Calling all SW 200p Dob owners.....

[Ryan1885]

Hello everyone, I will be purchasing the SW 200p Dob in about 4-6 weeks. I've got my heart set on it now after reading review after review. Its quite a comfort knowing that it is a popular choice. However, reviews are all well and good but they, quite rightly, cover everything from construction to portability. What I would like to know more about is the actual views through it from people who have owned or have experience with this scope. I know that I won't be looking through the Hubble telescope so I don't expect to see bright swirling galaxies or supernovae going off everywhere! (how awesome would that be though) Just how clear are the planets with stock EPs? Are the outer planets achievable and again how will they look? What DSO's are achievable and how will they look? If I upgrade the EPs what actual differences will I see. Just some realistic opinions and personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Again, I can see the SGL community carry me through my newly acquired hobby! I honestly cant wait to get my hands on a scope now.

Regards Ryan

[AlexB67]

Skeches are good for this to get the idea.

Check out this page http://www.deepskywatch.com/deepsky-sketches.html. Plenty sketches there based on observations with a scope of similar specification to yours. Worth bearing in mind that what you will see depends a lot on your location, light pollution etc. You are going to see a lot more in the middle of the country as opposed to an urban area. the sketches mentioned there list some extra details stating observing conditions.

Good luck with the scope, it's a fine purchase I would say

[mitchelln]

Wow, those sketches are simply amazing!

[ronin]

Spend the first 2 weeks with the 25mm eyepiece simply playing with the scope and getting used to it.

You can try the 10mm and try the barlow but do not expect much from either, that is the safe approach as they are generally questionable.

Find out the constellations that are convenient for Sept and Oct, then scribble a list of things in them.

Standing out there then wondering what to look at usually results in looking at nothing.

Go look up what is present in the circumpolar constellations, they are there all year round (Plough)

Depending on where in Yorks you are depends on the general light pollution.

Makes selecting nebula to try for a bit difficult.

DSO's well galaxies will be in general small round things, a few are a reasonable size but at the distances structure is difficult. Clusters, Open Clusters like Pleiades and Hyades are easy nice group of usually bright stars, globular clusters are fairly easy and are a tight ball of stars. Nebula are heaviuly dependant on the local conditions = light pollution.

Eyepieces: Having got half used to pointing the scope where you want, well more or less where you want, look at the BST Skyguider offerings. I would say the whole set, and in time you could well get the 6, I did. If your 25mm works reasonably then the 8mm and 12mm to go with the 25mm from the scope.

Other planets, Jupiter and Saturn should be good, Mars (closest next April so get ready) requires a fair magnification 200x easily preferably more. Start planning on other eyepieces and/or a good barlow. 5mm eyepiece would mean 200x. Neptune and Uranus will always be small, and also dim. For these 2 find out where they are (should be) and expect a small dim blue/green star at that location. Magnification may show a small disc but not much of a disc if any. They are easiest identified by their colour(s).

Before you go looking, eveyone does, M31 is BIG, even the 25mm will show only about 1/3 of it in the scope. Makes it difficult to match what you actually see with what is depicted in images. Try Triangulum might be a better sight. Conside M31 was nalled the Andromeda Nebula for a long time and you will get the idea there is not a great deal of structure to be viewed directly.

Get used first to simply pushing, pulling and getting it to point at what you want, if you cannot point it at objects then you see nothing.

Get a book and work out what to look at.

A good source for the Messier objects is Wikipedia, search on google for "lidt of messier objects". The Wiki table can be reordered to display by type, constellation, magnitude. Constellation is a good one as then you get everything in whatever happens to be the prominent constellation.

Go double star hunting, there is a list of coloured double stars, about 20.

[ian_j_kirk]

great scope choice, I have the 200p and love it. As has been said, don't worry about new eyepieces for now and just get used to using your scope. After a while you will start to get a feel for what eyepiece you will benefit from most for your next purchase. Right now you can still catch globular cluster M13 in Hercules, which will look good in your 10mm, Andromeda galaxy looks nice if you have dark enough skies (a good challenge is to try and see M32 and M110 satellite galaxies in the same field of view as Andromeda) The double cluster looks very nice too and the owl nebula isn't far away from that. Google how to find the blue snowball too, that is a nice sight and a decent colour, as is the double star Albeireo. Soon Orion will be back in the sky, and just wait until you see the Orion nebula!!! Hopefully that will give you a few things to get you started which impressed me in my 200p with my stock eyepieces. The planets look decent in the stock eyepieces too. Jupiter is only visible early morning right now, but you should be able to make out some bands on the planet and the great red spot if conditions are good. Also Jupiter's moons are visible, and I even remember catching a transit of one of the moons which was an amazing sight. Saturn shows her rings easily in your scope too, although you may struggle to see the cassini division with the stock eyepieces. However Saturn has left the sky now and im not sure when she is back. Someone on here will be able to tell you. Hope this helps, and clear skies. Ian

[bingevader]

It's an excellent 'scope, I've been delighted with mine.

The focal length of the skyliner (dob) is actually 1200mm so 200x magnification is achieved with a 6mm EP.

Straight out of the box, mine didn't need collimating and it is a doddle to set up each time and use with the supplied EPs.

They are more than adequate for you to get used to the 'scope.

I have a 3.5" (ish) etx90 which is a fab 'scope and the same focal length (so for a given EP, the object is the same size), but the difference in detail and clarity is staggering.

The Double Cluster, for example, has always been a favourite of mine and very pretty through the etx, but the 8" dob showed a myriad of stars in a variety of colours I hadn't experienced before (even the Mrs. was pleased with that one).

Fuzzy blobs, were always just that, but M13, for another example, now has a bright core spreading in to a a mass of beautiful stars.

I used to wait and hope for a really good night to glimpse the Cassini division on Saturn's rings or the GRS on Jupiter, but these are now regular delights!

And the moon, well, you'll spend the rest of your life gazing gob smacked at that!

Have fun, I know you will!

Cheers

[ScottS]

I've got on really well with my 200p Dob since day one. Lots to be seen out there with just the stock EP's. But to reiterate what has already been said, and has made the biggest difference to my viewing experiences is that dark skies is king. A lot of things, nebula for example, will look quite faint, small and grey, but then you have to remind yourself how far away these things are. Amazing really. Can't wait for Orion to come back round again. Maybe Betelgeuse has exploded whilst it's been away!