Celestron Eye Piece & Filter Kit and Celestron 130EQ Astromaster

[dag123]

Yes, if funds for both scope and the kit are available at the start then yes a larger/better scope and one or two EPs is a more logical choice. However for me I would not have known that without first getting a cheap scope and then the EP kit. Although I do listen to what people say here in the forum the engineer in me wants to try things out for myself, just to be sure.

dag123

[Dazza121]

well my 200p is the current black diamond one and it didnt have a centre dot on the primary mirror when i got it - so possibly there is a quality control issue with skywatcher lol

and previously in this post i did recomend to the OP that if he has the funds for a scope and eyepiece kit he would be better off buying a 150p explorer or a dob with the extra money rather than on the eyepiece kit. I know that the 130eq isnt a great scope (as i upgraded quite quickly) but its not an awful scope and to be honest I dont think it is as bad as some people seem to make out it is.

[Naemeth]

well my 200p is the current black diamond one and it didnt have a centre dot on the primary mirror when i got it - so possibly there is a quality control issue with skywatcher lol

and previously in this post i did recomend to the OP that if he has the funds for a scope and eyepiece kit he would be better off buying a 150p explorer or a dob with the extra money rather than on the eyepiece kit. I know that the 130eq isnt a great scope (as i upgraded quite quickly) but its not an awful scope and to be honest I dont think it is as bad as some people seem to make out it is.

It's not that I was thinking of buying them at the same time, it's that I was thinking of getting the scope first and then adding the kit later, and I was seeing if they would be compatible. I'm leaning towards the Skymaster 130P.

Just out of interest, what's so different about a Dobsonian?

[dag123]

Hi Naemeth, the simple answer to the question about the EP kits compatibility with the scope is YES.

Adding the kit later will add extra flexibility to what you get with the scope and will allow you to begin to understand how differnt EPs work with different objects. If you like the moon then the moon filter will be of great use. The coloured filters are of most use to keep the children occupied when they see me with the EP case open. I'm not so bothered about sticky fingers on these.

As to your choice of scope, read all the reviews and make your choice. You will only really know if you get on with it when you have stood in front of it. Hence the idea about a visit to the local astro society.

What is different about a Dobsonian? Well perhaps being slightly flippant, normally it is the size. You get a much bigger mirror for your money as there is no fancy mount. This suits some people who just want to gather as much light as possible and are happy to drag it round the sky. Others prefer a fancy mount, perhaps one that can even move on its own if you are too lazy, or unable, to locate objects. Such mounts eat heavily into the cost, hence you end up with a smaller mirror for the same money.

Hope this helps

dag123

[pel]

Pel, wow you must have had a dud!

When not in use my scope lives disassembled in a corner of the kids playhouse to save on cool down and not much space indoors. The downside being the little ones don't yet respect optical equipment. On the plus side I am in a postion to say that unscrewing/screwing the various screws and weights and othewise dragging the mount (not the OTA I should say) sideways through a doorway has not yet adversly affected it.

dag123

Either it was a dud or I am very heavy handed or maybe a bit of both.

You seem to be doing well with yours though The OTA is really good so I hope your mount is a good one and lasts.

Both my children seem to be pretty good at not touching the new scope. In fact I'm more of a danger to it than they are :-)

Cheers, Perry.

[dag123]

Although if the mount did suffer "an accident", I'd have to upgrade to something more robust, obviously!!!

dag123

[pel]

Although if the mount did suffer "an accident", I'd have to upgrade to something more robust, obviously!!!

dag123

I was lucky that the supplier (Binoculars uk) agreed that the mount was defective/not fit for purpose and gave me a full refund.

[Naemeth]

Hi Naemeth, the simple answer to the question about the EP kits compatibility with the scope is YES.

Adding the kit later will add extra flexibility to what you get with the scope and will allow you to begin to understand how differnt EPs work with different objects. If you like the moon then the moon filter will be of great use. The coloured filters are of most use to keep the children occupied when they see me with the EP case open. I'm not so bothered about sticky fingers on these.

As to your choice of scope, read all the reviews and make your choice. You will only really know if you get on with it when you have stood in front of it. Hence the idea about a visit to the local astro society.

What is different about a Dobsonian? Well perhaps being slightly flippant, normally it is the size. You get a much bigger mirror for your money as there is no fancy mount. This suits some people who just want to gather as much light as possible and are happy to drag it round the sky. Others prefer a fancy mount, perhaps one that can even move on its own if you are too lazy, or unable, to locate objects. Such mounts eat heavily into the cost, hence you end up with a smaller mirror for the same money.

Hope this helps

dag123

Are Dobsonians therefore less portable? At the moment, I don't have a car, so I need to be able to at least move it a bit (out the back at the moment).

[dag123]

Hi,

here is a thread discussion dobsonians that include a handy size chart!

http://stargazerslounge.com/discussions-scopes-whole-setups/140967-skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian-250px-dobsonian.html

dag123

[Naemeth]

Hi,

here is a thread discussion dobsonians that include a handy size chart!

http://stargazerslounge.com/discussions-scopes-whole-setups/140967-skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian-250px-dobsonian.html

dag123

Ah thankyou, even a 10 inch doesn't seem to be too big. I'd just have to look at the weight.

I've heard how quickly a telescope cools is another thing to consider, do Dobs cool down quickly or slowly?