Have I bought the wrong scope?

[barbusg60]

Guys, I'm in need of some advice if anyone has the time.

I've recently been thinking of buying my first telescope and after finding a local retailer I chose a Skywatcher 200p Dobsonian.

It was going to be either the Dob or a Celestron Nexstar 127 SLT.

I chose the 200p due to the large aperture and me thinking I would see 'more' with it.

However in reality I dont really have the space to store the dob, cant find any dso's and cant believe how fast planets move through the eyepiece!

I think I should have read more about the different types of scope available to tell the truth and possibly gone with the 127 (or similar)

I have seen Saturn, Venus and Mars so far, along with the moon along with a nice shooting star last night and now think I would like to concentrate on our Solar System, possibly using a webcam too.

I'm not the sort of person who stays out all night stargazing due to my early start for work so am really only going to use it casually.

I like the look of the Celestron 127 (I prefer a red dot sight) but is there anything else out there for similar money, what about the NexStar 4 SE?

Thanks in advance,

A slightly embarrased for jumping in to deeply Rob.

[John]

Storage issues apart, I reckon the 200P is a fantastic scope and much more capable than the 127mm SLT an much more so than a 4SE. You just need to get a good sky guide and a red dot type finder to help you find some more objects.

If you can find somewhere to store it, I don't think you will regret your decision in the medium to long term.

[DOBBY]

If you are short of space..you'll need to collapse down the tripod every session. & if you're short of time you want to spend it observing..not faffing about setting up a tripod then levelling it etc. before every session. If you can't find things in an 8 inch Dob...dropping to a 5inch Mak-Cass probably won't help you.

I'm in London & can get some great views in an 8 inch newt

[steve_bham]

If storage is an issue you could try an 8" SCT. But it depends on your budget. Goto is a great way of find objects quickly and spend more time observing. I'm not a dob fan hence would never own one.

There are plenty of scope styles out there to match your requirements (I.e storage, goto etc)

But saying all that if you can get a good sky atlas and give the dob a try to see if it will work for you.

[Celtic Deacon]

Another vote for the dob, I've been really pleased with what I've been able to see. Like you I've not seen any great DSO yet but that's me and not the fault of the scope. I've just bought a Telrad and with Stellarium and some maps I hope to get going on my Messier list or Moore Marathon.

Agree storage can be a problem, I'm thinking of a new shed for back garden lined and doubly waterproofed. Good luck

[Marki]

If you are going down the Mak 127 type route, the skywatcher 127 is well recommended by some users on SGL. MAybe if you get something with a go-to capability that will help with finding the DSOs, especially if you'll be a more casual user.

I started with go-to, but hardly use it now and prefer to learn my way around with books (Turn Left at Orion is a good guide) or planetarium programmes (try Stellarium - a free download). I might not have stuck at it without having the go-to to begin with though.

Whatever you decide, hope you still get out and under those stars!

[Catweazel]

I'm not a dob owner, but I would say that you should give it a bit more of a chance. I have a 200P EQ5 setup, and have also not seen many DSO's due to light pollution A smaller telescope won't help with that particular problem at all! As others have said, try getting a red dot finder for the dob; I have one, and it does make hopping around a lot faster

[Tribal-Wolf]

A goto can lead you to where a dso is but if you haven't got the aperture to see it then it's a waste of time. Planets do go by quite quickly at high mag and auto tracking might help but if you may not see any more detail if your mount is shaking by a bit of a breeze. The set up time on an alt/az goto is not too bad but if your stretched for time you will soon get sick. Stick with the dob for a bit and if you really feel you made a wrong choice why not visit a local astro society and check out other scopes so can at least compare them before you through the towel in on the good old dob.

[ItIsOnlyMe]

It is very tempting to think that an equipment change is going to sort your problems out, but in reality it is just going to get you a whole new set of problems.

Space saving aside you will move from having an 8" dob, IMHO one of the best scopes for a casual observer, to having a motorised mount that will a) need to be powered to use at all (8AA batteries will not last very long so think powertank or mains) need levelling c) need aligning to use the goto (I am not familiar with Skyalign on the 127SLTso will not comment).

With the dob, you take it out plonk it on the ground and go (not forgetting to let it cool down)

I downloaded some Telrad maps (Sky Maps) and even though I don't have a Telrad I found these made finding DSOs much easier. The three clusters in Auriga took about ten minutes to find all three and they could all be made out in the finder scope once you knew where to look.

[perrin6]

Just wondered if a 5 inch SCT takes as long to cool as an 8 inch newt making them equal as casual scopes, in that aspect at least ?

[wheresthetorch?]

My vote is for the 4SE 'cos I have one and love it! Quick to set up, simple to align and gives pretty good views. Sure, more aperture would be a bonus, but the smaller GOTOs are just so handy!

[Ags]

Don't listen to these dob fans. You can't beat a little mak on a tracking mount for brilliant planet views. The smaller aperture loses a bit of resolution on the rare nights of perfect seeing, but stands up better to poor seeing. A tracking mount lets you concentrate on the view - people often say tracking is worth a couple of inches of aperture. Between the 4SE and the skymax 127, the skymax is more capable, but I have plenty of fun with my 4SE.

[stevetynant]

Stick with the dob and give it some time check out help on adding a setting circle amd wixey which will get you in the right area of sky quicker than a goto but best of all find out if you have a local observing group and spend an evening with then its suprizing what you'll pick up really quickly just remember your not alone.good luck

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

[sunshine185]

If I remember correctly my skymax 127 took a lot longer to cool down than my dob does.

[barbusg60]

Thanks for the input everyone.

I will update once I have made a decision.

I like the simplicity of the dob, maybe I should have started with a 130 instead.

One disadvantage of a tripod though is my garden is souurounded by trees so I have to keep moving the scope to view different things.

Instead of a goto system, what about a small mak on a standard tripod for the planets/moon as I can find planets but would also like to move around myself to view (if that makes)

Cheers,

Rob.

[S1m0n]

I have the 200p dob and love it.

I'm a new user but I'm also disabled with congenital back problems but I just manage to move te scope with help also easier to split it in two stand and tube.

I'm also a new user and currently find it hard to find DSOs but I'm slowly learning but I see plenty like the moon which has soo much detail , I use a standard lp filter and for even closer views a barlow 2x.

Planets are nice too .

I also have very little space and was surprised at the size but I manage to store it in my room which is cold so less cool down .

I can only stay out for a short time due to my disability but even in that short time I see plenty .

Give it time and if you need help just ask people on here are very helpful