Upgrades for Heritage 150p GTi?

[kdahl]

Hi, I am a total newbie and and ordered my first ever telescope for me and my daughter. I heard that the eyepieces that comes with scope are usually not the best and I have heard quite a bit about the BST line, as well as Svbony red and X-cel.

Reading up here on the forum it really sound line BST gives most bang for buck.

So my question is what I should complement with. I guess I should start out with some kind of shotgun approach and get a bit of everything to find what we enjoy.

What mm would you recommend?

I am thinking I should get a 5mm, but maybe a 8mm + Barlow (which I probably want anyway) gives me more view options.

Thanks!

[wulfrun]

Do you have any particular interests yet (double stars, moon etc)? The scope comes with a 25mm that is of usable quality and a 10mm that is dubious but not useless. If you want to upgrade one from the outset, go for the 8mm BST to replace the stock 10mm, the BST will be much better. A Barlow would be helpful, a 2x would give you (effectively) a 12.5mm and 4mm too. Most folk own a Barlow or three! Best advice is not to rush into buying a stack of eyepieces until you've used the scope a while and get a feel for what you're lacking. You'll spread the cost and avoid buying stuff you rarely/never use.

Oh and welcome to SGL! Keep asking questions, you'll get a range of helpful answers.

[PeterStudz]

Having been a “total newbie” not long ago plus having a daughter who’s interested in astronomy my advice would be to buy nothing until you have got use to what you have, learnt a little, done some observing and know what you both like looking at. Eg  it was only after some considerable time that my daughter decided she preferred the plants and also the sun - solar with a white light filter. This will obviously have an impact on eyepieces and accessories.

Having said that most will replace the 10mm eyepiece first. But after using our kit I decided that a 12mm would be better for us. For what we have It gives a little more space around many deep sky objects which we prefer. And this has become our most used eyepiece. Others  might prefer an 8mm or 15mm. Maybe even a zoom. There’s no right/best solution. 

[Spile]

I would suggest waiting until you have got used to using your Dobsonian before considering upgrades.

[Astro_Dad]

You have a good ‘scope there - get to know how it works (both manually and using Syn Scan) and gain some experience before worrying too much about upgrades - the 25mm eyepiece is fine and you’ll be more than OK with that for a period of time. You’re right though the BST’s represent a very good, cost effective upgrade. Try the 8mm and 12mm versions in time. 

[kdahl]

Great thanks guys! Especially my wife will appreciate these answers. (She said the same) 🤣🤣

Edited December 3, 2022 by kdahl