Better eyepiece

[V17ROB]

I've just got my first ever clear view of the moon tonight (24th Feb). I tried looking at Jupiter and Venus but I couldn't quite get it clear enough. What do people recommend the get good quality views of other planets?

I've got a Skywatcher Explorer 200P with the basic eyepieces.

[John]

The BST Explorer eyepieces get very good "vibes" on here. They are available from an outfit called "Skies the Limit" and cost £41 each. The Vixen NPLs also seem well thought of and cost £30 from First Light Optics. A 6mm would be a very useful focal length for the planets I reckon.

[V17ROB]

Think I'll be ordering one of the Vixen 6mm ones. Can't really go wrong with £30 when you've just spent over £400 on the whole telescope! Ha ha.

[Craig20264]

I must say I'm most impressed with the eye relief on my new 6mm WO SPL, and would recommend it on that alone.

[twotter]

Looking on FLO I notice the Vixen NPLs offer a slightly narrower field of view compared to other plossls...50 degrees against 52 degrees...I wonder why that is

[John]

Looking on FLO I notice the Vixen NPLs offer a slightly narrower field of view compared to other plossls...50 degrees against 52 degrees...I wonder why that is

Maybe they are following Al Nagler's maxim "show no field unless it is sharp"

I reckon some eyepieces don't quite deliver the FoV they claim anyway - the only way to really find out is to use the timed star drift method.

[twotter]

Good point. I suppose the plossl design isn't as specific a design as I thought so differences like this exist.