Daft question about dust cap

[hunterz]

I just got my first scope a sky watcher 130 this may be a stupid question so bear with me.on the front of the scope there is a small dust cover

is that what you remove or the big one that it sits on

[Adz]

You remove it all for viewing most things. Using the smaller hole lets in more light and some people say that you can tease greater detail out of planets this way. Also if you don't have a moon filter, using just the smaller opening can stop your eyes from straining against the bright fuller moon stages.

HTH

[hunterz]

You remove it all for viewing most things. Using the smaller hole lets in more light and some people say that you can tease greater detail out of planets this way. Also if you don't have a moon filter, using just the smaller opening can stop your eyes from straining against the bright fuller moon stages.

HTH

Hi thanks for the reply. I did'nt even relise the big cover came off I thought I broke it at first as there is no mention in the instructions.

cheers

[ollypenrice]

Don't be tempted to use the small hole and an eyepiece-fitting solar filter for solar viewing. On occasions these lethal horrors turn up and put peoples' sight at risk.

Only front-of-telescope solar filters can be countenanced and do ask on here before you think about this.

Olly

[Doc]

For general viewing remove the complete assembly to give you full aperture. The small holes are for either masking down the aperture, or decreasing the brightness of the moon, or for making a solar filter but as Olly SAYS BEWARE, IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA.

[hunterz]

Thanks for the help.I have another daft question I took the scope out last night for a quick try but had trouble seeing anything is there a trick to looking through the eyepice I kept seeing things for a few seconds then if I blinked moved my eye it was just black again.this was useing a 25mm wide view EP with a 10mm I could see nothing not even a street light

what am I doing wrong:confused:

[JohnDenim]

Did you collimate your scope?

Is your finder scope set up correctly?

Do you were glasses?

No questions are daft, there are some fab people on here!

[hunterz]

Did you collimate your scope?

Is your finder scope set up correctly?

Do you were glasses?

No questions are daft, there are some fab people on here!

Hi I need a new finder scope Im looking for a red dot type and I dont where glasses.I didn't collimate the scope as I dont have the bits to do it with yet.when I got the scope I was told it was set up ok.

I got the scope pointing at a star but I cant always see anything through the EP I have to keep moving about should my eye be up close to the EP touching the rupper ring or further away and do you look straight down the center or at a angle

[Adz]

Thanks for the help.I have another daft question I took the scope out last night for a quick try but had trouble seeing anything is there a trick to looking through the eyepice I kept seeing things for a few seconds then if I blinked moved my eye it was just black again.this was useing a 25mm wide view EP with a 10mm I could see nothing not even a street light

what am I doing wrong:confused:

Hey. You said you are seeing things but then they disappear, then you said you cant even see a street light. Could you be a little more clear? (I was going to say shed some more light but thought better of the pun )

Hi I need a new finder scope Im looking for a red dot type and I dont where glasses.I didn't collimate the scope as I dont have the bits to do it with yet.when I got the scope I was told it was set up ok.

I got the scope pointing at a star but I cant always see anything through the EP I have to keep moving about should my eye be up close to the EP touching the rupper ring or further away and do you look straight down the center or at a angle

I'm not sure you need a new finder if it is your views you are having trouble with?

The collimation should be sufficient for viewing, but obviously not perfect, unless the scope has been thrown around loads before you got it?

Your eye should be close to the glass but not touching. Try to find a distance that gives you a clearly defined black circular outline on the edge of your view. Always be face and eye onto the centre of the eyepiece, then move your eyeball slightly within the view if needed.

HTH

[Jack123456]

When i got my scope, i tried it out during the day. focusing on a telegraph pole the other side of a field.

It helped me to get use to how it worked, so i was more familiar with it in the dark.

[stick]

hi hunterz

i have the same scope as you and was confused by the little dust cap thing as well !

Thanks for asking before i did !!!

