SKYWATCHER HERITAGE 150P VIRTUOSO GTI WIFI DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE

[planetman83]

Guys, the goto works well with you? I also tried it tonight. Every time i was going to a target, I was syncing. But every time i went to saturn, it went way up and to the left. I manually went then to saturn, I was syncing, i then went somewhere else near, then again to Saturn and it went way up and to the left again. 5 degrees away or something like that.

the base was leveled and the clutches were tight. The problem is that it hasn't a finder, so if you want to go to something invisible to the unaided eye and it doesn't go there, then you cannot find it. Skysafari also cannot sync to an object if it thinks you are far from it.

[Geoff Lister]

On 18/08/2022 at 12:54, Louis D said:

So, will the mount slew to where it thinks the first alignment star is located based on the initial zero position?  I've heard that's how some of these mounts work, which is pretty neat for beginners who don't know alignment star names and locations.

Unfortunately, the Synscan software, in the handset, requires a manual slew to the first alignment star. The slew to the second star is automatic. If you start with the mount at "mechanical" zero, the handset display will give a reasonable reading of the OTA's pointing direction. I tend to use the "Brightest Star" option, and if Jupiter or Saturn are visible, these make easy targets for a manual slew, and then the software will do automatic slewing to the alignment stars.

I found that some of Synscan's suggested stars were behind trees/fences/buildings, so I spent some time with Stellarium, altering time and date at dusk. I produced a table of 14 of the brightest stars, and for the middle of each of the 12 months, I selected 3, 4, or 5, visible from my obsreving position, with altitudes between 15 and 70 degrees, and preferrably, with about 90 degrees azimuth difference. I tabulated the altitude and rough compass direction. This has been very effective. As the sky darkens, the first star that I can see tends to be from my list, so it is easy to centre, manually. If I choose the second star from my list, the automatic slew will place that star visible in my finder. I sometimes use Polaris as my second star; it's not so bright, but always visible through a gap in my roof line. Once aligned, I can go in for a drink, and wait for the sky to darken, knowing that the tracking will continue to keep alignment, ready to go when I come back out again.

At the end of a session, or if I will be having a second session later, I nearly always finish with a "Park" "Home" operation. This gives me the option to resume without needing to re-align; I just have to enter the correct time (Synscan powers-up with the time at 20:00).

[Astro_Dad]

The only alignment procedure not requiring a star alignment is North level alignment. Here, only the North direction is needed to be known. The accuracy of this method relies on how accurately N is determined, and how level the mount is. 
This is quite a good summary of the options from Cloudy Nights-

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/658474-skywatcher-synscanaz-gti-alignment-instructions/

[Louis D]

I guess I was thinking of the following alignment option which might not exist within the Synscan Virtuoso GTI mount's software:

North-Level Alignment (AZ Mode Only)
This alignment is similar to a Brightest Star Alignment, except you don’t need to be able to identify stars, you just need to know which way is North.
Set the scope/mount pointing north and level.  Bubble level and smart phone compass, and even best eyeball guess is accurate enough in most cases.
Confirming north and level will sync Az/Alt to 0, 0.
The mount will then slew to the 1st star coordinates from the current Az/Alt.  Accuracy will be dependent upon the accuracy of the north and level placement.

[Astro_Dad]

Yes this one is available on the Virtuoso GTi - the mount includes an integrated bubble level to help. Works pretty well for rough “good enough” GOTO most of the time. 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Astro_Dad

[Scoobyroo]

Oh wow!... I've just stumbled across this group after much research (and firing an email off to FLO just this morning!).  I have so many questions on this scope and have poured over this thread, some super useful stuff.  I do have several questions and wondered if I might share them here.  Apologies the format is pretty long (it's essentially an except from the email I sent FLO earlier, so forgive the fact that i'm seemingly addressing only one person), but given you guys have some hands on time with the scope, I was wondering if you may have some thoughts/experience around some of my questions?:

If long posts annoy apologies, please feel free to skip. 

 

So, at the ripe old age of 50, I’ve always wanted a telescope, even since I picked up a crappy terrestrial spotter scope at a car boot sale when I was 18 and first pointed it up at the moon.  I’ve never taken the plunge, mainly due to cost ‘v’ fear I’d not use it often enough but also because I knew that I’d be researching it forever and would start drifting from a £100 budget, to a £300 budget, to a £500 budget and onwards as I started weighing up all the pros and cons.  So whilst I’m not coming in completely blind (based on a few weeks of research) and have some family informed questions (I hope), please know however that this is indeed my first rodeo (so there may be a few stupid questions in the mix)!

