Beginner

[Mattdavies241184]

Hi all; I'm looking for some advice; I have just purchased a Explorer 200P (EQ5), it's my first ever scope!! I am wondering if there are any filters i need to purchase in order to get the best out of the telescope??

Also can anyone recommend a good case to keep a telescope?

[DirkSteele]

Do not be in a hurry to purchase lots of accessories for your scope. It is a natural tendency we all suffer from when a new toy arrives, but you will be better served by using your telescope under the skies and over the coming weeks and months you will be able to better decide which extras you really need. No doubt extra eyepieces and perhaps some narrowband or light pollution filters may be among the to buy list, but the last thing you want is to spend money on something you do not end up using.

As for a case, I defer to others who have the scope and can make good recommendations.

Oh, and nice choice of scope. It could well last you a lifetime.

Clear skies,

[cyborg421]

I would make the most of what you have got at the moment, it should keep you busy for a while! You don't say what eyepieces you have, but for cost effective improvement the best start is to replace the stock eyepieces that come with the scope.

All the best of your voyage of discovery.

Simon

[Carl Reade]

Great choice of scope you will enjoy it as everyone has said no hurry on filters check out what it can do and worry about specialist filters later. Enjoy.

[swamp thing]

I think Mathew has pretty much nailed it here. Just use your scope as is for a while. Else you may find you've bought accessories that you'll seldom use.

No point in buying nebula filters, then find out, your not really into observing them.

There's no rush, the skies not going anywhere. Take your time. Enjoy

[Herbig]

As others have said, use what you have got first. Go along to your local club and see what others are using and ask questions.

As for cases I 'm not sure if you can get one for a 200p, others may know though. I'd make one and use the packing it came in to cradle the scope. I do know however that your mount will fit in a standard 'pluck' foam flight case, these can be fond at Maplin or on the net where you can also find tripod bags.

hope this helps

[Qualia]

Ay, I'd really absorb what Matthew and Steve have said, that is really important.

During the following weeks as you learn about your skies and scope and what kind of things you like looking at, it might also help to bear some of the following in mind. Don't go purchasing it all at once, but I think at some stage, some of the following may become useful to you

i) Star Atlas: I find Star Atlas by Sky and Telescope indispensable. It's not that expensive, it's a piece of art in itself and it is extremely useful.

ii) Viewfinder: a right angled correct image viewfinder helps a lot. It'll deliver stars right down to about 8 magnitude, even if you're in a LP area, meaning you’ll be able to see every star plotted on the Sky Atlas and when you move amongst those stars, your left is left and your up is up.

iii) Red-Dot Finder: either a Telrad or Rigel finder will be a big help. These can’t deliver more stars than your eyes alone can see, so if you're in an LP area, you're relatively limited. But, they really do speed up your finding, really do help judge where you are, but I find it must be used in conjunction with the findercope. Whether in decent dark skies or a light soaked LP area, one positions the bullseye or the other two rings in the proper place against the stars and you’re done. If you're out a little you can work out where you are by either looking through your viewfinder or the three ringed cirlces of the red-dot finder giving you varying degrees of the sky you're looking at. If it helps, you can make a plastic red-dot finder overlay for the Star Atlas or just print one of the free Telrad maps on the net.

iv) Sketches: sketches are too often overlooked, but they ought to be viewed from time to time. These are generally produced by patient observers who are trying to get the visual image right, so the little drawings should give you a very good idea of what the DSO being hunted out will more or less look like.

v) SGL & Books: there are so many books about it's hard to pick out any one of them and say, this is the one. There are those which give context and depth to what is being viewed, others a more practical working guide. On the latter front, many folk recommend, Turn Left at Orion. The power of SGL in welcoming us, helping us, comforting our disquiets of mind, informing and guiding us cannot be stressed enough. It is a precious place of refuge and each of us have the responsibility to help nurture it and keep it that way.

vi) Jumping Tricks: there are some little tricks you can learn to find yourself about the night sky. For example, find the plough in Ursa Major and look for Merek and Dubhe, the distance and angle between these two is one step. Now count that distance, in that direction another 5 steps and bingo, you'll be with Polaris. Now go back to the Plough and find its end star, Alkaid. Take a jump and dive from her and the next brightest star will be Arcturus, and so on. Learning the big stars and diving quickly between them makes hunting stuff easier.

