Newb C8 EP question

[JonnyK]

I currently have a 25mm and 9mm EP for my Super C8 (f10), I would like to find my way around the skies and see some deep sky objects. Any idea what EP's I should be looking at?

[E621Keith]

What's you budget?

[JonnyK]

Just looking at the moment as i'll be away in France soon, so just wanted some ideas for when I get back. I really am new to all this so go easy on me. Wouldn't mind a few options price wise, anything ranging from £30 up to about £80.

[E621Keith]

A C8 has a relatively narrow field, so you want a long focal length eyepiece for the larger objects.

A 30mm Vixen NPL or 32mm Baader Classic Plossl will be a good choice for a wide field.

You can also look for a BST Explorer/Starguider for medium to high magnification. A 15 mm BST will be a good choice for your scope.

A 30mm plossl, 15mm BST and your existing eyepiece will give you 68x, 82x 135x and 225x.

If you add a 2x barlow, you can get 164x with the 25mm and 270x for the 15mm.

[JonnyK]

Thanks Keith I shall have a look at those, would love to see some galaxies if I can find them! I do have a 2x Barlow but the EP's I have are pretty cheapy ones, but are giving me good views at the moment.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The 26mm that came with my C8 was pretty good, and it is a good start for DSO hunting. For years it was my most used EP. Your 25mm will give some 0.6 deg FOV. Most DSOs easily fit into that. At a 2.5mm exit pupil the 25mm gives a very handy magnification for a host of DSOs. I also had a 36mm Plossl (Vixen) which gave about 0.82 deg FOV. Much later I attached a 2" visual back to my C8, and the first EP I added was a TMB Paragon 40mm (68 deg apparent FOV, the Skywatcher Aero is a clone). The FOV went up to 1.34, deg, which is great. I now use a 31mm Nagler (1.25 deg with a bit more contrast). The latter two are expensive, but they were bought with use in faster scopes in mind. Many people get good results with a Moonfish 30mm or a 38mm Panaview, which are much cheaper.

If you want a wider field of view, you could also consider getting a focal reducer (the 0.63x one). That is a very effective way to increase FOV beyond what 1.25" EPs can show.

[JonnyK]

I've looked at the celestron reducer, am I correct in assuming you screw these between the scope and the 1.25" visual back?