 

My main considerations / drivers:

• Small enough leave out in the utility room, to ensure it gets used
• Light enough to pop in the car and seek some darker skies occasionally
• I really don’t want to be spending any more than £500 for everything (scope + additional lenses)… this budget has increased from £150 based on research to date lol.  I appreciate that as a customer I'm never going to make you rich and I also understand this budget won’t get me a lot…  but I’d like to cut my teeth on something modest and get a foot in the door.
• I have reset my expectation of what this budget will bring… main uses will be for Moon + planets (especially Jupiter and Saturn).  Seeing Jupiter's Red spot (it’s cloud bands?), the rings of Saturn (the gaps in between?) their moons, some detail on Mars - even if it’s just a tiny slither of white ice-cap on an orange disc.  I also like the idea of being able to see some deep sky stuff also… otherwise I fear my interest could wain over time (there are only so many planets after all).
• I appreciate that telescopes will generally favour one of the other (Planets ‘v' deep sky), but am hoping my pick below is a fair sweet spot… but I’d love your thoughts?
• I am very unlikely to do astrophotography, I’m very much interested in real-time observation (otherwise it will feel like I’m just looking at pictures online…  just my opinion, no offence to those that love it of course).
• I understand a 6” aperture is a good sweet spot (budget, weight, usability, hobby, quality - due to light collection capabilities)
• Whilst I appreciate that all good astronomers locate and track starts themselves (a skill I hope to gain).  I really am thinking that a ‘Go-To’ type system will help me remain engaged and at least take some of the ‘pressure of learning’ away from me initially.
• I understand that lenses typically provides on these budget scopes are not the best (my pick below comes with a 25mm and a 10mm)… as such I think I’d like to purchase an addition lens (am thinking a 6mm) and a mid-range (price) 2x Barlow (am thinking the Celestron Omni XL (model 93326))
• The scope will be a social thing also… likely to be mainly used in my back garden, sometimes with friends
• I understand that the Flextube design, brings downsides (potential light contamination / dew issues).  I think the pro’s (weight / size) outweigh these… I have also seen some DIY shroud Mods which I think will mitigate any issues, should they become a factor.

 

Scope shortlist (based on the above / my research):

Sky-Watcher Heritage-150P Flextube - £249 (FLO price)

Sky-Watcher Heritage-150P Flextube Virtuoso GTi  - £379 (FLO price)

Sky-Watcher Skymax-127 Virtuoso GTi - £499 (FLO price)

 

My questions:

• I think I’m airing on the side of the Heritage 150p Virtuoso GTi… mainly due to the GoTo system and the larger Aperture (larger than the 127’s anyway)).  What do you think to this decision?… am I close to making a good one?
• Assuming you agree that these are fairly good choices, one of the doubts I have is due to the 127’s price point.  I’m struggle to understand why a scope with a lower Aperture, has a higher price point.  Clearly it must be a better scope and I do note that it has a longer focal length (1500mm, instead of the 150’s 750mm) - which I understand is better from planetary spotting?  But even so, given it seems to have the same GoTo system and a much less light collecting capabilities, why is it significantly more expensive?  I basically fear that I’m missing something obvious, especially given my use case.  The 127 seems to have a smaller footprint and isn’t too much heavier, so if it was significantly better, maybe that’s where I should be going instead (though that would mean no extra accessories day 1)?
• I understand that a Barlow by its nature can essentially offset the focal distance challenge, by essentially increasing the distance light has to travel before it gets to the eye (increasing focal length)… also increasing magnification of course.  Assuming this is accurate (i.e. my research is correct), would a 150mm light bucket + 750mm focal length + a good x2 Barlow / 6mm lens combo, best (or at least match) a 127mm light bucket + 1500mm focal length and stock lenses?
• I note that the 150p has a practical power potential of x300, whilst the 127 has x254… in my mind this again makes me question why the 127 has a price premium, but also appreciate the maths at play (and that expecting these top ranges on a budget scope is probably not realistic).  However it does again make me wonder if the 150p with a good lens / Barlow combo will on balance give me a better experience?
• By my maths a x2 Barlow and a 6mm lens should get me around x250…  do you think that’s pushing the 150p a bit too far?
• I have downloaded the manual for the Virtuoso scopes, however I remain confused as to whether the scopes simpley ‘find’ your target in the sky, or if they also ‘track’ the target?  Ideally I’d like it to track as well (especially useful in social situations, as manual tracking is just not going to end well lol).
• Would I be tied into the free Synscan software that comes with telescope, or will their GoTo system also incorporate into other software, should I look to (need to) upgrade at a later point?
• With regards to the x2 Barlow, I was thinking the Celestron Omni XL (model 93326) (unfortunately you don’t seem to stock it).  Have you any views on this Barlow?
• Do you have a 6mm lens you could recommend?  Again, I don’t want to scape the bottom of the barrel price-wise, but also want to stay reasonable (and inline with the scopes capabilities… no point in having the best 6mm lens and be bottlenecked by the scope).  Do you think a 6mm is a good choice given the packaged lenses, or should I be looking 4mm (expect not, too much pressure on the scope to perform), or maybe replacing the stock 10mm (I hear it’s not great).
• I’m a little confused about moon filters.  I think that I should get one (to stop me burning my eyeballs out), but there seems to be two types.  A fixed filter (which seem to have a green hue?) and ones you can adjust (these possibly serve other purposes for other objects?).  I’ve also read conflicting reports as to whether the 150p will support it?  At first I thought this was because it placed a cap (lens) over the capture bucket…. But having looked again, it seems these are way smaller lenses which fit over the lens. Assuming so then, why woudn’t it be compatible?… is it due to the packed lenses with the 150 maybe?  Perhaps these are instead compatible with the x2 Barlow I am looking at… i.e. when using the Barlow, I will be able to add the filter?  Is there a filter I should avoid?

