece and rangefinder.
Should be here on Monday I'm very excited, I shall let you all know and no doubt I'll have some more questions.

 

I'm glad I did my research and thanks to all of you for all your ideas and help it really is helpful. I'm excited to get more into this as time go'd by.

19 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Fitting a carry handle to the tube makes it easy to carry one handed. Here’s one I fitted to a 200p I used to have.

 

That looks really good as well. I would be worried about doing any major mods like that though, maybe I'll get some straps or a bag. 

1 minute ago, Tim said:

The 200P is an all time best seller, for good reason

It seems so and it's hard to see a decent comparison within the same price range, Plus it's still kind of portable, at least I think it will be for me ( i'm not exactly small)

Cool hopefully I can get involved with some kind of club down here.
Thanks for the tip but I think I'll leave the solar viewing for now. ?Maybe when i'm more confident knowing my way around a scope.


So far i think I might settle for a skyliner 200P thanks for the links John it seems like a better option to me to just pay the extra for NIB as it's marginal. 
Has anyone had dealings with Tring before ? They seem pretty good from what I've read.

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

There’s a 200p on ABS.

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=152363

Yeah thanks a lot I saw that, I live in Dorset so the logistics of getting it poses a problem, since it would almost cost me £80 to chippinham.
I have seen one brand new for £280 and that's what I'm considering. It was £260 yesterday amazon, missed that one tho. 
and if I do decide to go for this one I suppose I will need to put aside some money for a finder too.

13 minutes ago, banjaxed said:

I have the Skywatcher 200P and find it to be a great starter scope. If you are on flat ground from your scopes storage to viewing place you could build or buy a platform trolley which makes it very easy to move around.

Have you upgraded the finder yet ? 

That looks real nice. 
I'll check out SGL or Astrobuysell and see what there is thank you. 

Thank you very much john,
it's a little out of my price range I may consider 2nd hand however I'm extremely put off buying second hand unless form a reputable store. 
I could hold out a suppose and wait till  January. I feel like it's not a great idea to rush into anything like this.

Total noob here first time post and need some friendly advice, 
I'm seriously thinking about getting into star gazing with telescopes and after looking around in various places it seems this is a good one to go for, I can see it's not that portable but still could be manageable with a bag and certainly doable with 2 people. 
I'm wondering what your thoughts are and if perhaps there are other options around this price range £200-300? 
As mentioned I'm a total noob with telescopes, all help and advise would be greatly appreciated.