- 25mm and 10mm plossl eyepieces (1.25" Super 25 and 10*)
- 8x 50 finderscope
- Crayford focuser, diameter 2" with 1.25" adapter
I'm pretty sure that I'd need to make some immediate upgrades to the scope. I'm hoping to get some help on this. (Some of the specifications jargon I've written above I'm still trying to understand by the way).
First thing is, I understand that the finderscope is frustrating to use. I believe you see everything upside down and that the eyepiece to it is not facing you and you have to twist you head to look through it. Do I need some sort of right angle finder to fix this and one that also corrects the upside down effect? What should I be looking for?
Next thing, do the eyepieces that come with the telescope actually do a good job or do they really need replacing? In terms of magnification, I'd love to look at planets up close, but understand that you can't get too close because you'll loose them from the field of view too quickly. So what would be an ideal magnification for planets? Also, I'm keen to look at deep sky objects, especially galaxies. Is it better to have low magnifications for galaxies or something more closer? The whole eyepiece issue is pretty technical to understand, but hopefully someone can give me some suggestions based on the specifications I've written above.
I think I'd also need a light shroud to keep out the dew and light. Where on earth can I find one to buy for a 10 inch scope?
I know I'd also need a laser collimator for on the spot collimation. I've also read somewhere that it's good to replace the collimation screws on the scope with bobs knobs? Why is this and where can I get some?
What about also a moon filter. Do these come in useful for a beginner or can you look at the moon without a filter?
Ok that's enough questions. I'll leave it to you guys for some helpful adice. Hope to hear from youz.
Congratulations on your decision. A fine choice of scope.
You may well need to invest in some accessories and you will need something to collimate your scope straight away. A telrad is a great investment regardless of the quality of your finderscope. It enables you to point the scope to exactly the bit of sky that you're interested in. Even a right angled rectified image finder can be a little frustrating. With a telrad you may not use a magnified finder all that much, but I use both.
I'd recommend that apart from instruments for collimating and a telrad, wait til you get and use your scope a bit before spending more money. Your eyepieces will be quite adequate and it's a good idea to wait to see what focal lengths you like and how much eye relief you want etc. There is not much point in thinking about eyepieces before you've got familiar with the whole thing.
For collimating, I started with just a laser and underestimated the benefit of a cheshire eyepiece for setting the secondary. The laser is good for sorting out the angle of the primary and the secondary once the secondary is in the right spot and is a very quick tool for recollimating before each session, but a cheshire will help you get well set up in the first place. So I'd recommend both.
Bob's knobs are good if you only have screws for collimating as they do on GSO dobs. I don't know about skywatchers, but you'll find out when you get your scope. all it will mean is that you use a screwdriver to collimate which is not all that hard. If you find it a nuisance then get the knobs.
If you have a dark sky I'd also wait and see about a shroud. I have not found one necessary, but I have a dew heater on my secondary.
A bintel observing chair is one investment that is well worth while.
Hi Jowel and that is a nice scope.
Firstly the finderscope. I believe that this comes with a right angle finder. This gives a correct view and has the added advantage that it is easier to use in terms of head position than a straight through finder. The straight through finder on the other hand gives a reversed view, but that has the advantage that it matches the view in the main scope. I have used both and find either way works once you get used to it. I have stuck with the RA finder simply because it is more comfortable to use.
The eyepieces that come with the scope are OK. I found the 10mm in the 8" I used to use was right at the limit of useability simply because it has a small exit pupil. I had a 6mm also and simply coudn't use it. The 25mm gives pretty good low power views. You will probably want to look at better EPs. Best advice is hold off antil you know where your interests truly lie. If planetary go get a premium high power EP if DSOs, IMHO you cannot go past a 24mm Panoptic and 13mm Nagler.
Can't offer advice on shrouds, though I am sure your retailer will be able to help.
Laser collimators help but really only for the last stage of collimation. A cheshire is a useful al round collimation tool but takes a little practice. I installed Bobs Knobs (complete set, primary, secondary and springs and makes collimation soooo much easier
Yes I got myself a moon filter for the rare occasions I feel like burning my retina. Even with it my dark adaption is wrecked, so I only use it on the moon whenever there is nothing else to look at.On the other hand i used a few times on Jupiter thios apparition when Jupiter was really bright and it helps to tone things down a bring out some features.
