dob or a eq

[Beardy30]

quick newbie question is a do 200p better than a skywatcher 130m and if so how is it better and what extra bits would i need for it other than a 25mm ep and a tal x2 barlow ???

[Capricorn]

The 200 will collect 2.3x as much light. You will see the difference.

If you only doing visual then the Dob, if you intend to delve into astrophotography then you will need an equitorial at some time.

[Beardy30]

so what else Will i need and Will it need constant collimating

[Moonshane]

any newtonian (including the one you currently have) should be checked before each session; at least the primary mirror which is likely to need a small tweak.

personally as well as a scope (and I agree with the above post) I'd also budget for a red dot finder and a star map. I also prefer to add a right angled finder too for ultimate comfort / finding.

eyepieces can come later but personally I would not use the 25mm with the barlow but buy e.g. a 15mm as this will give 7.5mm with the barlow which is a nice magnification with the 200mm dob.

[stevetynant]

All Newtonians need collimation but its nothing to be afraid off once you've had a go.You could do with a cheshire perhaps £25 and a book to find your way around and a flask of coffee and your away (two pairs of socks at least is another tip)

good luck with whatever you choose

[knobby]

It'll only need collimating if you bash it about! Maybe once when you get it ... might be fine tho.

As for extras, very subjective but for me I would say keep the 25mm its actually pretty good unless you're into wide field stuff the maybe look at a 32mm , the 10mm is pants! I'd bin that and get a BST 10 or 12 mm (£45 Ish ebay ) and a Tal 2 x Barlow (IF YOU CAN FIND ONE IN STOCK)

But that's just my opinion!

What do you expect to do with the scope? Planets dso AP ...

[Beardy30]

thanks knobby good advice thanks . i want it for observation only not into photographs etc dso would be good but i Will settle for stars except and planets except

[JamesM]

I would certainly go for the U.K's most popular scope namely the 200P. If you want tracking or even goto later on, you can always mount this on an equatorial mount with some scope rings and a dovetail bar. On the question of astrophotography, you can webcam the planets and the moon on virtually any scope. Just subtract the worst 'frames' from your video, stack the good frames on top each other using a free program called Registax to construct a composite image with plenty of detail. It's imaging deep sky objects (DSO's) such as galaxies and nebulae where all the fun (frustration!) starts. Being much fainter than planets etc require you to make longer exposures and by definition the ability to accurately track these objects whilst the shutter is open. This in turn will mean that you need to be careful which future mount you buy as it will need to be good enough to perform this task if imaging is a direction that you want to go. I always recommend that people ask as many questions on here before they purchase any kit in case there is some oversight or technicality that might render that purchase limiting in some way -we don't want you wasting your honest pennies!

Clear skies for now,

James

[richbyers]

thanks knobby good advice thanks . i want it for observation only not into photographs etc dso would be good but i Will settle for stars except and planets except

i noticed youve been having trouble with your scope- may i ask if thats the reason for the upgrade?

and yes you will notice a difference- thats what i would upgrade to if i could afford it

[Beardy30]

Hi Rich, yes thats the reason, it has very much disappointed and i think if i can upgrade that would be great and the 200p is my aim. I am not into the photography side of things , just obervering so a Dob would do nicely.

[rory]

james, while a 8" dob would be great( i want one too) .i notice youve only had your scope a couple of weeks. id be tempted to hold off spending more cash and use the current set up to get used to the skies,constellations ,how things look and how scopes and eyepieces work.

my worry is you'll spend another £300 and still feel dissapointed. as rich asks, have you issues with the new telescope ? let some of the guys here advise you ,they have years of knowledge and experience james . (not me though) lol.

good luck..

[Moonshane]

good advice by Rory I think. What you see is dependent upon many things and aperture of scope is only one of them. Sometimes from home and with my 16" dob I can only see hints of even brighter galaxies like M51 and the Leo Messiers because of light pollution, haze etc. Perhaps state where you are and there's bound to be someone with an 8" dob nearby willing to share and show you the views through it.

[Beardy30]

good advice thanks guys can you recommend any filters or eye pieces to improve it.

[swamp thing]

Some great advice on this thread James.

"learning to see" with your scope is maybe a corny way of putting it, but it's very true when applied to visual astronomy.

I started with a 4.5" scope (many years back) and often got very frustrated and blamed the scope for my shortcomings as an observer. it was only after I upgraded to a larger scope that I began to realise it wasn't so much the little scopes limit that I had reached but my own.

Most amateurs on here get hankerings for bigger more powerful scopes, and that's only to be expected, but we mustn't lose sight that even an 8" scope will provide more targets than most of us will ever get through in a lifetime at the eyepiece. An experienced astronomer, with even a small scope will surprise you with how much detail they can see.

Big scopes are great fun but learn your trade with a small one. Then when you do upgrade the difference will be so much more appreciated you'll get a lot more joy out of it.

For eyepieces and filters, pretty much the same applies. Use what you've got for a little while, then upgrade you'll appreciate it more.

Regards Steve