 

Thanks again for anyone sharing their thoughts... it really is a minefield out there and I have tried my best to info gather before asking questions.

P.S:  I'm pretty excited!  

 

Edited August 23, 2022 by Scoobyroo
Typo... tut tut

[happy-kat]

Hi

Magnification is limited by each night's atmospheric observing conditions, it's unlikely you'll get the max potential very often and it's a crude multiplier of the telescope aperture hence the difference between the two telescopes being locked at. Glass is more expensive I gather then mirrors hence the price difference. Virtuoso mounts have freedom find capability great for if you run out of power, loosen the clutches and use the mount manually. Virtuoso both track and using the synscan app have goto functionality. Synscan also incorporates using a planetarium such as skysafari pro or plus app which gives another goto interface. Freedom find is great (once mount aligned) as it makes observing robust as the mount doesn't lose where it was looking if the telescope (not mount) was knocked or moved manually.

On the pc to learn your local sky there's stellarium a great planetarium

I'm sure you'll have more replies.

Edited August 23, 2022 by happy-kat

[SthBohemia]

1 hour ago, Scoobyroo said:

Sky-Watcher Skymax-127 Virtuoso GTi

The Maksotov (look up telescope types) above is ideal for planets and moon. Maybe scour Ebay and other sources for used Maks (NOT amazon)... You could consider a long focal length refractor f10-f12, however few are available at that focal length within your budget and the older very high quality ones like Fullerscope are hard to find.

A magnification factor of 250x is generally the limit with any scope due to atmosphere etc etc etc.

Barlows, eyepieces- The mid range (priced) Chinese made items are much of a muchness as most are a stock item with various brand names on them. All will give reasonable/good results.

One mid yellow moon filter is sufficient and/or an 82a filter.

I am steering clear of the 'mounts' business end as have rather fixed opinions (especially a dislike for Dobsons) 🙂 

P.S. Realise that Jupiter visually at 250x appears as a cricket ball at 20 metres, do not expect views of any of the planets that even vaguely resemble the computer generated photoshopped images that some members produce. You CAN expect to see bands on Jupiter, maybe the spot and Saturns rings with Cassini division. Mars appears very small visually. Even so they are all fun objects to observe, like yourself I am purely into visual astronomy (possibly because I am 2 old and 2 stupid to know what photoshop is- let alone use it) 🙂 

Edited August 23, 2022 by SthBohemia

[Stu1smartcookie]

11 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

The Maksotov (look up telescope types) above is ideal for planets and moon. Maybe scour Ebay and other sources for used Maks (NOT amazon)... You could consider a long focal length refractor f10-f12, however few are available at that focal length within your budget and the older very high quality ones like Fullerscope are hard to find.

A magnification factor of 250x is generally the limit with any scope due to atmosphere etc etc etc.

Barlows, eyepieces- The mid range (priced) Chinese made items are much of a muchness as most are a stock item with various brand names on them. All will give reasonable/good results.

One mid yellow moon filter is sufficient and/or an 82a filter.

