Barlow and eyepiece

[Hollie42]

Hi there, 

After doing some research and looking at different options within my budget, I was thinking of purchasing a 7.5mm super plossl eyepiece and BST starguider 2x short Barlow lens. I have a skywatcher heritage 130p flextube which comes with a 10mm and a 25mm eyepiece so am I right in thinking that the Barlow lens and the 7.5 eyepiece will help seeing the moon and planets such as Jupiter better? 
 

Thank you! 

[Mr Spock]

That combination would give you x173 which is just about right for that scope.

[allworlds]

It fits exactly with the advice thread stickied but I would want to "try before I buy" if possible. Even an 8 or 7 mm Plossl can be tight on the eye relief, you might prefer a design with more. I can't remember the actual focal length but I once had a short focal length Celestron Plossl that was awful.

The focal length sorts out your medium high, and high with the Barlow, and the Barlow will give you a 12.5mm too which somewhat fills the gap between the 25 and the 10.

[sorrimen]

Like spock says, a good choice of magnification. Not too high as to be approaching atmospheric or your scopes limits and oftentimes the ideal magnification. 

Note that a 7.5mm plossl is going to be a rather tight squeeze. If you could stretch to the 8mm bst or even the goldline/redline series you’d have a much more comfortable set up, plus wider fov. Note that with cheap plossls the coatings aren’t great so the image suffers anyway, at least in my experience. 

That advice is also based on the fact that your eyepieces will be the limiting factor rather than the barlow, so it would make more sense to me to upgrade eyepieces before spending a good bit on a barlow. Combined with the fact that your the barlow is wasted on the 25mm, I think in your situation I would go a different route. 

Others may disagree of course. 

[Mr Spock]

I would second going the BST route. They are the most recommended eyepiece at the price and great value for money. The 8mm would give you x163 which isn't much different to x173 and will pick up detail in Jupiter's belts and see some fair lunar detail. A perfect match for the Barlow you are considering and easier to use than a Plössl.

[Mart29]

I use 11mm with a x2 barlow and it seems to give me the best on the moon and Jupiter. 

It's more important to sit and keep looking to see details rather than high magnification and a quick glance etc 

I took the advice from the guys on here and got my best views of Jupiter by spending an hour plus observing.  Before I would play with loads of eyepiece and different barlows and that took my time rather than actually looking! The more you look the detail comes as your eyes get used to it and the atmosphere changes .

Wish I had taken this advice ages ago instead of keep looking for that one magic eyepiece 😂

That said again with the advice on here TeleVu DeLite,  changed my life ! 

Edited September 27, 2022 by Mart29

[LukeSkywatcher]

My only astro regret was giving away my Tal 2x Barlow to someone in Texas, for free

Best Barlow ever.

[Hollie42]

Thank you all so much! Will look into getting a BST eye piece first and then maybe work my way up to the Barlow when I could possibly save up for a longer one. There are so many variations of everything to consider so this forum is a life saver for me, appreciate everyone’s advice. 

[Mr Spock]

If you are wanting to be flexible on the Barlow consider this. A x3 Barlow with your current eyepieces, x26 and x65, would give x78 and x195.  Adding another eyepiece like a 12mm, would add x54 and x162.

[bosun21]

Another 👍from me regarding going the BST route. If buying on a budget then they are the way to go.

[Hollie42]

Cheers! Thank you 😄

[sorrimen]

Just to add, nothing wrong with the BST barlow and it’s a great match to the BST eyepieces! Safe choice when you come around to it.