Late starter

[Tieflyer]

Hi everyone

I've been interested in the night sky for quite a long time and have looked at the moon and larger planets using binoculars and terrestial scopes. After considering getting an astronomical scope for some time I've finally taken the plunge and bought a used Celestron Skywatcher 200p with an EQ5 mount. I got it yesterday and started playing about with it today and have already encountered a few problems. Unfortunately the instructions are not that good apart from telling you how to put it together so I'll be searching the internet for help. I have to admit that having used standard terrestial scopes for many years this EQ5 mount is more of a challenge and the first problems I've encountered are that with an enclosed garden I can't see anything far enough away to align the finder scope with the 200P and also that as I swing the scope around the finder scope and eyepiece end up in a position where I can't reach them. I'm sure that all will become clear in time but if any members live in Taunton, UK and are familiar with this setup and would be willing to point me in the right direction I'd be extremely gratefull as I'm sure this would speed things up considerably. In the meantime I'm sure that with a bit of searching I'll pick up a lot of advice from these forums.

Looking forward to dark clear nights

John, Taunton, UK

[laudropb]

Hello John and welcome to the SGL. Sorry I cant really help you much with your set up. I have a Dobsonian and an AZ mount. There are lots of knowledgable people here so do not despair I am sure that help is on hand

[oldpink]

get used to viewing from silly positions
you can use a third mounting ring to allow you to rotate the scope when in use to make viewing easier

to align the finder scope try a bright Star like arcturus or altair and set it from there
the setup you have is quite daunting at first but you soon get used to it

[triton1]

I too have same set up,turning the tube in the rings so eyepiece is in the right place is something you have to get used to I,m afraid.Prehaps you could line the finder on a part of the moon rather than a terrestrial object

[swag72]

Hi John and welcome to SGL - I'm a Taunton girl originally, but no longer! There's quite a few folks on here from Taunton way, I'm sure if you can't work out what the issues are they'd be willing to help. Sadly, I don't do visual, so I really have no idea

Look forward to seeing you around

[ronl]

Hi John welcome to the lounge,

spinning the tube is the way you get the eyepiece to a comfortable position,

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/142211-rotating-a-newt-in-the-rings/ there

are a couple of ways to do it, but fitting a large hose clip to the tube is best,

this stops the tube from slipping down once you have loosened the thumb screws,

it's a cheap and easy solution.

Good Luck and Clear Sky's 

[PeterCPC]

Hi John and welcome.

Peter

[michigander]

Welcome to SGL, John!

Dana

[Charon]

Welcome aboard.

[Mr Spock]

Hi John, welcome to SGL

[gingergeek]

Hi there and welcome to SGL

[JamesM]

Hi John and welcome to the forum. Skywatcher's instructions are certainly better than they used to be but of course there is always room for improvement. Glad you joined the forum as there is a wealth of knowledge and experience here for you to tap into. Just pop a question in the appropriate section and you will recived some guidance in no time.

Clear skies and hope you enjoy your stay here.

James

[purdo]

Hi John & Welcome to SGL.

[glowjet]

Hi John and welcome to SGL, as has been mentioned, a third mounting ring is the answer to your immediate problem, I am sure there are likely to be others before you become accustomed to using the scope, if in doubt, just ask. Enjoy

[JamesF]

Welcome to SGL from just down the road.

As has already been posted, rotating the tube in the rings is the usual way to get back to a comfortable viewing position.  As for aligning the finder and OTA, I'd start by using the Moon as a target to get them fairly close together, then use a bright star to finish off.  As it is the middle of summer the stars in the Summer Triangle are probably the obvious choices -- Vega, Altair or Deneb.  I'd probably go for Vega out of choice, and then have a quick peek at M57 whilst I was there

James

[C7tsj]

Hi and welcome.

Mark

[Bizibilder]

Hello John and welcome to SGL!!

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire  its never too late to start

[sologuitarist61]

Hello and a warm welcome to SGL

[Bosuser]

Hi John, I've been there. I bought a second hand Celestron 200 Newtonian year before last and it was daunting to begin with. But then after a short while the fog began to lift,.You will soon find easier ways of doing things and after a while all becomes clear.

I too didn't realise at first that you can rotate the scope by loosening off the retaining rings and turning it until the eyepiece reaches a comfortable viewing position, but once I discovered that there was no holding me back. I learnt most of what I needed to know by popping into the library and borrowing a couple of Patrick Moore's astronomy books, then, of course, there are now lots of astronomy  books on Amazon and articles on the web and youtube.com.

Also you could pop in to an astronomy club to see if it's for you and get a few tips - this is the link to Somerset Astro clubs: http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/Clubs/Default.aspx?CountyId=62

Persevere - it will soon become clear

Kevin

[Jim Steele]

Hi John, welcome to SGL. I have a similar problem with my back garden and actually aligned my finder scope to the moon. Probably not the easiest thing to align too since it moves but worked out ok for me, and it was easy to find!

[Tums]

Hi John Welcome to the Lounge.