New user, excited advice on eye pieces please

[evertonian7uk]

Hi All,

new user to telescopes and loving it! been in the garden for 5 nights just looking at the moon.

i have an entry level scope,  https://www.celestron.com/products/114az-sr-telescope 

i wanted to ask - what lenses should or could i get for this to improve the view of the stars and planets, the moon is super cool but i was hoping i might be able to find a few more lenses that improve the view and maybe help me see a bit of the other planets or night sky.

of course i am not expecting anything nasa lol but just something to really make the night sky punch out - any advice you could offer would be awesome, im 44 and my nephews are 9 and 15 - we are hooked so far!

 

thanks for helping  

[Starwatcher2001]

I'm not familar with that scope, but I'm sure those that are will be along soon to give you some great advice.

Welcome aboard SGL, and welcome to the wonderful hobby that is astronomy. It's great to see your enthusiasm.

 

[evertonian7uk]

thank mate, we are super excited to see what we can find and see out there..... amazing

 

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @evertonian7uk and welcome to SGL. 

If you are on a budget these fixed focal lengths maybe just the the thing... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html or these... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

Another option to consider is a zoom eyepiece. 8-24mm zoom e/p's tend to be the most popular. Bear in mind that some zoom e/p's, the higher the magnification the narrower the field of view. You can experiment with different focal lengths until you find one or two that hit the sweet spot before purchasing fixed focal lengths. I have a cheap 7-21mm zoom, (it does me for grab & go sessions or when I travel lightweight), and an expensive 3-6mm zoom.

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, Philip R said:

Bear in mind that some zoom e/p's, the higher the magnification the narrower the field of view.

Actually, it's the opposite in pretty much all zoom eyepieces.  The apparent field of view (AFOV) narrows considerably at lower powers, necessitating a separate widest field eyepiece such as a 32mm Plossl or 24mm superwide.  At higher powers, most zooms have nicely wide AFOVs.

[RT65CB-SWL]

10 hours ago, Louis D said:

Actually, it's the opposite in pretty much all zoom eyepieces.  The apparent field of view (AFOV) narrows considerably at lower powers, necessitating a separate widest field eyepiece such as a 32mm Plossl or 24mm superwide.  At higher powers, most zooms have nicely wide AFOVs.

Oop's... typo on my behalf. @Louis D is correct! 

[evertonian7uk]

would something like this kit work - or should i go for better quality singles ? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/eyepiece-sets/astro-essentials-1-25-inch-eyepiece-and-filter-kit.html 

[wulfrun]

8 minutes ago, evertonian7uk said:

would something like this kit work - or should i go for better quality singles ? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/eyepiece-sets/astro-essentials-1-25-inch-eyepiece-and-filter-kit.html 

The general advice is not to buy a set, because it'll invariably include some stuff you'll never use and yet you've paid for it. Better to buy individual items where you can mix & match and tailor it to what you actually feel the need for.

[evertonian7uk]

thanks a mill guys -  i am sure i'll have more questions for now - im going to read all the tips section then get outside for an hour  

 

[Second Time Around]

I'd very much recommend a zoom eyepiece as your workhorse.  One zoom eyepiece will cover multiple focal lengths and so is really excellent value for money.

Fixed focal length eyepieces may be slightly better corrected when compared with a zoom at the same magnification.   But that's not always a fair comparison as that magnification may not be the optimum for a given object.  This is because one of the many advantages of a zoom is to be able to dial in precisely the best focal length.  For instance, this may be 13mm or even 13.1mm, which may actually show more detail than shorter or longer fixed focal length eyepieces.  

I particularly like the ability to increase the magnification to make use of brief moments of good seeing (a steady atmosphere).  It takes more time to swap out an eyepiece, and the opportunity may then be missed.  You can't see anything if you haven't got an eyepiece in the focusser!

Zooms also enable the field of view to be varied to frame an object to get the prettiest view.  For this reason I particularly like them for clusters.

