your most used scope and eyepiece

[mark81]

Hi all,

since deciding on getting my first scope at the start of this year, I have really caught scope fever and seem to spend too much time looking at eyepieces and scopes that are way out of my league and which "I am going to get next"..but I would love to know what scope you use the most and what eyepiece you use the most with it.....I think it could be fun for people to know what different combos people are using

[Fey]

I tend to use my Skywatcher 200p dob with the skywatcher 2" 28mm eyepiece for the majority of my observing sessions.

[jabeoo1]

15mm Televue Plossl in many scopes.  This EP has been used in now sold 10" dob, Edmund Astroscan & Lunt 50.  Currently in the TAK FC-100.  It just works well in everything for me. 

[swamp thing]

20" Dob 

31mm, 20mm and 12mm Naglers. 

[Fozzie]

I've only the one scope.. the 4"f11 frac.  Eyepiece wise it's torn between two depending on what I'm doing.. high power is my 7mm vixen LV, gives me 160x or wider field I use my 17mm delos.. Both cracking EPs!

[Stu]

Tak FC100DC with 25mm Zeiss eyepieces in binoviewers for solar and lunar, a 24mm Panoptic and a 3 to 6 mm Nagler Zoom are about all I really need outside that.

[Eastman]

8" SW DOB (sold) with the SW Panaview 2" 26mm. Great combi.

[Timebandit]

 

 

What scope I use the most depends where I am observing from and my intended targets. The eyepiece choice depends on what scope I use and what targets. So I will try and simplify it as much as possible.

From home for all around general use. Then the OOuk 14", why? 2min to get out of obs, and so effective on most target's. Eyepieces the 20mm nagler and Pentax 10mm XW

From home, with lunar and planetary dedicated observation session. Then the SW 120ed, so crisp and sharp on these targets. My first choice?. Eyepieces the Pentax XW 7 , and 5XW.

On Dark site trips for DSO. The OOuk 8" . why ? Just such a easy grab and go  . Can be in the car in less than 5min ready to go. Most used eyepieces ,the 20mm nagler and 10mm Pentax XW.

Horses for courses?

 

 

 

[Mr niall]

I’m in the same boat! Have had a few over the last year but funnily enough the one I have landed on is the Opticstar AR90s Gold.  It’s big, it’s inexpensive, it’s not got a huge aperture, but I completely love it. An absolute dream to use (and no, not the best views I’ve had of all my scopes but really doesn’t matter).

similarly the £15 Opticstar 25mm Plossl is just perfect!

go figure! 

[estwing]

18" Dob 21 ethos and 8 ethos.

[mark81]

what a great set of replies. I never like to use the word literally but I will, I have 'literally' just looked up all of your scopes and eyepieces, all very interesting stuff!

[Knighty2112]

Most used scope Celestron C8 SCT. Most used EP Celestron X-cel LX 18mm. 

[Paz]

My usage is fairly well spread out over the scopes and eyepieces I've got but if I had to pick the most common then, under protest, I would say my MC127 and 15mm SLV is the most used combo in recent times - a super clean image, almost always staying within what the seeing will allow, good for lunar, solar, planets, and holds on to enough brightness to still be usable for many dso's.

[Sunshine]

150mm Skywatcher Mak for planetary/Lunar (a cracker for those), 12" Dob for everything else.

[Saganite]

The eyepiece is easy, 24mm Panoptic pair in binoviewer, and the scope is probably my 4" refractor on the grounds that it can be put outside and be in use almost straight away.

[John]

I have 6 scopes. I use them all fairly regularly but I guess the most impressive and memorable views over recent years have consistently come from the 12" Orion Optics dobsonian.  My other scopes are refractors and I really like they way they present star images and lunar / planetary views but when I've made the effort to "push the envelope" on challenging targets it's the 12" dob that has come up with the goods. The 12" dob is also surprisingly quick and simple to setup so it's not much of a chore to get it out and ready for action.

I've a range of 16 or so eyepieces and most of those get regular use but the most effective and impressive with the 12" dobsonian are the 21mm, 13mm, 8mm and 6mm Tele Vue Ethos eyepieces.

Notwithstanding the above, the past Winter has been rather lean in terms of observing opportunities so I need to get back into the swing of regular observing, if the weather ever allows that ! 

[mikeDnight]

Out of all the scopes I've ever owned in the past, I use my current scope, a Tak FC100DC the most. It's just ideal for my kind of observing, and is a great all round performer. As far as my most used eyepiece, it has to be a pair of 16.8mm Super Abbe Orthoscopics in a binoviewer and X2 barlow for lunar and planetary. For rich field low power views I love my 35mm Baader Eudiascopic and 18mm Celestron Ultima (both pseudo Masuyama's), while my 25mm TV plossl is pretty nice too.

[25585]

My 100mm F5 Tele Vue Genesis, original model. 500mm focal length. Bought it with panoramic fork mount and tripod about 26 years ago. The simplest and best, grab and go, car portable, seemingly bullet proof. Superb rich field. Yes it has CA but not an issue at lower magnifications.

Most used eyepiece is the Vixen 22mm LVW, which gives just under 50x. Singly or a pair in bino viewers. All keepers with my 55mm TV Plossl finder ep 9x magnification.

 

[clarkpm4242]

TMB 92mm f5.5 APO then 16" Dobsonian.

31 Nagler and 13 Ethos with both.

For wide field deep sky or faint deep sky.

Have fun!  Paul

[scarp15]

Statistically probably my 14" dob, strategically I try and include each depending on the circumstance, motive. There is an overall infrequency in using any, in which case my binoculars receive more grab and go use. Planning for late summer currently, eyepiece most consistently used will be a 21 Ethos.

[Space Hopper]

I'm with Saganite : a pair of 24 Panoptics, either with the Dob (OO VX12 F4), or my refractor (132mm F7)

[Doc]

A selection of Clave eyepieces and an Esprit 120ED F7.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Have not done any night time observing in a year and a bit, so that rules out my 8se. I've done some white light solar observing in that time with my little 70mm refractor and 8-24mm hyperion zoom, along with my Hershel wedge. It will mostly be Ha observing for me this summer... with same scope, Quark filter and probably 8mm Vixen NPL. When I get time. 

[nightfisher]

My most used scope is 127 Maksutov and canon 1000D.....oops BGO18mm ep

[Highburymark]

City dweller. Hence: Lunt LS60 solar scope + binoviewer + TV plossls.