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Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian good for beginner?

Rattler

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ecosse

ecosse

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Absolutely a good choice but only if it's right for you. Very simple and easy to set up. It will however require Collimating from time to time so you would also need a collimating tool. It is quite a big scope in the flesh but because it is on a dobsonian mount it takes up very little space for storage.

Also it is slightly heavy so if you live in an upstairs flat then that may be a problem but it does separate into 2 parts very quickly and easily.

It is a great all round scope and perfect for beginners. You will see a lot with it:)

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PreludeToADream

PreludeToADream

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It's a great, if not the best, first 'scope for the price. It would be a good idea to see if you can view one before you buy to get an idea of size, because they are quite large.

Collimating will be a little scary the first time you do it, but it gets easier with practice and soon you'll be doing it without thinking. This guide will help: Astro Babys Guide to Collimation

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UHF

UHF

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I ordered it from FLO last night. Can't wait to get it.What other bits would you recommend? I was thinking a Barlow x2, Telrad or whatever its called and a moon filter.

Dont u get a 2x barlow with it, it did with my 200p eq version. now that ive seen tonights moon with the scope and feeling like it was burning my eyes out i can certainly say that a moon filter is on my list!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

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ecosse

ecosse

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I would say your choice of extras is fine. The dob version of the 200p dissent come with a Barlow. I would look at the tal Barlow from flo, it's a good Barlow for a good price.

A telrad is also a good choice, it will make locating objects far easier when used with telrad star charts.

I bought a moon filter for mine as I find the moon is too bright but you may want to wait and see if it's too bright for you. Some people need them and some don't.

Hope this helps :p

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Adrian Condon

Adrian Condon

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Hi,

I agree that an 8" dob is a good starting point.

Some questions you may like to ask yourself:

a) where do you intend to use it?

:p will it fit in your car to take it to Star Parties or other sites?

c) can you view through one prior to purchase?

Secondly, collimating is not unique to this scope, but is a task required on all reflectors. The first time you try is puzzling and confusing, but after a bit of practice it becomes a second nature task.......

A good site for advice is:

Collimating a Newtonian

Don't forget as you gain more experience and pleasure from your scope you may need to purchase better quality eyepieces. The best advise can I can offer is to be patient and try to attend a star party/join the local astro club so that you can see what other people are using and what their future plans are.

This can save you loads of money, don't forget that while you may get sound help from shops etc, they have to sell you "things" to make a profit!!!

Trust you get some good clear nights...........

Cheers

Adrian

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4lefts

4lefts

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i'd get a baader neodymium filter rather than a moon filter, personally. i got one for christmas and it's great. nice on jupiter too. supposed to be nice on mars, but i haven't tried that yet.

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littlebeagle

littlebeagle

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I've got the flextube version and it's great. From the advice I got on here I didn't get extra eyepieces was told to wait until I'd used the scope a bit, have to say it's good advice, I plan on getting something like an 8mm next winter, I did get a 2.5x barlow which I would recommend.

I also would recommend a moon filter, out of the 4 people that have looked at the moon through my scope all have found the moon more comfortable to view using the filter.

They eye pieces that come with it (assuming they're the same) I'm very pleased with the 25mm, less so with the 10mm. In fact I prefer the views given by my 25mm in conjunction with the barlow.

Without wanting to start an argument (which I did the other day) as an absolute beginner I prefer Andy's shot glass guide to collimation, the astro baby guide goes into a little bit to much detail for me however use the two together and you can't go far wrong.

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stargazer79

stargazer79

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Hi rattler, i bought the same scope back in october and i'm very happy with it. one piece of advice though, just follow the instructions that come with the scope for collimation. it's actually a very simple process. I found astro babys guide very informative, it was also very daunting and over complicated. it almost put me off the idea of getting a newt altogether

All the best and clear skies!

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Catweazel

Catweazel

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Hi,

collimating is not unique to this scope, but is a task required on all reflectors. The first time you try is puzzling and confusing, but after a bit of practice it becomes a second nature task.

Hi guys, I have been thinking about getting one of these scopes, I wanted to know if you need to buy extra tools to collimate the scope out of the box? as this obviously adds to the cost and I have also been consideriing a refractor, which won't need collimation. Thanks. CW

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Stephen

Stephen

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Hi guys, I have been thinking about getting one of these scopes, I wanted to know if you need to buy extra tools to collimate the scope out of the box? as this obviously adds to the cost and I have also been consideriing a refractor, which won't need collimation. Thanks. CW

Simple answer is yes, you will need a Cheshire collimator or similar.

£25 isn't the end of the Earth though, and the difference in light gathering for visual from a refractor at the same price point .... :p

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Catweazel

Catweazel

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Simple answer is yes, you will need a Cheshire collimator or similar.

£25 isn't the end of the Earth though, and the difference in light gathering for visual from a refractor at the same price point .... :p

OK, thanks for the reply. I have also been considering an Evostar 120 refractor, which actually costs more than the 200p anyway. Do you think that for general beginner use the 200p is a better scope, I am only interested in using the scope for viewing rather than AP!

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Candice

Candice

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Im thinking of upgrading my skywatcher explorer 130m to a skywatcher 200p Dob... the 130m is my first scope, and has done me well but I feel from looking at reviews that the Dob will be far better for ease of use

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Catweazel

Catweazel

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Im thinking of upgrading my skywatcher explorer 130m to a skywatcher 200p Dob... the 130m is my first scope, and has done me well but I feel from looking at reviews that the Dob will be far better for ease of use

Yeah, that's exactly what is attracting me to the 200p Dob. Is your 130 the motorised one? I have heard that non-motorised EQ mounts can be a bit of a pain for a beginner, whereas the grab & go nature of the Dob is certainly tempting. For some reason though I can't quite stop my eye wandering back to the refractor...

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