Skywatcher 200p Flex-tube Auto

[George!]

I was wondering whether to save up a couple of hundred more and purchase the Skywatcher 200p Flex-tube Auto? Simply because it will track my chosen object. But how long does the battery last when spending around 10minutes on each object for 2 hours do you think? I'm rather tempted to op for the 300p dob aswell.

EDIT: This would also be my permanent childhood telescope (I'm 13 years old)

Advice Welcome,

[brantuk]

The 300P easilly lasts for 3-4hrs constantly "on" using a Maplins 17ah battery pack. And I'm sure it will go on an hour or two longer. But I allways recharge after every session for 8hrs, and it's been like this for 18mths now with no sign of slackening off.

Get them when they're on offer for around £35 for the "5 in 1" model. Also I have my 300P on a goto handset - great upgrade for later

[George!]

The 300P easilly lasts for 3-4hrs constantly "on" using a Maplins 17ah battery pack. And I'm sure it will go on an hour or two longer. But I allways recharge after every session for 8hrs, and it's been like this for 18mths now with no sign of slackening off.

Get them when they're on offer for around £35 for the "5 in 1" model. Also I have my 300P on a goto handset - great upgrade for later

Is the auto any good though, say I got M42 in my view, all I have to do is press one button and its captured? Same for Jupiter lets say which moves out of view quite quickly? Does it stay in focus also or does the image keep bluring as the scope turns?

[brantuk]

Well it's an alt/az mount so you will definitley get field rotation if you do long exposures - not really do'able. But some folks have got "interesting" results from the brighter dso's like M42 with up to 20 secs. Dso imaging though needs an equatorial mount.

It will track Jupiter and planets for 30 mins before they start to drift out of the eyepiece - but planets are so bright you'll be doing sub second shots anyway. A webcam will be better than a dslr for that. Then stack the avi frames in Registax and process in Photoshop or some of the free software like Gimp.

The best thing to do by far is get an imaging book like "Making Every Photon Count". Astro imaging is a bit of a dark art with a steep learning curve

[George!]

Is it hard to move the scope with the controller? Or can you move it manually? Say I wanted to get a DSO in view do I have to use the controller all the way to reach it and is it hard to get it centred? In other words hard to control into view? I was also thinking about getting the ISS into view under low magnification, would it track that to? One last thing is there anyway of moving it by hand?

[brantuk]

You won't be able to track the ISS with this scope or pretty much any other scope. It goes way too quick by a factor of about 16. It goes round the globe in 90 mins approx whereas Earth takes 24hrs to do one revolution. Scopes track at Earth rate (or sidereal).

However - you don't have to use the motors to slew to a target. You do need to keep it switched, on but you can "push to" your target manually, and then fine tune or center it in the eyepiece with the arrow keys. It will continue tracking wherever you leave it pointing - quite a clever little innovation really

[George!]

IGNORE THIS

[George!]

Great, hopefully I'll be able to have it by Peak Star Party but I still have to find the extra money (sounds like washing some cars for my Mum to me!). Very excited however for my first star party!

Donations are welcome along with advice!

[brantuk]

Look forward to seeing you there

[George!]

Look forward to seeing you there

Great how I'll meat SGL members even though there probably x2 and x3 or even x4 the age of me! But I gotta start somewhere!

[nightfisher]

Great how I'll meat SGL members even though there probably x2 and x3 or even x4 the age of me! But I gotta start somewhere!

maybe some of us are a lot more the 4x your age!!!

good luck with the 200 auto, quite fancy one myself;)