Best eyepiece for Moon/Planets?

[palazer]

Hi everyone just made an account. I'm going to buy a Skywatcher 8" Dobsonian (https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/skywatcher-dobson-telescope-n-200-1200-skyliner-classic-dob/p,4440)

I mainly want to look at the moon, Jupiter and Saturn. The telescope comes with a 25mm and 10mm eyepiece, but everyone says the standard ones are pretty bad?

So I was thinking one of these two for Jupiter and Saturn? What's the difference with the ultra wide angle one? And which one would you recommend? https://www.astroshop.eu/eyepieces/omegon-eyepiece-cronus-wa-6-mm-1-25-/p,32982 OR https://www.astroshop.eu/eyepieces/omegon-ultra-wide-angle-eyepiece-6mm-1-25-/p,5087

I'll also be buying a moon filter (https://www.astroshop.eu/moon-filters-polarizing-filters/orion-moon-filter-13%25-transmission-1-25-/p,14458)

Please let me know if these items are decent and the right choice!

Lastly I want a decent eyepiece to look at the full moon in full, so not just a small part, but the FULL moon. What do I need for this? The standard 25mm? Or do I need a different ?mm or just a better quality 25mm one?

Just want to keep it as "cheap" as possible but still decent quality

Thanks!

Edited May 19, 2019 by palazer

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @palazer and welcome to SGL.

You may want to have a read of this topic/post... 

 

For a Lunar/Moon filter, I would recommend a variable polarising filter. I use this type --->  ...only available in 1.25"

Question: Do you want 1.25" or 2"?

[johninderby]

The BST Starguiders are very good not too expensive eyepieces.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html

The UWA isn’t actually an UWA eyepiece.at all. Only 66 degrees which is a WA at best. The identical Skywatcher version is much cheaper. Don’t recommend them anyway.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skywatcher-6mm-UltraWide-Okular-1-25/dp/B00AWAJMG6/ref=asc_df_B00AWAJMG6/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=218086330525&hvpos=1o6&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11419442031298053845&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006674&hvtargid=pla-698389736369&psc=1

 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2019 by johninderby

[palazer]

7 minutes ago, johninderby said:

The BST Starguiders are a good inexpensive planetary eyepiece.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html

The UWA isn’t actually an UWA eyepiece.at all. Only 66 degrees which is a WA at best. The identical Skywatcher version is much cheaper. Don’t recommend them anyway.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skywatcher-6mm-UltraWide-Okular-1-25/dp/B00AWAJMG6/ref=asc_df_B00AWAJMG6/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=218086330525&hvpos=1o6&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11419442031298053845&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006674&hvtargid=pla-698389736369&psc=1

 

 

 

If I want to view Jupiter and Saturn would 6mm be my best option?

[johninderby]

6mm is s good place to start with the 200p for Jupiter and Saturn although both planets are a bit low down for best viewing at the moment. You might also want an 8mm. On the moon you might want a 5mm.

ah just realised that the BST Starguiders aren’t available in 6mm but there are SW ones.

https://www.astroshop.eu/eyepieces/skywatcher-1-25-6mm-uwa-planetary-eyepiece/p,44932#tab_bar_0_select

Edited May 19, 2019 by johninderby

[Ricochet]

5-7mm is the range you need for Jupiter and Saturn with an 8" dob in my experience. Conditions will determine how much magnification you can use at each observing session. 

The moon appears to be approximately 0.5° in diameter and your telescope has a focal length of 1200mm so to get the minimum eyepiece focal length you can use you can use 

Fl(eyepiece) = 0.5° * 1200mm / AFoV(°)

So if you want to buy Starguiders with 60° AFoV 

Fl(e) = 600 / 60 = 10mm

Of course it is good to have a bit of space around the moon so you want a slightly longer focal length, meaning the 12mm Starguider would be a good choice. 

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi again. I have a few 6mm's, (see below), and I will say 'Yes!' - though I was disappointed with a 6mm Plossl, (not shown).

The eyepieces that gives me the best view is the TeleVue 6mm Radian, (the e/p on the right), and the TeleVue 3-6mm Nagler Zoom, (shown below).

Orthoscopic's or Ortho's are also good, (not shown), but do not give a wide field of view and eye-relief can be an issue for some users.

note: all the e/p's in the images are all 1.25" and not to scale - TeleVue Radian's were discontinued a few years ago.

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by Philip R

[alan potts]

You can still pick Radians up for around the 100 quid mark, the nice thing is with them, I feel that they will never lose money though maybe a bit more than you wish to spend, great eyepieces though, I have 3 still.

Alan

[John]

"... Just want to keep it as "cheap" as possible but still decent quality ...."

With the above in mind:

- BST Starguiders (notably the 8mm and the 5mm)

- Baader Classic Orthos (notably the 10mm and the 6mm)

These both cost a bit under £50 each and I reckon you would need to pay quite a lot more to get better performance.

[jetstream]

The Circle T volcano top orthos (used) are a good option as well. My 10mm BCO is extremely good, the 6mm I find a bit lacking to be honest, well for an ortho anyway.

