Second scope.

[Rogue Leader]

I have had my 130 PM for about six months now and I am starting to think about getting a second scope. I have enjoyed the 130 and after a few false starts, have mastered the EQ mount and associated rituals like polar alignment. I have looked at all sorts of objects, planets,comets and satellites when quick enough. The thing is I always find myself drawn back to the moon, some nights I dont even bother looking for anything else, I just go straight for the moon and spend a few hours studying it.

With my apparent lunar fetish in mind, what sort of scope should I get as a progression from my 130, Is there such a thing as a flat out lunar scope?, and would I want that, some flexibility in what I can view if I choose to view would probably still be a good idea.

As you can see I am slightly out of my depth here and open to suggestions, I thought it was bad enough deciding on a first scope!.

Thanks in advance

Mike.

[dweller25]

Hello Mike,

You don't need too much aperture for the Moon so I would suggest a good quality 4" Apochromat refractor.

Regards,

D25

[beamer3.6m]

What is it you want to achieve from looking at the moon.

For the moon you do not need as much aperture as the moon is very bright.

What are the views of the moon like through the 130PM - I know I used to find it amazing when using mine. If the image is not all you are expecting have you tried collimating your scope or trying a better quality eyepiece than the ones supplie with the scope.

I am not sure that a few hundred pounds on a new scope may not really give you much more than you are getting at the mo, however I could be wrong.

[Naz]

I find the views of the moon through my 200mm a slight improvement over the ST120, which still gives great views. So I think you might have to invest in eye pieces and a decent barlow. Your 130 should show quite a lot of detail with the right EPs and barlow. I presume you have the standard 25 & 10mm EPs that came with the scope? can I suggest you look at getting a decent barlow and a 6mm EP.

my combination with the ST120, 600mm focal length is 25 mm, 10mm, 6mm giving me 24X, 60X and 100X, with the barlow, I get 48X, 120X and 200X, these give me good views of the Moon.

Your scope is a keeper and unless you start DSO hunting, then depending on your budget, a 200mm to 300 Newtonian will be a good choice.

naz

[Rogue Leader]

What is it you want to achieve from looking at the moon.

For the moon you do not need as much aperture as the moon is very bright.

What are the views of the moon like through the 130PM - I know I used to find it amazing when using mine. If the image is not all you are expecting have you tried collimating your scope or trying a better quality eyepiece than the ones supplied with the scope.

I am not sure that a few hundred pounds on a new scope may not really give you much more than you are getting at the mo, however I could be wrong.

I have no problem with any of the views I get from my 130 on anything really, I just wondered what my next step up the telescope ladder would be, and should I go for an all rounder still and keep the option to look at everything or would a more specialised lunar/planetary scope be better.

Do I stick with a reflector and go to 8 or 10 inch, or a refractor of some sort or maybe a mak?. I dont image much except for a point and shoot against the eyepiece and I cant really see myself going any further than that as it does not interest me much so should I go for a big dob That was really the question(s) I was asking, sorry for any confusion.

Mike.

[John]

Hi Mike,

From a 130mm scope I think you really need to think about going to a 200mm to get a significant boost in performance. I've been using a Skywatcher 200P which is a dobsonian scope for the last few weeks and I've been very impressed by it's performance on both planetary, lunar and deep sky observing.

John