Skywatcher 250px Planatery setup problems

[roly50]

Hi all

I am new to this great hobby star gazing, but I am not sure what my set up should be and what I can expect to see with my Telescope , below is what I have got to work with.

Skywatcher Skyliner 250PX 10 inch parabolic Dobsonian , a super 10 long eye Relief ,a super 25 wide angle long eye Relief which came with the scope , plus i have a 2X barlow attachment that is it up to now.

I have seen great views the Moon and I beleive Jupiter small but I can just make out some rings and 4 Moons which are just very bright spots.

I feel I should be getting a better view of Jupiter with the scope I have ,and at the moment I will have No chance of seeing Saturn ,big question is with the scope I have will I be able to see Saturn or a better view of Jupiter ???

Can anybody help with any advise on my expectations and if things could be improved what I will need to purchase, I must say I am hooked and want to see more.

Any help and advise will be appreciated.

regards

roly50

[Steep]

Make sure your scope is collimated so that you know it's working at its best. Pick a good night with clear sky and dry air if possible as moisture in the air will affect the quality of the image. Use the 10mm eyepiece to begin with (you might want to consider buying better quality eyepieces at some point). If you have everything set up right Jupiter will still be small but you should be able to make out the cloud bands clearly.

I've only just got a 10" dob myself and am very much looking forward to seeing Saturn through it, can't wait...

[faulksy]

hi roly. first of your scope is very capable of seeing saturn and its rings with great detail, but when you say you cant see the rings of jupiter that is because it hasnt got any you must be thinking of saturn,i dont know what your focal length is of your scope but the 10mm will not give you much magnification maybe around 150x tops but you can easily push your scope to 200-250x if its colimated and seeing is good(steady skys) also what time are you viewing as saturn isnt visible from were i live till around 2.00am. also do you let your scope cool down ?

[Mr Spock]

Your problem is either collimation, insufficient cool down time, or both. Once you have those sorted you should be able to see good detail on Jupiter even with a modest eyepiece and barlow.

[roly50]

Hi

thanks for all your replies FAULKSY I did mean clouds not rings,as my Scope is New it would be fully set up ,but it seems as most of you are saying this is not the case.

Can any one advise of the best lense set up magnification to start with even if I need to purchase a couple of new Eye pieces /lenses.

What a great bunch of people you are thanks for all your help more advise would be appreciated.

regards

roly50

[Richardisgreat]

Hi Roly50, I have the Skywatcher 200p its the 8" version of your scope, i took a 2 minuite video of Jupiter through mine using a digital camera and stacked them in registax, i tweeked the contrast a little to get the best possible image etc, but any way im guessing you should be able to see something like this with a 8mm BST starguider eyepiece

all the best

Richard

[Lenny147]

The EPs that come with the scope are rubbish to be honest. Invest in a couple of new EPs and you will find the scope will come alive

[Steep]

Hi

thanks for all your replies FAULKSY I did mean clouds not rings,as my Scope is New it would be fully set up ,but it seems as most of you are saying this is not the case.

Can any one advise of the best lense set up magnification to start with even if I need to purchase a couple of new Eye pieces /lenses.

What a great bunch of people you are thanks for all your help more advise would be appreciated.

regards

roly50

The mirrors in these scopes are easily knocked out of line and transportation from China is a long way with a lot of knocking and bumping going on, I've used a laser collimator on mine with good success but I think I can still do better by using a cheshire as well.

Eyepieces are the single most important things you will buy as I reckon most people will tell you, don't skimp on price when working out the best for you. That said you obviously need to stick to your budget whatever it is so if you can give an idea of how much you can spend it would help. Collimating devices, laser and Cheshire types come in around the 20-30 pound mark with decent eyepieces starting about £45 for a BST and going right up to £500.

[roly50]

hi all again

managed to find Jupiter ,finding this reverse movement hard to get used to ,I can find objects throught the scope finder but getting them into the telescope for viewing is a pain ,must be doing something wrong also as some of you have said collumation may be needed as Jupiter is clearer when down to the left and not so good centre to top

[sparkyjon]

Hi mate it does sound like it's collimation or as said thermal equilibrium , i had the same issues with my 8" sct and now its collimated i can see the cloud belts of jupiter and the great spot.

i can see this using my 26mm EP and i usually go to my 12.5mm to get right in , but it moves so fast it's hard to keep it in FOV.. so prefer to have a look in my 26mm EP i sometimes get the 32mm and a x2 barlow which is nice but a little dimmer..

one thing thats silly but i have done it , if you change your EP dont hold it in your hand too long before changing it steam can cause havoc on focus..

