Eyepiece for Short Refractor

[Wilburt]

Hi Everyone, 

I've recently got into astronomy, or more precisely reading websites about astronomy as this hobby makes you realise how rare clear skies are!! 

Anyway I've bought a second hand Sky Watcher Star travel 102 to use as a grab and go scope, its the model with a 45 degree corrected diagonal for terrestrial use  so I intend to swap this for a 90 degree version probably the Altair which seems well regarded at c.£80. I thought I would also get a new eyepiece at the same time.  Presently I just have a of Celestron Omni 12mm which I use with a different scope(114mm reflector) and the two that came with the Star Travel 10mm and 25mm and a x2 Barlow. 

Browsing the web it seems a lot of people use wide field low mag EP's with these scopes but there are also some nice looking Altair Lightwave 5mm eyepieces around £55 which would give high magnification. 

The SGL collective wisdom on what would work well with this scope for a beginner would much appreciated (edit) also it can 2" or 1.25" any reason to get the 2" EP's for general use? 

Many thanks 

 

 

 

[drjolo]

I also have short achromatic refractor (Sky Watcher 102/600) for wide field viewing under dark sky. You may check your model for high powers, but I do not like the way fast achromats presents sky wonders in high magnification. For 102/600 my personal limit is around 50-60x - but sensitivity to chromatic aberration is different for each observer, and also can change over time. My best experiences are under dark sky for exit pupils 3-5mm, so kind-of binocular magnification 20-35x. I found views with 31mm Aspheric very nice and also with ES 24mm 68* (with dielectric 2" diagonal). 

If you plan to use it under dark sky with low magnification, then 2" diagonal with 2" eyepiece would be reasonable choice. However I am not sure if you can fit it into 102/500?

[AdeKing]

I also have the ST102 as a grab and go setup and tend to use the Baader Mk IV 8-24mm zoom most of the time to keep it simple.

However, I have regularly used the BST Starguider 5mm in this scope (100x) and have found the views perfectly acceptable, but I don't tend to notice the false colour as much as some other observers, and as it's a personal thing your mileage may vary. It depends on how much the false colour annoys you on brighter objects.

Ade

[Wilburt]

Thanks for the replies, looks like I need at least two new eyepieces! 

The new diagonal I plan to get can take 2” EP’s but whilst still learning what works for me I’m inclined to stick to 1.25”. 

I’ve order a Vixen 20mm and will get a Altair 5mm with the diagonal. 

Thanks again