I am steering clear of the 'mounts' business end as have rather fixed opinions (especially a dislike for Dobsons) 🙂 

Not wishing to capitalise on here but  i do have a 127 Mak up for sale and its almost brand new at a good price , of course if interested . I second the Mak for planets and Moon , of course you lose a wide field of view, but that then opens up the "one scope is not enough " debate . 

[SthBohemia]

@Stu1smartcookie what brilliant timing! 

[Scoobyroo]

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

Virtuoso mounts have freedom find capability great for if you run out of power, loosen the clutches and use the mount manually. Virtuoso both track and using the synscan app have goto functionality. Synscan also incorporates using a planetarium such as skysafari pro or plus app which gives another goto interface. Freedom find is great (once mount aligned) as it makes observing robust as the mount doesn't lose where it was looking if the telescope (not mount) was knocked or moved manually.

Thanks for posting!... that actually sounds like a great function I hadn't considered

 

42 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

A magnification factor of 250x is generally the limit with any scope due to atmosphere etc etc etc.

Barlows, eyepieces- The mid range (priced) Chinese made items are much of a muchness as most are a stock item with various brand names on them. All will give reasonable/good results.

One mid yellow moon filter is sufficient and/or an 82a filter.

P.S. Realise that Jupiter visually at 250x appears as a cricket ball at 20 metres, do not expect views of any of the planets that even vaguely resemble the computer generated photoshopped images that some members produce. 

Sage advice, thank you.  Don't worry, I've had my initial expectations reset after watching countless hours of YouTube videos.... haha.  Now you've got me leaning towards the 127 Mak (though it does wipe out my budget - haha)... whilst I'd love to see some Deep Space Objects, the main even for me are definitely planets and the moon! (could look at that all night).  Would you be able to comment around how much poorer views of deep space objects might be from a 127 Mak, compared to the 150's I listed?  I know it's very specific, but I guess generally the question is, would it be a night and day difference, or actually relatively slight?  A little more detail on objects in our Solar system would definitely trump a little more on Deep space stuff, but if it means not seeing them at all (or very little), it might be a step too far?  As for the moon filters... these screen onto the eyepiece, right?... not the bucket?  Thanks

27 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Not wishing to capitalise on here but  i do have a 127 Mak up for sale and its almost brand new at a good price , of course if interested . I second the Mak for planets and Moon , of course you lose a wide field of view, but that then opens up the "one scope is not enough " debate . 

You've peaked my interest for sure (part of my fee with buying used, was not knowing how well looked after it had been... if you're here and taking the effort to post, that's good enough for me!) .  Would you prefer I dropped you a PM?... would definitely like to hear more about what you have there. 

 

Thanks everyone for the messages so far... please keep them coming if you have time, I can't tell you how useful they are!

Edited August 23, 2022 by Scoobyroo
Typo again :(

[SthBohemia]

20 minutes ago, Scoobyroo said:

Deep Space Objects,

^^ most appear as patches of misty fog 🙂 Fun to find... Maks have a small field of view, but to answer your question, illumination wise there would be no HUGE difference between a 150mm newt and the 127 mak. I state that never having used a mak, had thoughts about one many years ago but a Questar would be expensive for the use I would get from it.

In reality a newt under 12" is not ideal for DSO's

Ooops forgot to type.. Ya the filters screw onto the EP 🙂 

Edited August 23, 2022 by SthBohemia

[Astro_Dad]

Welcome to the forum @Scoobyroo !

Both the 127 Mak and 150p versions are excellent 'scopes. There is of course a degree of overlap between their capabilities - the 150p reflector is very good for planets (I regularly use mine on Jupiter and Saturn with excellent sharp results, and the 127 shows some of the brighter DSO's well). The smaller aperture of the mak combined with the narrower field of view will limit to some degree the breath of deep sky objects you can view, (marginal in practical terms although I was able to view a large area of the Veil nebula using the 150p at a dark site recently - not sure if this would have been as good through the mak?) but as your primary interest is planets this probably won't concern you much. If you are certain planets are you main interest then the mak would be hard to beat (I also own a smaller mak for quick grab and go planet/moon sessions), but in my experience of using both,  the 150p is probably the more versatile instrument that will grow with you should your interests change/develop. The weakest element is the helical focuser, and the need to make a light shroud - the maksutov doesn't suffer from these issues, but you'll likely still need a dew shield for the 127. You can later buy a more conventional tripod/mount for either.

