First Scope - Skyliner-250PX 10" Parabolic Dobsonian Telescope

[Vortexical]

Hi all,

After spending several weeks researching, learning the skies with my naked eyes and following advice on this forum, I think I've finally decided to get the Skyliner-250PX 10" Parabolic Dobsonian Telescope as my first scope!

I wondered if anybody had some recent experience using it and could share any experiences they've had with it. It would be fantastic to get an idea of exactly what people have seen through this scope so I know what to expect!

I also wanted to get some advice on accessories for the scope. The scope is packaged with a 10mm and 25mm eyepiece, and I'm curious to know if anybody has suggestions about extras worth purchasing, and if so, ideas on what these different eyepieces would let me see that the others don't. I've noticed elsewhere on this forum that a laser collimator and a red dot finder am also be worthwhile additions.

As always, I bow to your collective knowledge and thank you so much in advance for any help!!!!

[redgiantjohn]

wow thats some first scope!!!! good luck and enjoy

[Vortexical]

Thanks! I'm just a little nervous about the collimating process and finding where I'm going without a GOTO but by the sound of it they are a pain in the backside anyway!

[kniclander]

'tis a great scope. I wouldn't get any accessories until you have used it a bit. I eventually found a correct image right angled 9x50 finder essential and a cheshire collimator and a better high power e/p

[assasincz]

WOW, you're starting BIG...

[Vortexical]

Haha! Yes I have this horrible premonition of waiting for delivery and finding it's actually bigger than me... Is it true I can just sit on the end of it and actually touch the moon?

I'd love to hear what your own experiences have been when using it - how does the detail compare between moon/planets and DSO?

[633_steve]

Wow, thats a great first scope. i've got the 6" 150 version and love it, so I'm sure the 10" version would be even more rewarding.

As for collimation, don't worry. I was worried about it but once I actually tried it using a Cheshire and using Astro Baby's guide I actally found it very easy. If the 10" is like the 6" then it will hold its collimation pretty well.

As for not using a GOTO, well thats half the fun.

[hemihaggis]

voretexical ,

great scope , i to have a 10" on an eq mount ,, where are you going to observe from , that will give you a very rough idea of what you will see due to sky conditions

[paulhutch]

My first (and last) scope purchase was the 300P 12 inch Auto Dob. I love the hobby and have an un-light polluted back garden that quite large. I didn't see the point of starting small and loosing money each time I sold and upgraded, so I dove in feet first and being totally honest it was the best thing I ever did. I maybe one day buy something on a EQ6 for AP but for the time being I'll never get bored of my 300. Now let's just hope for clear skies.

Oh....Sorry...Great choice by the way.

[Rob L]

It's a great scope and you'll have fantastic views with it.

The only essential* accessory straight off is a Telrad or Quikfinder which will make knowing exactly where the scope is pointing a breeze.

Once you get the hang of it you'll be hopping from galaxy to nebula to glob faster than any goto

(*ok not essential but very useful.)

[Vortexical]

Great advice - thanks guys! Once again, the praise for this range of scope always seems fairly unanimous!

Rob L - I've not heard of the Telrad or Quikfinder before - what exactly do these do?

Hemihaggis - I'm in North Hertforshire only 35 miles or so North of London.

[DOBBY]

who's a lucky boy then... great 'scope

[Vortexical]

I would never start straightaway as I'd like to get properly used to things first, but has anybody ever managed to capture good imagery of planets or DSO using this? Some of the nebula photographs on this forum are immense, and i realise that cameras and software has a lot to do with it but does this scope also give a good platform to get some great astrophotography done in the future?

[swamp thing]

but does this scope also give a good platform to get some great astrophotography done in the future?

TBH Dobs are purely visual scopes. It's best to think of astrophotography as a completely separate hobby. The kit required is totally different.

I would get yourself up n running visually first before worrying about AP.

Regards Steve

[Vortexical]

I thought as much - thanks! I think I'd only want to take a few snapshots for my own sake anyway, purely to record what I'd seen. I just wondered if the hobby really took hold and I wanted to invest some more money in a year or two to begin to look at imaging, whether I'd need an entirely new scope or if the potential was there with this one!

