Do I need a Barlow lens?

[Hitesh]

Hi i'm very very new to astronomy and know very little.

I've just bagged the Skywatcher Skymax 90mm mak, after actually reading the specs i found that the highest practical power is only x180. So with the EP provided (10mm and 25mm) i can get magnifications of x50 and x125, so would i be wasting money on a barlow or would it be more suitable to get a zoom EP rainging from 7-21mm? which would give me x178 to x59.

The EP i'm considering is Sky Watcher 7mm to 21mm zoom eyepiece from pulsar optics; only thing is i'm not sure if i should get a barlow or just use the zoom EP.

please help!!!!!

[dtr42]

hi

I have that zoom [and tbh i rarely use it now ] prefer my other eyepieces with a barlow [revelation 2"]your barlow would give you equivalent 12.5mm and 5 mm

[Hitesh]

So if i use a x2 barlow with my 10mm EP won't it be more than the highest practical magnification for the scope, or does that make a huge difference?

[Tribal-Wolf]

If you buy a zoom then buy a good one like the Baader Hyperion. I have heard only poor reports about the skywatcher zoom tbh. A decent EP will do you well, maybe a BST explorer 8mm or a 5mm on a good night may work ok.

[Hitesh]

Wow thats a massive difference in price, that EP costs as much as the scope LOL