First post. Skyliner 200P Dob eyepiece/barlow advice.

[Yeoman]

Hi All, My first post, I have read a lot of posts and this forum helped me decide what to buy so thanks everyone.

On Thursday after much reading up and wondering how much to spend I thought I would play safe and ordered an 8" 200P Dob Skywatcher Skyliner from FLO, I was going to get the 10" but was worried it might not fit in the car...anyway I was wondering if I could get a bit of advice.

I have ordered a couple of books ("Turn left at Orion" which cost me about £17 and "Urban astronony" which was only about £3) and i ordereed a red torch and a planisphere and a moon filter ready for when the scope arrives so I will be all set up to have a go when it arrives...

Anyway, I have been told the 10mm and 25mm eyepieces that come with the scope are OK but "not great".

I have had 2 traders recommend a barlow lens to give me twice the choice of magnifications but I see on the forum that some people say to buy a better eyepiece rather than a barlow so I am confused...

Could people advise me as to which is best to buy and recommend what to buy at a good price... I have seen a Tal barlow lens on the FLO site for about £35 plus post but I was thinking that if the original lenses arent that good then a barlow might not be the best buy...

I would like to end up with a decent selection of lenses (low medium and high) rather than copies of the same in different qualities and I want to get the best and clearest views for my money but dont want to spend a fortune till I know how much I am going to get in to the hobby...

Could anyojne advise me on my dilemma and also if anyone has any good ideas what else I shoulcl or could buy, or any good tips...

I am reading loads and learning more every day and watching stuff on youtube and doing searches and reading forums but you cant beat a bit of advice from people who are more expierinced...

I know now that magnification isnt as important as some sellers would have you beleive but ideally I would like to end up in the situation where I can get the highest magnification with which I can still get a clear/good view and then also have a good eyepiece for general viewing...this might involve buying two more eyepieces... I see they range in price from about £15 up to silly money, I would be happy to spend £40 - £70 (£100 max) on decent improvements though if it would improve my viewing...

An eyepiece AND a barlow even could be an option... that just crossed my mind ?...

Decisions decisions...

I AM NOW GETTING THE 250P RATHER THAN THE 200P. SORRY BUT THERE WAS NO STOCK OF THE 200P SO I UPGRADED.

[perrin6]

I keep hearing the 25mm is quite reasonable but the 10mm is worth replacing. I don't like barlows myself and would rather instead fund better quality eyepieces. I would recommend getting a high power either about 6mm (X200 with your scope), OR 7mm (X171) OR 8mm (X150) and a medium power, say about a 12mm (X100). Others will recommend what brand to buy which depends on how much you want to spend.

[perrin6]

Many on here recommend this supplier (unavailable until feb 1st, however) , I've never used the eyepieces myself though:-

http://www.skysthelimit.org.uk/

[sammy1404]

get a collimator, cheshire or laser. Cheshire is cheaper and more common but personally i prefer using laser... because it is a laser lol i have the 250px with those 25mm and 10mm eps. They are both fine starting EP's, the 10mm wasnt bad at all and looking at jupiter it was very clear. But in the future you might like to upgrade to a higher quality.

[Moonshane]

it's easy to make recommendations and spend other people's money!

seriously though you have answered your own question in a way. don't go spending lots of cash on things until you know you will stay in the hobby. your scope is a good start and will keep you happy for a long time.

you will need to collimate so make your own collimation cap (search collimation on the forum and you'll see how) and a laser or Cheshire would be good as suggested. about £25.

another option to consider is a Telrad. This will really help you initially place the scope and lead to less frustration. about £35.

other than this you could consider another eyepiece or a barlow (I'm with Alan on not liking barlows) but personally, I'd just use what you get for a while and establish what gaps you have. then buy to fill the gaps as funds allow. there's lots to see with a 25mm and a 10mm eyepiece for starters.

[sammy1404]

it's easy to make recommendations and spend other people's money!

QUOTE]

Lol... buy the hubble i wonder how much that would actually cost, probs on ebay at 99p i wish lol

But on a serious note you really will need a collimator. Other stuff which are cool to have but not neccesties include EP's, accesory case, planisphere, filters, camera adaptors list goes on for ages lol. But i wouldnt go buying loads of stuff until you are used to the scope, i got mine last tuesday and so far all ive ordered is a 6mm ep, t ring and t ring adaptor for canon eos dslr, and im going to order a laser collimator (LASER!)

[John]

get a collimator, cheshire or laser. Cheshire is cheaper and more common but personally i prefer using laser... because it is a laser lol ....

Laser collimators are fine ...... if they are collimated properly ! - the laser beam only has to be a little bit off centre and your collimation will be off even if it looks fine with the laser. This is a surprisingly common issue unfortunately (even with new ones) so it's worth knowing how to star test your scope to make sure that the leaser is doing it's job properly.

[twotter]

I have the same scope and my approach was to buy a range of plossls in various sizes, and a 2x barlow. Over time I've noted which EPs I use most often and now I've started upgrading again. After some thought and research I've opted to go for Hyperions to take advantage of the wider field of view.

