Which EP/Barlows?

[Xunil]

Having just about sorted an "almost new" Skyliner 250px 10" f4.7 Dobsonian (need some time away from work to drive to get it), I wondered if it may be an idea to start looking out for some extra EP's for it and maybe a Barlow. From what I've read it has the ability to take either 2" or 1.25" units in the Crayford.

Is there an advantage to the 2" types? I think the difference is in FOV, but have been trawling a bit and haven't come up with much to tell me (having said that I'm near the end of a shift and it's nearly 6am, so it may well just be me!).

I understand that a 2x Barlow will turn a 10mm "into" a 5mm, which will take me to the limits of what this scope will do, but is it worth it? I'd love to be able to get some good planetary views as well as deep field work and would also love to look at both the Moon and the Sun, so I guess filters are a must also - I also live in Barnstaple, so have the orange glow to contend with unless I jump in the car.

I haven't been to look at the scope yet, and will have to ask the seller what EP's come with it - again the manufacturers website indicates a 25mm & 10mm EP but there's no information as to whether these are Hygonian (spelling??) or Plossl.

Basically, I'm just trying to get a little advice as to what to look out for 2nd hand - I doubt I'll be buying new for some time and will probably buy extras as and when I can (probably after our holiday to Iceland later this year).

If it makes any difference, it's the model with the Pyrex mirror.

Please forgive my greenery!

[John]

I had one of these for a short while and they are excellent scopes !. I did find it a bit heavy which is why I now have the 8 inch version which is also very good

The eyepieces that come with the scope are either plossls or modified achomats and are OK to get you started. The main advantage with 2 inch eyepieces is that they allow a wider field of view. I would be looking to add an eyepiece around 32mm in focal length for wide field / low power viewing. The 10mm eyepiece plus a barlow lens will give you 240x in this scope which is quite useable although you will need to get adept at nudging your scope to keep objects in view at that power !.

A reasonable 32mm 2 inch eyepiece for your scope would be something like this:

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/adler/2inch-wide-angle-eyepiece/32mm.html

They do crop up for sale 2nd hand from time to time.

John

[The Warthog]

You might want to look at a 2" 32mm, whether Plossl or Erfle, to give you a nice, widefield view at about 38x. This will be useful for learning to push the scope around, and for finding things so you can switch to a higher power. Go with the eps you get with the scope for a while, and use low powers, until you are comfortable with the scope. You can still get a lot of great views.

[chrisdg1968]

:saturn:

John,

I have the Skyliner 200p and purchased the Adler Optiks 20mm 70 deg.SWA from Scopes n Skies in January - whilst this is a 1.25" EP, it gives good medium powered magnification of 60x with a nice true FOV of around 1.17 deg. (someone please correct mw if I am wrong!) in the 1200 focal length Skyliner.

It is still at £29.99 which I think is a bargain, but obviously if you are after a 2" EP then the Adler Optiks ones seem a nice price too.

Chris

[John]

....... it gives good medium powered magnification of 60x with a nice true FOV of around 1.17 deg. (someone please correct mw if I am wrong!) in the 1200 focal length Skyliner.

Spot on Chris

John

[chrisdg1968]

:saturn:

Phew, thanks for confirming that John, at lease my poor old grey matter can still work something out right!

[chrisdg1968]

:saturn:

.....although I must take a bit more care in which keys I am hitting when typing and check before posting!

Xunil, just to return to your original post, not sure if you have a barlow or if so what make? The Tal barlows are probably best for their price, I have the 2x which is great; try FLO if you are interested - contact Steve to see if any discount code applicable .

Chris

[Xunil]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, I appreciate it :hello1:

I don't have a Barlow (Yet!) but at £29.99 new these are much cheaper than I'd expected, so will buy one new whenever the Mrs isn't looking

I'll also keep an eye out for a 32mm 2" EP, and again, may well buy one new given the much better than anticipated price.

I'm also thinking of something to cut out light pollution and something to bring out detail (if possible) in deep sky objects - the Baader UHC-S Filter seems to be a reasonable choice, but would I be better off getting separate OIII and UHC-S?

[Casus belli]

I'm also thinking of something to cut out light pollution and something to bring out detail (if possible) in deep sky objects - the Baader UHC-S Filter seems to be a reasonable choice, but would I be better off getting separate OIII and UHC-S?

Unless you are really badly affected by light pollution, invest filter money in better eye-pieces.

Just my opinion. I bought a Baader UHC-S Filter and hardly use it. (Although ever encroaching light pollution is making me think about dusting it off again)

I have a similar scope to you. I do wonder if filters arent best suited to longer focal lengths. Frankly I dont know.