Lots of videos and stuff to read on both but I came across this recently on SGL and it's relevant here.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2022 by Astro_Dad

[SthBohemia]

2 minutes ago, Astro_Dad said:

need a dew shield

^ They are made from a sheet or 2 of cardboard coated with laquer AND if not a lazy B like me painted!!!

[Stu1smartcookie]

32 minutes ago, Scoobyroo said:

You've peaked my interest for sure (part of my fee with buying used, was not knowing how well looked after it had been... if you're here and taking the effort to post, that's good enough for me!) .  Would you prefer I dropped you a PM?... would definitely like to hear more about what you have there. 

yes please . 

Stu

 

[Scoobyroo]

43 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

^^ most appear as patches of misty fog 🙂 Fun to find...

Ooops forgot to type.. Ya the filters screw onto the EP 🙂 

Thanks... it seems obvious to anyone with a telescope... but it sure confused me for a second! haha.   I can only assume that the EP's on that 150 then don't support the thread or something.  Winder if the barlow I'm thinking of would... hmmm.  I'll see what FLO have to say.

38 minutes ago, Astro_Dad said:

Welcome to the forum @Scoobyroo !

Both the 127 Mak and 150p versions are excellent 'scopes.

 If you are certain planets are you main interest then the mak would be hard to beat, the 150p is probably the more versatile instrument that will grow with you should your interests change/develop. The weakest element is the helical focuser, and the need to make a light shroud 

Lots of videos and stuff to read on both but I came across this recently on SGL and it's relevant here.

fun fact... I stumbled across his  You Tube channel last night (he does a lot of live streams with Astrophotography) and ended up watching his streams on the 150p until 3am <yawn>. I was amazed at what he could pull from the 150 and an 8-second exposure and his Live view of Saturn was great!  That said, for some reason my head wants to see it 'live' with my own eyes... not with long exposures and the like.  I almost feel like that's then not what I'm really seeing... i know, irrational! lol.   I know that not possible in my budget, but I do genuinely wonder just what I would see 'live' with a 150p on some of the largest DSO's.  Misty fog alone (thanks SthBohemia for the steer), misty shapes, maybe some colour?  I know I'm not buying Hubble or anything, so I guess if it was a misty fog on both scopes, but the 127 yielded much better (relatively) planetary stuff, that would tip me over.   I'm sorry, not expecting the answers.. just thinking out loud.  The problem with a lot of videos is that they seem to time lapse DSO (because they look great), but don't really show what the live view is like.  I did pop the details of these scopes into https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/... it sure looked like it could be impressive, but I suspect this is more representative of scale, rather than visuals  

33 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

^ They are made from a sheet or 2 of cardboard coated with laquer AND if not a lazy B like me painted!!!

Thanks.. I've been watching the DIY videos... and also the PFT tape MOD to try and help with the lacklustre focuser

25 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

yes please . 

Stu

 

Will do

[SthBohemia]

10 minutes ago, Scoobyroo said:

maybe some colour?

haha, there is a feed somewhere within SGL regarding seeing colour within ring nebs, some said they see a bit with an 8" newt 🙂 I have not seen any colour in any of 'em using a clubs 16" newt 😞  I am either colour blind or certain other persons have drunk a few 2 many Fosters Lager during obs!

[Astro_Dad]

If not already read - mostly covered here though. 

[Scoobyroo]

45 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

haha, there is a feed somewhere within SGL regarding seeing colour within ring nebs, some said they see a bit with an 8" newt 🙂 I have not seen any colour in any of 'em using a clubs 16" newt 😞  I am either colour blind or certain other persons have drunk a few 2 many Fosters Lager during obs!

 

Hahaha... thanks for letting me down gently! .  Expectations reset.  I've just come across this post... fantastic reference for anyone else stumbling across this thread in the coming months / years (to be fair though, I'd take that M42 view in a heartbeat...  no colours required!... now I'm even more excited lol).  

 

25 minutes ago, Astro_Dad said:

If not already read - mostly covered here though. 

Taking a look now.. apologies, perhaps I needed more search time here after all before posting. Doh...

Edited August 23, 2022 by Scoobyroo

[Scoobyroo]

On 07/08/2022 at 10:05, Astro_Dad said:

It’s the ‘scope I currently have with me on holiday, and I’ve had a couple of excellent nights observing with it under clear dark skies (I’ve posted my observing reports on SGL if interested). 

