YogSothoth

Thanks for the replies. I’ll have a look at the primary. It’ll give me something to do while it rains non stop 😂

OK cool. Thanks for that. I’ll have a look at the primary.

Hi All. I’ve had my 200p f5.91 for a couple of months and was just wondering about the collimation. I’ve taken a photo through a collimator cap and was wondering how much people thought the collimation was out by if at all. Many thanks.

23 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Took me a while to track it down but this is an ST80 thread you may find it useful to read :

 

Interesting thread. Thanks for that.

15 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Hi , I honestly don't know the Meade scope but I have owned an st80 .. its a great little scope that you will use for scanning the skies, and viewing the Moon just like you would with a decent pair of binoculars.  

You might want to consider a 90mm frac ,from SVbony which is nice and compact and is supplied with a dual speed focuser.. its about 80 pounds more than the st80 but when you consider the extra aperture, focuser and the nice aluminium case it comes in is worth considering.  Also it will open up more viewing options.  Planets will appear larger for one 

Just my opinion of course

I'm sure you will get many others in here.  

Stu 

Thanks for the reply. That 90mm looks good but probably a bit more than I want to pay right now, which is why I’m hoping the Meade and SW are the same scope. A quick scan of the skies is what I’m after really. For those times when there’s a few gaps in the cloud, but it’s not really worth lugging my 200p out into the garden

Thought I’d say hello. I’ve been interested in astronomy since I got a Tasco 60mm at the age of 9, so know my way around the sky. I’ve been away from the hobby for a couple of years as I managed to break my Celestron HD102 (don’t ask 😂) but have recently got myself a SW 200p, which I’m thoroughly enjoying using. 

So I was thinking of a small, lightweight refractor as a second scope and was looking at the SW ST80 (£189), but then I came across a Meade Adventure 80 (£99). My question is, are these the same scope? And if so, why the big price difference? I’m not bothered about the accessories that come with them really as I already have eyepieces. Many thanks.

Thanks for the replies and I’ll have a look at that thread @Zermelo

17 minutes ago, Dave scutt said:

A bigger hole in your pocket 

Well there is that 😂

OK, so I’m after a 12mm eyepiece for my 200p. Now a BST is £49, whereas something like a Baader Morpheus is £188, so my question is, what difference would I actually see between the two? Many thanks.

Thanks again for all of the replies and great information. My 200p arrived today and is now all set up. Looks to be well collimated as far as I can see, so just waiting for some clear sky now. It’s currently grey and drizzly. Oh well…….

4 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

I have only just picked up on the thread and am surprised nobody has asked about your eyepiece collection. If it exists.

If you use the stock 25mm EP, it gives OK views.
Most people find the 10mm eyepiece is next to useless.

More money to spend! But ask first for recommendations.

On collimation. Don't get worried about it unless you have obviously funny shape stars.
We all have our favourite tools and methods.
The benefit of the tools is you can do the job in daylight!
A visit to a local astro club will be worthwhile. A hands on demo rather than reading books works wonders.
The old hands will also quickly spot serious problems - if there are any.
I had such a scope in 2003 and fortunately the wise people at a local club helped out the newbie.

Keep posting questions, and the 200P is a cracking scope.

David.

As far as eyepieces go, I’ve got the original 25mm that I got with the Celestron 102 and a couple of Celestron plossls- 9mm + 15mm, so OK for those, although I might replace the 25mm at some stage. I hear that BST are quite reasonable eyepieces that aren’t too expensive? I know what you mean about a hands on demo. Much better than reading instructions. Just looking forward to getting my new scope now.

Thanks for all of the replies. I went ahead and ordered the 200p with a Cheshire and a collimator cap (it was only £6). Just waiting delivery and some clear skies now.

On 13/10/2021 at 11:43, Philip R said:

If you get on with your neighbour, politely them round for a drink and/BBQ and show them the heavens above. If they have young children, I am sure they will enjoy the views too.

Obviously if it is to much and the light spill is encroaching your garden, then again have a polite word to explain and rectify the situation. Alternatively your local authority should be able to assist or have a look at the CfDS website.

Yeah, I’m going to go and ask him about it at the weekend and see what he says. He may be quite reasonable and not know it’s a problem I guess. It also makes our bedroom much brighter, which is annoying. It’s usually pitch black but we can now see the room quite clearly. 

I live in a small village where the street lights turn off at 12am. I get fairly dark skies with reasonable views of the Milky Way. That is until a couple of days ago, when my neighbour installed a very bright, unshielded light which he’s been leaving on all night. 

Thanks a lot for all your replies. Some great info there and I’m a lot clearer now about what I need. I guess using refractors for years, I’ve been kind of anxious about the collimating process but doesn’t seem too bad. The Stellalyra 8” looks good but I can’t find any reviews. Does anyone know how it compares with the SW. in terms of the optical quality?

OK thanks for the reply. So I need a laser collimator and a Cheshire? Mm beginning to sound more expensive. I’ve used a Celestron 102HD for a number of years and have been quite happy with it until it suffered an err accident. The reason I’m thinking of a 200p is because it’s about the same price as replacing the 102 with a SW equivalent, but buying both collimator and a Cheshire is going to add about another £100 to the cost so  maybe I’ll have to rethink. 

Hi All. I’ve used a refractor for a number of years, but am thinking of buying a SW 200p. Now my question is, what do I need to buy along with it in terms of collimating tools. I’m guessing I’ll not be able to use it straight out of the box without collimating it first. There is an ‘essentials laser collimator’ for £45 on FLO site which says that I also need a sight tube as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance.