SW explorer 200p eq5

[Mr Moff]

Ok once again I apologise for all the dumb questions about picking a scope.

I was torn between the explorer 200p eq5 and the skyliner 250p Dob.

After an entire day of trying to figure it out,I've been thinking.I would definately like to do some photography in the future.

Basically I've decided it's going to be the explorer.I have a couple of questions.

1 when you have the explorer outside,and want to pick an area to look at,can you turn it fast and then fine tune it with the knobs when you get there?Or is all of its movement done by knobs.(sorry about that last sentence)

2 Do you have to do that polar alignment everytime you use it?

I'm still not sure what polar alignment is for.

3 is there any accessories I need for this that you don't need for the Dob?

I was planning on getting a collimating tool,a couple of celestion x-cell ep's,a decent Barlow and a star chart.

Is there anything else I need?

Danny.

[Cypher]

I'm a complete newbie myself, but I did buy an Explorer 200P and EQ5 today so these may help but I'm sure someone more knowledgable will correct me if I get something wrong.

1 when you have the explorer outside,and want to pick an area to look at,can you turn it fast and then fine tune it with the knobs when you get there?Or is all of its movement done by knobs.(sorry about that last sentence)

You can release the RA and DEC locks and swing the mount around in both planes. Locking them back in position and then fine tuning using the RA and DEC controls.

I did find though that the eyepiece/focuser does wander around when you do this and a couple of times I had to undo the tube rings and spin the tube around so I could use the eyepiece & finderscopes.

2 Do you have to do that polar alignment everytime you use it? I'm still not sure what polar alignment is for.

No you don't. It is needed to help you track, so its much more important if your doing astrophotography than visual observing. I tried doing it properly tonight but struggled to see anything through the polarscope. This was mainly due to the angle its at, and having to crouch down low enough to be able to angle my head to look through it. I gave up and just did it roughly by pointing the North leg of the tripod towards North (polaris) and setting my latitude on the alt scale. When your mount is Polar aligned you should only have to use RA fine adjust to track a star. I was slightly out in my rough setup so I found tonight that I also need to occasionally alter the DEC fine controls as well, but it worked quite well and was easy enough once I got used to using the controls. Finding the knobs you have twiddle though at times was difficult as the scope gets in your way and you have to reach underneath the scope and up the other side.

3 is there any accessories I need for this that you don't need for the Dob?

The EQ5 seems to be being shipped with the Polar-scopes already fitted. In the specifications it doesn't mention this and says its an optional accessory. I think they are normally around £29.

I was planning on getting a collimating tool,a couple of celestion x-cell ep's,a decent Barlow and a star chart. Is there anything else I need?

Sounds good to me. The 10mm and Barlow which ship with the 200P aren't supposed to be the best and I definitely struggled with them tonight. I'm already looking to add a better eyepiece or two. A Planisphere might be useful, or one of the iPad/iPhone apps Stellarium, Starmap HD, SkySafari. Stellarium for PC / Mac or Linux is a must and its free.

A light pollution filter might be useful but I'm not sure if this is needed for visual and also if your looking to view the Moon a moon filter might be useful.

[Mr Moff]

Excellent stuff.You've confirmed for me that this is the one I'll definately go for.

Roll on Friday when I can place the order.

Is the included Barlow any good?Or should I pick up a decent one at the same time?

Danny.

[Cypher]

I'd give them a try before you spend any additional money, you may be happy with them. I found I got nice sharp images with the 25mm tonight but the 10mm and the 2x Barlow were a lot tricker. It was my first night though so it could have been down to the "Seeing", the 10mm+2x Barlow may have been pushing things too far.

At the moment I have to say, I don't know what a good eyepiece looks likes, so I'm going to stick it out for now and see if things improve before upgrading. My only thought is if a 10mm + 2x Barlow is equivalent to say 5mm eyepiece. Then optically I would think a 5mm on its own would be better than using the 10mm and Barlow.

[Carl M]

Polar alignment aligns the head of the mount to the North Celestial Pole using polaris' transit time to predict where the NCP will be at the given time. I would say definately give it a go even if it's a rough alignment. You will only need to adjust the slow motion R.A controls then and DEC every so often depending on polar alignment accuracy. It will also give you practice for when you decide to take photo's - polar alignment has to be accurate for this, otherwise you will get trails relatively quickly unless you are guiding...which is a whole new ball game.

[Mr Moff]

Thanks for the replies.

I'll give the polar alignment a go when I set it up for the first time.Probably good to get some practice in.

I'll hold off on the Barlow until I see what the included one is like.

Danny.

[malc-c]

Danny, I assume you are getting the undriven EQ5? If so then getting the polar alignment as good as you can will make things easier keeping the target in the centre of the eyepiece as you will only need to keep turning the RA axis control rather than both.

I would seriously consider getting the dual axis motor kit for around £90 - this will take over the control of the RA and effect keep the target in the eyepiece allowing you to concentrate on observing the subject.

Wouldn't worry about a barlow. I use an 8m X-cell and it's excellent for close up moon views, and planetary work, I would suggest something like a 5mm and something like 25mm would be good choices for wide field and close up viewing.

Star maps are good, but I would suggest the book "turn left at Orion" - it's an excellent guide to identifying and locating objects

[Carbon Brush]

Hi Danny.

Excellent choice of scope. You will get a great deal of enjoyment from it.

If you intend to separate the mount and tripod for storage, then I would suggest buying stainless steel bolts for the latitude adjustment. The original bolts are made of something only slightly harder than cheddar cheese and prone to bending. If you store attached to the tripod, this is less of an issue.

In use for visual, you don't need get hung up about alignment. I usually put the tripod top level-ish and pointing north-ish. That is good enough. For time exposure photos. alignment does matter.

If you go for a motor drive for photography. Start easy. Fasten a DSLR onto a dovetail and take wide views first. I find a 28mm lens good for fitting in recognisable star groups. As you want to take in smaller objects, work up the lens size. The first benefit of starting with a wide lens is short exposures for instant results. Next any drift from the mount/drive has little impact on the finished picture. Lunar photos through the scope don't need any motor drive of course.

Hope this is useful to you.

[Mr Moff]

Thanks guys.I didn't realise the motor kit was under £100.I thought it would've been more than that.

I've just started reading the 'turn left at Orion' book.I've just reached the half moon chapter.Its gonna take a while to get through all of it.

It's mostly going to stay assembled and just lifted in and out of the shed but I'll get some stainless bolts so it's one less thing to worry about.

Great stuff,only 2 days left untill I can place the order,woohoo.

Danny.

[Jon Sales]

Let me know how you get on Danny.

Was looking at getting the scope myself or the 150 PDS.

Might have to go shopping Saturday if funds allow

[Mr Moff]

Will do Jon.I'll try and get a Saturday delivery if possible and I'll post up some pictures when I unbox it.

Can't wait.

Danny.