Andrew.  Was just trying to track this down.  Was this in the 'Astro Lounge' here in the forum? https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/12-the-astro-lounge/ ?  ...or elsewhere in the (assuming that's what you meant by SGL? 😋)

 

*edit* Found it!... in fact, I found several on the 'What did you see tonight' thread 👍

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Scoobyroo
Found it!

[Astro_Dad]

@Scoobyroo Mostly under the “What did you see tonight” thread within Observing reports here on SGL (Stargazers Lounge). 
 

 

[Scoobyroo]

On 13/09/2021 at 21:22, happy-kat said:

Rechargeable batteries are 1.2v each so power would be under the requirement.

Not slewing at maximum rate would conserve battery power

 

 

On 28/09/2021 at 19:27, Astro_Dad said:

I thought it would be worth a quick follow up having been able to spend a little longer with this system using the rechargeables. It  is clear (as others have mentioned) that the rechargeable batteries are not viable long term - although they certainly do “work”   - GOTO and tracking all appears to function, the rate of battery run down is too high. I’ve also noticed that after only a few hours the electronics start to do odd things, such as veering wildly/drifting off target randomly. This is probably consistent with the comments @happy-kat and others have made around the fact that these batteries do not deliver sufficient voltage and don’t work consistently.

 

Hi all.  I ordered my Sky-Watcher Heritage 150p Virtuoso GTi yesterday from FLO.  Thanks for your responses, guidance here and a few PM's in the background which really helped me lock this scope in as the one for me!  Much excitement ensues...and as with others, I now have to sit and wait patiently for both the delivery and then some good conditions to start getting to grips with it.

 

WRT the rechargeable battery situation, I'll try the li-ion 1.5V 3000mWh USB AA rechargeable batteries that I have here and report back as to how they hold up for the Go-To mount.  I purchased them a while ago to help resolve an issue I was getting with some other electronics flipping out (hand controllers for VR - another hobby lol) due to regular Ni-MH rechargeables only outputting 1.2V. 

Each battery is individually charged over USB (not as much hassle as you'd think, as they come with a 4-way splitter - i.e. one USB socket will charge 4x rechargeables at once) and they excel at providing fixed voltage output until the cell is almost fully depleted (instead of trailing off like normal Ni-MH rechargeables).

As you might expect, they are more expensive than regular Ni-MH rechargeables (£22 for 4 at date of posting), but if they work as well as i think they might, this could be a valid backup option to have in your kit back.  Also worth noting that as they are charged over USB A (cable provided), you won't already need to have purchased a rechargeable battery charger.

Here's a link and image for reference (though, let me test and report back before you take the plunge, just in case.  I wouldn't want anyone wasting their time / money 🤑)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0828GN5RL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

*EDIT* (sorry, I can't seem to find a way to reduce the image size)

*EDIT2* Resized image (thanks @Zermelo)

Edited August 25, 2022 by Scoobyroo
Image Resize

[Zermelo]

26 minutes ago, Scoobyroo said:

sorry, I can't seem to find a way to reduce the image size

Double click on the inserted image to get the edit dialogue box.

[SthBohemia]

3 hours ago, Scoobyroo said:

good conditions

As soon as the scope is delivered it will rain 24 hrs per day for 2 months 😞  After that the moon and all planets will go on an extended vacation to a distant galaxy 😞 

[Scoobyroo]

Well... I think my mind has been officially blown 🤯   I'd set my expectations of what I might be able to see through this scope (planetary especially), but I have to say it's exceeding every singe one.  There now follows a bit of a brain dump, much of which may seem all rather obvious to any seasoned astronomers, but to me... well, I just didn't realise (for example, just how many stars, upon stars, upon stars there are... that you just don't see with the naked eye 🤩).

I'll show you mine if you show me yours!:

Ordered through FLO 3pm on Wednesday this week, received Friday 11am.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting to receive anything this side of the Bank Holiday weekend, so fair play to FLO, they were on it!  Found their pre-sales great as well (literately answering ever single question I fired at them... and trust me, there were a lot - haha).

