Vixen Ploosl E.P

[Andy-T]

Im looking to get a new EP for planetary viewing. After a bit of research and advice i was going to go for the Vixen, hopefully this will improve the viewing as i only have the stock 25mm and 10mm and 3 X barlow.

The FL of my 150 Dob is 1200mm. Would i be okay to get the 6mm for jupiter and saturn, and good moon detail? This will give 200 x i believe, is this pushing it for my scope? This fits in with the maximum stated on the box but appreciate this is probably the maximum achieved with perfect conditions.

Using my 25mm and barlow i am getting 144 x

I was contemplating buying the 8mm giving me 150 x will this be worthwhile bearing in mind i already have 144 x? I guess the quality will be better?

Should i re-evaluate and maybe look for a 7mm?

Thanks all

[John]

I think 8mm and 6mm would be very worthwhile eyepiece focal lengths to add to your set up. 150x and 200x are magnifications that I often use in my ED120 refractor which has less aperture than your 6" dob.

Unless your barlow lens (sounds like it's a 3x one) is of really good quality then I think the dedicated 8mm eyepiece would give better views than the barlowed 25mm. 

If you are thinking of the Vixen NPL plossls, they are nice eyepieces I feel. The 6mm will have tight eye relief (you will need to get your eye close to the top lens) but it's quite usable unless you wear glasses to observe.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

No need to be afraid of high magnifications. I use 200x on my 8" scope regularly (using a 10mm on my F/10 scope), and it gives good detail on Jupiter, not quite as good as this stack, but close if conditions help.

I also use 8.5, 8, and even 7mm to get me 234x, 250x and 290x respectively. All work nicely if conditions are up to it. The more magnification, the more you have to wait for brief moments of still air, but the wait is usually worth it.

[Andy-T]

Hi John

Thanks for that, the 3 X Barlow is only a cheap £8.00 one from the auction site. It does do a job with the 25mm but the image (especially Jupiter) is quite "soft" an lacks detail. I thought the Vixen Plossl would prove to be better used without a barlow.

I discovered that the longer i looked at Jupiter the more detail i discovered (using the 10mm), as most people new to the hobby i want to push the scope as far as possible. Would you recommend the 6mm to start with?

The new EP i want to look at the planets and moon detail. I found the nebula in Orion and was astounded that the view was better (my personal feelings) with the 25mm on it's own so i will also upgrade that EP too.

Thanks again

[Andy-T]

WOW Michael that is a great photo!

Thanks, i just wanted to ensure that i was not buying something that my telescope could not deal with, it's a mine field for those like me new to this, i am thankful that site's and forums like this are available to help educate us!

[Reeny]

The 6mm will be great for the moon.

There is enough light there to shine through the low cloud and winter dew - no problem.

The magnification might be a little too high for Jupiter.

I have a 12mm Plossl barlowed up to 200x magnification on the 8" skywatcher dob.

It has been excellent on the moon - and variable on Jupiter (due to the hazy condensation in the air) 

When conditions allow, a good 6mm should work fine on most objects.

Most of the time I knock the magnification back down to 160x for a clearer, brighter view of the stars, nebula, clusters, and Jupiter.

The moon is where a high magnification pays dividends.

The craters are amazing at 200x on a crisp, dry, moisture free night.

200x also works well for splitting double stars, and having a good rummage around.

Just remember to keep your 144x eyepiece handy to switch between the two. 

[Andy-T]

Thanks Reeny

The moon keeps me busy for hours, just learning all of it's features is a challenge.

Ill go for the 6mm first, this will give me 48X, 120X, 144X and 200X with what i have.

Thanks again

[andrew63]

I've never used a 6mm plossl - but consider as John says, it will not be that 'comfortable' to view with - especially if you are observing or trying to see intricate details on the planets.  I use a 8mm plossl at times but find 10mm is the lowest to what i consider to be ok. 

andrew

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Vixen LVs are much better in terms of eye relief. They are more expensive, however.

[Reeny]

I've never used a 6mm plossl - but consider as John says, it will not be that 'comfortable' to view with - especially if you are observing or trying to see intricate details on the planets.  I use a 8mm plossl at times but find 10mm is the lowest to what i consider to be ok. 

andrew

Hmmmm.

I have been looking for a 6mm eyepiece upgrade as well.

The Revelation Plossl works fine (only £22 brand new at Telescope House)

Unfortunately I have been spoilt by the clarity of the Maxvision 68 degree eyepieces.

The BST's are only 60 degrees,

So I'm not keen on getting a lesser Eyepiece to do a more difficult / harder job at higher magnification.

Barlowed 12mm  = 200x

Standard 5mm = 240x

The best option at the moment appears to be the 11mm Explore Scientific 82 degrees (£100-£120)

Barlowed = 230x

Standard = 109x

Or I could save for a Televue Delos 12mm.

What I need to do is spend some time with the 12mm plossl at 200x magnification, to see what value I might get out of the eyepiece upgrade.

Sometimes the best eyepieces are the ones you already own.

Andy, the options are endless.

But you could consider a 12mm BST (£50), and a decent 2x barlow (£40 plus)

Then you would have 25mm / 12mm / 25mm x3 / 12mm x2 / 10mm x2

= 50x / 100x / 144x / 200x / 240x