Skywatcher

[ajc0502]

Hi everyone, I'm slowly adapting my knowledge of Astronomy and Astrophysics and  have purchased a 'Sky-watcher Explorer Diameter=130mm Focal Length=900mm' (see image) . I would just like to know what kind of eyepiece to buy to get a good view of Mars because my current view with a 'Super 25mm' eyepiece is very disappointing .

Thanks,

ajc0502

[Galactic Wanderer]

Well I don't want to disappoint you, but Mars isn't a great sight, even through my 6-inch. I would recommend Saturn at this time of year. If you do want to persist with Mars,  try getting a higher power eyepiece. The rule of thumb is to divide the focal length of your telescope by your eyepiece number to get the magnification. So with your telescope (900mm focal length) and eyepiece (25mm) 900 ÷ 25= 36. The current magnification you have been looking through your telescope is 36x which not really enough to get a good view of Mars.

What's your budget for eyepieces? They can range from £20 (the cheap ones) to £900. I'm not very good on different types of eyepieces  but a lot of people on the forum know quite a bit about it

Hope this helps!

Seb

[Putaendo Patrick]

Welcome to the SGL forums, and congratulations on the new scope!

Planets are easily visible when they're "up", but some (especially Mars) can be quite difficult to observe with detail. A lot depends on their location in the sky, the higher the better, and on atmospheric conditions on the night.

I would look at an 8mm or a 6mm EP which will give x112.5 and x150 magnifications respectively. As Galactic Wanderer says, there is an enormous range of prices - some truly astronomical.

Among the more reasonable, you might look at a 6mm Revelation Plossl http://www.telescopehouse.com/eyepieces/revelation-eyepieces.html

Vixen NPL Plossls are also excellent value https://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

The Plossl design does however tend to have rather short eye relief (your eye needs to be close to the glass). You might find the BST Explorer more comfortable http://www.365astronomy.com/8mm-BST-Explorer-ED-Eyepiece.html

[Galactic Wanderer]

28 minutes ago, Galatic Wanderer said:

but a lot of people on the forum know quite a bit about it

#

 

Just now, Putaendo Patrick said:

Welcome to the SGL forums, and congratulations on the new scope!

Planets are easily visible when they're "up", but some (especially Mars) can be quite difficult to observe with detail. A lot depends on their location in the sky, the higher the better, and on atmospheric conditions on the night.

I would look at an 8mm or a 6mm EP which will give x112.5 and x150 magnifications respectively. As Galactic Wanderer says, there is an enormous range of prices - some truly astronomical.

Among the more reasonable, you might look at a 6mm Revelation Plossl http://www.telescopehouse.com/eyepieces/revelation-eyepieces.html

Vixen NPL Plossls are also excellent value https://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

The Plossl design does however tend to have rather short eye relief (your eye needs to be close to the glass). You might find the BST Explorer more comfortable http://www.365astronomy.com/8mm-BST-Explorer-ED-Eyepiece.html

Told ya!

[Timebandit]

Hello ajc. Nice scope you have acquired so off to a good start.                                          Mars can be a bit of a disappointment to view at times and needs good conditions around the planet and in the sky's to get a rewarding view. I have had the frac on it and the 14inch dob and it can be a challenge. But saying that don't give up on Mars, as all planets have there good times when viewing can be rewarding. My favorite is Saturn which is a beautiful planet and the big planet of Jupiter which also you can get a lot of detail from.     To get the best out of your new scope then a dark site away from light pollution does add to the viewing experience through the eyepiece. Also make sure your scope is collimation correctly as this is important when trying to get the best view out of your scope through your chosen eyepieces.                                                                                           In regards to eyepieces for use. The 25mm you have will help you with location of planets but you need to up the magnification somewhat to start seeing more detail. As under uk sky's we can be limited to how high we can push magnifications due to atmosphere conditions. I think a 8mm will be a good all round higher magnification eyepiece that you will get good use out off. I can recommend the Televue plossl which have a good reputation for quality, so you know you are getting the best out of your scope, the fov is a bit restricted but for planetary  this is not so much of a problem. A higher magnification eyepiece of 5mm or 6mm will be really useful to have for when seeing conditions are very good. You can get something like the Televue delite or nagler but these are big bucks. So you could look at something like the William optics, spl or uwan (wider field eyepiece ,I have a lower power uwan and found it a very good performer) . 

I hope the above helps☺

[Linda]

Most telescopes are sold with a 25mm and a 10mm eyepiece and a barlow. Didn't yours? In that case you should try to aquire a nice range of magnifications, ranging from your 36x with 25mm tot about 200x. You can do that either with eyepieces, are use  a barlow lense.

[Peco4321]

Hi and welcome. 

I have a Skywatcher telescope and have recently added to the EP's supplied. Mine came with a 25mm and a 10mm and both give nice crisp views of the planets, moon and stars. I'm no expert and budget is always an issue so after a bit of research I opted to stick with what I knew and ordered a 6mm from Skywatcher through Rother Valley. I was not disappointed and though I've not had many opportunities due to the rain, I think it will turn out just fine , and approx £30.  I went for one with a nice field of view and good eye relief. Check it out  

http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-ultrawide-eyepieces-125.html

[Danny83uk]

Hi, Ive the same scope as you and can vouch for the 8mm BSt explorer mensioned by Putaendo Patrick . I was warned against going much smaller on the size to stay close to 130x which is the diameter of the scope. But Sk's the limit (thats Sky's the limit) do offer a service where you can try both and return the one you dont like after trying them.

[Dazzyt66]

I found I got great planetary views with a 6mm in my old 150p Dob although Mars has been a challenge. If you are looking to upgrade eps the Baader Classic Orthos or Vixen NPLs will give you a decent upgrade from those supplied for around the £40 mark. 6mm will give you 150x which I find great for planetary but may be pushing it in a 130.