High-ish power EP for MAK127

[sticks]

I have only used the 9mm plossl EP that came with the Celestron scope for higher power use. It isn't very good at all, dim and not detailed. The seeing isn't great here but the difference between the 9mm and the 15mm BST I have is colossal. So I want a new EP for planets and doubles etc. My choices are:

Hyperion 68* 10mm - £92

WO SWAN 72* 9mm - £59

Meade 5000 60* 9mm - £50

Celestron X-cel LX 60* 9mm - £69

Has anyone used these and which represents best quality and best VFM?

[E621Keith]

What scope are you using? Eyepieces that work well in one type of scope may not work that well on others.

Hyperion has a wider field and are nice eyepiece, but they don't work that well on fast Newtonian. The X-cel LX is said to be good on faster scope, but you get a smaller AFOV. Some say Meade HD60 and X-cel LX are the same eyepiece in different packaging.

[chiltonstar]

With a Mak of this aperture, have you thought of higher power eyepieces? The scope can get to x250 on nights of good seeing, so using a 6mm EP (or a 12mm with a 2x Barlow) certainly works. certainly, I need a 6mm EP with mine to see the max detail on say Jupiter.

Chris

[sticks]

Chiltonstar - you must have good seeing 'cos where we are a 6mm is next to useless! I think a 9mm will be pushing it most of the time... I'm happy to get a 9 or 10 and then invest in a 6 at a later date should we find a spot where we can take advantage of it. It is a matter of which EP to buy of those I listed - I haven't used any of them myself.

[E621Keith]

Sorry, how did I missed the scope model in the title.

The Mak is quite forgiving on eyepiece. I'd go for the Baader Hyperion. You can use fine tuning ring to change the eyepiece focal length. If you buy the 10mm and find it not enough, you can get FTR to make it into a shorter eyepiece. The 10mm is a new model, so I am not sure about the adjustment range, but the 13mm can be made into a 8mm and the 8mm can be made into a 4.3mm.

In addition, the Baader is a very popular eyepiece and often appears in the used market for around £70.

[htj]

I use the Baader Hyperion 8mm on my Intes M500, which has the same aparture, but a shorter focal length (1270mm). The Hyperion 8 mm gives me 159x magnifcation, and usually gives me very nice views on planets.

I also have a 6 mm ortho, which gives me 211x magnification. I often prefer the image in the Hyperion as the seeing usually doesn't allow the 211x magnification that I get with the ortho, even though the ortho is a sharper eyepiece (but that won't help with seeing).

I'd try to hit somewhere around 150-170x magnification for "everyday" usage, and then possibly have something around 200-220x when conditions are good.

In general I like the Hyperion eyepiece, but if the eyepiece is only for planetary, the wide FOV is not really of huge use to, and the extra FOV does cost a bit extra.

/H

[Capricorn]

I assume that the BST is good so why not the 12mm BST ?

Your 15 will give 100x, the 12mm will give 125x, the 8mm at 187x may be as much as the scope will give.

You could get both for the cost of the Hyperion 10mm.

[chiltonstar]

Chiltonstar - you must have good seeing 'cos where we are a 6mm is next to useless! I think a 9mm will be pushing it most of the time... I'm happy to get a 9 or 10 and then invest in a 6 at a later date should we find a spot where we can take advantage of it. It is a matter of which EP to buy of those I listed - I haven't used any of them myself.

The seeing is good where I am (open fields, no rising thermals from tarmac or buildings) and my mount is much more solid than the normal supplied mount, but I would say that most reports indicate that this scope can reach theoretical resolution when thermally stable, ie 5" x 5 giving up to x250. Clearly, this is only going to be one night in ten or whatever as this is the UK!

Chris

[sticks]

Thanks guys - an 8mm and a 12mm BST would work for £80 but for £100 I could get a 10mm Hyperion and the 14mm FTR which would give me an 8mm, so both options seem OK but which is best?

[GeorgeB]

I use a 10mm Hyperion with my Mak 127 and can recommend it. It's much more comfortable to use than any other similar size EP I've got.