Some questions from a beginner

[UnderTheRain]

Hi I've been thinking about getting a telescope for a long time (many years) and as of late I've found myself looking up at the night sky and at Jupiter a lot and thinking to myself that I wish I could a better view. I've been reading a lot about astronomy lately and have found myself stood outside quite a few times with a sky map staring up at the stars. So I've decided that I'd like to get a decent scope.

I've been reading a lot about scopes and have an interest in photographing some of the objects. I have no experience of telescopes but as I have been interested for a long time I have decided to get the best scope I can afford. I have pretty much decided on a Skywatcher Explorer 200P and EQ5 which seems to have very favorable user reviews. I realise that this might be a big bit of equipment to start with but I don't want to get something I'll have to replace too soon.

I'm interested in looking at deep space objects as well as the planets and would like some advice. Is this scope too much for a beginner? Is it suitable for both looking at planets and deep space? And is it better to have the P or PDS version? the latter has dual speed focus and a shorter tube length. * Any help you could offer would be appreciated.

Thanks

Brian

[Moonshane]

welcome to the group Brian.

the scope you mention will be a very good scope and provide excellent views visually of the planets and many other deeper space targets. it has good aperture and is of good build quality. it will be quite a large unit altogether but manageable if you are of average strength etc.

the scope is a little big for the mount for imaging purposes I fear and you'd need either a substantially bigger mount or a different scope for this mount for imaging.

I personally prefer the alt azimuth mounts for visual use but these are not good for photography.

photography CAN be very expensive to get the very best results but you can get decent results with a little less kit.

[todd8137]

hi sounds like a good choice best to get the one you want from the word go,i say this if the 200p is the one you think you want go for the 300p because you will be saying in a month or twos time ,damm should have got the 300p lol but the 200 is a good choice and will bring the goodies the night skies bring also the weather over the next few months and years will become a obsession

good luck

[king-jaffethehutt]

you could always split the difference and get the 250p!

[FrankieValley]

Hi,

I had a 300P and just purchased a 250PDS to obtain more 'back focus'. My explanation of back focus is the distance between the outer end of the focus holder and the focal point - the focal point is where you will need to position your imaging ccd. You will read that back focus is more limited on reflectors and indeed it is, but there is still enough of it. You may want to cram a filterwheel, an off axis guider and a field flattener in between your focus holder and the focal plane/point... it can be done on a 300 or a 250 (and the same for a 200, but I haven't had a 200, so reader beware). The shorter PDS tube (in my experience) only gives you 2/3mm more back focus over a P tube. Yes, you get a dual speed focuser and that is useful. In my experience, the difference between the P and the PDS comes down to two things - focuser and price.

I loved the 300P on my EQ6 mount, but it had its drawbacks. The 300 is heavy and it is very cumbersome, but above all it is long and the eyepiece is high up. I had to stand on a chair or some step ladders to look into the eyepiece - 75% of the time. In the dark, that is not comfortable. My 250PDS requires no chair or ladder and neither will the 200P or PDS.

The 250 will be too much for an EQ5, but from a load perspective it should handle the 200. Research the load capabilities and then try to work out how much all of your kit will weigh. If you can afford it, go for the EQ6 which has a greater load bearing capacity. I overloaded my EQ6 with a 300PDS (25kg with tube rings), plus cameras, filterwheel and a guidescope and it performed very well indeed. I guess it had 28kg and it still guided for many minutes. Love it!

I also now love the 250PDS. It is 10kg lighter (including rings) and I don't have to risk falling off a chair when doing visual stuff

The mount is probably more important than the scope. It is the greater financial outlay, but you are more likely to change your scope than your mount in the future (if you get the best mount you can).

Reflectors are great for deep sky imaging if you don't want great, wide star fields. They have a narrower field of view than most (extremely more expensive) refractors, but they do have a higher potential magnification which gives you the opportunity to load on barlows, increase mag and get in close on the (big) planets and moon. A good benefit for imaging is the short and fast focal ratio afforded by the 200,250 & 300, compared with most SCT's and refractors.

If you can afford it, go for a 250 (P or PDS) on EQ6. If not, the 200 (P or PDS) with the EQ5 will be a fantastic start and you may never look back. Perhaps trade off the savings of having the P (rather than the DS) against the greater expense of the EQ6 and go for a 250P. You can always upgrade to a dual speed focuser in the future, but in my experience the dual speed is a 'nice to have', but not essential.

