Ordered first scope

[Karlos]

Okay guys, been a member on here for a little while now and finally scraped together some money to buy my first budget scope that will keep my appetite wetted whilst I save for a mount and then a bigger scope. I decided to order the Sky watcher Sky hawk 114p from Telescope shop (as it was the best I could get for my money). I have had a little bit of experience of using a 76mm reflector, that was enough to keep me interested so I'm sure this will be sufficient to practise observational skills and learn my way roughly around the skies.

Should be here by Wednesday - sorry guys the weathers going to get bad

I will be writing a first impressions and first light report (Hopefully the same day!). I will be looking at buying a higher mag EP for this scope to try and squeeze out its potential, could anyone recommend any that are good to add to your collection?

Clear skies and thanks for reading!

[Ad Astra]

Hi Karl,

Congrats on your new baby! I'm guessing that your new scope will probably come with a 25mm and 10mm lens? That is pretty standard.

You may wish to add a 2x Barlow lens, as that will double both lenses, giving you a choice of 4 magnifications instead of just 2. A Barlow will help build your collection, just don't buy two EP's that are exact multiples of each other. For instance, a 15mm and 30mm would not benefit from the Barlow!

Cheers,

Dan

[Karlos]

Hey thanks for your reply dan

Yes I believe it will be coming with a 10 and 25mm EP plus a x2 barlow. I was thinking of buying a EP mainly for higher mag for observation of planets, but have no idea what is good and bad?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[Astro Imp]

Hi Karl,

Congratulations on your new scope.

Hope it stays fine for you.

Looking forward on to your first light report.

Good luck.

[Herbig]

I got the Revelation Astro Kit of EP's & a Barlow but that would be dupplicating all but the 25. I'd get something like a 32 and a 15, you'll have a good range then. Magnification is not everything.

Get the best you can afford

[stolenfeather]

Congratulations on your first telescope Karl! Keep up your appetite amd saving your money, your journey has just begun!

Isabelle

[david o]

Hi there Karl, congrats on the new 'scope

For the ins 'n' outs of choosing EPs, you might find these posts : [thread=80772]"Eyepieces - the very least you need"[/thread] and [thread=63184]"Understanding and choosing eyepieces"[/thread] a help in guiding you through the basics.

To be honest, I'd be tempted not to buy anything for now and just use what came with the 'scope. With eyepiece time under your belt you'll know what needs replacing, or if there's a gap that needs filling.

HTH

[RikM]

The 10mm + the Barlow will give you about the maximum magnification from your scope. I doubt you will be able to use any more and most probably a bit less. As others have said, take a bit of time to get used to your kit before going wild with the eyepieces.

If you really must buy something extra you would probably do better to add a red dot finder or even better a Rigel Quickfinder or Telrad. It can be tricky to locate objects with a telescope but it is much easier if you can 'see' where you're pointing it.

[Karlos]

Hey guys thanks for your replies - I believe this scope already has a 2x barlow included, but because of the short focal length will probably need a x3 to really work on planetary views, I'm not planning on going crazy with EPs just yet, but they seem to be a sound investment as I move up through scopes. Any particular lines or brands that are recommended for a fast scope like this? Believe its 4.4 FR so will be less forgiving on EP?

Scope should arrive any minute or any hour from now today, I'm literally running up the walls of my house in anticipation, anyone have any methods to stop or calm this? Daytime TV sucks, even more than just TV

EDIT: Alo looking at Baader Astrofilm as I know how temperamental the weather is would give the chance to get some daytime use out of the scope too, but will the Astrofilm by itself reveal any features i.e. In white light with sun spots? Or is it essential to also use additional filters in conjunction with this? Again, can anyone confirm filters are something worth purchasing as they can be used scope to scope?