I'm a newbe my self on here but i have just purchased the exact scope your looking at a few weeks ago, so i'll tell you what i have learnt.
As a whole the Skywatcher is pretty good. Easy to put together and well made.
For collimation i just used an old film canister with a hole in it. The main mirror already has finger knobs for adjustment and the secondary uses a small allen key. I have found that once set, there is almost no need to re-adjust the secondary mirror. I was also quite surprised how well the primary maintains collimation after being collapsed and stored, with only minor adjustments required to get it spot on.
I use the supplied finderscope with no problems at all, however it is a bit of a neck twister at times and a 90 deg angle adaptor would be an advantage. It does loose it's collimation to the main scope pretty easily though and needs to be re-set at the begining of each session.
I have found the supplied eye peices to be quite adequate, allthough admitidly i have little experience in what a real good eye piece is like to look through.
I have since purchased another 6.5mm eye peice and a 2x barlow lense.
I have lots of light pollution at home so Most of my viewing has been on the planets. I have used the 6.5mm eye peice and the 2x barlow to look at jupiter with quite good results but it has to be pretty good conditions or all you see is mirrarge..
Using such high magnification i would defintaly recomend a "goto" version if you can afford it. Having to nudge the scope every few seconds gets tiring after while.
I'm now looking at building an equatorial platform as i can't afford to buy any more ATM..
Hi Jowell,
I have the 8" Skywatcher Collapsible dob. My first considered accessory was a red dot finder and I would't be without it, you can get a Telrad but they're a bit pricey. Next was a finder scope with a right angle eyepiece, this puts everything up the right way and allows you to see what you see on your planisphere or star chart. then you can home in on your selected target. If you have your finderscope and red dot finder all adjusted on the same thing, it's a snap.
The observing chair is a great idea, but check out the Denver chair if you're at all woodwork handy, free plans on the web.
The supplied eyepieces are good but I was advised at the astro group I joined that a couple of long focal length, wide angle EPs would be an asset, magnification is not everything. I bought a 30mm and a 40mm 2" from Andrews and they are brilliant especially for finding DSOs. They fit straight into your existing focusser. I even lashed out on a Baader OIII nebula filter for the 1.25"s, I couldn't afford the 2".
The latest addition is an EQ platform which is so good for visual, no more bumping the scope every minute. I can even do some planetary unguided photography with it.
OK, I'm a newb myself but this is what I've found in the short time I've belonged to my Club- oops- Society. Go find one and join up, you're sure to find someone who will take you under their wing and help you NOT to waste your money, there's loads of pleasure up above you to keep you going for years with just what you have now.
There will be lots of opinions coming your way, even on this tremendous forum, but ask around and try out someone else's gear if you get a chance before you part with the readys.
Cheers
Graeme
Sorry, just remembered the other must have for stars & DSOs - a Bahtinov mask. Download the pattern for free, get a piece of card and make one. Focus on ANY star and you're set for the night (unless you change eyepieces)
Cheers
Graeme
Mate can you tell me where you got your EQ platform? I'm still drawing mine but if i could buy one for a reasonable price i recon i would.
PS sorry Jowel for the thread hijack..
Cheers
Lee
Lee, sorry to disillusion you, but I made it. See the discussion starting: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...t=68544&page=2
I couldn't find anything for sale locally or O/S at a price I could afford.
Cheers
Graeme
Thanks for the advice so far dudes. Keep it comming!
Just another quick question, which may be a silly question. But, when you look through a newtonian telescope, is everything upside down? Basically, if I looked up at the sky and tracked a planet with my naked eye in a certain direction, would it be viewed going in the exact opposite direction in the newtonian? Weird! How do people put up with that trippy stuff? Is it easy to get used to? Is there any way to reverse it to see "correctly"?