Many of those who post here and advocate fixed focal lengths are experienced observers.  It's so easy to forget what it was like as a beginner!  A zoom eyepiece enables beginners to easily learn what difference a change of magnification makes on all the various classes of object.  It also shows them what focal lengths would be most useful to their eyes, their telescope, and their observing conditions.  They then have the option of buying/not buying the most appropriate fixed focal length eyepieces for them.  For these reasons I'd always recommend that beginners buy a zoom as their first eyepiece.

If you're on a tight budget I'd suggest the Svbony 7-21mm zoom that is very good value.  Cost about £45 on eBay.  However,  if you can stretch to it I'd recommend the Baader 8-24mm zoom that is sharper, more contrasty and has a wider field of view.  Cost £185.

For higher magnification I'd suggest a Barlow lens that will increase the magnification of all your eyepieces.  This'll be especially useful for the moon and planets.  I'd recommend a dual 1.5x/2x model as this gives much more flexibility.  Not all 2x Barlows allow this, but the ones that do so don't cost any more.  These ones allow the black lens cell to be unscrewed from the body of the Barlow and then screwed into the filter thread at the bottom of an eyepiece.  Very often this won't be in the blurb, but forum sponsors First Light Optics (FLO) do one in their Astro Essentials range that even has a standard T thread at the top for attaching a camera.  Cost £25.

I'd use the 2x option on your scope on nights when the atmosphere is steady.  You'll rarely be able to use higher magnification than this here in the UK as we're frequently under the jetstream, which means that the atmosphere is then more turbulent.  In fact, most of the time the 1.5x option would be a better choice. 

Just about everyone, including me, will recommend a book called "Turn Left at Orion".  Cost £23 at FLO.  This has a lot of information about telescopes and observing, plus descriptions and how to find some of the best objects in the sky, including what they look like in different scopes and in a finder.  The latter is a small scope with a wide field of view to make it easier to find objects.  You will probably want one before long, especially if you have a lot of light pollution where the red dot finder your scope comes with won't show many stars.  Most people prefer a RACI (right angle correct image) finder as this will save you a crick in the neck.  A 6x30 RACI finder costs about £35. 

I'd also suggest a dimmable red torch or headtorch.  I prefer a headtorch as I can just as easily hold it in my hands or around my neck, so it's dual purpose!  This is important when with others as used as a headtorch you'll shine it into their eyes.  They can also be laid flat on a table or even tilted.  Red light doesn't interfere with night vision like white does.  However, most lights are way too bright, so a dimmable one is very much to be preferred. 

Many of the headtorches on the market start on either bright or white light.  It's also easy to push the wrong button.  I'd therefore recommend one of the inexpensive Black Diamond range.  These can be set to always come on with the dimmest red light whatever button you push - so no accidents!  You do need to avoid the higher priced ones that have a battery check on starting up though.  This is because it lights up an intense blue that'll ruin your dark adaption.  Additionally, those with the Powertap feature can be knocked on accidentally.

For astronomy just look for models without  a battery check and without Powertap technology.  There are 2 suitable models - the Spotlite 160 and the Cosmo 250. You may also find the newly discontinued Cosmo 225.  BTW, the so-called Astro models aren't suitable for astronomy as they don't have a red light!  Wiggle have a special offer on the Cosmo 250 at the moment for only £15.  Go to https://www.wiggle.co.uk/black-diamond-cosmo-250-headlamp?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=102436075&kpid=102436075&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Shopping+-+All+Products&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mckv|sRffJGoLJ_dc|mcrid|490894957190|mkw||mmt||mrd|102436075uk|mslid||&mkwid=sRffJGoLJ_dc&pcrid=490894957190&prd=102436075uk&pgrid=64996676331&ptaid=pla-865083163391&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmL-ABhDFARIsAKywVacRWZonz-rHk8mlVz_pfxV_X-DFH7Z4pAOzH6rebkbTBnJZOVOaBmQaAj6TEALw_wcB

P.S. I nearly forgot.  You may already know this but don't look at the sun through your telescope.  Even looking through a finderscope can mean instant blindness!