I ended up ordering:

• The Sky-Watcher Heritage 150p Virtuoso Gti (comes with two packaged EP's, 25mm and 10mm)
• The BST StarGuider 60deg ED Eyepiece 8mm
• The BST StarGuider 60deg ED Eyepiece 5mm 
• The Celestron 2x Omni Barlow
• The SvBony SV135 7-21mm Zoom.  Note: This was purchased elsewhere, as FLO didn't seem to stock it (or have stock if they did)

 

Budget blowing overkill, or Captain Sensible?:

I think all in, I spent £560 - which granted, is a little over the £500 target I'd set myself, but I added the Zoom and an extra 5mm Eyepiece because I was like a kid in a candy store! . The Zoom (which hasn't arrived as yet, should be here Monday) is more a quality of life choice tbh.  I received some sage advice about the luxury of quickly being able to zoom in on a target to find an 'optimum' fixed EP length to use.  Having now tried the scope, moving switching from 25mm, to 10mm, to 8mm, to 5mm (with and without Barlow) trying to find the 'sweet spot' (which another wise person told me changes depending on target - and how true!), I agree.. this will be a god send (despite any juggling required due to the Virtuoso also having 'twist focus').

The 5mm... well, that was just a 'bigger is better, right?' itch that needed to be scratched 😆

 

So... how was it for you, Rick?

I have so much stuff in my head that I want to get out.  But I will try to control it somewhat, or I will literally go on for pages and pages.

In a nutshell... OMG! 🤯

I saw Jupiter, Saturn, Great British clouds (argh!), Mars, Jupiter (again), Saturn (which then disappeared behind the tree-line 😪), more clouds (doh!), Polaris, Jupiter (more Jupiter, more!), Vega (didn't see Jodie Foster though), Jupiter (like, seriously 😍), Mars, Neptune (basically, a bit of black sky... don't think I was aligned properly lol), Uranus (same as Neptune - very black and un-aligned!), Kornephoros, Jupiter (you think I'm joking)... along with some aeroplanes (fun manually trying to track those), satellites (no idea which, they had passed through frame before I had time to react and track... and then when I tried, everything is upside down and back to front lol (that'll take some getting used to)) and more shooting stars than I realised we got of an evening!  Oh... and did I mention I saw Jupiter?

Wait!... STARS though!... I mean, I knew they were all up there of course, but to see them all layered up, fighting for space... going on and on and on.  Just mind blowing and awe inspiring!

I could go on.  I could tell you about the luck of it being clear on the first day (night) I received my scope, only for minutes later clouds to suddenly cover the sky, waiting for openings in the canopy to appear, then for it to clear only to cloud again...  doh!.  I didn't realise just how dynamic our sky is... I guess I just never thought to look up before!  Being frustrated to watch Jupiter keep going behind clouds too dense to see through... Saturn disappearing off behind the tree line literally 2 minutes after I had found it (nooooooooooo!)

I saw Saturn's rings... granted, only for a sum total of about 40 seconds 😆.  The clouds were descending, so I went for a cuppa.  I noticed a small break to the south east out of the window, spotted a 'bright star' and thought... "ah well, I'll take a look at that until the sky clears up a bit".  I think I had the 8mm BST in the view finder, so quickly span the scope around, lined the laser finder up on the 'star' and was pretty pleased with myself to find that a (very out of focus) 'star' had appeared in the eyepiece.  I twisted the focus expecting a pin-point of light to appear, bright and true... but as I twisted away, I noticed that this 'Star' had love handles!?!?  Could it be?....  and then, 'pop', beautifully clear I suddenly see Saturn and it's (surprisingly huge!) rings pop into focus!  I literally jumped up off of the eyepiece (I may have done a little excitement wee as well to be fair... joke!) and ran into the house to tell the boss.  She came running out with me (well, it was more of a 'do I have to' run) and had time to see the same thing I had.  We both lost our minds for a second (shame I had turned the Ring camera off - that footage would be gold!), by which time a cloud had come over and whisked the planet off behind the tree line for the rest of the evening 😪.

I saw Jupiters bands and moons... Yes Rick, you actually watched the moons around Jupiter like mini stars around their host... it was surreal. I saw one moon kiss the planet and gradually get absorbed into the planets detail, the bands were reddish/brown... I could actually see the colours!  I saw way more detail than I had allowed my expectations to expect and I was genuinely humbled.

I feverishly explored the night sky from about 11pm until 3am... and saw every sky permutation from perfectly clear to a cloudy hell.  I mastered the laser finder and have gotten it pretty darn accurate.  I attempted to calibrate the Go-To function, but seemingly every time I tried the clouds would descend and scupper me part way through (can't aim at the star if I can't see it Go-To!).  That said, after manually tracking for a few hours (didn't realise just how fast these suckers move through view!), I stumbled over the 'Point and Track' feature in the Go-To software.  So even without full initial calibration/set-up, you can just say "hey Go-To, we're currently looking at Jupiter" and it lovingly then follows the target for you, based on the targets known location/trajectory (well, you don't literally 'say it'... you say it with buttons lol).  Granted, every few minutes you may have to make a small adjustments (I assume because you've skipped the full calibration), but what a god-send! 

