Sky Watcher skyhawk-1145p

[cb1173]

Hi all, sorry if this is the wrong forum but i have a couple of questions regarding the telescope we received as a christmas present. We decided to go for the above scope because of the reveiws it received in Astronomy Now magazine. The main specs of the scope are:

Highest Practical Power (Potential): x228

Diameter of Primary Mirror: 114mm

Telescope Focal Length: 500mm (f/5)

Parabolic Primary Mirror

0.5mm Ultra-Thin Secondary Mirror Supports

Red Dot Finder

125% more Light Gathering than 76mm

Tube Dimension(dia. x length) 15cm x 41cm

What i would like to know is what can i expect to see and with what configuration of eyepiece/barlows. I am interested in nebulae (which it is supposed to be able to see) and would really like to see M31 if possible.

Tonight we observed jupiter and 4 of its moons, it was grey in colour and we could see 2 dark bands around it with a 10mm eyepiece and 2x barlow.

We also saw Betelgeuse as a deep red in colour.

I am hoping to buy a 5mm eyepiece this month to take our magnification to 200(with the barlow).

Now a couple of general questions.

The main cap over the end of the scope also has a smaller cap that can be removed, what is the removing of only the smaller part of the cap for?

When letting the scope cool down outside or warm up when brought back into the house, should this be done with or without the caps inplace?

Thanks and sorry if these are stupid questions

Chris

[nicnac]

returning the telescope to ambient temperatures as well as cooling is expedited with the caps off

the reviews speak well of this little scope but DSO's require aperture, the more the better, yours will do well on the brighter DSO's

Enjoy the telescope!

[Madhatter]

The smaller cap on the protective cover is for lowering the scopes appeture (light gathering capability) and will dim objects, this may be handy if the moon is too bright and i found it helpfull on my telescope for bringing out more detail when trying to make a video of jupiter.

[Catweazel]

Hi Chris,

I am new to astronomy too, and have been using some 15x70 binoculars to start. It sounds like the views you are getting are similar to mine. Jupiter appears as a bright light, with the moons as tiny flecks, I have to say though that the moon looked impressive last night.

I suppose what has to be taken into acount is that these views are through low apperture lenses. I too have looked at Betelgeuse and Aldebaran, and both looked like small, bright red dots. What I have found amazing with the FOV of the bins, is just how many more stars I can see as compared to naked eye viewing.

My main focus at the moment is trying to learn the layout of the skies as they change(star names, constellations, etc); are you using sky-maps or the free Stellarium software? both are a good way to learn this.

Also, using these cheap, low apperture options is a good way to work out what it is you want from a scope in the future, I plan to stick with the bins for a while before I take the plunge.

Good luck with the scope

CW

[imarcs]

What i would like to know is what can i expect to see and with what configuration of eyepiece/barlows. I am interested in nebulae (which it is supposed to be able to see) and would really like to see M31 if possible

On a really good night M31 is visible with the Naked Eye, otherwise it is easily seen with Binoculars and definitely with your scope. However as usual don't expect much more then a grey smuge. However it is a very nice smudge.

And welcome to SGL.

[Gottzi]

I have had a Skyhawk 114mm for a year now and I love it. I wouldn't get a 5mm EP though as it will be very difficult to use due to eye relief being do small. I have just had a set of GSO EP's for Xmas and still waiting to try them out. If I were u I'd get better quality EP's and Barlow as the supplied ones aren't that good. As suggested M31 is a very pretty Grey smudge in my scope as are many others and M42/M43 are very nice indeed

Enjoy

[JonnyTheBlade]

Hi Chris,

I too have just got the 1145P but have not had a proper chance to try it out yet. It looks like a learning curve from here do you think?

How are you finding the scope so far as I am still waiting hopefully as to what I will see.

[Rihard]

Hello,

I bought the same scope as a present to my 7years old niece back in October 2011. With it I had my first ever live view of M42 and it was not as faint as I expected, I was very excited: M42 showed very crisp despite (with no colour) and the contrast with the background was very high despite I was stargazing from a balcony with some fluorescent sodium lamps in front of my accomodation.

I also had WONDERFUL views of the Pleiades and Jupiter, but the site was a beach in the South West of Sardinia Island. The pleiades showed a hint of bluish nebulosity all around them, and Jupiter clearly showed orangish bands despite that night was very windy and the tube was shaky. All my views were crispy and bright and I was amazed at how such a little unxepensive scope would provide such views.

The views with the 25mm eyepiece were the best ones from my dark site, while the 10mm eyepiece and the provided barlow lens were of little use TBH.

From my point of view a 5mm eyepiece is not a good choice for this scope, your views will be just blurried up, shaky and totally disappointing (you can experience a similar view if you attach your 10mm eyepiece to the 2x barlow - you may only be able to observe the moon, still washing out a lot of detail though).

You might be better getting a good quality eyepiece with a good Field Of View, I suggest an eyepiece between 10 and 15mm and a good light pollution filter in case you live in a light polluted place. Collimation might improve your views too.

