Getting to grips with my 200P EQ5

[McMoon]

Evening all!

Very slowly, I am getting more viewing in with my Skywatcher 200P but I have a couple of questions.

Are the EP's and Barlow supplied with the scope really that bad or have I just been unlucky with relatively poor viewing nights? Looking at Jupiter, Saturn and Mars, I can see rings, bands, marks etc but I also know what I am expecting to see so it must help my brain decode the image I am actually seeing but in all honesty, the images I have seen are pretty poor and never with any real definition. Everything is always collimated but do I stick it out and wait for a good viewing night or do I look for some good EP's and a barlow? If so, what should I be looking for.

Also, when I find these planets and bounce with excitement dragging the wife over to have a look, the darn thing has moved out of view. Now, I do have the synscan/goto but currently I have no power source for it. Once this is set up and running, how long could I expect to hold a planet in view for if I was running at the higher end of the magnifications I could use?

Thanks all.

[Mr Q]

My guess is that the EPs that came with the scope will work well enough although you can expect better views with more expensive EPs.

I would think your poor views were indeed from bad seeing conditions and/or from a hazy sky. By all means, stick it out and soon enough you will be amazed at what that scope will provide in the right conditions of dark, transparent and steady skies.

From what you are describing, it sounds like a tracking motor and if so, once the object is in view, the scope will follow it indefinatly even on high power EPs...if the system is set up right (aligned properly).

[Ouroboros]

I have the same telescope and powered mount, but without GOTO. Powering your mount will solve your problem with keeping the object in view.

I too was disappointed by planetary images when I first got the scope. Bad seeing is part of it, and when the seeing is good you will be pleasantly surprised.

Nevertheless the 200p is not best suited for observing planets. The telescope has a wide field of view compared with other telescopes and is better suited for deep sky objects with large apparent diameters.

The moon is pretty good through 200p though, which enables the whole moon to be seen on the 40x EP or at higher mag with the other eyepiece and Barlow. The moon has produced a WOW! From my other half.

Large objects like star clusters look good. Pleiades for example looks particularly pretty through this scope. The double cluster in Perseus is another good object and there are many others.

In someways I think we've been spoilt by the marvellous images we've seen of astronomical objects. Images obtained by much better instruments and after a lot of processing too. Part of the joy though of owning a telescope is actually seeing these objects with your own eyes, even though they may not look as good as the pictures in the books.

[webboid]

I have the same scope as you but on a standard EQ5 mount. I added an RA motor & even with an approximate polar alignment at high power (about 300x) Jupiter stays in the ep for a long time. I have moderate light pollution in my back garden & when I started six months ago I only had the standard eps but I was able to view quite a few nice objects. Mainly globular & open clusters, ring nebula, dumbbell nebular & double stars. Galaxies were a bit more difficult. I learned that this was partly down to conditions, light pollution & skyglow.

Some time later I have flocked my tube & invested in medium priced eps. This has considerably improved my observations. As well as my eye being more experienced at seeing what is there. A good example of the improvements gained from better eps was viewing M81 & 82. When I put the original sw eps back in after viewing with my Meade eps the galaxies literally disappeared. I was unable to find those galaxies before I got the better eps.

If you view from a fairly dark site I would imagine the standard eps would be fairly OK but I must admit my observing is much improved with the better optics & I have now seen well over 60 NGC objects from my back garden. Great scope & a very rewarding hobby.

[Carbon Brush]

I have used my 200P to 285x looking at Mars. So at least one SW200P is good for planetary views. But I guess it is not unique.

On the other side, there are nights when you can't resolve clouds bands on Jupiter - the seeing is so bad.

In my experience the stock 25mm EP is OK. The 10mm pretty useless. But they do vary so my experience may not reflect yours.

Even a basic RA drive will greatly enhance the viewing experience. Giving you time to fetch the Mrs, change eyepeice, try a filter, etc. All without having to chase the object. A 12V power pack (car start n charge type) for your goto will be a worthwhile spend.

Hope this helps.

[McMoon]

Thanks everyone, you have all helped heaps.

Sounds like I just need more patience to see if it is the EP or my viewing conditions and join up with other observers. Also, a battery pack or power source to power my goto drive will also keep my object in the EP so I can enjoy the view I am seeing.

[swamp thing]

Observing detail on planets is not quite as straightforward as many are lead to believe. "Seeing" really effects what detail can be seen. Planetary observation is a real test of patience and perseverance, in that the more you look, the more you will see. It's one aspect where you will really notice your skill as an observer as it improves. Detail that you struggle with at first will become obvious with time and skill. Keep at it and enjoy yourself.

Light pollution doesn't effect planetary observing so we can do it from town without any problems. The real issue is "seeing" this is the steadiness of the air. Turbulent air makes planetary observing very tough with the targets "boiling" or jumping around violently in the eyepiece. On nights like these where the seeing is bad its best to forget planets and have a look at what else the sky has to offer.

You will often find that nights where the seeing is great are nights of poor transparency. Hazy nights where the air is still are often excellent for planetary observing. Crystal clear nights are often nights with very poor seeing as they are often effected badly by thermals (rising heat that destroys good seeing). It is very rare to get nights with good seeing and excellent transparency.

Steady skies is what I will wish a planetary observer

Enjoy

[Jiggy 67]

Evening all!

Also, when I find these planets and bounce with excitement dragging the wife over to have a look, the darn thing has moved out of view. Now, I do have the synscan/goto but currently I have no power source for it. Once this is set up and running, how long could I expect to hold a planet in view for if I was running at the higher end of the magnifications I could use?

Thanks all.

Ihave the same scope on an EQ5 GoTo. With good polar alignement (by no means perfect, just with Polaris in the centre of the polar scope) I can keep Jupiter in the fov for 20-30 minutes

[McMoon]

Ihave the same scope on an EQ5 GoTo. With good polar alignement (by no means perfect, just with Polaris in the centre of the polar scope) I can keep Jupiter in the fov for 20-30 minutes

This is all sounding good and fueling the enthusiasm to stick with it.