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Hi there I have a skywatcher skymax 127 synscan scope which came with 10mm and 25mm eypieces and a x2 barlow. I am interested in observing the moon and planets and was wondering which eyepieces to use to view these  objects

I have seen these on amazon and was wondering if they are any good http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quality-Plossl-Telescope-Eyepiece-Choose/dp/B00BCXWXZO/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1423828856&sr=8-10&keywords=telescope++plossl+eyepieces and which other ones I would need.

Many thanks in advance for any info

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I would not go for those, to be honest. They are not bad, but certainly not the way I would go. Much depends on your budget. TMB or Teleskop Service (TS) HR Planetary eyepieces should work well with your scope. These have very good eye relief should you need that (e.g. if you wear glasses when observing). Otherwise Astrotech Dual ED, TS EDs and  BST Starguiders (all the same under different branding) have a good press. The more expensive Vixen SLV line is excellent on planets as well, and have even better eye relief than the planetaries. If you do not need long eye relief, but want excellent quality for a decent price, Baader Classic Orthoscopic EPs are a good choice.

Regarding focal lengths: As your scope is F/11.8, something around 8-12mm should work very well on planets and the moon

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Take the focal length of your scope (1500mm) and divide it by the focal length of the E.P to get magnification. 

You will want around x160-x200 for Jupiter &  x200 for Saturn.  I find that ~ x100 upwards for the moon is nice (seeing conditions allowing).

I am unsure that those EP's will be any improvement over the ones that the scope came with to be honest !  However

there is much advice on the best value EP's for the job on the site and much on the way to this thread no doubt :) 

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Hi 'rasper' and welcome to SGL.

As your 'scope is a catadioptric, I would suggest wide-angle rather tha Plossl's as they OTA has a narrow field of view. I think the BST range are wide angle and at prices that are not going to sting the wallet. The planets and moon whizz though a Plossl in a 'cat' scope, so the extra few degrees will give a few extra seconds of viewing before re-aligning the target.

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When it comes to planetary and lunar viewing slight changes in the focal length of eyepieces makes quite a difference to what can be tweaked from the given object. In terms of general useful magnifications, a little collection of EPs running from around 100x to 250x (15mm to 6mm) would be handy.

For Lunar work, this range of magnifications will in each case offer up something to be amazed by. The low power 15mm will just about frame the Moon, the mid-range will frame craters and seas and mountain ranges and the high-powers will tweak out subtle features like terraces, tiny craters, ray grazes etc.

For Jupiter, I have used mags between 100x to about 180x and in each case, have always had a very enjoyable and fascinating experience.

For Saturn - I have found between 140x to 200x useful mags to play around with. I'm sure one can go higher here, but a lot will depend on the night's atmospheric conditions.

Mars is always in need of compromise and this year - adding to these difficultes - it won't be that conducive to observing. Needless to say, around 250x is helpful but that still means seeing conditions will have to be very good.

I've found that playing around with eyepieces, dependent on the evening's seeing (LP doesn't really affect planets) - makes quite a difference. Even as little as 1mm increase or decrease in the eyepiece's focal length - about 10% to 15% difference of magnification - can be quite surprising which is the main reason why most planetary observers will have quite a run of high-mag EPs.

For planetary work I use Plossls and Orthos, in particular those that are made by Tele Vue and Baader - the Baader GOs (no longer in production). The quality of image in these EPs is probably as good as it gets. Hutech's and Baader's Classics are also said to be of cracking quality and by fortune FLO are selling them. If you want similar optical quality but with a wider field of view and more comforting eye-relief, you're generally going to have to spend a bit more.

Yet, within reason, any quality EP that produces sharp, on-axis views will do a very nice job at planetary viewing, but most dedicated folk would agree that within this department, a decent Ortho or Plossl is hard to beat. The Ortho-Plossl route might be termed the 'purist-route', where the least number of glass elements is used to reduce interference and hopefully - all things being equal - render a brighter image.

In passing, I'm not totally convinced by this argument, for the quality of premium eyepieces is outstanding, but I do feel you will need to spend more to get a similar quality but with a wider field of view and better eye relief. Unfortunately, Orthos and high mag Plossls have small eye lens, so eye relief can be a tad tight for some, and, again, the field of view is quite slight at 45º degrees and 50º degrees respectively.

It is for this reason, for example, that many other people prefer to choose wider field EPs for their planetary viewing, for hopefully, with these types of EPs, eye-relief is more comfortable and due to the larger AFOV, one doesn't have to be constantly turning their slow motion controls or nudging their alt-azimuth or dob mount. So, again, from this perspective there's nothing wrong with using a quality, wide field for planetary.

The first thing I'd say, then, is that the eyepiece best for planetary is the eyepiece that caters for how you enjoy viewing.

Final thought, whenever possible try to sit with your given object for a peaceful twenty to sixty minutes or so and you'll find that they'll be moments of great clarity and seeing. By practicing this attentive sitting you come to notice more and more detail from the given object.

Sorry about the ramble, but I hope it helps to some extent :smiley:

Welcome to SGL :grin:

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Good points raised Rob. Time (and comfort) at the EP are more important than the price tag of the EP. If the view is comfortable, you will spend more time, and be able to see more detail.

An important note is "quality" Plossl/Ortho. A cheap Plossl will typically be beaten by a quality planetary. Modern coatings mean that the number of optical surfaces does not have the same impact it used to have. Six well (multi)coated surfaces beat 4 poorly coated ones. The strangest thing I have heard from purists is the idea of using a longer focal length Ortho or Plossl, combined with a Barlow or PowerMate. What they describe is roughly the design of a planetary EP, but generally with more  surfaces (especially in the case  of a PowerMate).

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  • 2 months later...

Hi Rasper, I have not actually used these myself but have always heard good reports about them, they are produced under several badged names of slightly varying prices, Sky Watcher do them for example, slightly cheaper at £37 each at FLO: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-eyepieces/skywatcher-uwa-planetary-eyepieces.html  Does not include the 15mm, however for mid-range I would go for something different, such as the BST Explorer/StarGuider at £49 from Sky's the Limit here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25-15mm-BST-Explorer-Dual-ED-eyepiece-Branded-Starguider-/161023570989?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item257dc0b42d

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I bought the 9mm skywatcher UWA planetary eyepiece from Flo and just been out tonight and got my first view of the moon (what there was of it). What a difference this eyepiece made compared to the standard 10mm that came with the scope. The view was stunning :shocked:

Now I have to decide which other ones to buy, its a shame they don't have a 15mm in the same brand

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  • 2 months later...

Anyone any advice on which is the better eyepiece

William Optics SPL Eyepiece 12.5mm or Vixen SLV Eyepiece 12mm

FLO has them both on at same price (vixen is ex demo)

any suggestions much appreciated

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Hi rasper, if you can afford the slv then buy it, (before I i become too weak and pop for it myself) out of the ep's mentioned above it probably is the best, with the exception of field of view.. i have 2 and they are a quality product.

Not usually so forthright with EP comments but that 12mm slv is great, and if you don't get on with it you can probably sell it on for nearly all you paid for it..

Ta

Fozzie

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