Regards

David

[JamesM]

Hi and welcome to the forum. In my view, there is no such thing as a beginner's scope only one that works and if you what to hit the road running with a good size scope then that's great. I would say anything above 8" will show you some detail that makes looking for the objects worth while and anything around 12" and above will make you a very happy person indeed. :D. There are some technical issues with regard to size such as weight, mobility and of course how it is mounted and explains why the bigger scopes are usually dobsonians. Longer tubes mean generally more magnification per eyepiece when compared with a shorter tube, the field of view will be narrower than a shorter tube and will be more tolerant of average priced eyepieces than the shorter or what are sometimes termed 'faster' scopes. The dual focuser is nice to have but not essential.

The best advice I can offer with regard to which one to buy is to advise you to hold fire for a moment and go along to a public observation session run by your local astro society or observing group to see some of these beasts in action. Many people buy kit not really knowing what to expect and getting close will allow you to make an informed decision and to establish your own benchmark. Don't forget to make a note of the eyepieces you are looking through as that can account for half of the viewing experience!

James

[UnderTheRain]

Hi everyone and thanks for the advice I think I might try and find someone locally and see if I can check these scopes out before I decide which one to buy.

Thanks for the help

Brian

[hemihaggis]

i would go for the pds anyday , shorter tube , more manageable , better for photography

[Quatermass]

welcome to the forum ;-) ton of info on my blog about the 200p and eq5 mount that I got last year for you to browse at your leasure great scope for the price and love it to bits. If I had to go back a year in time I would still buy it again. With a SLR camera added and single axis drive I have had lots of fun getting into astrophotography as well.

Sent from my GT-S5670 using Tapatalk

[rwilkey]

Hi Brian, the 200PDS would be my choice, great telescope to start with and not too massive. You'll see great things with that scope, one of the most popular scopes ever I think for good reason, very transportable, and upgradable later if you get into asto-photography etc, a very flexible scope.

[ScubaMike]

Hi everyone and thanks for the advice I think I might try and find someone locally and see if I can check these scopes out before I decide which one to buy.

Thanks for the help

Brian

Good move Brian,

If you post your location (general area), some kind soul here might invite you round to have a look though their equipment. Alternatively, they may be able to point you in the direction of a nearby outreach event.

[UnderTheRain]

Thanks I live in Hereford it's a bit out in the sticks :-) I've been looking at the astronomy clubs around and I think I'll pop along to one and take a look.

[Dave Dubya]

Quite a few people I know have bought the Explorer 200P (or similar) and have all got on really well with them.

Definitely a good idea to seek out a local astro club. The FAS site should give you details of your nearest.

[UnderTheRain]

Hi me again been :-) reading more about the scopes I can order the 200p now with some filters etc but I'd need to wait until a month for the 200dps is it worth the wait? Would there be that much of a difference? Is the 200p upgradable with the dual focuser at a later date? Also bit of a dumb question here but do the goto units on the mounts track the objects selected? I assume they do but I don't know. Again this would be a purchase next month.

Thanks

Brian

[brantuk]

It's worth having the d/s focuser - very useful for imaging. If you get the other one then the focuser can be upgraded later for around £120 ish - if it were me I'd wait a month. Yes the goto units goto the object then track it for you - but you have to be polar aligned. Rough PA is fine for observing but must be highly accurate for imaging

[FrankieValley]

Hi,

Have you shopped around or are the 200PDS's in short supply in the SW warehouse? You seem to want 'goto' and yes, they track selected objects. To 'see' deep space objects you need a camera of some sort - most DSO's are too faint for the eye. Cameras/ccd's will need lots of time to gather light on DSO's and that means you will need to guide your mount. The tracking on EQ mounts (and similar) is only good for 1-2min exposures with good polar alignment. Also, overloading the mount with scopes, guide scopes, cameras etc is not good. If you want goto and you can spend £180 more - get the NEQ6 Pro Goto mount. You won't regret it in the future. P or PDS - yes you can upgrade to a dual speed focuser.

[Quatermass]

if you can wait I would wait dont rush buying this scope take your time and get the best you can afford you will be glad you did in the end.

Sent from my GT-S5670 using Tapatalk

[MjrTom]

Don't rush your purchase you have a lifetime of enjoyment under the stars ahead of you so make sure you are happy and get what you want.

The stars will still be there in a months time

[UnderTheRain]

Ok thats decided then next month it is (feel like a kid waiting for xmas though lol) thanks for the advice I've also found a local club so I'll pop along to that too I'm really looking forward to it :-)

[damnut]

Hi Undertherain,

Thats a good move, would not spend your hard earned cash before looking at scopes, then you can make an objective decision on what you need & want!. It will also give you some idea on the size /weight and where you are going to store it!.

Good Luck

[Quatermass]

Yep sound plan rushing just gets you in trouble and like everyone's saying the stars wont go away and when you get the scope there will of course be many nights when the clouds will move in it teaches you to be patient and to make the most of clear nights for sure. Hope it all goes well for you and look forward to hearing about your observations.