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First accessories?

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  • 11-08-2020 10:59am
    #1
    oceanclub
    Registered Users Posts: 3,411 ✭✭✭


    So I finally got to try my Sky-Watcher Discovery 150i out last night and now I'm wondering what accessories I should first get. A Barlow lens seems a no brainer - should I get x2 or x3? Also are there any mounts I should get so I can attach a camera to the telescope?

    EDIT: Given the _theoretical_ magnification of my scope is 300x (twice the aperture of 150mm), and my highest magnification without a lens is 750mm/10mm = 75x, then adding a Barlow to bring that up to 225x (still a good bit lower than the theoretical limit taking into account light and atmosphere conditions in Dublin) makes sense? Or should I be conservative and get the 2x Barlow?

    P.


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    #2
    Popoutman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,363 ✭✭✭Popoutman


    Either get a 2x Barlow, or a shorter eyepiece such as a 6mm eyepiece. Also a wider field lower power eyepiece will likely get more use as most of the observing with a smaller scope is generally at lower power anyway.

    As for a camera adapter, you can get a smartphone holder to get a steady afocal pic through the eyepiece. The mount on the Discovery is designed for visual work and definitely not designed for astrophotography, but you might get some pleasant results mounting a camera+lens to the tube and taking 30 second exposures and stacking in DeepSkyStacker. Longer exposures will show some field rotation due to driving an alt-az mount on the curved path needed to follow the stars. Some tripod quick releases will fit in the mount dovetails and can be a reasonable way to mount a camera+lens for astrophotography.

    I would not recommend trying deep space astrophotography through this scope, as the mount is a very limiting factor in that - you will only get frustrated and disappointed. Afocal planet pics will work moderately well. Afocal moon pics will also work very well. The focal length of the scope is a little short to get reasonable image scale for taking video of the planets but it's worth a try, depending on the camera you have.


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