skywatcher 200p

[Vince1963]

Hi Fellow SGL fans.. I've just got my skywatcher 200p out of its box and set it up in the garden it came with a barlows 10mm and 25mm lens after about an hour (cool down) i pointed the scope at Mars, first with just a 25mm then with 10mm and then with the barlows, now can anyone tell me what would be the best view of Mars i could expect with these lenses? the best i could get was with the 10mm plus 2x barlows and then it was only about the size of a very small pea with a pale salmon colour to it... Am i expecting too much? would buying a better lens make a lot of difference to size and detail?.. thanks guys

[jfox61]

That's pretty much it.

[Tribal-Wolf]

The 10mm that comes with the scope is not the best but seeing detail on Mars is not always easy either. Some days Mars is just exactly what you saw so don't be too disappointed.

I bought an 8mm BST Explorer EP for my 200P and it's great, ten times better than the 10mm. So you will get better views with better glass but Mars is not always the best object to gauge your scope on.

[Vince1963]

Jfox61 / Tribal-wolf, thanks for the replies. Must admit i did expect more through my 200P, was hoping to get a look at Jupiter but it was out of my field of view in my garden did get a look at pleiades though, and it looked best through the 25mm and the with the 2x barlows but lost the field of view, the star cluster (if that's the right term) did look like a lot of shimmering diamonds which was nice. and then the best view of orion's nebular wa with the 2x barlows and the 25mm. mY conclusion is the 10mm isn't good but i'm think i must be using it to look at the wrong thing right?, what is it best used for? DSO? Vince

[Tinker1947]

Saturn should make up for it, but better EP's will really make the diffrence....

[Tribal-Wolf]

The 10mm is probably only good for very bright objects such as the moon or Jupiter and Venus. I use mine for the Moon only if I use it at all tbh.

Funny thing but I am always amazed most seeing pleiades in a good pair of binoculars, it still makes me go WOW.

[Vince1963]

Hi Tinker1947. Thanks... it is difficult knowing what's best and what not to expect when your new. I think i'm expecting too much, like i said to the other guys I thought Mars would have been better and pleiades was good at low mag but when i put the 10mm in it wasn't impressive it was almost like looking at a group of stars with the naked eye, not like the mystical pleiades that i have found so beautiful through binoculars. Is the 10mm any good for anything?. I find the higher the mag the not so good a view...Maybe its my inexperience after all i am a newbie Vince

[Vince1963]

yeah thanks tribal-wolf...Just what i was saying to Tinker1947.. ther's really something mystical about pleiades, i look at it all the time in my binoculars (10 x 50). I really don't know what i was expecting with my skywatcher 200p, maybe better with some better lenses with different mag's

[SHUTTLE ATLANTIS]

hi also got the same scope and i also got a 6mm ep now it has improved viewing yes mars is hard but jupiter and venus are great with it i have also used it on the moon and wow. but soon i hope to get a 8mm bst explorer and a 32mm ep for wide field viewing . having said that its a great scope to have

[Vince1963]

thanks shuttle Atlantis.. Yeah the 200p is a great scope, and yes i think whats needed is better EPs, after talking to fellow SGL fans, I have come to the conclusion that the supplied EPs are not up to much but they get you started, I guess you share that same sentiment too right?...And i think a was expecting too much from Mars too, especially with my selection of EPs...All two of em lol.

[Redpaul]

I have the 200p as well. I got a 7mm Celestron X-Cel LX to replace the 10mm and the difference is astounding, especially on Jupiter. The 25mm is pretty decent and I would recommend looking at the Pleiades without the barlow, just the 25mm. The Orion Nebula is also excellent with the 25mm.

Paul

[Kedvenc]

I've had some great views of mars with my 200p and the standard eyepieces. My first thoughts on seeing mars were 'is that it?' It is about the size of a small pea but I gave it plenty of time at the eyepiece, and observed on any clear night. Eventually could make out the polar caps and other surface features. On rare occasions, and for fleetingly short moments I could see details with great clarity, to my mind not far off some of the photographs I've seen. Lately I've not managed to see much more than the polar caps I think this is due to the time I've been observing with the interesting features facing away from us. I've not tried any coloured filters yet

So my advice, is to get comfortable at the eyepiece, relax and just keep looking. Hopefully by the next close approach I will have some new eyepieces instead of the bog standard ones, interested to see what difference it makes.

