complete beginer

[john h]

Hi Everyone my name is john'and i am a complete beginer to astronomy' probably a bit old to start ie age 63. I would like an opinion on what i have orderd from flo. scope is the 200p skyliner dob / the celestron eyeopener ep kit/ the premium cheshire collimimating ep.Was wondering if anyone could advice me of anything else that would be helpful to me.Sorry this is a bit long winded' but as i said i am a complete novice. kind regards to everyone

[tsmith001]

Hi

I have bought the same as you last month and also a beginner.

As for buying new things - I would hold fire until you get used to your kit.

The finder scope is a pain but persist with it.

The other thing i have found is if you are you looking directly overhead it is difficult to use the supplied finderscope - but someone told me to mount the dobby on a water butt stand and you can use the finderscope with ease. Genius idea

The finder scope is a pain but persist with it

One thing I would do is to buy a 6mm or 7mm ep to view the planets.

The detail with the dobby is brilliant.

Look at Jupiter and Saturn and you will be amazed at the detail you can achieve.

As for advice on eps keeping reading the forums. Everyone has their own idea but it appears the more you spend the better quality but thats life.

AS for your age dont worry. I have just introduced my dad and he is 78 - so you are a youngster.

Have fun

[Skybrowser]

That's a great scope John. If you have a selection of eyepieces, it'll be a good start for you. You need a small magnification one, like a 32mm, a mid range one like a 15mm and a high mag one for planets like a 6mm or 8mm. I recommend a decent Barlow lens (TAL are good ones and reasonably priced). Think about a Bahtinov mask to get your focus pin sharp.

I assume that like a lot of people, you may be looking for a good "all rounder" for planets, the moon and some deep sky objects?

In future, you may want to try your hand at imaging, although with a dob it's planetary work only really. In terms of additional kit, I'd advise getting to know the sky and you can get this by downloading Stellarium - it's free too and you can play around with the configuration of it (dead easy) to see what's where. Perhaps a bit later on, you might want to look at a Telrad to help find those faint fuzzies.

Another piece of advice is be patient, it takes a while to find what you're looking for and can be very frustrating for a beginner. Take your time.

Enjoy the scope and this great hobby!

[benjii]

The 200p is a wonderful scope and easily gives you the best value for money in its price range. However, as tsmith001 said, it does have a couple of flaws. I highly recommend you get a diagonal for both your focuser and finder, otherwise you'll be bending over backwards... literally.

*edit* Just to clarify, a diagonal is a right angle device that allows you to see the image at a 90 degree angle from it's source. It's perfect for cases when you want to look directly up but you finder is pointing at the floor.

[john h]

Hi Thank you for your advice it is most welcome. i would like to thank TSmith/SkyBrowser and Benjii for their replies' think it is sound advice.Dont want to run before i can walk. i will keep reading the advice on this forum and books ect. Regards John h

[Lenny147]

I would recommend the book Turn Left At Orion if you dont already own it

[Scott]

Hi John and welcome. The best advise I can give you is to enjoy your newfound hobby and don't let the frustation of not finding objects take away from the pleasure your scope can and will give you. just remember that the harder it is to find something the more excited you'll be when you find it.

nice scope by the way.

[huggiebear]

Hi and welcome John. I have the same scope as you and only got it a month ago although it seems like i've always had it. Every clear night there has been i have managed to get out in the garden and view something or another and before you know it seveal hours have passed. I am still using the original EPs and they have served me well.

My advise as a newbie like yourself is take your time and enjoy the challange of viewing and finding objects. Learn the sky . I really love the fact that i am not able to look up, recognise the some of the sky and point things out.