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I just bought my first scope!


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Hi, I'm Oli, this is my first post here on SGL and I've only been a member for a couple days so I'm a newbie.

I've just ordered the Skywatcher SKYLINER 150p, it is a 6" (150mm) aperture scope (I'm sure you already probably know it as I think it's a common choice for a cheap, well built scope).

I thought it's a relatively good choice as even though bigger apertures such as 8" or 10" would be great, I'm just getting into astronomy/stargazing so I thought it's best not to start off large as they're much more expensive and I live in an urban area with LP.

Anyway, I bought this scope off Amazon for around £200, and below it came up with other items that are frequently bought with it, such as an astronomy book and a Celestron Moon Filter etc.

Now what I'm asking is this; what other accessories should I buy with this telescope? It comes with a 20mm and 10mm eye piece, so should I get a barlow lense? (And do they work well on a Dobsonian telescope?), I think I should get an astronomy book, as they're always useful and interesting, but what about all these different filters, for a beginner like myself, are these really necessary? I would like to observe the Moon and see its craters, to see Jupiter and see some (even if very very faint) bands of its atmosphere, and I would like to see Saturn's rings/ moons, and Mars...well if I see Mars as a small brownish blob I will be pleased as I know getting detail out of Mars seems quite a tough job.

So, would I be able to see these features with just my telescope from stock, without any additional features, or should I buy some accessories to go with it.

But, being as my telescope hasn't arrived yet, I probably shouldn't make any decisions until I actually use it and see for myself. But I'm just hoping for a little insight.

Thanks! :)

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Hi and welcome! Nice size of scope to start with :).

Not sure what this scope comes with, but a barlow would be useful. One of the first things I got was the TAL x 2 from FLO (our sponsors on the forum). Also, I got the book Turn Left at Orion as a good guide to what I might be able to see...well recommended!

Once you start getting into the whole new eyepieces and accessories thing....a money pit :eek:! It woudl be worth checking some of the stickied posts - good advice on eps and so on.

You'll soon be enjoying some great views :rolleyes:

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Hi Ollie - well you've made a great start by getting the scope you've picked and joining the forum - there is a lot of help here and a lot of knowlegable friendly people willing to give it.

I think if I were you I would invest in a cheshire Collimator as sooner or later you will have to collimate your scope (don't worry its not that scarey) and probably a good book Turn left (or possibly right lol) at Orion perhaps.

don't go over the top just yet - theres plenty of time and you will see loads with the kit you already have. If you have any local groups or astronomical societies near you - now would be a good time to join - Astronomers are by and large a friendly bunch and most only too willing to help and give advice.

But - you've taken the first step - welcome on board and enjoy the ride - don't forget - Ask - theres plenty of help here

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Hi Oli and welcome to Stargazers

you have made a great choice for a first scope, a 6" 1200mm Dob will show you plenty of the night sky and is a good choice for the planets and Moon. The EP's will give you 60x magnification and 120x magnification so plenty to start with. A 2x barlow will double these figures, however before you rush to get one bear in mind the EP's supplied will be basic versions and I would see how good they are. A Barlow will just show a bigger image but not a sharper one.

Best bet is to get used to using the scope, learn your way around the night sky a bit and then if you wish to improve the views there are plenty here who will give you some good advice.

Rather than a Barlow I would make my first additional purchase a collimation tool to get the scope set up correctly and to get the best possible out of it before upgrading the EP''s and getting a Barlow.

enjoy......

Paul

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You can tell I've never had a newt or a dob :)....quite right, get a collimator first (and then a barlow:)).

But as Paul and Steve said, take your time and get to know your scope before major purchases...then save the cash for some really nice kit once you know what you need!

And following SFlowers's advice...thermals too!

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Hi Oli

Welcome to the SGL.

This is a great forum, ive found, with some really friendly and helpful people on it.

The scope you've picked is the one I would choose if I was starting again, and will show you everything on your list plus a lot more. Great choice.:)

Enjoy.

Regards Steve

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Thanks for the feedback you lot, very useful.

Will the collimation be correct when it arrives? Or will I have to make adjustments straight away?

