a noobie wondering about best eyepiece

[shamba504424]

Hello everyone,just starting off here and what a great site with so many helpful people,have got an Orion XT8 plus Dobson and really pleased with it.Although the lenses supplied are ok i.e. a 2" Deepview 28mm,a 1.25" 10mm Plossl and a Shorty 2 x Barlow I want to improve my quality of eyepieces and wondering what I should go for when I have the funds to enhance my enjoyment of this wonderful new hobby.Really excited to see Saturn last night.

Next can you recommend a really helpful and easy to follow star chart that can be understood by a confused sky watcher,thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ronin]

Best? Top end TV's like Delos, Nagler and Ethos, Pentax's are as good. All cost a few hundred pounds each.

Now I guess you didn't actually mean "best" in the strict sense of the word.

Usually the next up from the supplied ar ones like BST Starguiders: (£49)

After that are Celestron X-Cel LX, (Check FLO) but they need to be the LX variant. (Around £59). Performance seems similar to the BST's but they are in slightly different focal lengths which may or may not be applicable.

Plossls try the Vixen NPL's. (£40-45 FLO again).

TV plossls are very good but £70-100

Altair Astro do a line called Lightwave at £55, but a bit limited in the selection. (Altair, Tring, Rothervalley I think do these)

I have the Starguiders and for the jump from the 5mm to the 8mm I fill that with a 6mm Altair Lightwave. Makes a good set for just about all situations. Comes out as 7 eyepieces but the idea id buy one every couple of months. In the BST line I suspect the 8mm and 12mm would be a good initial pair, and use the 25mm you have for wide.

 

[shamba504424]

Hi Ronin,yes you are right i didnt mean the absolute best and thank you for the advice,seems like 50 to 100 quid is a reasonable figure to spend for a decent lens then.

[cotterless45]

Start off with " Turn left at Orion". This'll get you used to using the Dob. Ditch the optical finder for a red dot finder or a Telrad . Have a look around first. Spot the constellations and star hop from the brightest stars. Invest in " The Pocket Sky Atlas" it'll last you years. Can't do better than Starguider eps from Skys the limit ( were Bst's). A 25mm is great for finding targets. A 12mm and a 6 mm will do you fine fir starters.

here's a few star hops to kick off with,

get a bench or chair to sit on while observing and be very patient,

Nick.

[John]

I have some of the BST Starguiders that Ronin refers to as well as some of the very expensive Tele Vue and Pentax eyepieces as well. The BST Starguiders are very nice eyepieces for their £50 (or a wee bit less) cost and produce very satisfying views.

They are also easy to view through even in the shorter focal lengths wheres plossls and orthoscopics can be rather trying in this respect.

[Putaendo Patrick]

1 hour ago, shamba504424 said:

Next can you recommend a really helpful and easy to follow star chart that can be understood by a confused sky watcher,thanks

If you haven't got it, I recommend downloading the free Stellarium program for your computer. Configure it to your location and time zone, and it will show exactly what you see in the sky.  http://www.stellarium.org/

http://skymaps.com/downloads.html  do a monthly star map and guide which you can print out, basic but useful!

[shamba504424]

Thank you all so much for your helpful replies

[billyharris72]

Quote

I'd second the Sky and Telescope Pocket Atlas - absolutely invaluable at the scope and a great, convenient size. As well as Stallarium, Cartes du Ciel is another great piece of software. It's similar, though less pretty and a bit fiddlier, but is more configurable. Better still, you can print out your own star charts, at any scale you want, showing the objects you want. Really useful when hunting for specific objects.

Billy.