Heritage 130p

[peanutcol]

Well after getting my 1st telescope from eBay a few weeks ago for £20 and having fun I've decided the76mm astrolux isn't good enough for me so I've just ordered a shiny new skywatcher heritage 130p. After reading and watching lots of guides and reviews this sounds like the scope for me. Just waiting for delivery and some clear nights to begin observing. The 2 main things in my head for some reason are the Orion nebula and Saturn with it's rings. 

[Beardy30]

fantastic choice, im over in Preston , could do with this weather shifting!

[peanutcol]

Indeed it's awful.

[Naughty Neal]

My  Zhumell Z130 gave some  pleasing nice views of the Moon's sfc , however I haven't used it that much as I like my frac's so doesn't get much love.

I should try and use it more as it is mounted  on it's Dob base by rings and  a Vixen size dovetail so would be easy to mount next to the frac on the Skytee 2.

[Gfamily]

It's a very nice scope. Practice getting the balance right with your preferred eyepiece, otherwise you may find it drooping when in use. 

The helical focuser can be a bit sloppy, so it's worth getting some plumbers' teflon tape to wrap around the thread to make it a little bit more snug.

Also, if you are using it in an area with some local lights, it can be worth getting a lightweight dark fabric to drape over the open truss so you can cut out some of the stray lights. 

Finally, I'd suggest getting a sticky label to put on the dust cover that says in big letters "Turn off the Red Dot Finder", otherwise you'll be constantly replacing the 2032 button cells! 

Enjoy 

[bosun21]

Great little telescope and I also recommend the PTFE tape for the helical focuser. There are numerous videos on YouTube showing how this simple modification is done. I'm afraid Saturn is basically gone from the night sky now until later in the year. M42 however is a nice target to view as the scopes first light.

[peanutcol]

Yes I've seen the PTFE and light shroud trick and will be doing those to get the best out of this little gem. Thanks all.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @peanutcol and welcome to SGL.

Saturn’s rings a slowly getting close to becoming ‘edge on’, (i.e. you may see a thin band or a line of light running through the equator and a bit either side of the planet’s disc), as it crosses the plane of the Earth’s ecliptic. It happens every few years.

Also if you have access to an iPhone or iPad, SaturnMoons and JupiterMoons are useful apps to have, as they show you the positions of their moons in ‘real time’. Both are available via the apple App Store.

Edited March 4 by RT65CB-SWL

[Orange Smartie]

If you don't have it already, I'd recommend a copy of Turn Left at Orion as a good starter guide (with realistic examples of what you can see) to finding your way around the night sky.

There are a good deal of suitable objects out there outside of the obvious ones such as moon and planets. 

[peanutcol]

Thanks for all the help guys really appreciated 

[peanutcol]

So I've had the scope for 2 weeks tomorrow and it's been cloudy or wet every single night 😭

[wulfrun]

41 minutes ago, peanutcol said:

So I've had the scope for 2 weeks tomorrow and it's been cloudy or wet every single night 😭

Welcome to astronomy UK-style! Most of us are suffering likewise, just lately. I've had a scope out 2 or 3 times over winter, it's just not been worth it.

[happy-kat]

In the US the same telescope is also by OneSky and there's lots of post out there with that name

When safe to use I've found with errant outside lights a towel over my head helps with stray lights from not bouncing off the eyepiece into my eye

[Louis D]

Have you used the time to make a shroud and align the RDF?  How about checking collimation?  What about wrapping the focuser threads in Teflon tape?  Just throwing out ways to constructively pass the time while waiting for clear skies.

[peanutcol]

Erm, no. No I haven't 😭

[Gfamily]

On 20/03/2024 at 21:30, peanutcol said:

Erm, no. No I haven't 😭

Don't worry, none of them are essential, though practicing aligning the RDF is something worth trying before you want to do it in earnest. Streetlights or distant aerials can be good substitutes for stars or the moon.