Skyliner 150p dobsonian querys.??

[rickygoespop]

Hi all, I keep getting told to buy the dobsonian Skyliner 150p by various members , I have I've been thinking about the celestron refractor 90mm eq. Because it looks like an easily moveable scope and another thing is I read they don't need collamating unless something is seriously wrong, because I'm a beginner collamating sounds scary to me and would like to avoid that for a while.

I just wanted some info on the 150p from you knowledgable lot.

Does it need collamating often and is it an easy / difficult process?

Is it possible to take Dso photography as it has no motor or tracker on it as does the refractors I'm looking at do (or can be added at least)

Is it portable as in walk for 5mins with it to a suitable location as it looks quite chunky?

is it possible to attach camera to this scope.?

Last one, will it show planets in same /less or more detail as a refractor 90mm would do as I've read that refractors are better for planets/moon viewing which is my preferred type but also would like to do some Dso too.

My budget is £200 for a scope, thankyou for any information you guys have and have been very usefull and insightfull.

Rich

[Telrad]

Rich,

To answer your questions, it will need collimating although it is a solid tube, so not that often. I would get a cheshire for this. BTW Collimating is not that difficult TBH.

It's not suitable for DSO AP as it's an AZ mount, you really need an EQ. Although you could take OK lunar and planetary shots with it. It is portable. You can attach a camera to it, even afocally. It will show detail more so than a 90mm as it's a bigger aperture.

Lastly watch this vid, it might help?

[ismangil]

If you need to walk 5 mins then portability is more important to you. Affordable solid tube dobsonian will usually be carried in two pieces, tube and base.

You can also put the lot in a cart and wheel it.

Refractors are more compact, at the expense of aperture. If you have a dark sky then it's not too much a disadvantage.

If you want DSO photography, I suggest you buy the book by Steve Richards (steppenwolf) as it explains in detail what equipment you need.

For example, the mount needed for proper long exposure tracking starts at £700.

Hope this helps.

[todd8137]

hi there and welcome from me ,the 90mm scope is a good scope but if its all round observing you want go for the 150p its a great scope and portable i own a 90mm and it is as you say god for planets and the moon and a few of the brighter dso`s

i would say go for the 150p easy to use and set up

[rickygoespop]

Thanks for the info guys, if I just wanted to take photos of planets and the moon as a starter of astro photography, is it right I don't need a tracker as such on the scope if I do choose the 150p dobsonian

[Daz Type-R]

If you want to do astro photography (which it seems you do) then you really need a eq tracker mount. I have a 8" dob (200P - one up from the one you might be considering) and to be honest, looking at Jupiter with the standard 25mm eye peice, the planet moves from one side of the ep to the other in under a minute, maybe slightly longer, and any increase in magnification and you cut that time drastically. Trying to take a couple of shots while the planet (or any object) is moving through the sky will just lead to trails of light. For taking photos, you really need a good solid eq mount that tracks and I don't think you will find one for £200, I maybe wrong, I haven't looked. I wasn't fussed about astrophotography hence why I choose the 8" dob, pound for pound they can't be beaten, you pay your money for the optics, not the tracking side of it.

I don't want to put you off the Skywatcher dobs, they are awsome starter scopes I just don't think it will do what you want it to do and you may regret your choice.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Regards,

Daz.

[DrNeb]

Hi Ricky,

everyone on here seems to give the impression that colimating a scope is difficult when it's really not. with a cheshire or laser, it's a doddle! the skywatcher comes with some very easy to understand instructions on how to do this.

i researched it like mad before buying my scope to find that in practice it is far simpler than some make out.

You'll get some great views from the 150 i'm sure.

Good luck with the choice.

Cheers

[rickygoespop]

Many thanks guys I think I will go with the 150 dob as I will be observer first and imager second plus it will give me a real start to astronomy and I'm not if web cam captures are classed as astro photography but that is what I hope to do first with some planets.

[Stephen]

Good choice

Off topic though ....

everyone on here seems to give the impression that colimating a scope is difficult when it's really not.

Where have you formed that opinion from?

[umadog]

Probably the opinion is formed because there are a lot of questions about collimation and a lot of people express trepidation at the thought of it. About twice a week I read "I want a reflector but I'm worried about collimating it." Another one is "I've owned a reflector for 6 months but haven't dared to attempt collimation. Do I need to do it?"

As you know, all the procedure involves is turning some screws and the only danger is dropping something on the mirror. There are precautions you can take that will make dropping stuff on the mirror near to impossible. Bob's Knobs is well up there on that list.

To the OP: I think you've made a wise choice. Enjoy the visual! Take it somewhere dark and you'll be amazed what your scope will show you. If you do indeed go for AP in the future then keep you Dob so you can use it for star-hopping whilst the camera takes those long exposures.