I've just been reading about collimation, and they related it to having to tune a guitar every so often, which I manage to do fine, so hopefully collimating a telescope will be the same, except, taking a lot longer and a bit more tedious. but I suppose that's what astronomy is about, I mean, I'm new but I even I know it's about a lot of effort and patience just to see a 'shiny dot', but in the end, it'll be so worth it.

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Hi Olij and welcome. I've recently acquired my 1st scope and also bought 'Turn Left at Orion', as mentioned above, and would definitely recommend this book. The newest edition is spiral bound so look out for this.

If you haven't already you might try downloading the free programme 'stellarium' which will help you find your way around the night sky and also give you something to look at when it's cloudy!

If like me you're on a budget you might also want to check out your local library - I've got a couple of really good astronomy books from mine!

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Hi Oli,

First of all welcome to SGL!

I recently bought my first scope - a Skywatcher Skymax 102 (102mm Maksutov Cassegrain) and I have been able to see craters on the moon, the cloud belts and moons of Jupiter and Saturn, Saturn's rings & the Orion nebulae. So with a 150mm Dob you should have no trouble seeing these things too. This is with Skywatcher standard 10mm & 25mm EPs.

I agree with the others here. Get to know your scope and the sky before you start to purchase. I know it is very hard to hold back but with a little more knowledge and experience you will be able to make better, informed purchases that will increase your enjoyment and not disappoint.

Checking the collimation of your Dob is an important thing to do as soon as you can. They can and do get knocked out of alignment - especially bouncing around in the back of a delivery van! This could well improve your views before forking out on new/better EPs.

Here's one of my first pics of the moon - single frame (no stacking) using a point & shoot digital camera, auto everything set on 10 second self timer to limit camera shake.

Bryan

post-34179-133877765178_thumb.jpg

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Hi Oli and welcome to the forum. I though you might want to read this excellent guide on collimation using a cheshire eyepiece. There are quite a lot videos that are good to watch but most of the time they are using laser collimators, so I thought this guide would be the most appropriate for your experience (apprehension?:)) of adjusting your scope for the first time.

James

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Hello oli , welcome , I'm a newbie myself and can say the scope is excellent , I would recommend a planisphere only about a fiver from amazon for learning the sky then stellarium to tell you where in the sky things are. Then go from there , good luck.

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Welcome to SGL

I bought the same scope about a month ago and I have been very pleased with it so far. Mine was fine regarding collimation when it arrived but I have got a Cheshire ready for when it goes out. I also bought a fairly cheap moon filter with it which does cut down the glare when viewing but I could live without it.

There are free phone apps such as SkyEye and Google Sky Maps which are very useful for the beginner and I have also got some books from the local library.

Great views of Venus, Saturn, Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula, Pliades etc so far.

My list for accessories is as follows.

Turn Left at Orion (LIBRARY GETTING A COPY FOR ME!)

2x Barlow

LP Filter

You will find that the scope and EPs straight out of the box are great to get you started so don't rush into buying loads of stuff till you have got used to using what you have.

Cheers

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Some great advice and information here guys, thanks!

How often do you lot have to collimate your telescope, with regards to how often you use your telescope?

Is it a once every few uses thing, once every week, month or so?

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Get a Telrad, since the finderscope (if a magnified one) will be difficult to locate objects with. Since getting the Telrad it opened up the sky to me - without it I used to get so frustrated when looking for DSO etc.

Am sure all Telrad owners will agree...!

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Hi and welcome! Congrats on the new scope....Ive had my 150 3 weeks now. Im confident you wont regret the purchase.

I'd defo get a collimator first. Once you have it try youtube for lessons on its use. My 150 came with some basic EP's, however I quickly upgraded to some competitively priced plossl's. Also a barlow would be a good early addition to your armoury!

Overall stay patient and absorb what all the guys and girls on here say! They have been massively helpful....there is vast knowledge and experience here!

Goes without saying of course that as you have just got your scope it will continue to heave it down with rain! well into next week!!!! That following the driest first quater to a year for donkeys! MEH :):D:D:D:D

Enjoy!

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Hi Oli, All good advice from members so far, I would also suggest a 32mm eyepiece for low power wide angle viewing. Great for star clusters like the Pleiades and the Beehive. Turn Left at Orion book a real help for finding viewing targets...Len

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