New EP's and what a difference. BUT.....

[Shaddex]

On recommendations from the forum (thanks btw), I bought 3 new lenses from FLO.

Skywatcher SP Plossl eyepieces = 32mm, 20mm and a 6.2mm.  (also got a Barlow but its not arrived yet)

So, looking at Jupiter last night, the new EP's made SOOOOO much difference.  I could see the bands on Jupiter clearer and all in all a better viewing experience.

BUT...

There was a Blur on Jupiter that moved when moving my eye around the EP.   Even with the 20mm on.

I guessing that this could mean I need to Collimate the scope ?

Scope is a Celestron 130EQ, and was left in the garden for about an hour prior to my 2 hour session.

Any advice appreciated.

[John]

Try rotating the eyepiece in the eyepiece holder while observing. If the blur moves with the eyepiece it's in the eyepiece optics. If it stays put it's generated by the scope optics. If it moves as you move your eye around then it could be a floater or similiar in your eye. You usually see those with very short focal length eyepieces though.

I doubt that it's collimation because when that is out, and it needs to be quite a lot out, the whole image would be less distinct.

[Shaddex]

Thanks for the reply.

If its the EP Optics does that mean they are faulty ?  Or just not that good quality ?

[swamp thing]

Sounds like a floater to me. It does seem a bit odd that you should see it in a 20mm eyepiece though.

If it moves around, I cant se what else it could be TBH.

[John]

Thanks for the reply.

If its the EP Optics does that mean they are faulty ?  Or just not that good quality ?

If (and it's only "if" at this stage) the issue is with the eyepiece then I'm sure FLO would send you a replacement PDQ. I know the people there and their customer care is first class. Even low cost eyepieces should have completely clean optics when new. 

Your original post though suggests that the blur is visible in all 3 eyepieces in which case I'd suspect either the scope optics (ie: some debris on the secondary mirror ?) or something in your eye.

Try the eyepiece rotation thing anyway and see what happens to the blur.

[Shaddex]

Thanks again, and I'll try what you have suggested and report back..

[Shaddex]

ok just been in the garden again and tried rotation the EP and the blur does not rotate with the EP.

If you move your eye around the EP, the blur moves to the opposite site.  

So if Jupiter is in the left of the EP, the blur is on the right and vise versa.

[John]

I'm wondering now if it could be a either a ghost image of Jupiter in the eyepiece or a reflection of Jupiter from your eyeball back onto the top lens of the eyepiece. Does it happen with all 3 of the eyepieces you bought ?

[damnut]

Sounds like a floater, small pieces of eye debris in the vitreous (undissolved gel particles), they move as you move your eye and are more prevalent as you age. You can't actually see them it is the shadow cast on the retina that you see.

[John]

I could understand it being a floater if it's seen with the 6.3mm eyepiece because floaters become much more apparent when using a small exit pupil, although even the 6.3mm is giving a reasonably generous 1.26mm exit pupil which does not usually cause foaters to be seen. The 32mm and 20mm eyepieces should not cause any issues at all with floaters.

[Shaddex]

All 3 eos produce the same. Blur is obviously larger as you go down in ep size.

I'm gonna clean the scope mirrors (carefully) then collimate it. Can't think what else it could be.

[Shaddex]

Eos = EP's. Stupid predictive text.

[Alfian]

Hi Shaddex, If the problem is present using all EPs, I doubt very much its an EP issue but unless there is a very obvious intrusive mark on a mirrors DO NOT touch them. Cleaning the mirrors is a last ditch job only when they are quite dirty. DO check the collimation though. One issue I had when I first had a 130EQ was with the focuser. I was trying to collimate it but not getting anywhere fast. Everything seemed to get out of line when I racked the focuser in and out. Eventually I discovered that one of the thin plastic guides that are stuck to the inside of the focuser tube was out of place, another was conspicuously absent!. Bit of a pain but I rebuilt the focuser and then re-collimated (using a Cheshire) and it made a big difference. Incidentally I also discovered that the secondary was way off which is not what I expected in a new scope. All a bit intimidating for a newby. I'm not saying that this is the issue but sometimes when nothing else works you start looking for the not so obvious.

I received my scope as a pressy (unexpected!) I think though that if I had bought it, (looking in hindsight) under the same circumstances I would probably have returned it to the dealer. Good luck with the issue and if you need to delve "deeper", read up and proceed cautiously!

[LukeSkywatcher]

Sounds like a floater,however most floaters i know of move in the same direction that the eye moves in. 

[jkwhinfrey]

True, and they tend to be right in the way, not so apparent at the edge of the view. I think John might be right about the ghost images. I've seen those in several sorts of eye pieces when viewing Jupiter. Not really bright, but quite noticeable, and they move in the opposite direction.

James