Meade Model 4504 upgrades

[Beardedgazer]

Hey guys, i have just got my first telescope "Meade Model 4504 Digital electronic autolocator" and i was wondering what kind of mirror and lens i would need to geta real good close up of the moon, as it still seems small

[Putaendo Patrick]

Your telescope has an aperture of 114mm and a focal length of 910mm which is more than capable of getting the detailed views of the Moon which you are looking for. Magnification depends on the eyepieces which should be marked with a number. You may have 25mm, 12.5mm and 4mm along with a x3 Barlow which were originally supplied with this scope. Magnification is obtained by dividing this number into the focal length. For example the 12.5mm eyepiece will give x72.8, and the 4mm will give x227.5. In theory, adding the Barlow will multiply these by three.

In practice, the 4mm eyepiece and the Barlow are not of particularly good quality. Additionally, the maximum realistic magnification of your scope is about x230, maybe a little more on the Moon, but this also depends on the atmospheric conditions when and where you are observing.

I would suggest getting an 8mm eyepiece to start with - this will give you a magnification of approx x114 and you will see just less than the whole Moon when you look through your eyepiece. If you want more detail, you could then consider a better quality x2 Barlow or a 6mm eyepiece - or both!

You can get a simulation of what you will see with any particular EP on your telescope here: http://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/

[Alan64]

The eyepieces and the barlow supplied with the kit are going to disappoint, I'm afraid, but the telescope itself looks rather promising.  The manufacturers tend to include eyepieces just to get one started; to at least have something with which to observe upon the kit's arrival.

I have the 20mm version of this one, and it's great...

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p4839_GSO-SuperView-15mm---1-25--WA-eyepiece---70--FoV.html (61x)

Then, barlow the wide-field 15mm for a simulated 7.5mm(121x)... http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/antares-x2-twist-lock-barlow-lens-125.html

That 2x barlow is of very good quality, as I have one myself, and reasonably priced.

In future, add a 9mm or 10mm, and barlow either one of those for 202x or 182x, respectively.

You would then be well on your way in the assembling of a fine, lasting set of oculars; and a set that can be used with other telescopes in future as your interest progresses.