globular

The mm size of an EP is only one of it's key stats. AFOV is just as important, especially when your aim is to see more of the sky. Without knowing the AFOV of your EPs it's hard to help you find one that gives a noticeable difference. I have a Celestron E-Lux 32mm which has an AFOV of 56. In my scope this gives a TFOV of 0.84. While my F/10.5 scope is never going to show a huge chunk of sky I figured I could do a little better and with the Pentax XW 40mm, with it's AFOV of 70, I get 1.31 degrees of sky. I'm very pleased with the results. If my 32mm had had an AFOV of 82 then it would have given 1.23 degrees of sky and there would have been little point in the XW40 (from a TFOV point of view).

... and what eyepieces to you already have?

It varies by age too... ... but naturally YMMV. I'm 52 and my optician measured mine at 4 light and 6 dark... so I'm telling everyone I'm 40 from now on....

Thought I could see some digital touches. (not a criticism). Whatever you did it is very effective. I have some coloured pencils and some pastels too that I thought about blending - but I struggle with anything other than shades of grey at the eyepiece. Starting with a Mars coloured background and adding whites, oranges and browns might work. If only I knew what I was doing lol.

Very nice. What materials are you using?

It was research and write-ups similar to yours, Don, that persuaded me to choose the DGM NPB as my first nebula (narrow-band) filter. (Reviews by David Knisely and Phil Harrington clinched it.) I'm sure I'll accumulate more over time but this seemed a good place to start. [OIII (line-filter) next I think.... but that's a different thread.]

I've noticed a very slight colour splitting of very bright starts a couple of times - but only when the nebulosity doesn't improve with the filter. When it does I'm probably taking in the nebula too much to notice. Everything is so new and exciting to me. I'll make a point to look out for this more carefully next time out.

Nice report and well sketched 👍

Nice report and lovely sketches 👍 I'm itching to get back out but the conditions have been against me here.

If you scroll a bit further down in the Notification Settings area you'll see each type of "thing" and whether you want to be "notified" (i.e. get a browser notification) or "email". I suspect you need to tick a few "email" buttons for the "things" you want to be told about. As you can see, I prefer notifications over emails - but you can customise your setting to your preferences.

Great. Loving your technique.

Lovely once again.

I'm trying to get glasses friendly EPs at all focal lengths too. Can I be cheeky and ask you to cast your eye over the them in my thread? https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/362724-perfect-set/ (Very cheeky but I'm lovely with it 😇).

Please post back if you give it a try - I'll be up that way in a few weeks and will give it a go if it's good and safe.

Does the 22mm Nagler make this list too? It’s on my short list, with the ES 92s, for a glasses friendly fairly wide set. On paper it has 19mm eye relief like the 31. In actual use does it not work well with glasses?

Nice thread this. Thanks all, especially @jetstream

Very close to what I saw too - just lacking the frosting to the north as you described it; also a bright / white edge to eastern side (left side in the above picture); and a thin light strip running horizontally through the middle splitting the dark patch into two. I was amazed how stable the view was. No need to concentrate and build up the details from glimpses; it was all just there. And for so long too. I was gobsmacked. (I was using 8" F10.5 Edge HD at 300x + ND0.9)

You captured my expression perfectly! Can you see into my garden? Thankfully I kept my gear out and it cleared to reveal lovely conditions. I was then:

My early clouds cleared and revealed some of my best skies yet. Mars in particular was taking all the magnification I could throw at it with some lovely stable surface detail at 300x. Big smile on my face.

I'm under the one bit with cloud 😢. And your post had me all excited too.

I can't advice you as I have no experience of these EPs - but I'm following this thread with interest as I have similar decisions to make. If you're considering the APM Hi-FW 12.5 does that not also bring in the ES 92 12mm too? Or have you ruled that out? And if so what's your reason?

Hi All, I got some reasonable views of Mars this morning (relative to recent cloudy or very poor conditions) and decided there was enough detail to try my first sketch. I had my 8" Edge HD and Hyperflex Zoom at 10mm giving 214x and sketched from 12.40 to 1.10am. I'm sketching to observe more rather than observing to sketch - so this is just the doodle I did at the eyepiece not a 'proper' finished piece. I was so excited when I compared it to a map picture of Mars just now! It does seem to have some of the main features in about the right places.

How about I give you $325 for yours? 🤣 72ED is food for thought. I've had plenty of times I wished I had more sky at my eye - but there is so much more to enjoy I'm in no rush to go multi-scope..... yet. Would a plan to add this at a future date change my EP choices now? It seems to me that the ones I'm considering would work well in the 72ED too? Except weight perhaps?

Thanks for the advice @Louis D Yeah I know pupils below 0.5 are rarely usable and agree 300x mag is the place to stop. The Powermate was there to give the 20, 15, 8.5 and 6mm (all >0.5mm pupil). The resulting 5 and 3.5 are just 'free' bonuses for exceptional seeing. If I drop the Powermate would the gap from the 30 to the 17 be too big? I'd probably then want something like the 22 Nagler. But then this is likely too close to the 17 to have both (not to mention cost). I like the idea of the ES 92 series as it's the only one I am aware of that gives that level of FOV with eye relief comfortable with glasses. It's a similar story with the 12mm and 10mm being close. I feel I "want" the ES 92 12 for the FOV but then without the 10 I'm not covering the mags from 178 to 306, which feels too long without any coverage. This brings a 9 or 10 back into the equation, or a Powermate. If I drop the Powermate and pretend the ES 92 series doesn't exist then I'd probably end up with: Not sure I can get behind that as much as the original list though. I can't convince myself the Powermate is a bad idea (I feels like you get "free" EPs) and I can't help wanting to try super wide FOV. Then again it's growing on me.....🤔 Thanks again Louis. Suggestions like this is exactly what I was hoping for to challenge my logic and fill my knowledge and experience gaps.

That was the point I was making. I should perhaps have spelled it out more clearly.