[GlenM]

Volcano top Ortho from Tani San are excellent eyepieces. Why use a WA for planetary observations. All the good stuff is happening in the middle of the field.

 

Glen.

 

 

[Vondragonnoggin]

Wide angle eyepieces are particularly suited for planetary in the 8” dob the OP has. It is a manual mount and needs to be nudged to keep an object in view. Having a wider field, well corrected eyepiece allows for longer drift time across the FOV between nudges.

 

I had that exact telescope as my first scope. I used a 6mm Radian as highest power and used a 2” telecentric barlow if seeing was particularly steady enough for highest power in the dob which was about my limit in exit pupil size also. In an 8” F/6 that would be 1mm exit pupil with a 6mm and .5mm with it in a 2x barlow. Telecentric barlow won’t increase ER also. Some don’t like the tall stack, but I can use the 2x telecentric with a lot of eyepieces and made more sense to me to buy vs a dedicated 3mm which I would only get a chance to use extremely good seeing. I get good seeing quite a bit in my area but it’s not good enough to take an 8” to 400x very much. Most of the time the 6mm did the trick on its own and I also have a Baader Zoom I can get to 4mm equivalent with the telecentric and also keep a wide FOV for longer drift times between nudges.

Edited May 20, 2019 by Vondragonnoggin

[GlenM]

Fair comment. Never had the problem myself. I like the clarity of the Ortho design.

 

Glen.

 

[Vondragonnoggin]

For sure - if you have tracking, get anything that provides utmost clarity in the center of the FOV.

I only had a tracking mount briefly. A CG5. Was trying AP. It was not for me. I’m into very simple setups and least fiddly observing. No patience for AP. I have encoders and a Sky Commander XP4 Flash on one of the mounts and I’m too lazy to even do a two star alignment most of the time. It has slo mo handles but tracking with an alt-az mount with slo mo handles is a bit like trying to make curves on an Etch-A-Sketch.

 

😆

[John]

In the past I have often used orthos and even a TMB Supermoncentric (30 degree field of view !) with my non-driven alt-az mounted scopes. The views were great but tracking at 300x or more was a chore. These days I prefer long eye relief, a larger eye lens and a larger field of view wherever possible, even at high powers.

 

[RT65CB-SWL]

One thing I forgot to mention about the TeleVue Radian's yesterday, was TeleVue made an adaptor for use with 2" focussers, (image below), and was primarily used for digiscoping, (i.e. point & shoot... not DSLR).

 

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by Philip R

[Alan64]

On 19/05/2019 at 08:13, palazer said:

Hi everyone just made an account. I'm going to buy a Skywatcher 8" Dobsonian (https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/skywatcher-dobson-telescope-n-200-1200-skyliner-classic-dob/p,4440)

I mainly want to look at the moon, Jupiter and Saturn. The telescope comes with a 25mm and 10mm eyepiece, but everyone says the standard ones are pretty bad?

So I was thinking one of these two for Jupiter and Saturn? What's the difference with the ultra wide angle one? And which one would you recommend? https://www.astroshop.eu/eyepieces/omegon-eyepiece-cronus-wa-6-mm-1-25-/p,32982 OR https://www.astroshop.eu/eyepieces/omegon-ultra-wide-angle-eyepiece-6mm-1-25-/p,5087

I'll also be buying a moon filter (https://www.astroshop.eu/moon-filters-polarizing-filters/orion-moon-filter-13%25-transmission-1-25-/p,14458)

Please let me know if these items are decent and the right choice!

Lastly I want a decent eyepiece to look at the full moon in full, so not just a small part, but the FULL moon. What do I need for this? The standard 25mm? Or do I need a different ?mm or just a better quality 25mm one?

Just want to keep it as "cheap" as possible but still decent quality

Thanks!

I would choose a variable-polariser, rather than one with a fixed percentage, the 13% in question...

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p321_TS-Optics-variable-Polarising-Filter-1-25--for-moon-and-planets.html

There are also other fixed-percentages available, up to 25% I believe.

You'd have all the fixed percentages in one unit with the variable-polariser.  A variable polariser acts as an indoor light-dimmer, but for the telescope.  You simply twist the two halves together to adjust... 

Now, I'm not suggesting it so much for the Moon, although if the light from same bothers your eyes, by all means.  Where I found great success with my own was when observing Jupiter, particularly during its opposition.  I was observing Jupiter with a 150mm f/5 Newtonian, the next step down in size from your own.  The planet was simply too bright, even at the higher powers, to see any detail.  I then integrated the variable-polariser...

I could at last see wondrous detail on Jupiter's surface.  The filter also eliminated the flares caused by the Newtonian's secondary's spider-vanes.  During Mars' fairly recent opposition, the filter eliminated those as well...

But there was no detail to be seen on Mars' surface at that time, as the planet was experiencing a major dust storm.

Those are digital drawings of what I saw live, and from Bortle 3 or 4 skies here at my home.