[Steep]

It also sounds like your finder scope isn't lined up properly, once you do get say Jupiter in the scope center it as well as you can and check the finder again, if it's not in the center of that then adjust the finder until it is using the two thumb screws on the mounting ring. Next time you should have less problem getting on target.

[Dude_with_the_tube]

hi Roly and gratz on your scope.

get your scope out in day light if you can and try align your finder scope with the main scope by pointing the scope to some distant object ( about 1 mile away) and then aligning your finder to the same spot by using the 2 screws. this will help you finding objects in the night.

your next purchase should be a good quality colimator.I personally like laser ones and use Baader Mark III laser.Easy to use and great results.But thats me personally.

As for the eye pieces,my high mag one is 4.7mm what gives me x255 and i think this is the max you can push out of this tube under Uk skies.But in your case, temporary until you get some quality EPs ,you can use the 10mm with the 2x barlow provided will give you 5mm.But remember, you NEED to have a good viewing conditions to be able to use it or the view will be blurry.

have fun and clear skies

[Marc1980]

Hi Roly just to give you an idea of Saturn through a 10" scope. I took this on Friday morning using my 250p ds and an xbox webcam.

With regards to eyepieces the only limit will be your budget but for a quality eyepiece for a decent price I would definitely recommend the BST's. I only have the 12mm at the mos but will be working on getting a full set.

[roly50]

Again many thanks to you all, will do the re aligning of the finder and get a colimator as suggested,I appreciate all comments and advise ,I now understand it is not just a point and view getting things setup is very important.

By the way last night until it got cloudy I did get a nice view of Jupiter but scope must be out a bit as I felt things were just not as sharp as they could be.

Many Thanks again to all you helpfull people

[MikeDay82]

I have the 250px, I normally take it from the garage and set it up and leave it for a good half hour before I start to use it to give it plenty of time to cool down. In this time I get my binoculars out and have a wee browse and get my eyes used to the dark. If you do this it will give you and your scope plenty of time to adjust to being outside.

Also as others have said, check your collimation. We cant stress enough how important it is. I have one of these and I wouldnt be without it http://www.firstlightoptics.com/collimation/baader-laser-collimator.html

I understand you saying its new and should be set up properly, but when in transit by the dreaded couriers they may have knocked the box and this set the collimation to be slightly off.

[roly50]

Hi

setup using a colimator ,my scope was out by a fair way But as the fittings for the colimator and other eye pieces are nt exact just a slight movement of the setup can move the lazer spot quite a bit ,is this normal .

Well will recheck on the next clear night .

Can anybody tell me where I can get parts for my Skywatcher Skyliner 250PX ,the Hex bolts that ajust the secondary mirror ajustment are rounding a bit and i would like to replace them.

Well thanks again for all who have given such good advise ,I now getting the itch to get out in the cold and see the amazing Space above our heads.

Roland

[Joseki]

If the focuser has wobble then you won't get the benefit of a laser collimator (as I understand it). This is usual with the standard focusers shipped with telescopes and a combination cheshire/sight tube tool is probably better. As for the hex bolts, you could upgrade them rather than just replace them with some Bob's Knobs. http://www.bobsknobs.com/ , i.e. http://www.bobsknobs.com/Newt/page66/SWdob.html

[sparkyjon]

+ 1 for bobs knobs bought some for my c8 and its so much easier. And a very quick service from the states. best £16 I've ever spent.

[roly50]

Hi all

having purchased a colimator not a cheap model with its adapter I tried to tune /setup my scope ,I could see it was out of alignment but after setting it as close as possible I found the very small amount of movment in the eye connections could show the setup as being out again ,so I think that the aligment must be as close as possible rather than spot on setting ( am I correct in this thinking ).

I have not used my replacement scope which I purchased from the CameraCentre ,co.uk as the Packaging was very badly damaged and I have just found a small Dent on the end of the scope so I am asking for a replacement ,I think the damage was done in transit either warehouse or shipping agent,I do not belive the 2 problems are connected .

regards

Roly