What are you normally using the high-power eyepiece for?

[starhiker]

My dob comes with an eyepiece for 40x and 133x magnification. I read that I can safely push the magnification to about 200x with a high-power eyepiece for a 8" dob. A BST 5mm can simply push it to 240 which I guess ok for the UK sky.

While it is always enjoyable to get a new toy, I am wondering what is the killing feature for a larger magnification. I almost always use 40x and only use 133x for a couple cases to view jupiter and saturn. What are you guys use the high-power piece for? I am trying to figure out what I may miss if I don't have one.

[Ratlet]

Planetary and splitting doubles mostly.  My scope is a pretty small (130aperture / 650mmFL) and I spend most of my time at lowish mag (x20 and x80) since my two favourite eyepieces give this power.  I'm sure at some point I'll want more but just starting out and there is plenty to see on the low power side.

[starhiker]

35 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

Planetary and splitting doubles mostly.  My scope is a pretty small (130aperture / 650mmFL) and I spend most of my time at lowish mag (x20 and x80) since my two favourite eyepieces give this power.  I'm sure at some point I'll want more but just starting out and there is plenty to see on the low power side.

That's what I am thought too. Maybe especially for splitting doubles.

[Mr Spock]

With my 102mm apo I usually settle on x179 for planets and moon. That's with a 4mm eyepiece. At that Jupiter has plenty of detail and I can follow moons across the surface. The moon is quite sharp and very enjoyable too at that magnification. I can go higher but it doesn't show any more detail and the image just gets too dark.

My 300mm has a lot more resolving power and on good nights looks sharp and detailed at x380 on the moon.

[Ian McCallum]

I've got a 3.2mm BST StarGuider ED eyepiece. It's seldom used, but occasionally sees service for lunar observing... 

[Guest]

I have a 5mm eyepiece that gets me 250x in my 10 inch.  I honestly dont use it very much unless i am going to look at the moon.  

[cajen2]

The highest mag I can get in my 8" dob is 240x, using a Pentax XW 5mil. This isn't possible in all conditions, though, as poor seeing can make the view messy. I spend most of my time at 96 -184x (Morpheus 12.5, 9 and 6.5mm).

As above, the higher mags are for planetary viewing and splitting doubles. The moon and  DSOs need a variety of mags, depending on size.

Edited November 3, 2022 by cajen2

[bemak187]

For me not much.  Planets basically is when I would bring out higher power conditions permitting.  I'm running an 11 inch SCT so usually trying to dial the power and mag down 😀.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

23 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

With my 102mm apo I usually settle on x179 for planets and moon. That's with a 4mm eyepiece. At that Jupiter has plenty of detail and I can follow moons across the surface. The moon is quite sharp and very enjoyable too at that magnification. I can go higher but it doesn't show any more detail and the image just gets too dark.

 

I own a 102/714 refractor so my answer is as above plus splitting doubles. Also certain deep sky objects do benefit from higher mags under urban light pollution. M57 for instance.

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by ScouseSpaceCadet
deep

[Louis D]

Mostly for resolving globular clusters like M22 and M13 at 200x and above.  Much below that, and they just look like a fuzzy spot.

[AstroMuni]

On 02/11/2022 at 08:52, starhiker said:

What are you guys use the high-power piece for?

As others have said - mainly for lunar, planetary, splitting doubles and collimation (to get the airy disk, if you have a newt)

Edited November 3, 2022 by AstroMuni

[Ratlet]

I find that high power (say the 8mm in my X2 Barlow) is REALLY good for making me want to upgrade my mount.  I love the AZ5 but if I'm being honest it's probably not up to the 130pds at that power and hovering my head at the eyepiece to avoid wobbles works but is quite tiring.

[starhiker]

4 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

I find that high power (say the 8mm in my X2 Barlow) is REALLY good for making me want to upgrade my mount.  I love the AZ5 but if I'm being honest it's probably not up to the 130pds at that power and hovering my head at the eyepiece to avoid wobbles works but is quite tiring.

😆 spending money to realise that I need to spend more money. It is a discouraging signal for me thinking about buying a high-power eyepiece.

[starhiker]

54 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Mostly for resolving globular clusters like M22 and M13 at 200x and above.  Much below that, and they just look like a fuzzy spot.

Thanks. It is great to know that some objects actually need that high power.

[starhiker]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

The highest mag I can get in my 8" dob is 240x, using a Pentax XW 5mil. This isn't possible in all conditions, though, as poor seeing can make the view messy. I spend most of my time at 96 -184x (Morpheus 12.5, 9 and 6.5mm).

As above, the higher mags are for planetary viewing and splitting doubles. The moon and  DSOs need a variety of mags, depending on size.

One thing that I don't understand is about having such a dense distribution in terms of power of eyepieces, four eyepieces covering 96x -240x. I am sure that it is my problem as a beginner who has not realised its benefits.

[bosun21]

I use a few high power eyepieces depending on scope and target. My Morpheus 4.5 & 6.5mm along with my new addition 4mm Nirvana are used mainly on the planets and globular clusters . I find that apart from the moon, Mars can soak up the magnification on nights of good seeing.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

37 minutes ago, starhiker said:

One thing that I don't understand is about having such a dense distribution in terms of power of eyepieces, four eyepieces covering 96x -240x. I am sure that it is my problem as a beginner who has not realised its benefits.

Examples - Low to mid power for those deep sky objects requiring a wider field of view like open clusters. Mid to increasingly high power for splitting double stars, darkening a bright background sky and resolvng the likes of globular clusters, planetary obervation for instance a Jovian moon shadow transit can benefit from those higher powers around 180x. 200x+ (with the barlow mentioned below) on a good night and a lunar cratelet feels just beyond your reach.

Having incremental steps also helps maintain the optimum view dependent on seeing conditions. i.e. on a night with good seeing and transparency I'll pop in a 4mm for Jupiter @ 179x. If the conditions are not conducent then maybe the 6mm @ 119x will provide a better view.

At lower powers the steps become less tight. So my eyepieces are 4/5/6/7/8/9/12/16/24(and a 30mm plossl that gives around the same fov as the 24mm but is very much lighter in weight and doesn't upset balance depending on what mount I'm using) plus a quality 2x barlow when conditions allow and I feel 200+ would benefit.

Edited November 3, 2022 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[cajen2]

1 hour ago, starhiker said:

One thing that I don't understand is about having such a dense distribution in terms of power of eyepieces, four eyepieces covering 96x -240x. I am sure that it is my problem as a beginner who has not realised its benefits.

As I said, much depends on the seeing conditions as well as the target. If the seeing is excellent, my 5mil is great for the planets. But so often the seeing is poor, so I shift down to 6.5 or even 9.

Having lots of choice is also great for the Moon: sometimes you want to see the whole satellite, sometimes (e.g.) a range of mountains and sometimes a really close view of something. Again, the seeing often dictates which EP is used.

DSOs differ so greatly in size (compare the Andromeda Galaxy with the Ring Nebula, for example) that you need a range of EPs to match the target.