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jaydee3839

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  1. Thanks for the input all. Doesn't sound like anyone wants to endorse the 17-22mm eyepiece in the $100-$150 (USD) range, that the $240 Morpheus is much better (yet out of my price range). Other threads suggest the Vixen NPL 20mm and Baader Classic Ortho 18mm are excellent in the $50-$65 (USD) range (albeit much narrower FoV). Barlows seem to have mixed reception (except for higher end) here, so maybe I should pass on this for now also. Based on the above (and reading lots of other threads), I'll skip my original plan of "low-medium" 17-22mm + barlow, and instead get a "high-medium" ES 82 deg 11mm for $150 USD right now. It seems universally praised as a great piece and give me some diversity as I already have a "low" mag 30mm piece. Eventually I'll fill out a "low-medium" 17-22mm and a "high" ~7mm, but for now, I'll enjoy the Vixen NPL 30mm plossl and 11mm ES 82 deg.
  2. Thanks John. Since you have the Baader Classic Q 2.25x, can you comment on how much (or little) this specific barlow adds to the eye-relief to your estimation? And you also said a number of the eyepieces I mentioned have optical elements within the barrel preventing the use of the 1.3x magnification option on the Baader Classic Q. Which ones? Hyperions or ES 68? How would I find this out for sure?
  3. John, how do I figure exactly (or approximately) how much eye relief any given barlow (such as Baader Classic Q 2.25x), adds to an eyepiece?
  4. Thanks guys. I do like the idea of the 17.5mm Baader Morpheus + barlow, but at $240 USD, the Morpheus alone is well over budget. Is there anything 16mm-19mm eyepiece comparable in the $100-150 USD (75-115 GBP) range?
  5. Sorry about that... I did not get the GSO 30mm (I did look at it), I got the Vixen 30mm Plossl (which is 1.25", so there is no adapter required). I will fix my above posts.
  6. Thanks John. Do you know if the clearance will allow the Baader 1.3x barlow on the Vixen NPL 30mm eyepiece that I already have? (correction, not GSO) As far as spread of magnification, do you have a better idea of what I could do for < $200 USD? Also, if it helps to know, where I live, according to the light pollution charts, I have about SQM of 19.6 mag./arc sec2. I would probably bring it down to friends/family houses a couple times a year further from the city at SQM of 20.8 and 21.25.
  7. I have 1200mm FL (F/8) Dob/Newtonian that I am just getting started with. It came with a 25mm Plossl (Orion Sirius), and I recently purchased the Vixen NPL 30mm (correction, not GSO). I am looking to add to the collection and would like some input. I probably won't use the 25mm Orion Sirius much as it's pretty low-end and what ever I get will likely be overlap. Ordering from/shipping to the USA (AgenaAstro or BHPhoto or Adorama preferred vendors, but there are others). I'd like to get two pieces sometime this year for under ~$200 total. Then adding a final piece sometime in the future. I would like good eye relief, as I do not personally need glasses for viewing, but I'd like to share the experience with family members, some of whom have astigamatism. My scope is not computer controlled, so a wide angle is better to keep things in view for longer periods of time. I don't think size/weight is a huge concern with a Dob/Newtonian, but correct me if I'm wrong. Still lighter is better if I end up getting a new scope sometime down the line, or try one of these pieces on another scope during an event. My current thought for this year is, a 17-22mm 68-70 deg piece + barlow, then a higher mag planentary peice for later. After some research on this site, it appears the Baader Classic Q 2.25x is about as good of a barlow for it's price as there is. Additionally, I read that it easily converts to 1.3x barlow also, which gives more options in a small eyepiece collection. Here are a couple scenarios I'm considering: Baader Hyperion 68° 17mm ($119) + Baader Classic Q 2.25x ($59) Mag FL Arrangement 40 30 Vixen 30mm 52 23.1 Vixen 30mm / 1.3x barlow 71 17 Hyperion 17mm 90 13.3 Vixen 30mm / 2.25x barlow 92 13.1 Hyperion 17mm /1.3x barlow 158 7.6 Hyperion 17mm /2.25x barlow Explore Scientific 68° 20mm ($149) + Baader Classic Q 2.25x ($59) Mag FL Arrangement 40 30 Vixen 30mm 52 23.1 Vixen 30mm / 1.3x barlow 60 20 ES 20mm 78 15.4 ES 20mm / 1.3x barlow 90 13.3 Vixen 30mm / 2.25x barlow 135 8.9 ES 20mm / 1.3x barlow Baader Hyperion 68° 21mm ($119) + Baader Classic Q 2.25x ($59) Mag FL Arrangement 40 30 Vixen 30mm 52 23.1 Vixen 30mm / 1.3x barlow 57 21 Hyperion 21mm 74 16.2 Hyperion 21mm / 1.3x barlow 90 13.3 Vixen 30mm / 2.25x barlow 129 9.3 Hyperion 21mm / 1.3x barlow Olivon 22mm 70° ($129) + Baader Classic Q 2.25x ($59) Mag FL Arrangement 40 30 Vixen 30mm 52 23.1 Vixen 30mm / 1.3x barlow 55 22 Olivon 22mm 71 16.9 Olivon 22mm / 1.3 barlow 90 13.3 Vixen 30mm / 2.25x barlow 122 9.8 Olivon 22mm / 2.25x barlow They all give a good spread of different magnifications, with good FoV, while leaving some room for a high-mag planetary piece down the road, but they all have concerns as well. The Olivon 70° 22mm weight is a whopping 18.6oz/526g, which may be a problem and availability is questionable. The ES 68° 20mm is lowest weight (250g) and seems to have very good reviews, but has the smallest eye relief of 15.3mm, which I'm not sure is enough and cost more than I'd rather spend. The Hyperions are bit heft at 388-394g and I've read some lackluster reviews regarding it's quality. Does anyone have any thoughts about these pieces, or if there are other 17-22mm pieces I should consider instead? I've thought about a single 7-21mm or 8-24mm zoom piece (such as Vixen for $169), but the only ones I've found in my price-range, have much smaller FoV than I'd like.