[paulhutch]

I've took a few decent shots with mine. Not deep space or nebula but some nice ones of the moon. I've just bought the Phillips 880 flashed to 900 web cam and I think from all the advice I've had and read that's the way to go if you want to take some basic planetary pictures. Some of the nebula and deep space ones are took on a set up that costs 1000's.

[sam mayo]

i to am buying the same scope and was wondering if you can attach a web cam into ep and see it in real time on laptop and if so what do u need,thanks, sam

[Eastridge]

Hi, I got the same scope in the spring & you can see from my siggy what I have bought since.

I would prioritise collumation tool, a height adjustable seat ( unless you have good core muscle and can hold yourself rocky steady in a variety of viewing positions) and a Telrad with either a good book or a free smartphone app like SKeye. Personally, I have found SKeye more useful than the book because I can hold it up to the sky and point exactly to the object and the internet tells me all the background info I need for free.

The rest can come once you have got used to using that lot.

[knobby]

i to am buying the same scope and was wondering if you can attach a web cam into ep and see it in real time on laptop and if so what do u need,thanks, sam

Yes, you can use a webcam on a dob. If you're lucky you can track by hand and use registax to 'stack ' the good frames if the avi

Took this Saturn on my 250px hand tracked for about 15 seconds with a modified Asda webcam.

Great choice of scope by the way!

[JamesF]

I agree. Dobs aren't the easiest of scopes to use for planetary imaging, but if you really want to then it is possible. It's much easier and you'll probably get better results with a long focal length scope on a mount, but if you're just into doing it for a bit of fun then have a go once you've got the hang of using the dob.

It *is* quite a large scope though. Must be getting on for four and a half feet tall when pointed at the zenith. Not light, either. Skywatcher claim the weight of the OTA on its own is 15kg.

James

[John]

Congratulations on choosing a very capable 1st scope !

I would say that the collimation tool (ie: a cheshire eyepiece) should be considered more or less mandatory as tuning the collimation is a standard part of owning a fast newtonian just as tuning is part of playing an instrument.

.... I've not heard of the Telrad or Quikfinder before - what exactly do these do?.....

The Telrad and Rigel Quikfinder are zero magnification finders that appear to project target circles on the sky, rather like a "heads up" target display in a jet fighter. This makes it very easy to see exactly where the scope is pointing and combined with good sky charts, makes finding deep sky objects relatively easy. They can either replace or, more usefully, compliment the optical finder that comes with the scope. I'd also label this as an extremely useful addition to the scope.

On eyepieces, you will soon want to upgrade I can predict that but the choice is massive and some eyepieces cost more than the entire scope so take your time and ask questions about where to go next, once you have used the scope a bit.

Personally, I'd not bother with trying to take photos with the scope - learning to use and enjoy it for visual observing will occupy your mind !

[sam mayo]

thanks very helpful

[kev i]

i have the scope you are getting yourself you will be not be disappointed at all. Saturn looks 3d and the moon is out of this world lol

all the best for your first light with it .....

[sam mayo]

its hard to gauge because all the pics i see of Saturn and Jupiter contradict each other some are small and detailed ish and others are quite large and detailed,not sure if the big and detailed ones are from proper astrophotography or just gd viewing conditions or maybe e/p make that much difference. im sure i will love it either way ,thanks for feedback

[John]

its hard to gauge because all the pics i see of Saturn and Jupiter contradict each other some are small and detailed ish and others are quite large and detailed,not sure if the big and detailed ones are from proper astrophotography or just gd viewing conditions or maybe e/p make that much difference. im sure i will love it either way ,thanks for feedback

A very common reaction from newcomers to the hobby, even those who start with quite large scopes, is that the planets seem small in the eyepiece. This is in fact the reality as even at 250x / 300x (the absolute max magnification that is practical to use really) the disks of planets are not very large to observe. What matters is that they are sharp and show good contrast. With practice (and it does take practice) the observer can start to tease out more detail from these seemingly small disks. Usually you get the sharpest and most contrasty views at lower magnifications than the above, say, 150x - 200x on an average night but the eye can still tease out surprising detail, given time and, again, practice.

Detailed views of the planets, even the giant Jupiter, that "fill the eyepiece" are just not practical with the sort of equipment and, just as importantly, the seeing conditions that 99% of us have available. Nevertheless planetary viewing is challenging and satisfying once the expectations are realistic