Brief First Light - EQ6Pro / 250PX

[peonic]

Arrived home last night to a hallway full of boxes. BIG boxes.

I thought I'd ordered a new scope. Seems like someone had delivered a Saturn5 rocket by mistake!

The 250PX is a BIG bar-steward - I really wasn't prepared for just how big it is. It's it's unwieldly, it's a struggle to lift it up onto the mount, it's a pain having to contort to a million different positions or stand on a box to get to the eyepiece, it is (lets face it) plain ugly compared to some of those Williams Optics 'fracs, it's so blumming heavy I've decided to call it "The Herniator" - but it's blumming awesome, and I LOVE it to bits!

The EQ6Pro was the box I was really looking forward to opening. I'd had one delivered last week, which I had to return due to an extremely odd sound and lots of vibration emitting from the DEC motor. Steve@FLO got right onto sorting me a replacement, and the mount was picked up the next day. This EQ6 is much better - still sounds as if it could use a strip down, tighten and regrease but much better than the original. I had a bit of fun with the Skywatcher manual, struggled mostly with alligning the polarscope to the mount (which I'll make a separate post about if I fail to sort it again tonight), but the rest of the setup was childs play - and the ease with which it threw the huge 250PX around was most impressive. With a very rough polar alignment I was really impressed with the GoTo accuracy - seemed to be a fair chunk more accurate than my VixenGP with the SynScan upgrade.

Once I'd got everything unpacked, setup, balanced and ready to go I realised that I'd not looked at the sky for a while, and hadn't noticed the big blobs of clouds that had blown over - so actual time spent looking through the scope was reduced to just an hour of me trying to find stuff thru the gaps.

After a 3 star allignment I punched in M57 - something I've been viewing a lot recently with the C6, so I figured I'd be able to make an accurate comparison.

Hmmmm. What's going on here? That's nowhere near as bright as in the C6. Refocus. Nope - still a lot dimmer. Get the redlight out, check the EP for finger marks or obvious smudginess. Looks clean. EP back in and refocus. It's definitely not as bright. Oddly, the sky around it looks grey, rather than black.

I look up. Yes, stuff won't tend to look as bright WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT THROUGH A blumming CLOUD I chuckled to myself, and started to hunt for a different target in a clearer patch of sky!

M92 was in a a hole, and was an absolutely fantastic sight. Went down to a 9mm Revelation EP and was able to see detail right the way into the core - none of this 'averted vision' messing around! The cloud was starting to thicken up, so I only had the chance to see a few more objects - Alibireo looked just great with diffraction spikes - and the colour difference between the two stars seemed a lot more pronounced than in the C6. M27 gave me a very clearly defined Dumbell shape, much more contrasty than in the C6.

All in all, the 250PX / EQ6Pro combo is cracking - but it's really important to not underestimate the sheer size and weight of this tube - it's certainly not for the feint hearted, or those with any history of back trouble. Personally, I'm quite happy to suffer the pain of lumping it around - and getting into some of the wierdest positions imaginable to see the delights I'm sure it's going to show me in the coming months.

Chris

[geoff_k]

Chris

Sounds like a very impressive set-up you have there.

Careful carrying it around. Get the servants to do it for you.

Have fun.

Geoff

[CELESCOPE]

lovely report Chris , yes a big boy eh that one , early days yet , can always pop over to orwell meadows camp site , i,m sure the wife can rub some white embrocation in that back for ya ehheheheheh ,but yes a bit big for me , the 200 is my mark , but that will give some lovely images i,m sure , good luck

Rog

[centroid]

Nice review Chris, and nice to hear just how pleased you are with the new aquisition. Its alway exciting getting 'new toys', especially big ones like that

I don't envy you 'lugging' it around, especially the times when it clouds over, just when you've got it all set-up . However, the benefits of the new scope, will undoubtedly outweigh the 'hassle' of setting it up.

Going from a 6" to a 10" aperture will do wonders for your imaging efforts, in terms of exposure times, and being able to capture lower mag objects.

I can see a bit of 'push and shove' between you and your lad, to get to the eyepiece

Enjoy!!!

Dave

[geppetto]

Nice one Chris, have loads of fun with your new gear... 8)

Is there a Mrs Peonic who could carry it out and set it up for you

[Whippy]

Congrats Chris, Argos do a nice set of steps .

Tony..

[FLO]

Nice report Chris

If you add another dovetail across the top of the tube-rings it'll stiffen everything up and act as a handle.

[MikeD]

Congrats,Glad you like it. You are going to love the moon through it.

The 250PX is a BIG bar-steward - I really wasn't prepared for just how big it is. It's it's unwieldly, it's a struggle to lift it up onto the mount

I lug mine around andlift it up onto the mount with an 80Ed strapped to its back plus two cameras and their nest of wire.

Mike.

[CELESCOPE]

yea but you eat COW PIE Mike heheheheh

[Greg]

If you need a hand with the alignment PM me your number and i'll talk you through it....For a few beer tokens..

[steppenwolf]

I had a bit of fun with the Skywatcher manual, struggled mostly with alligning the polarscope to the mount (which I'll make a separate post about if I fail to sort it again tonight),

You may find this article on my website of some use as it is aimed specifically at addressing some this issue with the EQ6:-

http://home2.btconnect.com/astro-site/polar_alignment.htm

[peonic]

I found your guide while surfing this morning Steve - and wish I'd found it last night (preferably BEFORE the incident with the grub screw ending up inside the polar scope....)

Will print a copy out for the next time the clouds allow - thanks

Chris

PS Greg - yes, I'd heard you'd do *anything* for beer

[steppenwolf]

(preferably BEFORE the incident with the grub screw ending up inside the polar scope....) Smile

Aha, you've still got the pleasure of hearing the reticule fall out inside the tube then - now, which way round does it go again?

[peonic]

Nice report Chris

If you add another dovetail across the top of the tube-rings it'll stiffen everything up and act as a handle.

I was going to ask about this very thing, actually....

One thing I've noticed is that the tube is quite keen to slide down the rings when I slacken them off to rotate the EP round to a more comfortable viewing angle, which obviously throws my balance off. Would there be any mileage in attaching another set of tube rings (and "dovetail handle") and using them to stop any up/down movement of the OTA?

Or have anyone of the other Newt owners come up with a cunning solution to stop their tube sliding up/down when it's being rotated?

Cheers,

Chris

[MikeP]

Peonic,

KK posted something today suggesting that you fit embroidery rings round the OTA just above the rings. Then when you slacken them, the OTA can rotate but not slide.

Mike

[peonic]

That sounds like genius. Didn't realise KK was into crosstitch too aswell as this astro lark!

Chris

[MikeP]

A man of many talents.

I have a 250 and find it very awkward to turn the tube without it sliding, so I'll be buying a couple of rings too. I did a Google and found a couple of places selling 10" rings, only a couple of quid. No idea whether they will fit, but at that price if they don't, who cares.

Mike

[Rob]

Sounds a beast!. But I bet those visuals are great... I'd love to own one but I do suffer from a bad back, so not for me. Keep those observing reports coming in.

Rob

[steppenwolf]

Or have anyone of the other Newt owners come up with a cunning solution to stop their tube sliding up/down when it's being rotated?

I have a real low tech 'solution' for this - I have a label stuck on the tube on the low side of the OTA up against the lower tube ring that I positioned at balance point and I just rotate the tube and slide it back up until the label touches the tube ring again. Maybe 'solution' is the wrong word but it works for me!