I am a beginner, what can I expect from the ''Skywatcher Telescope N 150/750 Explorer 150P EQ3-2''?

[MBErdogan]

Hey guys,

 

Please understand that I am not trolling or anything, first of all I am not a native english speaker and just 15 years old. But anyways, John could you give me the link of the smaller footprint and that alt-azimuth mount?

Edit: I think I found them. 

So is this the most recommended setup for me?:

- Skywatcher Skymax 150

- Skywatcher Mount Skytee II

- Sky-Watcher Pillar Mount Support for EQM-35/EQ5/HEQ5/AZ-EQ5GT Mounts

 

I want to be really sure before my purchase:)

PS: Sorry for all this mess.

Edited December 31, 2020 by MBErdogan

[John]

This is the mount head:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth-astronomy-mounts/skywatcher-skytee-2-alt-azimuth-mount.html

This is the pillar mount:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/skywatcher-pillar-mount-support-for-heq5-eq6-series-mounts.html

To give you an idea of size, each leg on the bottom of the pillar mount is 42cm long and the pillar top is 81cm high.

With the scope, it is quite an expensive setup at around £1,000 including a dew shield which you will need for the maksutov-cassegrain scope.

There are other options as have been discussed by others and you might be able to get those to work for you as well for a smaller investment, possibly much smaller. I suggested the equipment above because it seemed to me to be the best fit for your available space and viewing interests.

Maybe take some more time to think things though ?. Given the supply situation with astro equipment currently, you may have to be patient anyway.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by John

[MBErdogan]

This is the dew shield I think: https://www.robtics.nl/en/dew-prevention/3275-astrozap-flex-sky-watcher-orion-150mm-mak-dew-shield.html ? By the way, what does a dew shield do?

[johninderby]

Skytee on an HEQ5 pillar with a SW 150PL newt.

[John]

9 minutes ago, MBErdogan said:

This is the dew shield I think: https://www.robtics.nl/en/dew-prevention/3275-astrozap-flex-sky-watcher-orion-150mm-mak-dew-shield.html ? By the way, what does a dew shield do?

Yes, that is the dew shield for the 150mm mak-cassegrain. It wraps around to form a tube that extends in front of the front lens of the scope. Without it that lens has a habit of dewing up rather quickly.

Another thing to remember with this design of scope is that it takes time to cool down to the outside temperature if the scope has been kept inside. These really need 30-40 minutes to cool down before they will work well at high magnifications.

Here is a pic of a mak-cassegrain 150 with a dew shield fitted:

[RobertI]

Having just read through this thread, I really think you need to think about an easily transportable setup, as you have mentioned balcony and garden as two possible observing locations and if your interest continues you will probably want to try other locations too. I won't add to the equipment suggestions already made. As John says, take time to think it through, and perhaps try some binocular observing from the balcony to get a feel for it first.. 🙂

[johninderby]

The SW pillar is abput 15kg on it’s own so not that portable. 

[Gmx76]

1 hour ago, MBErdogan said:

first of all I am not a native english speaker and just 15 years old

Hi, I have read this thread with interest.  I just wanted to say I admire you for the depth of research you are doing by asking advice on this forum.  I wish I had done that when I bought my first scope last year  (and I am almost 30 years older than you!). Are you in the UK? Doesn't matter if not but here there are some good resources for buying in the second hand market.  astrobuysell.com/uk  Gumtree and even local Facebook pages.  Why not buy something cheap and see if astronomy is for you before throwing in a lot of money?  You can buy a computerised goto Mak, that's second hand a lot cheaper than if you buy new. And I bet there will be some unwanted Xmas presents coming up for sale soon, say a Celestron 127SLT or similar. These do come available quite often, or if buying new I would be looking for something like this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az-gti.html

Very similar but I don't see them come up on the used market much. 

I have this mount and it makes a huge difference compared to doing things manually. 

Either way you are doing the right thing by asking a lot of questions. There are some real experts here and you will get good advice. Just remember to consider your budget limits as this can be an expensive hobby.  Good luck. 

[Ande]

Hi. I, too, have watched this thread unfolding with much interest. I know you are completely sold on the idea of buying a scope, and all of the associated gear that goes with it. It’s exciting and I totally get that. I’m one of the world’s worst when it comes to doggedly ignoring  common sense to scratch an itch that won’t go away. There is nothing worse than having one’s dreams stripped away by reality and practicalities. However, there is no getting away from the fact that, due to no fault of your own, your viewing is going to be severely compromised by lack of space, a hugely restricted view of the sky and heavy light pollution.

