Eyepiece Choice

[Subdeo]

Right now, I have a 26mm Super Plossl eyepiece for my Meade ETX 90. I am planning on getting another eyepiece because the Plossl (with the exception of a 2x Barlow) is the  only  one I have right now. Can anyone give me advice as to what eyepiece would be the best? I generally favor viewing the  moon, planets and satellites. Thanks!

[LukeSkywatcher]

Many people favour an 8mm for observing the planets etc. Plossl's are good and reliable. 

Whats your budget?.

[Ricochet]

At f/13.8 I'd look for something in the 12-14mm region for the moon and planets. For satellites I assume you'd want something with a wider field of view but it's not something I do myself. How do you get on with your current eyepiece with and without your Barlow? 

[Timebandit]

 

Depends on your budget.

The  BST starguiders are very popular on this site and have a good reputation for quality optics ,but at sensible money. 

If you have a bigger budget. Obviously you then have the likes of Televue delite, Delos , Nagler,ethos,   but these are quite a step up in price. But unfortunately in eyepieces you get the law of diminishing returns, just because you spend xx amount more ,does not mean you get the same increase in quality of view to extra pounds spent.   

I hope the above helps 

[jabeoo1]

A 15mm Televue Plossl would be a great starting place (used ~£60).  It would frame the moon @ x 83 giving you a decent run down of the terminator, also showing off enough of Jupiter and the Orion Nebula, M13 & many more to pull you in.  Still remains one of my favourite EP's.  It gives comfort & sharpness.  

[Subdeo]

1 hour ago, Ricochet said:

At f/13.8 I'd look for something in the 12-14mm region for the moon and planets. For satellites I assume you'd want something with a wider field of view but it's not something I do myself. How do you get on with your current eyepiece with and without your Barlow? 

I really don't have experience with much else than my current setup, so I don't have the necessary perspective to answer this question properly. I do know that using the barlow really gives me some more detail on the ISS solar panels, which is great, but it also makes it much harder to keep it centered in the FOV. I usually do without the barlow. Thanks for the advice  

[Subdeo]

2 hours ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Many people favour an 8mm for observing the planets etc. Plossl's are good and reliable. 

Whats your budget?.

I'm looking for something on the economical side, yet I'm willing to save up longer if economical means poor quality. it just needs to do the job well, no extra frills necessary.

[Louis D]

I wouldn't go below 10mm because that would yield a 10mm/13.8=0.7mm exit pupil and approximately 125x.  That's about the smallest EP I normally feel comfortable using.  Below that, floaters become a major issue for me.  I'd recommend something around 17mm would be good to yield about 75x.  That's usually the sweet spot for most observing power-wise.  You'll already at the sweet spot EP-wise with the 26mm at 1.9mm.  2mm is generally considered the ideal exit pupil.

To summarize, 10mm and 17mm would cover most of your observing needs and fit in nicely with your 26mm yielding approximately 50x, 75x, and 125x.  You could move that 17mm up to as high as 14mm for about 90x if you get a wide field 14mm like the Baader Morpheus or ES-82.