Skywatcher 200 PDS Accessories

[C_mcnally92]

Hey folks, newbie here.

I have a Skywatcher 200PDS and have been looking at purchasing some accessories like eyepieces and filters.

Mainly I am hoping to get a better view of the planets and of deep space. Could anyone give me any recommendations on what to go for, eg what brand of eyepiece, magnification. filter colours etc?
Thanks :) 

[Pixies]

Hi.

Just saw that this was your first post. Welcome to SGL!

This is an excellent thread on eyepieces, just read the first few pages and it'll help enormously:

Let us know your budget and I'm sure you'll get lots of advise.

[C_mcnally92]

Hey thanks for the help! Lots of advice in that article.

I haven't really set a budget as such just yet. Ideally I was looking to get at least one eyepiece for planetary and one for deep space for now.
I'm a little confused as to what size I should go for with my first eyepiece? I've been told my scope will go as low as 5mm in eyepiece size.

Should I go with a 5mm or a more mid size eyepiece? I've also been told that getting a high magnification eyepiece might be pointless as it won't show much, just a distorted image from heat in the atmosphere etc.

Also, I was under the impression that because my scope is Skywatcher that it could only use Skywatcher accessories. But I've been told this isn't actually the case, that even Celestron accessories will also work. Pricing both eyepieces I see skywatcher eyepieces aren't as expensive as celestron. Is there much difference in quality and image between the two brands?

Also, would anyone have some advice on what filters I should look for?

[Jiggy 67]

Your scope will need regular collimating so tools to do this are crucial. At the very least you need a collimating cap and/or a Cheshire eyepiece 

You can use any make of eyepiece you want as long as you use the correct barrel size for the focuser 

[Waddensky]

On 29/06/2020 at 18:32, C_mcnally92 said:

Mainly I am hoping to get a better view of the planets and of deep space

'Better' is quite a broad term. Do you mean sharper, or larger, with more contrast, or something else? What kind of eyepieces do you currently have?

A few very general ideas:

• Depending on the eyepieces you currently have, you can go for one with a smaller focal length (more magnification, suitable for planets and double stars) or one with a larger focal length (less magnification, a wide field of view, suitable for some deep-sky objects). Your scope and the atmosphere support magnifications up to about 200x under normal circumstances, so assuming 1000 mm focal length a 4 mm eyepiece should be about the minimum.  A 35 mm eyepiece is the maximum for your scope. I have a 8-24 mm zoom eyepiece and I find that very convenient. If your scope's focal length is 1000 mm, it's a bit fast (F/5), so cheaper eyepieces will probably struggle to produce a good view.
• A good narrowband filter, like UHC or OIII, will give you a (much) better view of emission nebulae but only of emission nebulae
• Some colour filters improve the view of the planets somewhat. I don't use them myself, so maybe others have good opinions. Light pollution filters are not so effective as they are advertised sometimes...

You don't have to use accessories from the same brand as your scope, eyepiece sizes (1.25" and 2") and filter threads are more or less standard. My telescopes, eyepieces, filters and barlow are all different brands.

Good luck and clear skies!