Sky Watcher 150p

[Jay1989]

Hi all, just a couple of quick questions, yesterday I bought the Sky Watcher 150p, it came with a wide angle long eye relief lense and a 10mm lense, with these two lenses what will be able to be seen with them?

Is there any decent eye pieces that you would recommend? And also the best place to buy them from? (UK)

Lastly, is it possible to mount a camera on them? Be nice if I could take pictures of what I'm seeing

Thanks in advance

Jay

[beanyboy1982]

should be able to see jupiter and saturn Orion Nebula ect

[Jay1989]

Thanks mate , really want to see the Nebula, just need to figure out how to find it lol

[Tuda78]

Thats the same telescope I have. Ive had it almost a year now and Ive been really pleased with it so far. If you have a dslr you just need the correct T ring for your make of camera and it will connect straight to the eyepiece holder.

[laudropb]

The eye pieces supplied with the scope will be enough for just now. Use the 25mm to search for objects and for low powered views. This will give a magnification of 48x. The 10 mm will give a magnification of 120x and although it is not the best of eyepieces but it will give you reasonable views of Jupiter, it's 4 moons and the craters on our Moon.

[Jay1989]

Thats the same telescope I have. Ive had it almost a year now and Ive been really pleased with it so far. If you have a dslr you just need the correct T ring for your make of camera and it will connect straight to the eyepiece holder.

Thanks mate, do you know where the best place to get one from would be? My camera is a Fujifilm S1850 (I haven't got round to upgrading that yet)

The eye pieces supplied with the scope will be enough for just now. Use the 25mm to search for objects and for low powered views. This will give a magnification of 48x. The 10 mm will give a magnification of 120x and although it is not the best of eyepieces but it will give you reasonable views of Jupiter, it's 4 moons and the craters on our Moon.

Thanks mate, I think your right, they should hopefully be good enough for learning

This may be a stupid question but how do you work out the magnification on the eye pieces? Lol

Thanks

[Dave In Vermont]

Find the focal-length of the telescope: It's an F/5 and the focal-length or F.L. is 750mm. Now divide the focal-length of the eyepiece - 10mm - by the F.L. of the scope: 750mm / 10mm = 75X.

There you go!

Dave

PS - I am assuming you have this telescope?

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-eq3-2.html

[Jay1989]

Thanks mate, was wondering for ages how you work that out lol

Also, bought a new camera today

[Tuda78]

I got my T ring from WEX it was only about £10.

[Jay1989]

Couldn't figure out how to edit my previous post, just wanted to fix the picture, so heres the pic lol

[Alan64]

If this is your new telescope, then it's an f/8, and with a focal-length of 1200mm...

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

1200mm ÷ 25mm  = 48x, whilst divided by the 10mm = 120x. 

A 150mm f/8 can pushed up to quite a high magnification; up to 300x or more under very good seeing conditions.  In other words, the Earth's atmosphere will determine said ability, along with local conditions.

Pushing the optical system up to its limits is not only great fun, but will also reveal the degree of quality of the figure of the parabola, or curvature, of the primary mirror.

A 4mm eyepiece will give a magnification of 300x, and with it you could conduct a star-test even, and so to test the primary mirror definitively, but the eye-lens and eye-relief is a bit uncomfortable...

Such eyepieces can be frustrating with a non-motorised mount.  Instead, and to retain a larger eye-lens and more comfortable eye-relief, a 9mm-12mm eyepiece can be barlowed, with a 2x barlow; and in the case of the 9mm, a 4.5mm would then be simulated for a magnification of 267x.  Barlowing a 12mm with a 3x barlow would produce a 4mm exactly, and for 300x.  I do that very thing with my 150mm f/5 Newtonian, and take afocal photographs by simply holding a small camera up to the eyepiece...

A 9mm or 12mm, without barlowing, can produce decent images of the Orion nebula, and of M13 in the constellation Heracles...

Whilst perhaps not the quality of others' endeavours, they would be your very own, so have at it.

Incidentally, I'd get a barlow first thing... http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/antares-x2-twist-lock-barlow-lens-125.html

I have the non-twist lock version, and my Takahashi telescope is in love with it...

[Jay1989]

Thank you mate, I'll make sure the Barlow is the first thing I buy I'd be chuffed if I can get pics like that, I'm easily pleased lol

It's looking like it might be clear-ish sky's tonight so hoping to get out there

Would be even better if my camera mount was here

[Alan64]

I just hold my little Canon S110 up to the eyepiece and snap the shots.  I even zoom the lens in a little sometimes.  I can't seem to take clear shots of the planets however; not yet anyway.  This is best I've managed thus far, and of Jupiter and Mars along with the star Leo 63...

I think you'll fare better with your camera and the mount, especially if you might trip the shutter with a remote of some sort.

Incidentally, the optical glass within that barlow should be made in Japan, and just as my own version.  The bodies are made in Canada, so I've read.

[Jay1989]

I'll have to give that a go, the only small camera I have is my iPhone though, will try with the others too a Fujifilm s1750 and my new Nikon d3300