Kit questions

[Dantera]

Hi all, my wife bought me my first telescope for christmas this year and I need some advice! due to budget restrictions it isn't an awfully expensive scope. I would just like to know what would be top of your list to improve my viewing? I'm thinking some higher quality eyepieces, what would you say? Thanks!

[bigbox]

Hi Dantera, Welcome to SGL, the right place for answers...

You might want to say what scope you have so that the guys & girls can make suggestions as to what you might want to purchase to improve your viewing...

Regards Ady

[Tinker1947]

Would be handy to know the type of Scope...

[kenmyers]

can you give us the size of your mirror (diameter of you scope) and length of the tube. Also what size eyepieces do you already have?

[Dantera]

Sorry! (amateur!!) its a reflector, diameter is 76 mm and tube length is 700mm. I have 3 eyepieces, a 20mm a 12.5mm and a 4mm. I also have a barlow but have had little success using it. I live close to the centre of newcastle so the pollution is pretty bad although I can spot a few constellations, what i'd really like to see are nebulae. The scope itself doesn't derk to be branded so I don't think the eyepieces are the best quality and I'm not expecting the earth but anything I can do/buy that will improve things would be great! Thanks for the rapid replies guys!

[cantab]

Obviously see how you get on with what you have. 3 inches is small, especially for a reflector, but some nebulae are bright. The eyepieces are probably H or SR types (it may say on them), which have the major drawback of a very narrow field of view, so better eyepieces may well be worthwhile as you can see more of the sky at once and with better quality. On the other hand, there's also the mount and the finder to think of.

The Barlow is in all probability lousy, they're included so the scope can claim omg magnification to lure purchasers who don't know better. The 4mm eyepiece will deliver 175x magnification, which is pushing the scope somewhat higher than it's really capable of. (You'll want lower magnification for viewing most deep sky objects anyway).

Naturally check the "eyepieces - the least you need" thread.

[kenmyers]

Agree fully with Cantab, read the eyepiece thread.

You have a F/9.2 mirror(700/76). This is a slow scope especially with your mirror size.

7mm, 8mm eyepieces will give you your closest unblurred views under GOOD conditions, but seeing that you are in light poluted area I would get a 12mm at the most.

A better choice would be an plossl 18mm and a GOOD x2Barlow lense.

The barlow x2 turns the 18mm to 9mm which gives you a geat medium and high power eyepieces.

Another option would be to get a skywatcher heritage flex tube Dobsonian for £145 online.

This gives you 50% more light gathering than your 3"(76mm),

which equals clearer and bigger and brighter views.