Travelling scope - which EPs to take?

[Dunkster]

Folks, hopefully I'm going to be escaping the clouds for a bit over the festive period and have acquired a WO Zenithstar 71mm f/5.9. I want to get some casual observing in on clear nights, but appreciate this scope is going to be better at wide field than trying to score new features on Jupiter

But... and there always is one... what with the scope and mount packed in, I have limited weight left for accessories. I was trying to get my head around not taking the Nagler because of its weight and the 2" diagonal weight (1kg between them!) even though it would give me almost 4 degree TFOV....

So I'm thinking:

14mm ES82

8.8mm ES82

With and without 2.5x Powermate gives me a range of magnifications from 32x to 119x and 2.4 degrees down to 0.7 degrees TFOV.

Does this look versatile enough or should I chuck a few quid at a 32mm plossl to get my near-4 degree view? Or take the Nagler?

Any/all suggestions appreciated, I'm getting packing anxiety!

[E621Keith]

Lightweight travel kit always have limitations. If you think the combo you listed is sufficient, then go for it. A 32mm plossl could be a good finder replacement eyepiece if weight is an issue.

Personally I'd just bring a 8-24 zoom.

[Naemeth]

The Plössl will probably weight around 130g (at least, a 26mm weighs around 130g), and can be picked up cheaply. But, a zoom eyepiece may be more convenient and save on some weight, and space.

[Dunkster]

Thanks chaps, I'm not confident my selection would be sufficient and I don't have my astro cupboard to fall back on weight is definitely an issue... 5kg max, bag is 1kg, scope is 2.7kg, that leaves me with 1.3kg for all the bits I daren't have chucked onto the concrete

8-24 zoom... Hyperion OK? Looks like 400g, so saves me a bit of weight (the powermate is pretty heavy!), so anything else outside of the zoom range I should take? Is 100x or higher a lost cause on such a small (mainstream) scope?

[Naemeth]

Thanks chaps, I'm not confident my selection would be sufficient and I don't have my astro cupboard to fall back on weight is definitely an issue... 5kg max, bag is 1kg, scope is 2.7kg, that leaves me with 1.3kg for all the bits I daren't have chucked onto the concrete

8-24 zoom... Hyperion OK? Looks like 400g, so saves me a bit of weight (the powermate is pretty heavy!), so anything else outside of the zoom range I should take? Is 100x or higher a lost cause on such a small (mainstream) scope?

A 32mm Plössl , it's lightweight .

[E621Keith]

8-24 hyperion will be a good choice. If your budget allows, you can get the matched Hyperion zoom barlow for higher magnifications. A 32mm plossl can be added for widefield, but I don't think it is necessary if you have a tight weight restriction. However, the 32mm plossl is light enough and small enough to fit in your coat pocket, so you can potentially ignore its weight.

[Stu]

Hi Dunkster,

Not sure if you've seen my post before, might be of some use.

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php?/topic/161700-WO66-Grab-and-Go-Setup/page__view__findpost__p__1633660

I find the 66mm ok up to around x130, enough to see some detail on Jupiter. I've seen GRS and a shadow transit with the 3 to 6 Nagler zoom. I think most of the detail is in my post, but I abused the weight limit quite heavily and got away with it. I put a 22mm nag in my coat pocket at one point to reduce my hand baggage weight. We flew on small single engine planes with severely restricted allowances and I still got away with it. The wide field views are well worth having when you get somewhere dark enough.

Enjoy your trip

Stu

[crazyjedi]

I read somewhere that the best travel companions are the TV Panoptic 24mm and Nagler 9mm plus good 2-2.5x Barlow. But that is an expensive array unless you already own them. The article said that the 24mm Pan gives the max FOV in a 1.25 inch barrel. Not sure how true that is as the book is a few years old now but you can't go far wrong with fabled 24mm panoptic

[Stu]

That's probably a good suggestion, and as far as I'm aware is correct re max fov in 1.25". The 24mm Panoptic is on my wish list when finances allow, or possibly two for the binoviewer! Certainly lighter than the 2" ep's

Stu

[crazyjedi]

The 24mm Pan was my most wanted until I begrudgingly gave up the hunt on financial grounds and under some serious spouse related pressure. I got an ES 68 deg 24mm for about half the price of the Pan and I'm really happy with it. I'm now worried that the Pan 24mm is a thing of fables like a unicorn.