Like a couple of others on here have mentioned, I would seriously consider a decent pair of binoculars. You can still view from your balcony with much more flexibility than a scope and mount would offer you. You can also flick back and forth between you Mom and Dad’s without the inconvenience of breaking your gear down and then trying to lug it about. That gets old fast. And there is nothing to stop you popping it into a rucksack and hopping onto a bus or train that takes you out of the city and to unrestricted, and darker skies. I suspect you have already dismissed the binocular option, because it’s not a telescope. But you would be surprised how effective they can be.  
 

Then, with all of the money you would save, you could still go on to buy a second-hand telescope just to satisfy that desire. But I can’t help thinking that however much money you spend on a scope, nothing will afford you much better views from your location and situation than binos.  And if you were to buy second-hand, and a scope didn’t work out, you can pass it on at no loss. If you spend a fortune on new gear and it doesn’t work for out you, as many on here suspect, then you will be selling it on at a loss, as it is now second-hand.  Just some food for thought.....
 

If you get the chance, have a little peep at this video. You might be surprised 🙂

 

[MBErdogan]

I might consider that. By the way, my balcony does face south (both the garden of my mother and the balcony of my father). Yes, there is light pollution, but does that mean that I won't be able to see Mars, Jupiter and Saturnus or any object clear enough?

[Ande]

If the planets appear in your viewing window, then you’ll certainly get a look at them. However, even when conditions are much more favourable, planetary viewing can be tricky. Beyond the moon, which is always spectacular, the planets can be a little awkward, appearing to be little more than small disks that require a fair bit of effort to pick out any detail. On the bright side, you have young eyes, which is better than the best gear money can buy.

From your balcony, apart from dealing with light pollution, you also have several floors beneath you from looking at the photos you posted. Each of these will be generating heat that will be rising up past you. This can be quite an air disturbance, and it can be quite surprising just how well a telescope can pick this up. Imagine looking through a pane of glass while water gently spills across it.

I wish you the very best on your journey. And that your enthusiasm is prepared to overcome such hurdles is highly commendable 🙂

[Waddensky]

22 minutes ago, MBErdogan said:

I might consider that. By the way, my balcony does face south (both the garden of my mother and the balcony of my father). Yes, there is light pollution, but does that mean that I won't be able to see Mars, Jupiter and Saturnus or any object clear enough?

As I said earlier in this thread, you can see all planets with a pair of binoculars, the moons of Jupiter, and depending on the magnification a hint of the rings of Saturn and the phases of Venus. Light pollution doesn't matter much when observing the planets. A good monopod or tripod helps a lot to stabilise the view.

It of course depends on your definition of clear, if you'd like to see details on the planetary disks then you need a telescope. But good binoculars are a great way to introduce yourself to stargazing without breaking the bank, and you'll be surprised how much can be seen from your light-polluted balcony.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Waddensky
typo...

[John]

2 minutes ago, Waddensky said:

....if you'd like to see details on the planetarary disks then you need a telescope....

Most definitely. You can see that Jupiter has moons and that Saturn is not quite a round shape with binoculars but to see any more detail a telescope is required.

 

 

[Geoff Lister]

+1 for the Skywatcher 127mm Mak.

I have 2, on Skymax Az/Alt mounts, and with the Synscan GoTo handset; 1 at home in the UK, and the other, currently, at a friends house, in France.

Portability:-

The total weight, with a few eyepieces and a couple of sets of batteries is about 11kg. This is how I used my other one:-

The eyepiece has been replaced by a modified 640x480 Philips webcam, and I was able to get some decent videos of Jupiter & Saturn. The red wine is optional, but I found that it improved the pleasure of an evenings observing. This setup is also good for looking at the sun; with a solar filter cap on the front of the tube, and a smaller one on the finder 'scope.

Geoff

 

[MBErdogan]

Does anybody know where I can buy a mount and a tripod all in one for the skymax 150 which also fits in my balcony?

[domstar]

Hi, I use my 4 inch refractor on an AZ4 on my small balcony and it's a squeeze. I think a 127mm Mak would be better for me. Are you sure you want a 150mm scope? A 127 seems more practical. On a balcony with light pollution would you need the extra aperture and expense? You would still get spectacular views of the moon and planets. 

 

[MBErdogan]

Does the skymax 150 or the skymax 127 fit on the AZ4 mount?

[Ande]

Can you not fit a mount directly to the steel balcony? You wouldn’t have to worry about tripod legs, and precious space quite so much then.

[MBErdogan]

It would be great, but I would also like to use my telescope anywhere else than just the balcony of my father.

[Ande]

There would be nothing stopping you from having an additional tripod for other times.  Just a thought.

 

Edit: Or just go with the tripod idea, as you originally planned, and see how much of a pain it may or may not be. If it turns out a nightmare, you could then think about mounting a base on the balcony.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Ande

[wobblewing]

18 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

I love my 150 heritage, but the OP specifically asked about seeing planets , and the  dob (750mm focal length, but good aperture) is not ideal for planets. Looking to add to my available tools an affordable 'scope for planetary and lunar viewing I bought a 127 mak . It has a focal length of 1500mm and a smaller aperture, but that's fine as planets are comparatively bright.

