Best all round items for an Sct 9.25” Scope

[Neiman]

Hiya, I have a Celestron Star Bright XLT 9.25” Scope. I have and inch and a quarter Visual back, an inch and a quarter star diagonal and a 40mm plossl also a 20mm eyepiece and a 7mm eyepiece. Struggle with the 7mm as it’s uncomfortable to use. Can anyone suggest some other kit to make viewing easier. I also want brighter clearer views. Maybe asking for everything lol. Just wondered what other kit Would b egos to invest in ?

cheers

Neil

[haitch]

Just for visual? 

It's a long f/l so I'd go for a full 2" visual back or Crayford focuser and a 2" diagonal to make us of lower mag wider view eyepieces.

At f10 you shouldn't need super duper expensive eyepieces but some half decent ones should improve your viewing.

[joe aguiar]

this is what I have on all my scts

telrads or rigels finderscope

2" sct diagonal to use a 56mm 2" ep for the really wide low power large items

some people use the focal reducer 6.3 which is ok too

dewcap a must for scts, I don't have powered dewcaps

I also have a feather touch micro focuser on my 12" sct its kinda expensive but woth it fine focusing is a brease and 100%

do you have a 2x barlow much easier to use then some lower power eps since the eye lens rae really small. So a 14mm ep with a 2x barlow is the same as the 7mm ep BUT its will be much easier to use and look through. If you need to buy don't buy a cheap one as it will make the image worse not better.

joejaguar

[celestron8g8]

2 hours ago, Neiman said:

Hiya, I have a Celestron Star Bright XLT 9.25” Scope. I have and inch and a quarter Visual back, an inch and a quarter star diagonal and a 40mm plossl also a 20mm eyepiece and a 7mm eyepiece. Struggle with the 7mm as it’s uncomfortable to use. Can anyone suggest some other kit to make viewing easier. I also want brighter clearer views. Maybe asking for everything lol. Just wondered what other kit Would b egos to invest in ?

cheers

Neil

Really depends on your budget . But i highly suggest a 2” diagonal . You should be able to take the visual back off and screw the diagonal in place . Then depending on funds I’d get a 2x barlow and a couple good EPs’ to go with in in 2” size if possible . I use a 2” diagonal with a 32mm Plossi EP . A good barlow would give me a good 16mm as well . I won’t suggest EPs’ brands cause others can help better with that . Good luck tho . Just remember not to over power your viewing more than what max power is recommended for your 9.25” .  

[Neiman]

54 minutes ago, celestron8g8 said:

Really depends on your budget . But i highly suggest a 2” diagonal . You should be able to take the visual back off and screw the diagonal in place . Then depending on funds I’d get a 2x barlow and a couple good EPs’ to go with in in 2” size if possible . I use a 2” diagonal with a 32mm Plossi EP . A good barlow would give me a good 16mm as well . I won’t suggest EPs’ brands cause others can help better with that . Good luck tho . Just remember not to over power your viewing more than what max power is recommended for your 9.25” .  

So the consensus is definitely a 2” diagonal. Can this stay on the scope when I start imaging ? Don’t have all the gear for imaging at the moment so for the time being it’s just viewing. 

[joe aguiar]

It could your camera would be looking downward tho or just unscrew the 2 inch diagonal it takes 10 sec and srew on the 1.25 visual back

Joejaguar 

[Pete Presland]

The 7mm eyepiece is really giving too much magnification approx 335X, for most nights seeing conditions.  

I agree that a quality diagonal will improve the viewing experience, it enables you to position the eyepiece where you want it especially on objects that are high in the sky.

Televue plossl eyepieces are a rock solid investment. They are regularly available on the 2nd market, usually in good condition and if you resell they tend to hold thier value if looked after.

As for imaging, is Planetary imaging you are thinking about? 

[Mr Spock]

With my C9.25 my most used eyepiece on planetary is 10mm. x235 is just about perfect. I'm a strong believer that x1 per mm gives the best ratio of magnification v contrast. Pushing above that generally doesn't reveal any more detail but just makes the image darker and more fuzzy.

I sometimes use an 8mm on the moon when seeing is excellent; those nights are few and far between though.

For deep sky I like to use a 22mm LVW due to it's comfort and sharpness. The C9.25 is never going to be widefield but my 42mm LVW gives just over 1° field of view.

At f10 any quality of eyepiece will be fine.

[Cosmic Geoff]

With my 8" SCT the highest power eyepiece I use is 8mm, and that does not give a sharp image in poor conditions.  I don't have a 2' visual back or 2" diagonal - never saw the point, but your mileage may vary. 

Your 9.25 inch is a good scope for planetary imaging, but you do not need 2" accessories for that.   Using it for deep space imaging of e.g. galaxies is, I suggest, for experts only and may require an entirely different mount.

A dew shield is an essential accessory.

[celestron8g8]

On 30/12/2019 at 10:34, Neiman said:

So the consensus is definitely a 2” diagonal. Can this stay on the scope when I start imaging ? Don’t have all the gear for imaging at the moment so for the time being it’s just viewing. 

Most two inch diagonals come with a 1-1/4” adapter for using anything 1-1/4” . I would not advise trying to use a FR with a 2” diagonal tho cause the threading is not the same for a two inch diagonal to screw onto . You can leave the two inch diagonal on if you want to to do other projects . One big thing always needs remembered is when screwing anything in place of the visual back remember to NOT over tighten cause it’s harder than heck to remove it just snug enough to keep the diagonal from twisting side to side . I mainly have used my two inch diagonal when i image the sun or when i want a full image of the moon or a wider image using my Canon XSi with a 2” adapter while using my C8 . For just viewing i usually use my 1-1/4” diagonal with a barlow and EPs’ . A two inch diagonal with a low power 2” EP will give a terrific WF view especially for objects like the Veil neb , GCs’ , and galaxies like M31 . Good luck with how you choose . To me everything is trial and era but either way different parts are always usable ! 

[Merlin66]

Not that I recommend it, but the SCT threads on the FR are the same as the SCT threads on the diagonal, 2" x 24tpi

 

[celestron8g8]

When i bought my 2” Celestron diagonal it would not screw on to the rear cell of my SCT . I contacted Celestron  they had me sent it in and when i got it back it correctly screwed on my rear cell but I don’t recommend attaching the 2” diagonal to the rear of a Celestron FR/6.3 and then add other equipment like a DSLR attached to the diagonal . Even Celestron advised not to attach weight other than EPs’ with that combination . They told me if adding a camera or other heavy items to the diagonal it could cause the diagonal to fall off the FR causing damage to camera and accessories . And that would not be under warranty . So for myself when i used the FR i always attached my DSLR with a T-Adapter  and T-Ring only . Other than that combination i attached a OAG with IR EP and my camera to the OAG . But attaching the FR to the rear cell , then attaching a 2” diagonal , then a camera in that combination is an awkward “L” shape combination making the weight distribution un even especially when moving the OTA around on it’s axes . However if one chooses to do so just know that fair warning has been suggested !