Jm1973

Evening all.

I am looking to just take a few pics of the moon through my 114/500 newt, by attaching my D3300 to it. I'm going to buy a T ring and adaptor, and an eyepiece projection adaptor.

I've looked around and I can pick up all 3 for less than 20 quid on ebay, from China. I've looked nearer and some of them can cost multiple times that.

Am I ok to just get a cheapie from ebay? It seems like there's not a lot of moving parts, so to speak. It's just something to hold the camera onto the telescope.

All opinions welcome.

7 minutes ago, Stu said:

That certainly sounds like you are able to reach focus with the eyepiece, as you are getting to a minimum size then it is increasing again.

Was that on Jupiter still, or did you try on any stars? It’s well worth doing a star test, try on Polaris as it is about the right brightness and doesn’t move much.

Jupiter at first glance may not show much, especially if the seeing is poor. Give it another go when you’ve got clearer skies and see how you get on. First thoughts are that collimation probably isn’t far off, so I wouldn’t fiddle with it until you have had a longer session

That was Jupiter. The sky was full of clouds and three just happened to be a gap where Jupiter was. I'll try it on a star as well when the weather gets a bit better.

Thanks for the reply. 

1 minute ago, DaveL59 said:

ahh ok, sounds like maybe you overshot, easy to do. with higher mag you need finer movements to hit the focus perhaps. At least is sounds like you aren't limited by focuser travel. For sure the weather isn't helping at the moment, now it's cleared a bit the planets are behind tree's here plus quite a breeze so I've not played at all tonight.

Ah, hopefully that is the case. It was all rather hurried, trying to catch gaps in the cloud. 

I'll try again when the skies are clearer and try to be a bit more methodical. Thanks for the replies.

Clear skies.

6 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

What sort of star/airy-disc shapes do you get either side of focus?

If round then collimation isn't likely to be too far out but in any case I'd expect you to still be able to reach focus. I assume you were seeing an airy disc or image full of fuzz while trying to focus? Or was it just blackness? It's possible that the Ostara needs further in-travel to reach focus compared to the 25mm you have. Perhaps try in daylight on a bright distant target and see if you can find focus at all and where relative to the 25mm the focuser is set to.

I'll have to try again to be sure, and the weather has gone bad so can't right now, but I seemed to be getting a fairly roundish disc with a dot in the middle. I was quite brief so it's hard to say. Also I am very new to this, so I'm not sure about terminology. 

However, it seemed to be out of focus by a lot, then when I turned the focusser in one direction it got more in focus, then at the point when it should have popped into focus  it didn't, then when I continued in the same direction it got more out of focus again. 

Hi. I've recently gained a used skywatcher 114/500 telescope, with a 25mm eyepiece (giving a magnification of x20) which I have been using to look at Jupiter, weather permitting. The resultant view is pretty small and not sharply focussed, but I can clearly see the planet (as a smallish dot) and three of its moons (as smaller dots). Hooray!

I have just bought an Ostara x2 Barlow and an Ostara 6mm Plossl, as a way of giving me magnifications of x40, x80 and x160 (approximately). I went out tonight, and although extremely cloudy there were enough breaks in the cloud to briefly test my new purchases. First I tried the Barlow and the 25mm. As expected I could see the same view but ever so slightly larger. The crispness, or lack of, was about the same. However, when I tried to use the 6mm, with or without the Barlow, I was not able to focus the image. It remained out ofd focus no matter what I did.  Admittedly I only had a few minutes to try before the clouds descended completely, and rain ended play, but it did seem pretty impossible to gain a decentish focus. 

Is this likely to be due to a need for collimation? I got the impression when I collected the telescope that it had been stuffed in an attic for a long time and hadn't been used in years. Also I drove about 5 miles with it in the boot, and I carry it in and out several times a night sometimes, as the weather is variable. I haven't collimated it yet because I don't know how to do it. So I would think it would definitely benefit from beingcollimated.

But my question is, does this inability to gain focus at higher magnifications sound like it could be down to collimation issues?

Thanks in advance for any helpful replies.

1 hour ago, John said:

An F/6 is more of an all rounder in my view. Slightly kinder to wide field eyepieces as well.

 

 

Thanks. I am coming round to the idea of getting an 8" f6 dob.

5 hours ago, lenscap said:

As johninderby says, Synta used the Helios brand for scopes before they thought of the Skywatcher moniker.

Not exactly. Those Helios dobs are F/5 while current 200p skyliners are F/6 if that matters to you.

Bear in mind ENS sell used gear & that scope is around 20 years old.

I independently realised it's F5 and the Skyliner is F6. I've been trying to find out which is better for my needs.

