8", 10" or 12" dob as a starter scope?

[darkskybondi]

Kev - are the collapsible models more likely to collect junk like salt and dust on the primary mirror?

- DSB

[Kevnool (Kev)]

your scope will collect salt over there and dust here where i live its a fact of life, protect yours a little by placing a light shroud made of cloth or lycra material around your trusses and it will also keep out unwanted light from entering the lower tube assembly of your scope.....cheers Kev.

[darkskybondi]

Purchased the 10" collapsible! Awfully excited to try out the new toy! Thanks for all the advice.

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Congrats on the purchase.
You should have many a good nights viewing with your scope.
Did they at the shop give you a quick lesson in collimation b4 you took it home?
Now get yourself a planisphere to do a bit of starhopping to help find the DSO,S that you will observe.
Take it out tonight or tommorow night as the new moon was last night after that it will be moon and planets.
Cheers Kev.

[darkskybondi]

Originally Posted by Kevnool

Congrats on the purchase.
You should have many a good nights viewing with your scope.
Did they at the shop give you a quick lesson in collimation b4 you took it home?
Now get yourself a planisphere to do a bit of starhopping to help find the DSO,S that you will observe.
Take it out tonight or tommorow night as the new moon was last night after that it will be moon and planets.
Cheers Kev.

Thanks Kev!

He briefly showed me how to use the laser collimator he sold me, although I'll need to read instructions off the net again. A bit worried about safe usage of it. Also, I've read that laser collimators are generally not that great (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-390-0-0-1-0.html) - what do you reckon?

Here's hoping the skies clear tonight!

Cheers DSB

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Laser colimators are a necessity for the astronomer.But the colimator must be colimated or centred just check the position of the beam in a v block or a lathe then turn it on point it at the wall and rotate it . this way will tell if the beam is centred.
I hope i,m not giving you a headache.
But just for tonight set it up look through it, if it looks fuzzy its out , if its a good through the eyepiece your close.
With all my scopes I give myself plenty of daylight to collimate it takes me up to 10-15 minutes.
Still let me know how you get on.
Cheers Kev.

[darkskybondi]

Originally Posted by Kevnool

Laser colimators are a necessity for the astronomer.But the colimator must be colimated or centred just check the position of the beam in a v block or a lathe then turn it on point it at the wall and rotate it . this way will tell if the beam is centred.
I hope i,m not giving you a headache.
But just for tonight set it up look through it, if it looks fuzzy its out , if its a good through the eyepiece your close.
With all my scopes I give myself plenty of daylight to collimate it takes me up to 10-15 minutes.
Still let me know how you get on.
Cheers Kev.

Hehe well I wish I had a v block or lathe but I don't! It's a GSO-manufactured collimator sold by York... is there another way to tell if it's collimated?

Also, any tips for not burning my retina with the darned thing? This is the only thing that freaks me out!

Anyways, I'll give it a go tonight. I got the demo model (there were no other 10" truss dobs in stock) so he checked it when he showed me how to collimate it with the new laser, and it was reasonably well collimated at the store (he said so; I couldn't yet tell!)

Cheers Kev,
DSB

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Put it between 2 books or anything so you can rotate it.
Just dont look directly into the beam and you,ll be right.
It should be dark over there by now start observing unless you puter is outside with you.
Cheers Kev.

[darkskybondi]

Originally Posted by Kevnool

Put it between 2 books or anything so you can rotate it.
Just dont look directly into the beam and you,ll be right.
It should be dark over there by now start observing unless you puter is outside with you.
Cheers Kev.

Thanks Kev - sorry I don't know what you mean by "rotate it"...



It's cloudy here

Cheers DSB

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Just spin it around and look what the beam does on the wall.
If it is collimated it will be presicelly in the middle....If it does a loop then the unit is out

[darkskybondi]

Originally Posted by Kevnool

Just spin it around and look what the beam does on the wall.
If it is collimated it will be presicelly in the middle....If it does a loop then the unit is out

You're a champ mate. I'll let you know if I get to observe tonight. Still very cloudy. Murphy's law applies, as always!

Just a reminder:

Thanks again to you and everyone on iceinspace who've helped another n00b take advantage of affordable East Asian optics!

- DSB

p.s. There is some very minor dust and spotting on the primary and secondary - my scope was on display for a few weeks in the store fully expanded. I'm leaving it for now until I learn how to properly clean these mirrors (preferably without disassembling the scope, for the moment!)

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Just for now use a blower bulb only to blow the mirrors but dont let the tip of the bulb touch the mirrors .
Keep asking questions.........were all here to help.
Cheers Kev.

[darkskybondi]

Originally Posted by Kevnool

Just for now use a blower bulb only to blow the mirrors but dont let the tip of the bulb touch the mirrors .
Keep asking questions.........were all here to help.
Cheers Kev.

Yeah I should have bought a blower from him. I don't have one. Perhaps I can find something in the house to substitute.

Meanwhile the experience of checking the collimation of the collimator, and then the scope itself, ensues.

Cloud.

- DSB

[Screwdriverone (Chris)]

Hi DSB.

New Telescope Rule #1: When you buy a new telescope, the skies will be cloudy at night for at least 2 weeks.

Sorry we didnt mention this before.

Lens Pen is a nice cheap mirror cleaner, it has a soft brush on one end to flick dust off, and a smooth pad on the other to wipe off gunk. Better bet (and less chance of scratching) is the blower bulb mentioned by Kev.

Cheers

Chris

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Do not use a compressor or vacuum cleaner or you,ll blow crap and oil and evrything else onto the mirrors....cheers Kev.

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

just a thought, would a Can of Air be any good? i know they use it in delicate electronics don't know what kind of good they are with mirrors.

[Kevnool (Kev)]

On the primary or secondry i would say not a chance only because you dont know how they were filled at the factory and under what conditions..........and they had to be filled by compessed air......Cheers

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

I don't think they are compressed air, i belive its C02 mmmm

[Kevnool (Kev)]

No prob,s on that but the preferred and safest way is the blower bulb for dust.......With Salt and washing the primary i cannot go down that path because i plainly dont know about it to comment about it .
Happy new year all.....cheers Kev.