As the OP is in a town with many streetlights , DSOs are probably not going to be a likely target anyway, so a 'scope which is good for what they may see despite the light pollution , the Moon & planets, seems a better choice to me.

However, given that they have thrown out various random ideas with an equally random price range (£300 telescope,  £700 telescope, £1000 telescope ) without seeming to have done much research themselves about them makes me wonder how young they are and serious they are. I don't think I'll be contributing here after this post .

Heather

 

 

I've just started, so still very much learning as we go along.  Realise the focal length is a bit short for full on details of planets for the purist, but assumed the OP was a total beginner and wanted something portable as well.  Though budget seems to be a bit random.. OP is probably just trying to feel the way around the plethora of information, it can be quite overwhelming for a beginning - took me hours of research to decide on the heritage.

What do use your heritage 150p for?  I had got mine as a starter to get going with my son - been getting on ok.  Have seen some good images from the 150/750 combination.

Seems to be very difficult to find stock of anything right now - that's probably the biggest issue 😄

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by wobblewing

[Tiny Clanger]

46 minutes ago, wobblewing said:

I've just started, so still very much learning as we go along.  Realise the focal length is a bit short for full on details of planets for the purist, but assumed the OP was a total beginner and wanted something portable as well.  Though budget seems to be a bit random.. OP is probably just trying to feel the way around the plethora of information, it can be quite overwhelming for a beginning - took me hours of research to decide on the heritage.

What do use your heritage 150p for?  I had got mine as a starter to get going with my son - been getting on ok.  Have seen some good images from the 150/750 combination.

OP is young and may have unrealistic expectations of what their parents will be willing to pay, as well as being in an almighty rush . It may be some time ago for me, but I do recall the mindset ! I'm absolutely happy to spend time helping (even) newer beginners than me when I can, but sometimes it's best to step back and let folk do their own learning. They have been repeatedly advised against an expensive mistake, not much point in repeating the advice ad infinitum !

To answer your question :I use the heritage 150  for everything except the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. If I'm intending to look at any of those as  my main targets , out goes the mak instead. I bought it for that purpose , and over the last two months with Mars Jupiter and Saturn (and the conjunction) it has seen far more use than the dob.

With the forecast bad for the actual solstice I met up the afternoon before (the 20th) with a couple of good friends (in a covid secure kind of way, natch) in an elevated rural spot a few km from home with a good view west, set up the mak and was able to show them the near conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn just squeezed into the view of the 8mm eyepiece, that's 187.5 x magnification. They were enormously impressed that their first view through a proper telescope showed banding on Jupiter and the Galilean moons as well as clear rings on Saturn. When those planets set I showed them Mars and the Pleiades, but trying to locate any of the 3 Messier objects in Auriga for them to see  ( I've found and seen all three with the heritage dob from my much more light polluted back garden) failed, so finished with the double stars in the Plough instead .

If I'd taken the heritage along instead they might have seen the Messier objects, but the same 8mm eyepiece in the dob would have given 93.75x mag, and the planets, our main targets,  would have looked smaller. Also, something you might have noticed with the 150 is that for planets and the Moon it almost collects too much light ! I need to use a moon filter on the dob, similarly for Jupiter and Saturn I could see nothing but a bright shape without adding coloured filters . The mak has that bit smaller an aperture, so the brightness is lower and the detail more visible , I can look at the full moon without being blown back from the eyepiece !

Don't get me wrong, I love the heritage 150 and it was the right choice for a first telescope for me , it is a great general use 'scope as well as a better tool for faint DSOs etc, I think if I'd started with a mak ,and its tiny field of view, and the consequent difficulty aiming it, and the precision of focus it needs, I'd not have enjoyed my first few months of 'scope using as much as I did. As it is, I reckon (again, for me I'm probably not typical) that a heritage dob + a small mak is an ideal toolkit : bit like having a quality multitool + a set of jeweller's screwdrivers !

Heather

 

[MBErdogan]

Wow I think I've found the ideal deal, what do you think of this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az-gti.html ? I really hope the tripod fits in my balcony!

[Neil H]

That's a nice set up , some one on here will know the foot print of the tripod 

[MBErdogan]

Yeah, I only really doubt between the skymax 127 and 150. Sadly, you cannot buy the skymax 150 together with an az-gti mount (what's more, there isn't an az-gti mount for the skymax 150). I also have another question, will I be able to see planets (like Mars, Saturn, Jupiter etc.) in color or will it be in black-white?

Edited January 1, 2021 by MBErdogan