As I understand it the F5 is more susceptible to coma, and more likely to need collimating, and gives a wider FoV, but is more portable.

The F6 might be better for planetary/lunar with it's slightly higher magnification.

Is there that much in it? I kind of want an all rounder really. Observing planets, lunar, and some DSO once I get the hang of finding them. 

Saying that I didn;t know it was 20 years old. Maybe I'd be better find something a bit more recent. Any thoughts?

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

It’s an older dob marketed under the Helios brand but made by Synta who make Skywatcher. Same dob. 

Thanks

Hi. I'm thinking of buying a 8" dob, and have been considering the Skywatcher Skyliner 200p.

I've seen this advertised which says it is a "Skywatcher/Helios Skyliner 200P" - http://ensoptical.co.uk/skywatcher-helios-200p

It seems to be cheaper than other dobs which claim to be Skywatcher Skyliner 200P, but don;t mention Helios. 

Is they the same thing, or is this something else?

Wow! They look great. Something that would fit on a plane as hand luggage would be great.

I'm still thinking maybe I'll get a Dob to start with, as they are fairly cheap and see how I get on with that first.

3 hours ago, PlanetGazer said:

Not sure exactly, I store it in my office, heat over here will ruin anything , yes it takes place in my office, but I would love to look at it everyday to remind myself to get it used. Not to mention that indoors reduces the amount of dust. 

 

You will figure the perfect spot for it once you buy it. You shouldn't be in a rush anyway. Enjoy whatever equipment you have at the moment, it's only a gate to the amazing heavens above

 

Clear Skies!

I'm struggling to stick with what I've got for now... the temptation to price up other kit is overwhelming.

I'm wondering whether it's worth shelling out for a mak or an sct now.

16 hours ago, LeeHore7 said:

Hi

Sometimes they say on various places not to store in a conservatory, but if it's the only place and like the article pixies posted there are a lot of conservatory stores, it's got to be, maybe put a space foil blanket over it that would reduce the heat and reflect the sunlight and heat back off the scope. 

That's a good idea.

Thanks Pixies. That's useful to know. Probably the only place I'll have room for it, and also won't have to carry it too far to get it outside.

On 16/08/2020 at 14:06, PlanetGazer said:

Hi JM

£20 well spent. It will serve good as a starter telescope, to test your eagerness of the hobby.

If you find yourself getting into the hobby, start by buying a 2x barlow and 5 mm EP which will serve you on the long run, the barlow with the 25mm you already have will give you 12.5mm, which would cover the 10mm range.

If the 25mm EP you have is the stock Skywatcher, I would keep it and rely on it, the 10mm stock ones are not that good.

I use the xCelx celestron 5mm, which give good planetary and lunar views. Not always though, the sky conditions have to be stable.

Edit: Consider buying a used 8 inch dob, the sweet spot

Thanks for the reply.

I've just bought an Ostara 2x Barlow and 6" EP for £40. Should be arriving tomorrow.

I am definitely keeping an eye out for a used 8" dob. I'm just trying to work out if I've got enough room for it.

Do you think keeping a telescope in a concservatory, that gets very hot on sunny days, will potentially be a problem for the optics?

6 minutes ago, LeeHore7 said:

Hi

Someone with more experience would offer better advice than I as only been into this hobby since April, the maximum useful magnification isn't always as high as its stated in my opinion so will be lower, a x3 barlow on your 25mm will give you a just over 6mm ep equivalent, but this may prove to much and struggle to get good focus as the higher magnification the less room for focus there is, but could be wrong, if I were you I'd play around with the scope before buying more eps, but replacing the stock 25mm for a better quality one and a  good quality 2x barlow would be good I think, First light optics are a good website and good choice and see where you go ftom there, but I could ge wrong with my advice but that's what I'd do and we all have different opinions. Clear skies 

Well you know more than I do, and I appreciate your input. I'll start looking at Barlows I think.

29 minutes ago, LeeHore7 said:

Hi jm

You got a bargain there for £20 they are going for a lot more on the Internet and skywatcher are a great make, yes the barlow goes between the scope and eyepiece and will double the magnification so your 25mm ep will become a 12.5mm ep,clear skies when they arrive and it won't long until your bitten by the bug 😊

Hey thanks for the reply.

I've just been looking and it seems like you can get x3 Barlows too. Is it worth getting one of those?

As I understand it, the maximum magnification this scope should use is 114x2 = x228.

And if the 25mm eyepiece is giving x20 now, it seems x60 is well within the bounds of what is usable.

And if I bought a 10mm eyepiece as well, that would give x50 magnification normally, and x3 would be x150 so again within limits.

