finally got a scope - few questions plz :)

[dawson]

Hi all

I have finally got my first scope. Having researched lots had decided to get a dob and was considering either the sw 130p or 150p. Then at weekend found someone about 2 mins from me seliing a sw 200p dob in great condition so snapped it straight up was desperate to try it out so even though yesterday was a fair bit of cloud my way I could see Jupiter so give it a go and was amazed. there it was with banding around it and 3 moons. I was so pleased.

Now have 2 real things would like a little advice with. Firstly eyepieces. Ive read a lot on here about it being more to personal choice what is needed. With the scope got a 10mm eyepiece, a 2x barlow and 2" 28mm (i think from memory as at work now) Is there anything else I should be needing immediately? also what difference is there between the 1.25 and 2" eyepieces (apart from the obvious 0.75") if had say 2 differnt sizes but both 10mm would i get similar views?

now my next question relates to what to look at. As i say was fairly cloudy last night so couldnt see much anyway but what targets should I be looking at as a beginner. when looking through the scope it kinda dawned on me just how big the sky is and how not so easy to move around

sorry for going on a bit there just rather excited by the cope and cant wait to try out new things. Thanks in advance for any advice

[John]

Congratulations on your new scope - it's a good one !.

On eyepieces, the 2" size allow a wider angle of view to be obtained but optically are no better than their 1.25" cousins. Many folks have 1.25" eyepieces for high and medium power viewing and a 2" eyepiece or two for low power, wide angle viewing.

If the eyepieces that came with your scope are the standard ones supplied when new (usually a 25mm and 10mm in the 1.25" fitting) then they are adequate to get you started but you will soon want to change them for something better, especially the 10mm one.

[rightguard]

you will benefit from a decent 5 or 6mm ep to give you a larger image of jupiter. not sure on your focal length but generally you dont want to go too far over 200x mag unless seeing is very good.

so to work out mag... your focal length/ eyepiece focal length.

if your FL is 1000mm which I suspect it is, then a 5mm ep will give 200x.

moon looks great at around 200x, especially when looking at craters around the edges.

loads of different eyepieces out there. you generally want to go for something that will give you good eye relief - i have a tmb II 5mm which i got for ~30 quid S/H which is great.

as for other objects, theres lots out there and the dso's really depend on how light polluted your area is, but you should be able to pick out andromeda fairly easily. download 'stellarium' free (google it), its a free plantarium thing - just set your location and it'l show you where things are in the sky

happy hunting

[kniclander]

the f/l of the 8" dob is 1200mm so a 6mm e/p will give x200. I'd suggest an 8mm e/p as it will be more usable more often than the 6 IMHO.