[Pixies]

And regarding all the above advice. Don't forget that anything you buy now can be kept with you as you upgrade or buy other scopes. 

Here's a very useful post about eyepieces. No need to go through the whole 10 years of replies, though!

But I agree with @Second Time Around about the usefulness of a zoom. I have the Baader one, and it's great.  Here's one that's a bit cheaper (not quite as cheap as the SVBony one mentioned above) but gets great reviews:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/hyperflex-72mm-215mm-eyepiece.html

But the book "Turn Right at Orion" before anything else!

[M40]

Hello and welcome to the site 👍. I am going to echo what others have said in that whatever you buy now you can keep as and when you upgrade (notice I didn't say "if you upgrade" - you are now doomed like the rest of us). Also a plus one for the Baader Hyperion zoom rather than the set, it's an excellent eyepiece and the only problem with it is, with the exception of one other eyepiece, it's made all my others redundant. 

One thing I would suggest you get unless you already have one, is a moon filter like this...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/moon-neutral-density-filters/astro-essentials-nd96-0-9-1-25-moon-filter.html

Enjoy

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Some people swear by zooms and moon filters. Others don't. Zooms are not an item I get on with except for day time use and in smaller scopes I find moon filters unnecessary. Everyone's different so be weary of splashing out.

Eyepieces don't help if you don't know where to look or what you're looking at.

Install the one of the free phone apps Sky Safari or Stellarium for instant access to a sky map and much more.

Consider buying Turn Left at Orion.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundreds-Telescope/dp/1108457568/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=turn+left+at+orion+book&qid=1614694652&sprefix=turn+left+at&sr=8-1

Buy a couple of plossl eyepieces to fill in the gaps between the two you have.

7.5mm and 17mm would be good choices.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astro-essentials-eyepieces/astro-essentials-super-plossl-eyepiece.html

That's all you need.

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Tiny Clanger]

Welcome !

Eyepieces run from £25 ish each to ... good grief , how much ?! 

If you have an idea how much seems reasonable to you to spend , it would be easier for us to be more specific, it would also be helpful if you mention what came with your 'scope ?

I've no experience of the zoom eyepieces. A lot of people like them for the convenience they give, but I prefer to add specific single eyepieces to my kit one at a time to do what I want as my interest develops. A good zoom eyepiece is an expensive thing.  If you are thinking of spending under £50, a couple of the plossls linked to above would be good choices, altho' if any of the ;scope users wears glasses, a plossl with mm below about 10mm might be awkward to use.

As ScouseSpaceCadet  says, personal preferences play a big part. A Moon filter is the astro equivalent of sunglasses, if you find the view too dazzling as it is, get one. If you can look at the Moon comfortably without , don't bother . I got the basic celestron one off Amazon for about £10 , I need it with my 150mm reflector , but not at allwith my smaller 'scopes.

Heather

[Spile]

I would not spend a lot of money on your existing telescope. I believe it comes with a 10mm EP which I don't think is going to be usable.

The 25mm will be better but I would look out for a used plossl  between 28-32mm.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Spile

[JOC]

If you haven't already done so I'd commend at the very least looking at the pictures on the first page of this thread:

Then remember you have a far smaller scope that the 8" that is often used for comparison.  FWIW you might benefit from looking out for a second hand Skywatcher  150P or 200P Dobsonian telescope which are often recommended for beginners.

Edited March 3, 2021 by JOC

[evertonian7uk]

Hi guys, sorry work has been on me for the last week or so.... i am reading all these suggestions thank you all  

 

[Jiggy 67]

@evertonian7uk From a City fan to an Everton fan (I assume) welcome to the forum 😀