Skywatcher 130P help??

[JimP]

I recently bought a second hand Skywatcher 130P, after a week of cloudy skies I finally got to use it in anger on Saturday, started on the moon, very good image quality, I was very happy!

but on turning my attention to Jupiter I really struggled to focus on it, I was using the 2 x barlow and 10mm lens, jsut cant get a sharp image, it looks more like a figure 8 than a 0 if that makes sense???

So waht am I doing wrong?? is there something wrong with the scope or do I need better lens???

Thanks

Jim

[Jimmy Stix]

Hi Jim,

I sincerely doubt that there is anything wrong with your scope. I too have had problems with Jupiter with my MAK. Quite a few others on here too have had poor results with it lately.

It has passed it's best now and it is setting quite early in the evening which means you are looking through lots of atmosphere as it's low on the horizon. Try it just as it gets dark, so you can see it at it's highest, but it will not be really good again until next autumn.

Also the Skywatcher Barlow and x10 eyepiece are not particularly good so a combination of atmosphere, Jupiter's position now and average eyepieces are almost certainly your problem.

[Jimmy Stix]

Also have you downloaded the free program Stellarium. It will show you the exact position of Jupiter (as well as 1000's of other objects) in real time and you will be able to see how low it is at the moment when it gets dark.

http://stellarium.org/

[valleyman]

Have to agrre with what Jimmy says, Good news is Saturn is just round the corner now. If you have good views to the east you should be able to see it early morning.

[Doc]

Agree also, with jupiter being pretty low now you are looking through the turbulance of our atmosphere, also 5mm could be reaching the maximum for your scope and looking through a barlow you are increasing the amount of glass you are looking through which will cause problems as well.

[JimP]

Thanks guys, shame I've missed Jupiters best, but the thought of seeing saturn makes up for it!!

Will I be able to make out the rings with a 130P???

[DixieDean]

Thanks guys, shame I've missed Jupiters best, but the thought of seeing saturn makes up for it!!

Will I be able to make out the rings with a 130P???

Hi Jim

I bought a 130P just before Christmas and can confirm that you can see the rings of Saturn. I agree, the barlow combined with the 10mm is a real pain to focus but once to you get it right the view will be great.

I'm currently looking at new eyepieces and a new Barlow. I'm sure (from what i've read on here) that it will improve the view with what i reckon is a fantastic telescope.

Cheers

Rich

EDIT: Also, I've had some great views of Jupiter as well but that was back in January.

[JimP]

Brillaint would love to see the rings of saturn!

Looks like I need to start setting the alarm earlier then!!

[tom33pr]

I have 130p too, was wondering what eyepiece/Barlow combionation would suit planets best?

[mallorcasaint]

I have the 130p and bought the Revelation eyepiece set which is terrific. Great views of Saturn and it's rings tonight!

[yeti monster]

My experience with the Skywatcher Barlow and 10mm EP suggests that these are the main problem here, they are akin to frosted glass compared to even lower end EPs. There really should be a law preventing the supply of such things with any scopes.

Last summer I compared this set up to the use of my TAL 2x and 8mm WA, there was no contest, even looking through the atmosphere below 10 degrees above the horizon at the Southern Cross.

[sengoksa]

I have to agree with all the comments on the skywatcher barlow

its a pretty bad bit of kit also the 10mm isnt realy up to much

either.. I decided to buy a Baader Genuine ortho 7mm for my

planetary viewing They are pricey but the differnce is crystal

clear pardon the pun...also have the tal barlow in both 2 x 3

they really are nice quality considering there price....

ps the 130p is awsome...

[brantuk]

To get 130x magnification you'd need a 5mm ep but at f5 it will need to be a good quality one costing more than the scope. For a nice view of saturn and rings a TV Radian would work very nicely - you can get them around £100 s/h or £170 (ish) new. Hyperion's are very good mid range ep's at around £90 new or £60(ish) s/h and represent a couple of steps up from what you're using.

The comments about atmosphere, object height, and barlowing, above still apply though. As will cool down of scope, collimation, and dark site