skywatcher skyliner focusing issue

[whitestar83]

Hi eveyone, im sure you have had many new starters to astronomy ask about this. I have recently purchased a skywatcher skyliner dobsonian 200p reflector and Im having issues focusing on lunar and planetary bodies. Ive tried collimating both mirrors as they where out of sync when i received the telescope. I have double checked the spider veins to make sure they are correct. I am now at a loss as to what else I can do. Any suggestions please would be very much appreciated for this novice.

thank you
nick 

[John]

Hi Nick and welcome to the forum !

When you say "issues" could you describe in a bit more detail what sort of issues you are having with focusing the scope ?

If the scope is out of collimation you would still be able to focus reasonably well but accurate collimation just sharpens things up a bit and increases the contrast.

One common issue with the Skyliner is that people use the 1.25" eyepiece adapter and the 2" one at the same time, ie: one in the other. On many versions of the scope this will mean you cant get anything to focus. These adapters need to be used separately. 

But tell us what the issues are and lets see if we can get to the bottom of them 

[whitestar83]

I tried focusing on the moon tonight  and last night and i could not get any detail using either of the supplied lenses and also a new 15mm wide lens.  Ive tried adjusting the position of the lenes in the focuser and alsas no resolve.  Again im new to all of this so im hoping i am just doing something wrong that can be easily resolved.

[whitestar83]

hmmmm interesting...sorry if im sounding alittle thick, but if i was using the adaptor i would know right?

[John]

So you can see the disk of the moon (or crescent or whatever phase it's in) but can't see any detail on it ?

Can you see the black shadow of the secondary mirror and it's supports when you are looking at the moon ?

[beamer3.6m]

Can you focus on deep sky items or planets such as Jupiter. If so it Will focus on the moon also.

[whitestar83]

ok just tested the telescope again and yes thank you sooo much success!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the 2inch adaptor was in place....fantastic images of the moon....very much appreciated

[whitestar83]

thank you to everyone...got an exciting journey of learning ahead of me

[John]

hmmmm interesting...sorry if im sounding alittle thick, but if i was using the adaptor i would know right?

The adapter goes in the focuser tube (the tube that moves in and out when you turn the focus wheel) and then the eyepiece goes into the adapter. The Skyliner 200P can take both 1.25" and 2" eyepieces and most of these scopes use an adapter for each size because the focus tube itself is too large to accept an eyepiece. If you only have 1.25" fitting eyepieces (like the ones that came with the scope) you would use the 1.25" adapter in the focuser tube to hold the eyepiece.

Edit: looks like you are sorted now - thats great ! 

[Charic]

whitestar83........Hi, Welcome. See your up and running, well done. Another trait of the focuser on the Skyliner, is a locking bolt under the focuser. If you tighten that with your finger, and then stow the telescope away, the next time you try to focus, you may forget to unlock it, but  find the focuser wheels will still  turn, but  it  wont  focus. Its a very simple friction drive mechanism inside the focuser (basically a rubber sleeve over the focuser bar in contact with the focuser tube) so if that occurs, just remember to unlock it. 

[whitestar83]

im looking at getting a barlow eyepiece, I was looking at the Sky-Watcher 2 Inch ED Super Deluxe Barlow.  my question is, will this affect my viewing if using my standard lenses that I have (i.e putting my 1.25ionch into the 2inch using the supplied adaptor)?

cheers nick

[Charic]

I thought a 2" Barlow was for 2" EP's only, but I just found this https://www.astronomics.com/astro-tech-2x-apochromatic-ed-barlow-2-inch-eyepieces_p19092.aspx  pity I've only just found it, as I have the 2.5x Barlow and its only 1.25" fitting. Not that I wanted to Barlow  my 32mm, but if the choice is there, then why not? The Skys the limit 2" Barlow with the 1.25" adaptor is now what I need, so looks like the revelation has to go?