suggested accessories SW 12"

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

Hi guys,

This forum is a great resource with so many people giving up their time to share experience, so i thought i would try and tap into that expertise

I've just ordered a skywatcher 12" goto dob, and will be using it for astrophotography (eos canon) and general viewing. i havent been skywatching (with a scope) for about 7 years and 2012 looks like a great year to get back amongst it with events such as the venus transit and solar eclipse.

I was wondering what accessories you think are worth getting? I've got old average lenses from my old telescope and that is about it. as for imaging i have downloaded registax 6 but that is about all i know about. I guess I am keen to know about a powersources (for the goto), which lenses are recommended for this scope (planetary and deep space - an even mix for an average budget...), do you need a strut cover? or is ok without one - and if one is recommended which one (SW hasn't made one that i know of - DIY? - another brand), solar filters (big ones seem to be 'off-axis'?) for the transit/eclipse etc etc anything you think is worth getting?

The only things i have lined up thusfar is a powermate 5x and t-ring etc for the canon.

Would appreciate advice on what you think i should have particularly with lenses, or anything else i should keep an eye out for.

Cheers,

Rusty

[Shark Bait (Stu)]

Welcome to IIS Russell. I am fairly new here myself and have enjoyed my time on this forum.

In answer to your question, these are some of the changes and additions that I have made to make my scope easier to use. The photos show a Class 5 Visual Baader Solar Filter, a rolling base with locking castors and a home made shroud to help reduce dew build up and stray light. The power supply is a Powertech 5-in-1 Power Station.

Since the photos were taken, I have made up a solar filter for the finder scope as well. These filters are made from plumbing supplies and locked into place with small bolts for safety.

When collimated these scopes deliver impressive views at the eyepiece but I will be upgrading to some quality TeleView glass in the future. I have taken some a-focal images with this scope but the mounts are not really designed for astro photography.

Even though I know my scope performs well, it still wishes that it was an SDM.....

Hope this helps.

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

Looks good Stu, thanks for posting, I think I will have to get over my fear of 'stuffing' the scope with mods.. Does anyone know if there materials recommended for shrouds or ones to avoid?

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Hi Russell and well done on selecting a fine scope.
Firstly with imaging. You may be able to use the scope for some basic lunar or planetary imaging but these are not really suitable for deep space objects as mount is not capable of being equatorially aligned. Planet and the moon can be done as they are bright enough for short exposures.
I wouldn't worry about getting better eyepieces at this stage. The ones it will come with will be OK to start with, usually they come with a 25mm and a 10mm plossl. The 25mm is the one you will use the most. It gives power of 60x which is enough to find and observe most of the more popular DSOs. If you want to get into good eyepieces you can end up spending twice as much on them as your scope!
Strut covers are a good idea especially if you have any lights (neighbours or street lights) near where you observe.
Some accessories that I would consider are
- charts/atlases. I know it is go to but for visula observing learning the night sky is half the fun. Also look at some good observing guides for ideas on what to look for. O'Mearas "Messier Objects" is a good starting point.
- dew protection for eyepieces and the secondary. Nothing spoils an observing session like having to fetch a hairdryer to get rid of moisture.

Malcolm

[Shark Bait (Stu)]

Originally Posted by rustigsmed

Looks good Stu, thanks for posting, I think I will have to get over my fear of 'stuffing' the scope with mods.. Does anyone know if there materials recommended for shrouds or ones to avoid?

For the shroud I used a black synthetic fabric with a lot of stretch, along with velcro, corset boning and para cord with toggles for the top and bottom. The corset boning is used to stop the fabric from sagging into the light path. When I went into the local sewing / fabric retailer and asked for some black material for a shroud they thought it was for some type of burial. This had happened at the store recently.

You can buy an Astrozap branded shroud for this scope from most of the telescope retailers if you do not want to make one.

The additions that are shown in the pictures have the benefit of not requiring any modifications to the scope itself. Only recently have I plucked up the courage to drill some holes in the scope OTA. I wanted to use the finder scope as well as a red dot finder, so I needed two more holes.

As Malcolm stated, this scope is capable of delivering high quality views at the eyepiece but it is not really meant for astro photography. This is the best I have managed with a-focal photography so far.

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

thanks for the advice malcolm and stu. I will look into purchasing the shroud and look into dew protection also (I must admit its something I hadn't really considered). i have a bit of an idea of where some of the bigger messier objects are etc, my old scope was a low quality 6" equatorial (always regretted not getting an 8" dob for the same money). although the memory is a little hazy!

thanks also for posting the images, they look fairly good, i'd be happy if i could replicate something like that!

now i can't wait to collect and get into it! I'm sure i'll have some questions later on!

Thanks again

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

picked up the skywatcher today!
put it together just need to try and collimate it and get some clear weather!