Those 66° wide-angle eyepieces are sold on eBay, if you have access, and for considerably less outlay; for example, here's the entire set...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SVBONY-1-25-FMC-Ultra-Wide-66-6-9-15-20mm-Eyepieces-for-Astronomical-Telescope/323738641360?hash=item4b6053a3d0:g:SokAAOSwg31abF8r&frcectupt=true

A pair of the 6mm and 9mm... https://www.ebay.com/itm/SVBONY-1-25-6mm-9mm-66-Deg-FMC-Ultra-Wide-Angle-Eyepieces-For-Astro-Telescope/362586394038?hash=item546bd54db6:g:UJ4AAOSw64tbnPqE

A single 6mm... https://www.ebay.com/itm/SVBONY-1-25-Ultra-Wide-Angle-Eyepieces-Lens-6mm-66-FMC-for-Astro-Telescope-NEW/312505460469?hash=item48c2c6e6f5:g:-cIAAOSw-JJabFUX

The full Moon is not usually observed, as there's little detail to be seen.  It's during the Moon's phases that drives us wild...

But then, why not, as I've observed the full Moon on several occasions...

...including that big "strawberry".

Edited May 21, 2019 by Alan64

[jetstream]

The only wide angle that I've tried that competes with good orthos is the 12.5 Docter UWA with and without a barlow. I have no issue using my 15" dob with high power orthoscopic eyepieces. Ethos don't compete for sharpness/detail, the Delos is better in this regard but both have wicked contrast.

A very good combination is a 12.5mm ortho (or 10mmBCO) with a barlow- hard to beat...

[Stu]

2 hours ago, jetstream said:

A very good combination is a 12.5mm ortho (or 10mmBCO) with a barlow- hard to beat...

This is a combination I've used and enjoyed alot too; you keep the better eye relief of the long focal length ortho but keep the sharpness (as long as your Barlow is decent).

[bluesilver]

I am hoping i read your question right, \It might be a bit basic,  but is what i found worked for myself.

I have a 10 inch Dobsonian,  For myself to get a full view of the whole moon i found the 25mm gave me the full moon in the eye piece with a little room to spare.

I have found i need what they call moon filters to view the moon due to the brightness of it.

But for the planets i use what is called a baader neodymium ir-cut filter,  found this gave a good crisp image of Jupiter and Saturn.

It is not the cheapest filter,  but one i managed to pick up at a good price a good while ago.

Eye piece for planets i found 10 mm was good,  if seeing is great you can go with a barlow.

I like the Tele Vue Delos eyepieces,  but they are not the cheapest,   see how you go with the two supplied eye pieces first.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by bluesilver

[Astro-Geek]

Thanks for asking the question Palazer, I've found the replies really interesting, actual user feedback in detail with images.

To get the very best within a specific budget, have you considered buying eyepieces secondhand ?

I've amassed an very nice collection from adverts on SGL, AstroBuySell and Ebay. Many at around 50% of new cost. They had all been very well looked after, indistinguishable from new.

I now have a really good appreciation of why there is such a variation in price .  I'd always wondered why the best ones cost even more than good quality telescopes, but now I know.... 🤓

I started off with a set of Meade 4000 Plossls which I was quite happy with, until I tried (genuine) ultra wide angles and 2" eyepieces.  The difference in the perceived fov and clarity was amazing.  The targets aren't simply bigger, you actually feel that you're nearer. 

My latest acquisition, a  23mm 2" Celestron Axiom LX 82 degree is now my favorite, it's ridiculously bulky and weighs half a kilo, but the views it gives through my 200PDS and 300P makes them seem like completely different scopes.  It cost me £85 via an SGL classified advert from a very conscientious first owner,  less than half retail.

...and a word of warning,         .... don't buy or make an eyepiece case, you won't be able to resist wanting to fill it !!!  👀

Edited May 21, 2019 by Astro-Geek
usual typos.....

[Vondragonnoggin]

23mm Axiom LX is a nice eyepiece. I bought mine used also and used it in my Skywatcher collapsible 8”.

For the heavy eyepieces, I found some varying weight magnets I could stick on the bottom of the tube opposite the focuser side to balance it out a little better. 1/4 lb, 1/2 lb, 1 lb, etc

Guess that would 115 grams, 230 grams, 460 grams or so 

by using combinations of the magnet sizes it was easy to balance the dob with heavy eyepieces. Never experienced issues or focuser problems or anything. The 8” Skywatcher dob is pretty hardy. The magnets just allowed me to use less tightening of the tension handle and made movement a little smoother.

[jetstream]

On 19/05/2019 at 08:13, palazer said:

What do I need for this? The standard 25mm? Or do I need a different ?mm or just a better quality 25mm one?

The standard 25mm Super plossl is good, at least ours is. A nice high quality upgrade is the excellent 25mm Televue plossl- a low scatter option in this range. If you want a great all round hyperwide down the road consider the Lunt 20mm HDC (SW Myriad same optics).

For now, keeping the 25 Super plossl and replacing the supplied mediocre 10mm will be worthwhile IMHO. This barlow plus the 10mm BCO will give 10mm, 7.7mm and 4.4mm at a very cost effective price that will rival expensive eyepiece performance, in a narrow FOV.

 

[Vondragonnoggin]

I kept my 25mm Super Plossl that came with my Skywatcher and later picked up a second one for $15 from classifieds and use them for binoviewing. They are excellent eyepieces.