Eyepieces for Celestron Star Sense Explorer 80AZ

[Zhombl]

Hello, guys.

My first scope is Celestron Star Sense Explorer 80AZ, due to arrive soon. It comes with two Keller eyepieces, 10mm and 20mm.

After reading some reviews, they suggest these eyepieces are trash and I may want to replace them asap. I still have some budget, e.g. for one-two Vixen NPL eyepieces.

Should I upgrade right away, and if yes, to what focal length? Or I should just settle down and try use what's in the box?

I will be observing from a high rise in the medium-sized town, so the sky will be light-polluted. I don't have really solid goals yet, just want to have some fun with the scope, and see what I like.

Thank you in advance, and sorry for dumb asks.

[John]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The 2 eyepieces supplied with the scope are OK in a fairly long focal length scope like the one you have purchased. I think it has a focal length of 900mm and a focal ratio of F/11 ?. Even the stock Kellner eyepieces will do OK in the scope so I would hold on and get some experience with the scope before plunging into the world of eyepiece upgrades.

I think the scope comes with a 2x barlow lens as well ?. That will be a low cost unit but again might be OK to give you the equivalent of a 12.5mm eyepiece and a 5mm eyepiece so you will have 4 magnifications to play with: 36x 72x, 90x and 180x. Not perfect but enough to get a feel for things.

It's worth pausing for breath and getting that 1st hand experience otherwise, before you know it, you can easly spend as much as the scope has cost or even more on a new eyepiece set !

Observing from a balcony or rooftop in a light polluted area will mean concentrating on the brighter targets such as the moon, planets, double stars and brighter star clusters rather than galaxies and nebulae. The scope you have chosen is good for that balance of targets.

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by John

[Zhombl]

Thank you, John

Your understanding of specs is correct, and that's exactly what I needed to hear. I'll put my money aside for a moment. If I may ask, is there anything else you could advice regarding observations with this scope in the conditions I mentioned? Any advice appreciated.

[Louis D]

I've got some "throw away" Kellners that came with scopes, and they're actually not that bad.  Sure, the view is narrow and the eye relief is super tight, but they're decently sharp across the central 25 degrees or so.  I'd give them a chance before tossing them on the scrapheap.

If I were to buy Plossls, I just get the GSO/Revelation/Astro Essentials because in an achromat, you're unlikely to see any difference between them and the NPLs.

[Louis D]

1 minute ago, Zhombl said:

Thank you, John

Your understanding of specs is correct, and that's exactly what I needed to hear. I'll put my money aside for a moment. If I may ask, is there anything else you could advice regarding observations with this scope in the conditions I mentioned? Any advice appreciated.

Download and learn to use Stellarium to familiarize yourself with the sky and what's up in the sky on any given night at any given time in any given direction.

Also, become familiar with the Caldwell catalog and Messier objects.  These two lists tend to cover the majority of the non-solar system showpiece objects in the sky that are good for beginners to hunt down and observe.  Beware though, most galaxies and many emission nebula are difficult under light polluted skies, especially in an 80mm scope.

[John]

As above, Stellarium will show you "whats up" from your location at a particular time and date.

Also keep an eye on the observing sections on this forum and see what others with similar equipment are looking at

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/7-observing/