Do I Really Need Another Telescope?

[Stu]

16 hours ago, Ian McCallum said:

Would my SW Skyliner 200P not be too much weight for the EQ5 GOTO mount?  The OTA alone weight in at 11kg.

I think some people do put 200p scopes on an EQ5 but by all accounts it would be fairly marginal. For AP I’m sure most would recommend an HEQ5, or more likely an EQ6. Actually I’m sure most imagers would recommend against using a 200p for imaging as it will be hard to guide accurately and will act like a sail in any wind. A 130PDS would be a better option for imaging I think. A lot depends on what your priorities are.

[Ian McCallum]

@Stu A mount upgrade is out of the question, as I've already thrown enough money at this.🙄 If I don't manage to get half decent results with what I have, then at some point I will go back to purely visual observing.  I'll sell the cameras, etc. and try to recoup some of the cost...

Edited October 12, 2022 by Ian McCallum

[SzabiB]

On 11/10/2022 at 11:32, TheThing said:

This thread made me buy a SW 127 mak.  Nothing else, just this thread. 

Cant wait to pick it up now.

I am itching for an SW 127 MAK as well.... I was looking the AZ GTi version. Which one did you get? 

[TheThing]

Just an OTA to put on my CG-5 GT.

[Ian McCallum]

I'm still a bit tempted with the SW 127 Mak.🙄

[AstroMuni]

On 11/10/2022 at 08:44, Ian McCallum said:

I don't have many filters, but I've never really tried coloured filters on the planets before. 

For planetary imaging and the use of filters, I would recommend taking tips from  https://www.youtube.com/c/RefreshingViews

@MarkRadice the author is on this forum too

Edited October 21, 2022 by AstroMuni

[TheThing]

2 hours ago, Ian McCallum said:

I'm still a bit tempted with the SW 127 Mak.🙄

There is one on AstroBuySell for £200.  Bit of a bargain really! 

 

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=192250

[Ian McCallum]

2 hours ago, TheThing said:

There is one on AstroBuySell for £200.  Bit of a bargain really! 

 

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=192250

I'd rather stick to buying through this forum, just personal choice...

[Ian McCallum]

I'm changing my mind about the 127 Mak, instead looking at some of the SW Newtonians for AP.  It's either the Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P-DS OTA or Sky-Watcher Explorer 150P-DS OTA.  My SW Evostar 120 achromat is about 5.1kg in weight, so is comparable with the 150pds.  I've used the Evostar 120 for some DSO AP, with my EQ5 Pro mount and tracking software in the past, so can't see that being a problem with the existing mount, etc.  Although I do like planetary imaging, DSO stuff is a bit more doable when the planets aren't on view, etc.

Thoughts or feedback is welcome...

[Elp]

The 130pds is excellent, nice and sharp views, you have to do a few mods to get the best out of it. There's a massive thread on it.

 

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by Elp

[Ratlet]

I use the 130pds on an az5 mount for my visual.  I bought it as it would be a good option for imaging (as per the above linked thread) if I wanted to use it for that.  I also owned a 127 mak which I just sold.  I've only been going for a couple months. 

Visual

The bulk of my use with this has been visual.  It provides very very good views.  The short focal length means I basically use it as it's own finder with a 32mm plossl in, although I do struggle a bit for some targets as it picks up so many stars some star charts can be hard to match.  It's great for the moon though you'll absoloutely want an ND filter.  I tried looking at the moon once without a filter and just about blew a hole through the back of my head it was so bright lol.  Planetary is also really nice.  My 8mm BST with a 2x barlow is very nice for jupiter and saturn.  Banding is clearly visible on Jupiter, although I've not been able to spot ithe GRS I'm not sure if that's because of timing or magnification.  Saturn has been good too and I think I've been able to spot the Casini division, although I won't say for certain as I'm inexperienced and Sautrn always appears low over my roof which affects viewing.  I think the images are perhaps a bit too bright on planetary but I'm going to try my variable polarising filter on my SVBONY 8-24mm zoom to see if that is the case.  I'll say that the mak provided better views for planetary and the moon.  I'm not much of a planetary guy though.

I've been very happy with DSO views.  M27, M45, M13 and M42 were excellent with the 8mm.  The combination of M27 and @MarkRadice are entirely responsible for me starting sketching which I enjoy immensly.  I do struggle finding things as I use it manual only but that's part of the point for what I'm looking for with observing.  Part of the joy for me is the hunt.

Yoou will need to use an extension tube for visual.  The one that it comes with is perfectly functional, although I found that without my glasses it provides too much extension for me to get focus so I need to wear my glasses when using it.  I did buy an M54 screw on extension but it had a defect and didn't work particularly well.

I tried doing visual with the 130pds on an EQ mount once.  I found that the eypiece ended up in strange and bizarre positions which required rotation of the tube or me in odd crouching positions or stretching.

Imaging

I've tried it once for imaging and it is excellent as the linked thread above shows.  I'm not looking for hubble like images (yet) and was incredibly happy with what it produced.  Depending on the sensor size I think you can get away without a coma corrector if it is small.  I've attached my M27 which is 20 x 90s exposures on a 533 sensor.

 

Conclusion:

My opinion is that the 130pds is a great scope for visual.  It has its quirks though.  If you are primarily going for planetray then I would go for the Mak though.  I personally found the 130pds a mare to use for visual on an EQ mount though.  If the EQ5 can do Al-az then go for it.

 

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Ratlet

[Ian McCallum]

In the end, I did nothing as I wasn't sure what I wanted.  I'll just stick with what I've got at the moment and just learn a bit more.

[cajen2]

22 minutes ago, Ian McCallum said:

In the end, I did nothing as I wasn't sure what I wanted.  I'll just stick with what I've got at the moment and just learn a bit more.

What a wise man.

Too many people rush into scope choice, I think.

[Ian McCallum]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

What a wise man.

Too many people rush into scope choice, I think.

I research my choice a lot and if I can't choose, then I don't. Like the old saying goes "if in doubt, do nowt". 

[Ian McCallum]

I did find a telescope that I was after for a while, that had been out-of-stock - till today.  So, I've ordered the Sky-Watcher Startravel 120 OTA.🙄

[TheThing]

A very wise choice.  You will have excellent views through it and it will be a joy to use.  Enjoy!

[Ian McCallum]

49 minutes ago, TheThing said:

A very wise choice.  You will have excellent views through it and it will be a joy to use.  Enjoy!

I'm looking forward to some wider views that the Evostar 120 gives me.  I'll probably try some AP with it, when the weather clears next year...🙄