I'm going to stop.. I will literally gush for hours otherwise.  In a nutshell last night was a rollercoaster of highs, lows, excitement, disappointment and awe... what a first night!  I would 100% recommend this or a similar set up for anyone looking to dip a toe into star gazing, who has around £500 burning a hole in their pocket.

 

All the gear... and only some idea:

150p Virtuoso Gti:  Exceeded expectations, as per my gushing comments above.  Much more stable image than I was expecting as well (once you let go of it of course lol).  The Go-To movement and slewing (think that's what is was called), is so smooth as to introduce no shaking/vibration into the image at all.  I wasn't expecting that!

Packaged 25mm:  Seemed super sharp.. very easy to use and focus.  Did feel super cheap compared to the BST's though (light as a feather!).

Packaged 10mm:  Nowhere near as good as any of my other EP's.  Hard to say why exactly... just felt 'hollow' (visually).  Felt even cheaper than the 25mm (so light in fact that at one point it *floated away!)

* Disclaimer - yeah, that bit's not true

BST 8mm:  The BST EP's (IMHO - with about 3 hours experience on the clock - hahaha) offer a significant jump up in quality over the packaged eye pieces (certainly the packaged 10mm), or they did on the planets at least (no moon for me to try as yet).  The fact that they had their own 'twist' piece confused me for a good 30 mins... I thought it was a second focuser for a while there - lol.  After a quick google, I realised this relates to eye relief and adjusted accordingly (yup, I know... newbie!) 😬

BST 5mm:  The commentary is correct.  Jupiter in the BST 8mm on this scope I found to be the sweet spot... but just being able to get that little bit closer in a 5mm is an experience all in itself (all be it, slight softer experience).  Definitely a worth addition (and makes me feel far more manly.... grrrrr...  <ahem> lol).

SvBony Zoom:  Expecting this on Monday, so can't comment just yet.

Celstron Omni Barlow:  Useful as it effectively doubles your EP collection.  It's also sometimes fun to live out your magnification power fantasy... however as with the 10mm eyepiece. experience, it just felt a bit off.  Can't place it... definitely harder to view through (see below) and harder to focus (expected, I guess).  You definitely notice a visual quality impact I think... but it's too early to judge as I haven't had much hands on time with it and I'm effectively comparing apples and oranges.  For example, a Barlowed 25mm is 12.5mm... and the closest I have in a fixed EP size is the packaged 10mm (and that was a bit crappy anyway).  So, too many moving parts to directly compare.  In theory, I should be able to compare  the packaged 10mm barlowed to my fixed BST 5mm... but you are so zoomed at that point that it's hard to compare, plus at that mag you're already kinda loosing detail anyway.  I think if I had to summarise at this point, I'd say this may be more useful for lower mag (>25mm EP's) and perhaps the Moon.  Jury is out for the moment.

Eyepieces in general:  I'd definitely say however that using eyepieces is an art in itself.  Some you literally need your eyeball on top off them, some you back off a bit, some go black if you move your head a tiny bit off centre, some you can literally approach in any way and they are great (the packaged 25mm was by far the easiest to use!) ... basically, it takes a while to figure what positioning you need to be using for each.  I'm guessing this relates to eye relief, POV, focal length (right term?), etc, etc...  and whilst you read up on the theory, it's only when you try the eyepieces themselves you are like... "ahh yeah, this is weird / tricky".  I did kinda get the hang on it after a while though... ish.

 

So long (for now)... and thanks for all the fish:

I'm not sure if I should be posting these thoughts here (as it's the Sky-Watcher 150P Virtuoso GTi thread), in a general thread, or in the 'what did I see last night' thread.  Seems like here might be best, just incase any potential future buyers stumble across the thread (like i did), on their quest to soak up info and peoples opinions on the 150p Gti.  Part of me thinks I should post this (move this?) to the beginners threads, or similar?... I just don't want it to seem like I'm double posting is all.  Thoughts?...

Once again, thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts with me here and for those who messaged me privately.  You all took time out of your days to help and guide, which I'm sure you likely get a bit fed up of around these parts after a bit... but please know that it really did help me chose my set-up and is greatly appreciated! 

I do hope some future potential astronomer comes across these thoughts and find them somewhat helpful/informative during their stargazing quest. 

Rick

Edited August 27, 2022 by Scoobyroo
Typo's... because I was excited! :)