Still serching for first scope

[Kevdan]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking at skywatcher explorer 130 and explorer 130p the description details are exactly the same for each , so what difference does the P make and is it realy worth around £40 more, Also they do the 130p flex tube which is less than £10 more than the basic 130, except for the fles tube is on a dob mount as opposed to an EQ2.

Givent the choice waht would be the best to go for?

Also what extras would be needed with these scopes?

Thanks,

Kev.

[brantuk]

The "P" maens the mirror is parabolic which is better at focusing. Dob or EQ is an eternal question and I think the answer depends on what and how you intend to use the scope.

Dobs track in alt and az whereas Eq tracks in RA and Dec. But a polar aligned Eq can track in a single plane (RA) which lends itself nicely to imaging.

I allways recommend Eq as it reflects the way the stars move and I figure newbies learn more about the sky from scratch. However, others suggest Dob's for the larger aperture per £ ratio.

Ultimately it's a personal choice and you need to understand both types before making a decision that's right for you

[tomw28]

Hi Kev,

The P means the mirror is parabolic in shape as aposed to circular. This brings all the light to the same focus so is preferred. If I were in your shoes I would probably go for the 130P on the dob base, both for simplicity and cost. Your getting some good optics on a solid but cheap mount, leaving you more money for other accessories.

As for the accessories, a moon filter would help, as would a collimator. Use the scope with the supplied EPs before jumping in and buying some new ones. That will give you a better idea of what sort of thing you will want for the new eyepeices.

Hope that's helped,

Tom

[rowan46]

nothing to add except to answer the extra bits this is free and maybe useful for your laptop Stellarium you may want a planisphere or guide book if you don;t want to take a laptop out with you and a red light torch may be useful as for spending on the scope all of those models come with eyepieces etc so I would use your scope awhile before you spend any money upgrading it then you will have some idea in which direction to go