Or are there other reasons for sticking to a x2 Barlow as oposed to a x3?

And can you recommend a decent but affordable brand of Barlow?

Thanks!

11 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

For £20 that's a bargain. Have you looked at Jupiter and Saturn? It's surprising what you can see with 20x.

The benefit of low magnification is a relatively wide field of view, which will be great for looking at open clusters.

I'd suggest continuing to consider getting a Dobsonian scope, there will be more you can see that will complement what you can see with your bargain scope.

Rather than looking at getting a new eyepiece as such, you might consider getting a 2x Barlow lens, that will effectively give you a 12.5 mm eyepiece view with your existing one.

It can be used with other eyepieces as well, so it's an affordable easy of giving you a wider variety of magnifications.

I literally picked it up today, and the weather is awful, so I've not looked at anything except my neighbour's chimney so far.

I was thinking about a barlow actually. How do they work? Do they fit between the eyepiece and the scope?

Apologies. I see to have muddled my quotes somewhat.

HI

21 minutes ago, Stu said:

You are correct, x20 it is.

Ah, that's good. I have learnt something then.

23 minutes ago, Stu said:

I would agree that going for your original choice of 6” or 8” dob is likely to be more satisfying in the long run, but hey, £20 for what you have got is not a problem!

I'll be honest. The only reason I bought this is because I've been so excited about getting a scope for the last few weeks. I also realise it could take weeks to wait for the right scope, at the right price, in the right place to turn up, and I just wanted to get started. Hopefully this will give me the patience to wait for the right 6-8" Dob to come along. Also it gives me an idea of how much I like lugging kit in and out of the house, and how easy it is to find somewhere to store this stuff. And whether I actually enjoy the reality of the hobby, as much as the idea of it. Etc., etc.

 

27 minutes ago, Stu said:

x20 is a low power, widefield view a little like high powered binoculars. You would be able to see open clusters such as the Pleiades nicely with it, and it will make a decent finder eyepiece.

Well that's good. I will enjoy trying to find them!

28 minutes ago, Stu said:

It is easy to fritter away funds on things that seem like bargains, when the best course of action is actually to buy fewer, higher quality items. I would decide what scope you intend to use eg stick with this one or buy the dob, and then decide what budget you might have for eyepieces.

This is a tester really. If I start enjoying myself I'll buy a dob. I have the money, uit's just I don't want to buy it and find I am bored in a month. I wonder is there an eyepiece I could buy that would be useful for both the 114/500 and a 6-8" dobsonian?

30 minutes ago, Stu said:

Decent eyepieces don’t have to be earth shatteringly expensive, but it is well worth spending a reasonable sum on them. The BST Starguider range are both good quality and good value for example.

Having a range of low, mid and high power, up to say x200 in a 6 or 8” dob is worthwhile; planets will look good at x150 to x200 ish depending on conditions, other objects are framed better at lower powers to.

Thanks for the advice. This is all very useful, and appreciated.

22 minutes ago, Dantooine said:

That eyepiece would give you a magnification of 25x. As you only paid £20 for the setup I would use what you have got to find your way around the sky while you save for the dobsonian. 

Thanks for the reply. I thought the magnification was calculated by dividing the focal length into the diameter of the eyepiece, so 500/25 = 20?

Or have I missed something? Genuine question, I am totally new to this.

Your advice seems sound. I have no idea what x25 (or x20 for that matter) will allow me to see properly. The skies are cloudy at present or I'd be out there finding out!

Hi SGL.

I am a complete and utter neophyte to this hobby. I have spent the last couple of weeks researching different mounts, scopes, etc. and 100% decided I wanted to buy a 6-8" Dobsonian... probably a Skywatcher, but then on a whim (as I saw it on Sale cheaply a few miles away) I bought a Skywatcher SKP1145EQ1 which is a 114/500 equatorial mounted scope. 

I only paid £20 for it, so if I can't get on  with it I've not wasted much money. However, the only eyepiece it came with was a Skywatcher Super 25 Wide Angle Long Eye Relief. With a focal length of 500, if my maths serves me, this will only give a magnification of x20. I'm not sure how much I will be able to see with this.

I think I probably need to but a more high powered eyepiece, maybe a 10mm or 6mm in order to get reasonable views of the planets. I have seen the equivalent 10mm Skywatcher lens going for about 13 quid. Or should I consider getting a more expensive one, as I imagine I will upgrade the scope at some point, so why buy twice.

Also.. should I go for a 6mm, as opposed to a 10mm to get better planetary views? One caveat is I am 47, and I know that the old you get the more issues you run into with pupil size etc.

Any advice, or general thoughts, welcome.

~John