vii) Participation in the Virtues: if you can master patience you'll be a master of yourself and the night sky is a good teacher. She'll teach patience and careful watchfulness; she'll teach industry and care and above all the night sky teaches trust. Those stars and DSOs are not going anywhere quick. They won't desert you and they're not trying to deceive you. If you don't succeed one night, no worries. Don't be down hearted, you've probably already discovered something new about yourself, or perhaps your equipment, or the sky itself. And those stars and DSOs will be back to give you another chance, another day.

viii) Don't fight the clouds: stargazing can be a tiresome road and one can suffer for it and be grieved, but the worst we can do is add to this frustration and hit out and curse those things beyond our control. Cloudy, uneventful evenings are just that, nothing more and soon enough appear as a singular, non-descript event, yet shining from them like a host of gleaming stars will be those evenings where everything just seemed perfect and the universe at last could murmur to us its secrets.

I hope that helps a little. Good luck, and clear skies to you

[Torin]

Great choice of scope - I have one of the H130p and love it. Take your time (you'll have lots of nights with cloudy skies), learn the skies (get the books that people have suggested on this thread) and enjoy.

[ronin]

Slightly different answer, but not given as "Go buy this, this and this,"

You will need a moon filter at some time, the thing is bright, on a 6" scope we needed a 30% filter. The moon tends to be around somewhere so is always a fair object to go look at. It also tends to be there when the sky is clear but it is full and washes out most other things.

The supplied eyepieces are not great and even a small upgrade to reasonable plossl's will make your viewing a better experience. If you decided to get one then do not go for the highest magnification you can imagine. It just won't work.

The intention here is be aware of what you will need in the not too distant future. If the chance arises to pick up a filter for the moon then great, Think the moon is getting smaller so should be OK in your scope presently, but in 3 weeks it will be big and bright. When full it is a great sight, but will leave an image on your retina and you will walk into things for the next 10-15 minutes. :grin: So have a look at it now and before it gets bright enough to bore into your brain pick up a cheap 30-50% moon filter - be prepared for it if you want to - you have a few weeks. TS linked below do a moon filter with "Moon" written on it so easy to work out what it is for looks to come out to £12ish.

For nebula filters etc wait a few months at least, many people never bother with any, I am one - actually I don't think I own any filters nebula or moon, so they nebula filters are not a 100% necessity, they are dim so get used to finding them.

if the chance comes to get a 12mm plossl then do it. Just do not go out and buy loads of bits without knowing why, how to use or at expense. I would say use the ones you have, but I can look round and see 5 or 6 eyepiece sets ( there are more I cannot see ) so telling someone not to get eyepieces is a bit bad. Just take it steady.

Cases, look at the TS site. I know that UK retailers sell them, but TS have a fair selection. It is also the only site where I can usually locate cases so can create a link to it. Never could locate cases on UK sites.

So to repeat others, use what you have but be aware of one or two bits that you may need to consider to get more out of the scope.in the not to distant future.

[Ulysses]

Hi, I'd certainly recommend a lunar filter. It will make viewing the moon more comfortable! Several dealers offer them so go with your favourite, Paul

[Mattscar]

Iv found that a LP filter works quite nicely on the moon, I didn't realise how yellow it looked untill I put in the filter. As someone pointed out to me, if you can bare looking at the moon with your naked eye then you can probably take looking at it through a telescope without a moon filter, as increasing the magnification doesn't actually increase the amount of light hitting your eye. It focus' it more yes, but its like everything else up there, if you can train your eye to adapt to different situations, makes for a lot less fiddling around with expensive (and tiny) filters in the dark. But, like everything with this, its very much each to your own, so if you feel it is too bright then by all means do what makes it more comfortable/enjoyable for you

[Matt Scunthorpe]

Personally, i dont use a Moon filter, never had a problem looking at it without one. Would rather see it for what it is than dim it down.

Onto what the OP posted about, really just repeating the other advice, and use what you have for now, once you have had time at the EP, you'll know what kind of things you like to look at, and choose extra purchases to reflect that.

[brantuk]

A large holdall like a cricket equipment bag (or similar) lined with sheet foam makes a great cheaper alternative for carrying the 200P around. A foam lined carry case will cost £silly - and is only necessary if you're thinking of shipping it abroad. Hth

[RonVen]

I agree with the posts advocating to work with your scope a while, so that you can determine the "necessities" you need. In my case, the scope came with a red dot finder and I upgraded this to a Rigel Quikfinder. This was the best initial purchase I made. Best of luck.