[Catweazel]

Hi Vince, Mars is a tricky little ******. I have had pretty much the views that you describe with my 200P. Sometimes, when seeing is good, I can make out some black/grey surface detail, and once, the polar caps; this was using 7 & 5mm TMB Planetary EP's. For views of Pliades, and other DSO objects, I find that a wide FOV is best. I use a 32mm GSO plossl, The Pliades in particular though looks best through bins, as it covers such a wide FOV

[stevetynant]

must say that even with a wide variety of different lens Mars has been the biggest disappointment so far so don't lose heart over that the scope is a great investment and will give you a lot of interesting times ahead - just keep remembering that this is a learning hobby - you will get more out of it sometimes when you've done your research before you go out so you know what your looking for otherwise you'll end up watching the obvious targets night after night (which we probably all do anyway).

Good luck anyway

[Stu]

To echo some of the above comments. Nothing wrong with the scope you've got, it will give you very good views. Worth making sure it is cooled and collimated properly as this makes a big difference at high magnification.

The 10 mm standard ep is, by most accounts, not good so it's with investing in a couple of better quality ones.

Mars is a tricky object. It can be fantastic to observe, showing nice detail on the surface and also the polar ice cap. For this you need good seeing conditions and for it to be higher in the sky. Just keep trying on every opportunity. Make sure you are not observing over houses if possible; my best views occur when objects are over the gap between my house and the neighbours where the air is less turbulent.

I generally use over x200 on mars, best is probably around x230, you need more than on Jupiter which is normally best at around x180.

On a bad night, mars is just a plain orange disk with no detail, on a good night there is plenty available although you still need patience at the ep to wait for moments of good seeing and to train your eye to see the detail.

Keep at it.

Stu

[Vince1963]

Thanks for that Stu, Its always good to get feed back, And to save on costly mistakes with equipment, I figured the lenses which came with it wouldn't be up to much and there only included to get you started. Having listened to guys on SGL, I think i'm going to give one of those BST explorer lenses a go, they seem to get a good review for a mid range lens. maybe somewhere in the region of 7 - 12mm. Again, thanks for your input. Kind regards Vince

[Vince1963]

Thanks Stevetynant for the positive feedback, I am realising that the scope is a good bit of kit, Just the lenses that came with it are not, but i guess there there just to get you started, I will be investing in a couple of mid range lenses in the near future. Kink regards Vince

[Vince1963]

Hi Catweazel. good to hear from you again. It seems you guys seem to be echoing the same stuff, I will keep at it and maybe perseverance will prevail and with a bit of education in what i'm looking at and doing i may see it in its best conditions, I will be investing in a couple of EPs in the near future. Kind regards Vince

[Vince1963]

Hi Kedvenc. Like you i will keep looking and i will invest in some new EPs. and with a bit of education plus my new EPs, i may get lucky. Kind regards Vince

[robstopper]

Just been reading through this, and your experiences echo some of mine - I'm seeing the planets, but not quite getting the views I'd hoped for. Seems it's down to the quality and spec of EP I've got, so some investment may be needed.

[Vince1963]

Hi Paul thanks for the input, will give it a go, I will be buying some new EPs in the very near future, so i'm confident i should see more detail and contrast. The lenses which came with the scope aren't up to much, i know that and they are only to get you started....Kind regards Vince

[Vince1963]

Hi rob... you may want to look at BST explorer's, they get good reviews and not expensive. Vince

[robstopper]

Thanks Vince

[Matt Scunthorpe]

Ive got the same telescope, and i agree with what you saw at Mars, i was dissapointed too, but Jupiter and Saturn are pretty awesome. Im looking to get an 8mm when i get paid like someone posted earlier so should make all the difference, your not too far from me either (:

[Carbon Brush]

Another SW200 owner. Agree with previous posters comments. My 10mm EP is little more than a dust plug.

I have seen Mars in detail through the SW200, using a 3.5mm EP (Baader Hyperion). I used a red filter for general detail and a skyglow filter to bring up the polar cap. But you can't do this every night.

Last night I had my TAL200K on the mount. This takes all the magnification you want to throw at it. A much more 'planetary' scope than the SW200. But Mars was an orange blob. The sky was not up to giving the magnification.

Give yourself and your SW200 some time to get to know each other. It is a great scope for the money and shows it's worth with something better than the stock 10mm EP. Generally the 25mm EPs are seen to be OK though.

A nice wide EP like 32/35/40 mm is great in this scope for looking at big objects in a dark sky.