Heritage 130P - essential initial accessories

[calummac]

Hi all

I'm hoping to get a Heritage 130P soon - first telescope!

In general, as this is all new to me, I'm not planning on getting any accessories until I start to use it and to understand it a bit better.

However, are there any accessories which might be considered essential from the start? For example, would I need to collimate it first? Or anything else?
Or should I expect to be able to use it out-of-the-box as-is?

Thanks!
Calum

Edited October 21, 2020 by calummac

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @calummac and welcom to SGL. 

Fellow SGL'er @Lockie  has posted a few videos on YouTube (goes under the name of 'DIY Astro') for the Heritage 130 - link here... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTXZYuFWQ6lx51L4GeY0Lw

Edited October 21, 2020 by Philip R

[Merlin]

A main point to make with a new 'scope is to have decent eyepieces. Some cheap but optically good 'scopes are supplied with poor eyepieces. This can give the wrong impression that the 'scope itself is bad.

[Pixies]

Nothing is 'essential'. If all's well, you scope will be fine for you to start observing. There are plenty of things you can get to improve it, but not essential.

However, you might want to think about having something to help you collimate it in case something gets knocked out of alignment during shipping. The simplest would be a plain old collimation cap (£8 from the site sponsor). Otherwise a Cheshire collimator, which costs more but does make collimation a little easier. 

 

[sputniksteve]

Hi @calummac  I think it’s generally felt that the stock 10mm eyepiece that Sky-Watcher supplies is pretty poor, so you might want to consider getting a better quality mid-range magnification eyepiece. 

[Zermelo]

Ah yes, another disadvantage of the current lead times for new starters is that agonizing "what else should I buy so I can hit the ground running?" period while you're waiting. I had the same experience.

There are several threads along these lines, but this is a current one that you might want to follow, and if you haven't seen it already, and then this is the sticky thread on eyepieces starters (but it's a longer read). There are also some good comments here.

If the scope is primarily for yourself, and you're a patient type, then "not planning on getting any accessories until I start to use it and to understand it a bit better" is probably the best approach. One person's essential accessory can be a nice-to-have for someone else, and there will be plenty of calls on your cash without splashing it needlessly.

Use your waiting time to browse through some of the threads in the beginners' section and get familiar with some of the possible deficiencies that you might want to correct with a purchase, then when you get going you'll know better what to look out for, and what you could do about it. And if we ever get any clear skies again (if UK) start getting yourself familiar with the layout up there, if you're not already.