[Stu]

I make do with a couple of Celestron 25mm XCEL-LX which are not bad at all. One day I'll have the panas though :-)

Stu

[crazyjedi]

It's good to have ambition an reach for the stars- almost literally in this case.

[alan potts]

I do believe that the 24mm 68 degree is still the widest FOV that is available from a 1 1/4 inch eyepiece. When you think about it where do the 82 degree eyepieces begin in this size, below 18 and 17mm to the best of my knowledge. Televue's biggest 1 1/4 is the 16mm Nagler, Ex Sc is the 14mm UWA, Meade was the 18mm UWA. I don't think SW, WO or the others offer anything different.

I do not believe even Meade at 18mm UWA makes up for 6mm of FL for the difference. May be they are much the same, but I have not seen a Meade 18mm for a long time, it is about the only one I have not owned.

Alan.

[perrin6]

If I was going where there is little light pollution I'd be tempted to get a low power with the widest field possible and make the most of the opportunity to sweep around for nebulae and galaxies plus with a very wide field there would be less need to waste time consulting the starmap to find objects as the wide field should pick plenty of interesting objects up.

[Moonshane]

I actually think you'll be fine with your own suggestions if the weight is under the limit.

if I could choose a set for your scope it would be

24mm Panoptic

16mm T5 Nagler

6-3mm Nagler zoom

[Dunkster]

Thanks everyone! I'm half packed at this point I settled on the Hyperion zoom with Barlow. The combination weights about the same as 2 of my ES82s but gives a wide range of FL... from 24mm all the way down to 3.5mm with the Barlow screwed on. At the longer end, it gives me about 3 degrees FOV. I've also got to squeeze my iPad in there, but if I end up with a couple of 100g spare weight in my backpack I might chuck in the 32mm plossl... I really don't know how good/bad the LP is going to be, but I'll soon be finding out

Slight aside about filters... I've only got a Baader UHC-S in a 1.25" ... worth taking with such a small scope or leave at home?

[Naemeth]

Thanks everyone! I'm half packed at this point I settled on the Hyperion zoom with Barlow. The combination weights about the same as 2 of my ES82s but gives a wide range of FL... from 24mm all the way down to 3.5mm with the Barlow screwed on. At the longer end, it gives me about 3 degrees FOV. I've also got to squeeze my iPad in there, but if I end up with a couple of 100g spare weight in my backpack I might chuck in the 32mm plossl... I really don't know how good/bad the LP is going to be, but I'll soon be finding out

Slight aside about filters... I've only got a Baader UHC-S in a 1.25" ... worth taking with such a small scope or leave at home?

The Plössl is probably small enough so it can fit in a coat pocket, or even your own pocket, so you shouldn't need to worry about the weight of it .

[crazyjedi]

I would take the plossl in one trouser pocket and the filter in the other. You never know the difference the UHC-S will make until you try it on site

[Naemeth]

I agree, take the filter just in case .

[Dunkster]

Great idea chaps! I'll probably wear my cargo pants anyways

[Stu]

The UHC-S has a wider band pass so could be useful even in a small scope if the skies are decently dark. Easy to pop in your pocket anyway as already mentioned.

Stu

[cs1cjc]

When flying, I take a 4mm TMB planetary, Pentax XF 8.5mm and 30mm NPL (or sometimes 24mm ES68) as a finder, along with a 1.5X screw in barlow and Baader UHC-S filter.

[Dunkster]

Thanks chaps - everything worked out ok (so far), I didn't have to resort to filling my pockets at check-in even though my bag was a fair bit over I did stick in my 32mm and the Baader zoom+barlow should get me down to 3.5mm so we'll see how it goes.

So far it's been clear - nice eyeball of Jupiter and the Moon dancing the past couple of nights, but I haven't braved the scope out yet as its been breezy (and I've been tired ). I might try it out later anyhow Apart from a little ground-level resort LP, I've got a nice view of the western sky from S to N although I'd have preferred southern view E to W