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Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

Jakstaar17

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Jakstaar17

Jakstaar17

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Hi everyone.

I am new to the forums and have been reading through a lot of threads.

I would like to purchase my first telescope and I think that i have decided on the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian.

I would like to view planets and nebulae if possible so i would prefer to get a manual telescope with better visual potential than pay for GOTO systems and sacrifice visual quality (from what i have read).

(I should mention that i have a budget of £200-300 as i would only like a beginner's telescope).

My questions are, would this be a good investment or should i look at any other models before i take the plunge? And,

Does anyone have any images that they have taken of planets and nebulae whilst using this telescope so that i can see the capabilities of this model when used in the right hands please? :p

Thanks for the help in advance.

Jack

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brantuk

brantuk

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Hi Jack and welcome to the group :p

The 200P dob is a great scope to start observing with. It's "push to" so is also a great way to learn the sky.

However for imaging you would need something with tracking motors at least - and usually on an equatorial rather than dobsonian mount.

You can get tracking dobs that are a bit over your budget, some of wich can manage quite decent short exposures on solar system objects. They're not usually accurate enough for dso's (eg nebulas) though. For that you'd need highy accurate equatorial tracking in order to take long exposure shots.

Hope that helps :)

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Jakstaar17

Jakstaar17

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Hi Jack and welcome to the group :p

The 200P dob is a great scope to start observing with. It's "push to" so is also a great way to learn the sky.

However for imaging you would need something with tracking motors at least - and usually on an equatorial rather than dobsonian mount.

You can get tracking dobs that are a bit over your budget, some of wich can manage quite decent short exposures on solar system objects. They're not usually accurate enough for dso's (eg nebulas) though. For that you'd need highy accurate equatorial tracking in order to take long exposure shots.

Hope that helps :)

That's great. Thank you.

Would you be able to recommend some of the equatorial scopes that would fit my needs please? I am easily persuaded to increase my budget.

I don't mind stretching a bit more if it will get me a much better telescope.

Thanks

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brantuk

brantuk

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Well - the 200P will be great for viewing both planets and dso's. But to mount it equatorially for imaging is going to take you to around a grand without the camera. There are some very reasonable 6" scopes on eq mounts for £500-600 for example the Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ5 Goto on this page:

Reflectors

You should have a look at the types, sizes, and prices and decide if you really want to start imaging stright away or not. It's a very steep learning curve and can be very costly.

I'd suggest delaying the imaging side for a while and learn the skies with a basic scope like the 200P dob. Meanwhile read all you can about imaging and what's involved then upgrade when you feel more experienced and ready.

:p

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Ben Ritchie

Ben Ritchie

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I agree with this - the 200P is a very nice visual 'scope, great value for money and easy to manage. It's not hard to collimate and will show you a lot, so it's a great place to start. Add a Telrad or Rigel Quikfinder and you're set.

Imaging is an expensive game, and the requirements don't always match up with visual well. In particular, you're likely to end up with a smaller 'scope - an 80mm apochromat is a very common choice - which is easier to mount but combined with the cost of the mount will be more expensive but in visual use won't show you (nearly) as much as an 8" Dob.

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Jakstaar17

Jakstaar17

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Thanks guys. That sounds like the best plan to me then.

Imaging wasn't the most important thing. I think i would just like to get a few pictures every now and again. But i will go for the 200p Dob first and learn my way around the sky and house to make full use of the telescope first, and then upgrade, as suggested.

Thanks very much again for the help. :p

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brantuk

brantuk

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Some additional info Jack:

As mentioned - a collimator is pretty esential to keep the dob mirrors in line - you can get a very reasonable laser one for around £40 new (£30 ish s/h).

I use a Wixey angle guage on my dob - it allows you to set the altitude then sweep in azimuth to find your object (very useful, about £25 s/h).

Download "Stellarium" free planetarium software - indispensible for learning the sky and full of useful features. Also get a good book like "Turn Left at Orion".

Finally - join a local astro society - you'll get lots of help and it will broaden your knowledge of the hobby in all aspects much more quickly.

Good luck and hope you enjoy :p

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Ben Ritchie

Ben Ritchie

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The other thing to budget for is eyepieces. The Skywatcher Dob comes with a couple to get you started, but you'll likely want to upgrade them fairly rapidly. That's a huge topic in itself!

As mentioned - a collimator is pretty esential to keep the dob mirrors in line - you can get a very reasonable laser one for around £40 new (£30 ish s/h).

Yeah, you can do it with a star test but it's much easier with a collimation tool (laser or cheshire - I like the latter, but it's really a matter of personal preference).

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GazOC

GazOC

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I'd MUCH rather have the bigger scope without the computer. Its all about the quality of views the scope will give you and the 200mm Dob will show you more than the 130mm by a considerable margin.

You can always add a computerised mount to the Dobsonian later on but you can never add the extra 70mms to the 130mm scope.:p

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dweller25

dweller25

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I totally agree with Gaz, the views in the 200P are excellent and you would have to spend a lot of money to improve upon them. It really is a scope that will give you serious results.

BTW if you look in the sketching section I have posted quite a few drawings of Mars done with the 200P.

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brantuk

brantuk

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Depending on light pollution in your viewing area you may opt for a light pollution filter at some stage. You'll get an end cap on the dob - usually with a smaller removeable cap within it.

You can leave the main end cap on the scope and take the small cap off. This usually reduces the brightness of the moon enough for comfortable viewing. Try that first and consider a moon filter if you don't get any joy. :p

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Hypernova

Hypernova

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I can vouch for the 200p, I have one and I find it brilliant. A decent aperture for a very good price, the base doesn't have best azimuth movement as standard but can improved upon easily with a few simple mods.

Maybe one accessory that you should consider buying is a right angled finder scope which will help to avoid breaking your neck when the scope is pointed towards or near the zenith. Though you may have trouble lining it up with a star as you can't look along the tube to see the star you're aiming for with the naked eye, in this case the telrad would also be useful to get pointing in the right area first and then star hopping with the finderscope from there without an aching neck.

I also use a cheshire collimating tool for my mine along with a homemade collimation cap and this combo I find works really well with none of the misalignment of cheaper lasers.

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Jakstaar17

Jakstaar17

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OK then. I will definitely get a Telrad and a Cheshire collimating tool when i buy the telescope.

I live in Brixworth, a little village around 8 miles from Northampton so the only light pollution really will be street lights. Hopefully, they won't be too much of a problem.

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brantuk

brantuk

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Great idea there from Hypernova - I have the Orion 9x50 right angle correct image finder on two of my scopes - much much easier to point the scope and no aching neck or back. Skywatcher do a good one too - try and negotiate it into the deal when you buy the scope :p

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