skywatcher dob 150P - what else do I need..?

[ninehorn]

Hello all

am new to astronomy and just received and assembled my skywatcher 150 dob from FLO - nice piece of kit and happy to have the 6" and not the 8" or 10" as ease and portability is a big factor for me. The 6" comes with (1.25") 10mm and 25mm eyepieces.

can I ask a few simple questions and maybe someone can help out there..?

1. what are those extra 'must have' accessories I should get...? I have been reading that a 2x barlow and maybe a cheshire collimator are a must have. Have tried collimating with an old 35mm film cannister with a small hole drilled in the cap and it seems to be OK so far. Using the finderscope is also a bit of a pain (both trying to find stars and for my back..!)

2. I would like to take some photos as well. I have a canon dig ixus 60 (small handheld) and an old dslr (nikon d40). Would I able to take the 18-50 lens off my nikon and somehow attach the camera to the 25mm eyepiece (or the barlow)..? I guess I will need some kind of connector..? What are the best settings to use for the camera..? Quite a few people talk about using a webcam and then using specialist software to stack the images...how does this work..?

thanks for reading and hope to get a few replies.

I used the 6" dob for the first time ever last w/e (I'm 54) when the weather was fantastic at night. First star I looked at was Betelgeuse in Orion. Absolutely amazing...a beautiful ruby red sizzling in the night sky...an image I will never forget..!

rgds

ninehorn

[John24]

1)Well a telrad finder is advisable for dobs. You can try an adjustable height stool and that I guess wont cause any problem with the finderscope, It should be fairly easy.

2) Well actually see whether you are satisfied with the views of moons and planets, as it isnt advisable to go above 200x 120 should be quite good enough but a 2x barlow is quite handy just addition of one will add two more EPS to your collection. But get a good quality one.

3) EPs: Use the scope for a month or two and ask yourself what else do I need?

4) Solar film if u want to see the sunspots on sun. But get a good quality one and never use scope without filter.

5) Well you need a collimator of some sort and if the can does the trick then I guess no harm.

Maybe some people more experienced than me can elaborate. Besides,

I am also getting the same scope as yours and I may be getting a 2" Orion Q70 38mm EP for low power wide field viewing.

Clear skies

[hemihaggis]

hi ninehorn and welcome to the forum ,

as for accesorries , iwould just have a go with what you have , im sure the 25mm supllied will be ok , the 10mm supplied with scopes is usually poor ..but you have enough to start with , just get the hang of finding things .

a film canister collaminator works just fine ...

as for taking pics ....well a dob exells at visuasl but is not suitable for a dslr or long exposures ...they are fine with webcams though esp on moon and planets ...enjoy !!

[kernowstargazer]

I cant wait to get my 150p

[ninehorn]

thanks for your replies all - will keep playing and see how it goes.