As for the viewing issues, you will be surprised at how quickly things move across your FOV at the best of times

I found to begin with that a lot of my issues were due to poor focusing, so play about with that

The red dot finders are also useful for us newbies. line it up, point and view !

Also, make sure you put your scope outside for at least 30 mins (an hour if you can) before viewing. This allows the scope and all the optics to acclimatise if its been kept inside in the warm before hand.

I'm no expert but found that this definitely helps

happy viewing, let us know how you get on

Stick

[hunterz]

Hi sorry I'm not very good at describing things.

tried it this afternoon set it up looking at a telegraph pole first tried the 25mm EP the image was ok clear & bright then tried the 10mm I could see this time ok but the image was quite dark even though it was bright and sunny.is this normal.

where do you get the collimation caps from I cant find any.and do you need to use a cheshire/sight tube aswell as the cap its not very clear in the guides I read

[onmehedson]

Hi Hunterz... You will be pleased to know that this quite normal for the Skywatcher 10mm

stock eyepiece.... it`s a pile of poo in reality..

You are better off using the barlow with the 25mm eyepiece ....

[ollypenrice]

The distance from eye to eyepiece can be quite critical and tricky. If the EP has long eye relief (meaning your eye can still be a fair way back from it) then holding the right distance is a matter of experience and practice. Don't touch the scope once observing, either. Practice in the daytime is the way.

OLly

[hunterz]

Hi Hunterz... You will be pleased to know that this quite normal for the Skywatcher 10mm

stock eyepiece.... it`s a pile of poo in reality..

You are better off using the barlow with the 25mm eyepiece ....

I tried the barlow (which feels very cheap) with the 25mm and it makes the image a lot darker aswell.

will getting a better quality 10mm EP and barlow help or is it to do with the scope aswell

[hunterz]

The distance from eye to eyepiece can be quite critical and tricky. If the EP has long eye relief (meaning your eye can still be a fair way back from it) then holding the right distance is a matter of experience and practice. Don't touch the scope once observing, either. Practice in the daytime is the way.

OLly

After using it more in daylight I'm getting better.I'm learning that the slightest movment of my eye you lose the image so I'm practising to keep my eyeball still

[Davidv]

After using it more in daylight I'm getting better.I'm learning that the slightest movment of my eye you lose the image so I'm practising to keep my eyeball still

Hope you get used to your eyepiece. My Vixen Plossl 26mm does this and it's quite annoying whereas my 9mm orthoscopic is no problem and is a pleasure to use. I think it depends on the focal length of the eyepiece and its design but I'm not sure. Dave

[DrNeb]

After using it more in daylight I'm getting better.I'm learning that the slightest movment of my eye you lose the image so I'm practising to keep my eyeball still

that sounds a little odd to me, I'm no pro. just a beginner also..

but I've got the bigger version of yours and the stock eye pieces didn't require a steady eyeball at all.

very odd!

good luck

[Trull]

Your experience doesnt sound out of the ordinary - looking through a telescope is a skill, which has to be learnt to get the most out of your eyes and the instrument. Good luck in your endeavours - and don't be shy about contacting your local Astro Soc who will be happy to help you face to face. Everyone has to start - and every decent AS has a bunch of members willing to let you look through their scopes and chat about the fun and games.

Get in there!

[Canyouguesswhoitisyet]

It sounds odd to me. I have the same scope and in the daytime my 25mm & 10mm are fine. I find the 10mm quite good too at night. Its the eyepiece I use the most.

You have removed the big cover off the end of the scope?

What happens when you hold the eyepiece up to a light source without attaching to the scope? eg, white piece of paper

Objects to move in the night sky but not that quick that it would disappear from field of view in seconds. Make sure you are locking off both axis once pointing at a target thus preventing the scope from moving off target.

Either way in my opinion something does not sound right.

Oh and is your scope new or did you buy second hand. New of of the box Skywatchers as said to be very good on collimation. Mine was new and I have not had to collimate yet after 5-6 weeks of using. If yours is second hand then maybe it needs to be done.