Absolute beginner help!

[Pipster30]

Hello! I apologise in advance as I'm new here and new to this world. I bought a Skywatcher Explorer 200p with EQ5 mount.

I set it up, pointed my finder at the moon to give me a start on something "big" loaded my eyepieces, looked through the eyepiece and nothing!

Just a blur! I rotated the focus wheel but I cannot see diddley squit!

Can anyone advise please me of where I'm going wrong?

Thanks in advance!

Phil

[dweller25]

Your finder may not be lined up with the scope.

Use a low power eyepiece around 25mm and use it to find the moon - then adjust the finder to get the moon in the middle of the finder crosshairs

[nightfisher]

I think you have to remove a 2" adaptor from the focuser if using 1.25 ep`s

[Carina Lass]

White blur?

Did the focuser move in and out?

It may be locked undo the little screw lock on the barrel of the focuser

[Astro Imp]

I think you have to remove a 2" adaptor from the focuser if using 1.25 ep`s

This is the usual trap that newcomers fall into, don't feel bad about, plenty have made the same error before you.

[ronin]

Check the focuser unit and remove the 2" adaptor (200P's are sneaky).

During the day align the finder and the scope, pick something a couple of miles away, anything less then half a mile is questionable.

Put the 1.25" adaptor back in and drop in the 25mm eyepiece.

Then retry the whole aim finder at moon and view moon sequence.

That 2" adaptor tends to catch 80% of the people out, it looks as if it should be there, and it comes with it sat there looking all correct.

I am afraid that finders do not come aligned.

Although you would think it the actual field of view is going to be quite small, you are looking at about 1.25 degrees with the 25mm and that is not very much.

[daiwelly]

Welcome to SGL fellow star traveler

[Pipster30]

Thanks everyone! I'll give that a go.

[Pipster30]

Ok. So this is what I've got

I've got a Super 10mm, 2x Barlow and a Super 25mm Wide Angle

What's the best to set up please?

[D4N]

Try with the 25mm first, that's the lowest magnification (x40) so it will be easiest to work with.

As said above don't use all the adaptors at once, just use the ones you need.

The 10mm eyepiece will give you 100x magnification, great when you are already centres on your target. The Barlow will double the magnification of whichever eyepiece you attach it to, use this to get really close up once your comfortable with the scope.

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

[knobby]

Very bad graphics !

but 

[Pipster30]

That's the thing. I've put these together yet only get a bright blur when it looks at the moon. Nothing clear at all.

[knobby]

Does the bit labeled 4 move in and out when you turn the focuser wheel ?

If not , loosen the little thumbscrew below in the picture

[Carina Lass]

The focusrr goes in and out when you twiddle the knob ...right?

If not, then undo locking screw on focuser and try again.

[Pipster30]

Yes it does. However still only a blur. I was going to have a look tonight but it's not ideal this evening. Sorry to be a pain!

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[knobby]

Yes it does. However still only a blur. I was going to have a look tonight but it's not ideal this evening. Sorry to be a pain!

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You're no pain ... We're all learning together !

[gnomus]

Yes it does. However still only a blur. I was going to have a look tonight but it's not ideal this evening. Sorry to be a pain!

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You don't have to wait for clear nights to test out this problem.  You could point the scope at something far off (electric pylon, distant chimney, and so forth) through the day to determine whether or not you can achieve focus.  If you can get something focussed and central in the scope, that would also be a good time to align your finder-scope with the same object.

Good luck 

[lonick]

I had the same problem as you and at a guess its the finder scope not being lined up with the scope. The moon can be so bright that you think its in the telescopes view but its not.  

[C7tsj]

This is the usual trap that newcomers fall into, don't feel bad about, plenty have made the same error before you.

Yep, I'm one of them.

Check the focusser is actually moving in / out and does the EP (1) need to go all the way into (2)? Maybe try fitting (1) and just sliding the EP in and out to see if that achieves focus.

Also, I believe it is irrelevant if the finderscope is aligned at this stage. The moon should be easy enough to find without the finder, it's the big bright thing hiding the DSOs.

Mark

[Tinker1947]

You only need the 25mm EP in the focuser, make sure the focuser isn't locked, but moves in and out, start with the focuser as far in as it will go then slowly move it out wards, if it gets to the full outward travel and the moon or bright star is still not in focus, release the holding screws and slowly move the EP out of the focuser, you may need a extension tube 2" type...

[Pipster30]

Thanks! Seeing as the finderscope is mounted on the top. What's the best way to align it please?

Sorry for so many questions! [emoji4]

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[Liquid360]

Dang wrong thread [emoji57]

[gnomus]

Thanks! Seeing as the finderscope is mounted on the top. What's the best way to align it please?

Sorry for so many questions! [emoji4]

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You will see adjustment screws on the finderscope bracket - these are the small screws holding the finderscope in the bracket.  On your scope I think they are black.  It is small adjustments of these screws that will shift where the finderscope points.  

Firstly, though, get the telescope pointing at something - it will be easier to do this by pointing the telescope at a terrestrial object during the day.  Use lowest power (highest mm eyepiece).  Get an object that is a mile or so away if you can.  Try to get the object centred in the eyepiece of the telescope.   This is the trickiest bit - finding a suitable object in the telescope.  Make sure it is a distinct object - you don't want to have telescope pointing at one chimney of a distant house while the finderscope points at the chimney of a different house.  

Now look through the finderscope.  Adjust the small screws on the finderscope bracket until the terrestrial object is also in the centre of the finderscope.  You may have to slacken one of the finderscope screws in order to make an adjustment to the other.  Once you have finderscope and telescope pointing at the same object you are "aligned".

It is possible that your finderscope is presently "out" just a small amount.  This could result in you having the moon centred in the finderscope, whilst the telescope is pointing just off of to one side (or above or below) the moon.  In this case you might see a "glow" from the nearby moon in the telescope.  Of course, you would not be able to "focus" this glow.  That sounds a little like what you described, and it could be that this simple thing is the issue.       

[gnomus]

Oh .. and once you get it aligned, you will need to check alignment frequently - I mean probably at the start of every session (or every other session) - it does tend to go off quite easily, but it will only take a couple of seconds to re-adjust it.

[MattJenko]

I reckon gnomus is right, despite the quite alarming avatar .

Get something visible during the day through the 25mm and then ensure that the finderscope is aligned with it, so they both point at the same thing. The moon is so bright that even a slightly out of focus view through an eyepiece off to the side is going to be seen as a white blur, which describes your situation.