Oh, and another question. Are these scopes good to view the sun? Obviously I'd need some sort of eyepiece filter. But perhaps it will still be too bright to use on the sun even with a filter?
Thanks for the advice so far dudes. Keep it comming!
Just another quick question, which may be a silly question. But, when you look through a newtonian telescope, is everything upside down? Basically, if I looked up at the sky and tracked a planet with my naked eye in a certain direction, would it be viewed going in the exact opposite direction in the newtonian? Weird! How do people put up with that trippy stuff? Is it easy to get used to? Is there any way to reverse it to see "correctly"?
Oh, and another question. Are these scopes good to view the sun? Obviously I'd need some sort of eyepiece filter. But perhaps it will still be too bright to use on the sun even with a filter?
Yes mate everything is upside down. But you do get used to it..
I'm not too sure about sun filters for a large reflector except to say that solar eye peice filters are extremely dangerous and should NEVER be used, EVER! They can crack from the immense heat and then guess what happens to your eye...
Always use a full objective filter when veiwing the sun.. In a collapsable dob like ours i would imagin that a filter in place of the inner dust cover would be the safest option rather than a filter on the top as stray direct sunlight light could still enter the scope via the gap.
Lee, sorry to disillusion you, but I made it. See the discussion starting: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...t=68544&page=2
I couldn't find anything for sale locally or O/S at a price I could afford.
Cheers
Graeme
Thanks for the link Graeme.. And sorry about the typo.
On the shroud side, I found a floor mat thing from bunnings that was made of rubber about a 3rd inch thick and only cost me around $20. Cut to size and attached via stick on velco, it is a brilliant shroud. You may need to clue or stitch the velcro on as it will not stick too well by it self. Clark rubber is always a good option for rubber and foam stuff like that.
I've never needed a shroud. The primary mirror is so far down the tube that any stray light would have to come from almost dead ahead to affect your viewing. Shrouds are needed for those big open frame lightbucket dobs, as far as I can deduce.
As far as viewing the sun: I have made up a sun filter to fit over the small aperture in the inner dust cap. Don't forget to put one on the finder scope as well. Never, NEVER use an eyepiece filter for solar observation. If you have one or get one in a kit, SMASH it with a hammer so that no-one is ever tempted to use it.
I've never needed a shroud. The primary mirror is so far down the tube that any stray light would have to come from almost dead ahead to affect your viewing. Shrouds are needed for those big open frame lightbucket dobs, as far as I can deduce.
Darker the better, every bit helps
The wind is always a problem where I am so therfore dust is an issue as well.
The main reason why I like the shroud is so unexperienced peoples that are looking through or at my scope do not unevertantly drop something nasty on my primary!
Hi. I made a shroud out of 2 place mats, picked them up at Neds 2 dollar store for 2 dollars each(go figure). They were the exact width of the opening on my dob, being made of bamboo they do not collapse in towards the tube.
I sewed two mats together, slightly offset to accomadate the knobs on the upper ring and used velcro to fasten the ends to itself, (I didnt need to fasten to the tube. see pic 1) The whole thing is reasonably rigid and does'nt intrude into the tube pic2.
Pics 3&4 show the 2 mats sewn together at an offset, the inner side has some kind of flocking.
Pic5 is the label (if you are interested in the brand) and the whole thing rolls up quite neatly pic6.
Took about 20 minutes to make and tried it out last night, seemed to work pretty well.
I am also a newby, looking to the next aqisition for my Dob and I wish to thank you all for your great advice.
Cheers
John
As far as viewing the sun: I have made up a sun filter to fit over the small aperture in the inner dust cap. Don't forget to put one on the finder scope as well. Never, NEVER use an eyepiece filter for solar observation. If you have one or get one in a kit, SMASH it with a hammer so that no-one is ever tempted to use it.
I would suggest taking the finder off the scope for solar viewing. The shadow of the scope is the best alignment device for solar viewing in my experience.
Hi Joel. did you build your scope? Do you know where I can find a book or a kit or plans to build one? My 10 inch dob and the sono tube is falling apart and I need to replace it with a lighter take-apart-scope that I can manage. Thanks for your help. Monica