The smaller cap (as suggested by others) will decrease the scope's aperture and dim very bright objects.

This is just my personal experience with that little nice scope.

Enjoy your views

[cb1173]

Thanks for all the feedback. I have found jupiter to be good with the 10mm eyepiece and barlow supplied, it also showed the moons which the 25mm did not, also had good veiw of our moon using the lunar filter that was also supplied (think the shop threw that in). Light polution is not to much of a problem as i live right on the edge of the town where the council have turned off over half the street light to save money. I have collimated the scope and think i have done this correct using the enclosed manual and sites on the internet, was the 1st time so maybe wrong. Will see hoe the weather is tomorrow and have some more stargazing time.

[Zul]

Hello i have same telescope - sky-watcher 114/500. I'am using 4mm lens and 2x barlow so it gives 250x magnification. I used this magnification just on Jupiter and Moon for now (didn't had a chance on other objects) so it gives good views.

[ponte carlo blue]

We have this scope, and have enjoyed using it so much we cant decide what to upgrade to! As everyone has said you are going to to get grey smudges for the DSO's (but they are millions of miles away) but the views of Jupiter are great, wait until you see Saturn. I would upgrade the eyepieces. I wasn't sure what to get so I ordered the Revelation set, and if this is a fair to middling kit the improvement was massive! The other great thing about it is it is small and can be be put in the back of the car very easily.

[ponte carlo blue]

I forgot to answer your original question - I have no idea about the caps, my daughter lost/misplaced/put them somewhere very safe after about a week of having the scope! So didn't have the chance to find out what they were for and still have no idea where they are.

[ponte carlo blue]

Another thing I would recommend is the book Turn Left at Orion. There is another thread about it on the forum (if I could do the linky thing I would).

The images are hand drawn, but they are pictures of what you will actually see and they are for a 4" scope so pretty much spot on for the scope.

I cant recommend it enough, without it I would have given up long ago.

Rich

[Doppler Shifty]

Hi, I'm fairly new to all this and have purchased a 1145P. As is my way I've researched it all to death and although I know there are many more experienced people on here I thought I'd share what [i think] I know for others venturing in to this new territory. I have had the telescope out a few times but keep getting thwarted by the weather (an inherent hazard of this pastime I guess) but have managed to split the double star Alcor in Ursa Major. They looked reasonably bright and crisp at the centre of the view using the 10mm eyepiece supplied. My understanding, however, is that a fast scope like the 1145p (low f number) is considerably more demanding on an eyepiece. Hence you need to upgrade to half-decent quality eyepieces to get anything like the best out of it. (I've just ordered the Revelation set which I'm really looking forward to trying out). The same applies to the barlow. Even as a novice I can tell the optics of the one supplied with the scope are poor. The other thing is that fast scopes are more sensitive to the collimation (mirror alignment) being out so as well as upgrading the eyepieces a Cheshire Collimator is a good purchase and you need to spend a bit of time learning how to collimate properly and do star tests. Once you've spent as much again (as on the scope itself) then from what I've read it has great potential and is pretty portable. I'm looking forward to getting away soon from the light pollution and urban obstructions to get the views I've been getting so excited about. Bring on the fuzzy patches .....!!!

[rwilkey]

The 114P is a very capable scope, which keeps its collimation well compared to bigger mirrors, so don't worry too much about this early on. Get some good viewing time in before you purchase anything else, there is no substitute for experience with what you have already got. I too feel the 5mm or 4mm with a Barlow is too much. It is not all about magnification in astronomy, many make this mistake. It's about having a good view with the right eyepiece, and what the scope came with is a reasonable start. Understand your viewing prefernces before you start to spend out, as it can get very expensive if you jump in and buy the wrong thing.

[Doppler Shifty]

The 114P is a very capable scope, which keeps its collimation well compared to bigger mirrors, so don't worry too much about this early on. Get some good viewing time in before you purchase anything else, there is no substitute for experience with what you have already got. I too feel the 5mm or 4mm with a Barlow is too much. It is not all about magnification in astronomy, many make this mistake. It's about having a good view with the right eyepiece, and what the scope came with is a reasonable start. Understand your viewing prefernces before you start to spend out, as it can get very expensive if you jump in and buy the wrong thing.

Thanks Robin - Very good point ...I do have a habit of being a bit impatient and jumping in with both feet!! I have got the bug though and my tendency towards coveting nice new shiny kit - something I also do in relation to cycling - is not easily held in check. My credit card bill is testament to my weaknesses and you're quite right to encourage others not to follow my lead and 'blow their budget' early on!!. I'm planning to stick with the 1145p for some time and get better acquainted with the skies before spending any more. I hope the Revelation Set will stand me in good stead when/if I do get around to upgrading to something with more light-gathering capability. It was the improved barlow and the 32mm eyepiece that really sold me on the set ....with the prospect of nice views of M31???

I will have to look up the Salisbury Plain Observing Group and see if i can join you sometime as I'm pretty local. (The portability of the 1145p is one of the reasons I got it so there's no excuse).

Cheers, James