Which is the right Dob for me?

[wazb]

Hi,

I’ve wanted a telescope for as long as I can remember and finally took the plunge last week.

I recently purchased (on Monday) the Sky watcher 200P EQ5 from Astronomia in surrey, I picked it up as I don’t live that far, I have set it up but haven’t used it, been pretty cloudy past couple of days, but I think because of the mount it’s going to be a hassle moving it around so I think I’m going to swap it for a Dobsonian but not sure if I should go for the 250P or the 250px FlexTube, what are the differences between the two?

Also does anyone know the length of the 250 scope I want to make sure it fits in my car (seat Ibiza), I think I would enjoy the simplicity of the point and find system of the dobsonian as opposed to the EQ5, I don’t think I will be getting into astrophotography. Also what are the vital accessories I need?

Thanks for any help

[Bart]

Hi Wasb

I recently moved form a Eq mount to a Dob and find the Dob a pleasure. Unless you want to get into the photography, I think you're making the right move. Others might know exactly, but the 250mm will be about 1250mm long.

The flextube collapses into a smaller length for storage/transport. I have a 250mm Dob solid tube and it would be fine for transporting. Bit of a hassle, but very do-able.

Accesories .....well...where do we start?...well, well...

A Telrad for finding objects

Good star atlas, The Sky and Telescope Pocket Atlas is very good.

A good adjustable height stool is good for when you're at the eyepiece.

A red light for moving around/reading is absolutely invaluable. I find a head torch the best (stops you losing it all the time!)

A table for all your bits and bobs

Download Stellarium or Carte du Ciel onto your laptop - great free software for exploring and locating objects relative to where you are in the world..

After a while you'll probably feel the need to upgrade your eyepieces. Thats when you discover your pockets have developed holes.

Good luck. You have just started an amazing journey.

Bart

[Sarah]

My preference for visual is a dob. Having owned both a solid tube and a flextube, the main advantage of the flextube is it is more compact for storage and transporting. If you can fit the solid tube in your car then my preference would be for a solid tube. With the flextube you would need a light shroud. We found the flextube is more prone to dewing than the solid tube version. And the solid tube holds its collimation better than the flextube. Not sure on the tube length. According to skywatcher website the flextube is 800mm when compacted down and 1120mm when extended. I would imagine the solid tube would be around 1120 in length, or maybe just a fraction longer, but maybe someone who has one can confirm that. Our GSO 10" is 1210mm in length, but it has a slightly longer focal length than the skywatcher version.