Newbie...First scope purchased. What next???

[Beestonia]

Hi guys, I have just purchased my first scope. After months of deliberation and countless hours looking through reviews and advice I decided to go with the most common answer. The dobsonian 200p purchased straight from FLO.

I have not used it yet but I am wondering if there are any essential accessories I need to maximise my viewing experience? Iv seen reviews for the 2x barlow lens etc. But as newbie I have no idea what difference this would make.

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

P.s I have just bought the book "Turn left at Orion" this should give me good ideas of what to look for!

Thanks

Mike

[Beestonia]

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[Jim-a]

I think the generally accepted advice is to stick with the stock EP's that came with the scope at first - spend a few nights with it under the stars before going down the upgrade route - that way you'll have got a taste for the different types of object you can see and that will guide your next purchases - be in widefield for galaxies etc, or something specialist for planetary viewing etc.

EP's aside though, you'll want to get a cheshire (or laser) for collimating and I'd recommend a telrad.

[wookie1965]

A warm welcome to SGL and i would get used to your scope and eyepieces then think about upgrading then that's what i did.

[rory]

you'll be wanting a collimation tool (cheshire or laser) . and if you can stretch to it a telrad or rigel finder . great scope by the way

[Astro Imp]

All the above is great advice.

The one thing I would add is make sure your finder scope is properly aligned, do this in daylight using a distant TV aerial or similar.

[dtr42]

collomation tool is not a must, i would say a telrad helps a lot , stelarium helps in finding your targets [turn left at orion great book full of very good advice ] and finally patience, its a great scope and a big universe to discover so have a cheeky peek at jupiter and then after your wow moment just try and find stuff, the ring nebula is very nice for example as is orion neb in the early morning 5-6 am in a 200 dob using the supplied 25mm ep and the 10mm ep ,

[jason.p]

A torch with a red lens is quite useful to help keep your dark eye adaption. Red nail varnish or even red sweet wrappers have been used successfully as a quick fix.

Jason

[Mr Q]

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Now this post made my day - just a period - short, consise and to the point Mistake or not, I like it

As for starters, try looking at some distant daytime objects (NOT THE SUN) to get used to focusing and try to align the finder scope with a distant object like an earlier post said and I agree, the eyepeices that came with the scope should work fine for most visual observing. Then pray for a dark, cloudless night to try it out

[bendiddley]

I bought an RACI finder scope for my 200p dob as I wanted to see the correct way up through the finder and without breaking my neck too, and I also bought a rigel quikfinder to help me point the scope where I want it, both I personally cannot do without and would recommend these. Definitely stick with the stock EP's for a while to start with before upgrading, I wanted to rush in and get this sorted straight away but there is much to learn in this area too so its good to take your time and research it slowly, I was happy with the stock EP's for quite a while. Also thumbs up on the red torch, can't use star maps without one of those. You might want to consider a moon filter too, it can be a bit bright without one. Good luck!

[LukeSkywatcher]

Everything that needs to be said, has already been said above:

A collimation tool and a Telrad or Rigel finder.

Dont even worry about upgrading the stock eyepieces at this point. The ones you have are fine and will work fine for a long time.

You already have half the battle won because you ordered a 200P Dob and you ordered it from FLO. You got one of the best scopes from one of the best astro retailers.

Enjoy.

p.s.~~~a red torch for reading books and star charts is a good thing to have. A simple torch with red nail varnish painted on the lens will do great.

[bingevader]

AS everyone has already said, have a go with what arrives in the box first.

Yes, do align the finderscope in the day time first.

That was the hardest thing I had to do when I first set mine up.

It was down to the positioning of the foot of the finderscope in the bracket.

Not something I could have done at night!

Cheers

[brantuk]

Have a go with the supplied eyepieces for sure, and I agree a collimation tool should be your first mandatory item. But I'm gonna stick my neck out and suggest a nice low power wide angle eyepiece to bring all those large objects completey into the frame - open clusters, nebulae, and galaxies, etc.

It needn't be expensive - something circa £40 will get you a nice 30+mm (ish) 2" eyepiece. I'm thinking BST, TMB, WO Swan, GSO, or similar. You will save a few bob going second hand. Hth

[Velvet]

Hi nice scope you chose from good supplier. The only thing i can add is dew heaters as some of my friends with dobs seem to have dew problems. But i am sure someone here who uses a dob (mine is EQ) can advise on the best route

for this

velvet

[the rev]

Nice kit to begin with. Once you get used to your eye pieces, maybe it would be worthwhile finding a local astronomy group you could visit and talk to people and maybe even look through some different ones. There are a lot to choose from out there.

[acey]

You don't need anything else yet, it's a great scope and will give you enjoyable views straight out of the box. Get a few months experience with it then think about whether you might want to do anything else (e.g. collimating it or buying another eyepiece).

[Matsenator]

Telrad! makes finding stuff alot easier