Unpacking & First Light: 200P Dob

[cybernautic]

The 200P Dob is an absolute corker of a scope.  I bought my dad one and he is smitten with it!  It is the sweet spot for scopes in so many ways - a perfect combination of aperture, quality, cost, ease of use, portability and size for storage.  The Dob's start to get bigger and heavier out of proportion to their aperture.  The 300P is very much bigger than the 200P.

Congrats on your scope!

Thanks   I just want a chance to use it now. It's ironic that the only clear nights I've had here since getting it were accompanied by a full moon. Now the moon is slimmer and rising later I've had cloud and rain!

[kirkster501]

Thanks   I just want a chance to use it now. It's ironic that the only clear nights I've had here since getting it were accompanied by a full moon. Now the moon is slimmer and rising later I've had cloud and rain!

Welcome to our world.... A most frustrating world too at time with our cursed weather.

[arrayschism]

Congrats on the new scope - I see your footer reads Messier Objects: 1/110 - I am sure that'll change soon enough

[cybernautic]

Congrats on the new scope - I see your footer reads Messier Objects: 1/110 - I am sure that'll change soon enough

I added three more this evening Clear skies were forecast so I had the scope up and ready for around 7.30. It was fairly clear even for the early evening, the Milky Way clearly visible and the moon yet to appear above the horizon. I'm still getting used to moving the scope around, using it, focusing it, etc. so I started out by just looking around the Cassiopeia area at some lovely star fields (no idea exactly what I was looking at).

I was supposed to be finding Polaris so I could try and centre my finderscope but I couldn't resist looking at M31. I've seen it before as a smudge in my old Prinz Astral 400 but it was obviously much clearer in the dob. The core stood out immediately but gradually, as my eye became more adapted and the sky became darker, I could make out a vast spread of misty light stretching out beyond the edges of the 25mm eyepiece. I must've looked at it for 20 minutes until I noticed a blurry 'star' above it. I then realised this must be one of the satellite galaxies! 'Turn Left at Orion' told me it was indeed M32 and a further below should've been M110. I scanned down a little and there it was, a slightly larger cloud of light: M110. At one point I had all three, M31, M32 and M110, in the field of view at the same time. It was wonderful. I'd hoped to see a little of the structure in M31 but not tonight, and it was still early in the evening anyway so maybe another time.

Despite the forecast a band of rain then swiftly moved in sending me running back into the house with my scope and accessories. The Andromeda galaxy is certainly something I'll be returning to as often as possible. I'd love to have a go at sketching some of things I see, even if it's at the most basic level. I'd read on here that the longer you observe something the more you see of it and I found that was definitely true this evening with M31, especially with averted sight. For me this was definitely my official 'first light' with the scope so thanks to everyone who has contributed to the thread.

[Aronnax]

...

As for a seat, I have one of those ironing stools that you can change seat height on.

I have also seen somewhere a clever box/shelf  type structure which, by rotating so it stands on various sides, gives a shelf to sit on at different heights. looked simple to use and easy to make...just can't remember where I saw it!

Like this one: http://www.stark-labs.com/craig/lybar/lybar.html

Might give it a go myself, it looks easy to make, eve for a klutz like me!

[Kropster]

Looks tricky... you need to make straight cuts and 90 degree joins!

[Special K]

Very exciting!  Must admit this has turned my head toward considering a Dob in the future.  Enjoy the equipment!