[Moonshane]

I have the same scope and my approach was to buy a range of plossls in various sizes, and a 2x barlow. Over time I've noted which EPs I use most often and now I've started upgrading again. After some thought and research I've opted to go for Hyperions to take advantage of the wider field of view.

this is a really good philosophy and one I followed too.

[gedmac]

i have the same scope as you,what i find invaluable is the telrad.other than that the ep i use the most is a meade 5000 series 20mm swa.great ep and with a little googling can be had for about £70.next recommendation........keep posting and after 50 posts you will have access to the for sale section,some great bargains in there:)

[Yeoman]

Cripes...loads to think about there...thanks all...

I had a problem getting the 200P and it turns out I am now getting the 250P 10" dob rather than the 200p 8" Dob, does that change things any ?

The better lens does seem to sound the better option over a barlow so now I am getting the 10" dob I was wondering what eyepiece/lens to go for to get the best magnification for this scope...

I am based near Alfreton Derbyshire UK and our garden is surrounded by high hedges, we are on a small housing estate which has orange streetlights here and there and we are in the middle of this but there is countryside around us apart from a few rows of houses if that makes any difference to anything... (dont know much yet but thinking of light pollution ? not sure how we are here for that...)

Can anyone recommend an eyepiece I could buy now (I am one of these people who likes to be prepared) to get the best from this 10" 250P scope magnification wise? Would it still be a 6mm ?

Sorry but I dont understand it all yet... although the mists are beginning to clear...

[Yeoman]

I keep hearing the 25mm is quite reasonable but the 10mm is worth replacing. I don't like barlows myself and would rather instead fund better quality eyepieces. I would recommend getting a high power either about 6mm (X200 with your scope), OR 7mm (X171) OR 8mm (X150) and a medium power, say about a 12mm (X100). Others will recommend what brand to buy which depends on how much you want to spend.

I heard that too but wasnt sure if it was true as I only heard from one person...

Would the 6mm be a good one for high magnification with a Dob skyliner 250P (10") too as I am getting that instead of the 8" 200P now... ?

Can anyone recommend a couple of good eyepieces that are good value and on sale and available at the moment as I kind of like to get things now rather than later if I can ?

I am more than happy to spend a while relaxing and stargazing but as its so hard to make time to do it (as I run a small business) I would rather have everything I need in advance to maximise the time I spend...

I would like one for high magnification for looking at the Moon and planets etc in detail and a good value high quality one for general viewing if poss... I am more interested in our solar system at the moment though and would like to have a look around the moon and planets etc...

A good 6mm lens may be my first buy if its a good one to get,, ?

[smulx]

I have that scope and I got a Skywatcher 32mm Panaview. I don't have much to compare it to, but it seems like a really good EP. Very clear and decent FoV.

[valleyman]

Stick with the EPs that come with the scope, if I am not mistaken you also get a barlow...thhey are not the best, but they do the Job. Plenty of time to get the buying bug, but give yourself time to decide what you want form the scoe.

The 250 is a big scope and you will not be disappointed.

Have a look a the Dob community group for some ideas on putting setting circles on the base...you will not be sorry........... I have modded mine and hit the target everytime with DSO's......So for the time being save your money....you are going to need a lot later

[perrin6]

It's tempting to be in a hurry to buy new eyepieces when you think the ones coming with the scope might be less than ideal but if you wait (I know it's a difficult thing to do!) and try out the the 4 different magnifications which the 25mm, 10mm & barlow will provide (50X, 100X, 125X & 250X or thereabouts) that will give you an idea what eyepieces to get, if indeed you feel the need to. Those mag's cover a good range. Looking at them there is quite a gap between 125X & 250X and you might want to start by filling that gap for most of your planetary observing. 50X is a good magnification for lower power views at that aperture although under quite light-polluted skies, I would personally prefer a higher magnification to darken the background sky and a wider field eyepiece. Still as I said there's no need to hurry as you will see some grand sights with what comes with the scope.

[perrin6]

To check your light pollution identify the faintest star you can see with the naked eye - if it's about magnitude 5, the light pollution ain't too bad. If 6 then your laughing - if 2 then - well the less we dwell on that possibility, the better.

[Moonshane]

great advice from Alan. bear in mind that light pollution includes the moon, neighbours' etc and you should check your naked eye-ability when the moon is out of view and the neighbours' lights all off as well and making sure you are dark adapted (takes about 20 minutes in the dark.)

[Yeoman]

I dont get a barlow with it so I am stuck with a 10mm that I have read isnt very good and a 25mm I have read is ok for now which doesnt sound too great to me but I will perhaps hang on for now... its coming tomorrow and see whats what after a few weeks maybe, looking forward to it coming.

[Yeoman]

Got my 10" Skyliner dob yesterday, its all set up and am hoping to have a view tonight as there were too many clouds here last night, I got the finderscope aligned though etc.

It came with 10mm and 25mm and no barlow, that gives me 48x or 120x magnification apparently.

It also has an adaptor for 2" eyepieces.