  8. Regarding this point, my understanding is, I could use: 25mm @ 60º = 1.3º True FoV - 48x magnification 32mm @ 50º = 1.3º True FoV - 37x magnification 40mm @ 42º = 1.4º True FoV - 30x magnification Since the true FoV is the same (roughly) for all of them and is the greatest allowable for the 1.25" focuser, what are the better objects to view with each option? Assuming the optic quality, eye relief, etc. all were equal?
  9. Hello, I'm just getting starting in the hobby and would like some advice. I've done a fair amount of research already here and other sites, but it's a bit of information overload. I just received an Orion XT6 (1200mm f/8) as a gift(!) with the standard 25MM eyepiece. I live in NE USA (~43N latitude) and from behind my house have a pretty good clean view S to WSW about 15/20 degrees and higher. This is where I intend on doing most of my viewing, but I can go out in the front, and see a lot of the north as well. I live in a suburban neighborhood with no streetlamps, but most houses around have modest porch/backdeck lights on at night. My intention is to see "cool things" At first, the moon, planets, (sun?) and then go from there. I have kids age 8 and under, and I'd love to engage them on this and once I know what I'm doing, any neighbor-kids as well (mostly ages 11 and under). First night out, we found Jupiter and through the 25MM (48x magnification), I saw a small round object, slightly reddish in color if you really stared at it, with a beige-ish band around the middle, then the 4 objects which looked like stars, but were all in a row, so must have been the moons of Jupiter. It was also nearly a full moon, which was fascinating, but also a little blinding without any filters, so I will be getting a filter. Second night out, we pointed north, and viewed some stars, but without any visible planets or moon, we mostly wandered about. Tried to find Uranus and Neptune but either was not able to, or we did, but they did not look any different then stars with the equipment we had. Anyway, I'm looking for some advice/direction for what to look for in the sky, and what eyepieces to upgrade to (to a set of 4-5 eventually). I figure it would be better to buy one higher quality eyepiece at a time, than a complete set of cheaper ones. My target price-range is ~$50-90 USD range per eyepiece, but I'd likely only buy one per 6-12 months, so I'd a variety set, but like to get a lot out of the first piece in particular. I have no problem with buying something used (if I can find it used). I was thinking of purchasing in the following order over the next few years: ~6.5-7MM (171-185x mag) - From what I understand, this is the going to be the highest magnification that is versatile enough for most seeing conditions. >82 FoV would be better, but 60-62 deg FoV would probably be ok if the optics are noticibly better than the wider FoV in my price range (for example Meade Series 5000 1.25" HD-60 deg FoV 6.5MM better than Celstron Luminos 7MM 82 deg FoV?) ~11MM (109x mag) - With a 82 deg FoV, full view of the moon/sun taking up most of the view. ~32MM (38x mag) - for wider surveys across the sky Barlow 2x - Double the 11MM for 218x for more magnification on planets during optimal seeing conditions, and double the 32mm for 76x mag. Summarizing my questions: Are my assumptions correct about magnification limits /seeing conditions my scope and environment? What general limitations are considerations for eyepiece for my scope? What are some specific suggestions for brand/model of new 1.25" eyepiece(s) for my scope in my price range? Used is OK, if I can find it used. Should I aim for a ~7MM or the 11MM first? Or something else altogether? Solar filter suggestion? What are some good targets for the specific scope/25MM eyepiece I have right now, from my current location over the rest of October/November of this year? Thanks in advance!
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