Help with lenses for planet spotting

[LunarRob]

Hi I have an Orion txt 8 plus and it comes with the below.

Includes a 2" 28mm DeepView eyepiece, 1.25" 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, Shorty 2x Barlow lens

I’ve found that with the 10mm and Barlow I can get a decent look at the planet but they move very quickly for the Dobsonian on std mount and it’s hard to follow with precision I put the big lense on (planet spotter) and get a great wider/longer view of the planets. Is there a better combination and can you get the 10mm and Barlow in 2”?

Thanks

[cajen2]

The Plossl will give you a rather narrow field of view, which doesn't help (usually 50° or even less). At higher mags, planets will seem to whisk across the field of view in very short order. One solution is to look at eyepieces with wider views: I mainly use the Baader Morpheus range (76°) but ES,  or StellaLyra LER/UWA (80°) for example, will be good too. It's all a matter of finance....😉.

You'll also slowly get more used to 'nudging' a dob to keep the target in view. This is a very handy skill to develop!

Oh, by the way, a 2" EP isn't intrinsically a wider field of view. Many 1.25" EPs are just as wide.

Edited October 21, 2023 by cajen2
Additional info

[bosun21]

The 10mm in your scope with a 2x barlow will give you 240x. This will require good seeing conditions to use it effectively. I find this too much for Jupiter on most nights and I generally aim for around 150x. Saturn however can soak up the magnification more than Jupiter can. You can perhaps buy a 15mm eyepiece something like a BST Starguider which is very reasonably priced and gives a 60 degree FOV. This will give you 80x and 160x which I think you will find provides a more pleasing view.

[Spile]

I would recommend a zoom eyepiece like the well reviewed Svbony. This will give you (especially combined with a Barlow) a range of magnifications so you won’t have to guess.

[Mr Spock]

I'd recommend a 7mm Nirvana. This will give you 82° field of view and x171, and is a reasonable price at £85. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/nirvana-es-uwa-82-ultrawide-eyepieces.html  I have one and it's very sharp.

x171 is ideal for Jupiter and will give you a nice crisp view with plenty of 'drift time'.

[bomberbaz]

14 hours ago, LunarRob said:

Hi I have an Orion txt 8 plus and it comes with the below.

Includes a 2" 28mm DeepView eyepiece, 1.25" 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, Shorty 2x Barlow lens

I’ve found that with the 10mm and Barlow I can get a decent look at the planet but they move very quickly for the Dobsonian on std mount and it’s hard to follow with precision I put the big lense on (planet spotter) and get a great wider/longer view of the planets. Is there a better combination and can you get the 10mm and Barlow in 2”?

Thanks

There you have 4 replies and all different and none either right or wrong, it is all a matter of personal taste. 

As you already have a Barlow you have that flexibility already so a fixed length eyepiece could be used to cover your needs we with the added advantage of doubling your focal lengths with said Barlow.

You have not given a budget so @Spile's zoom suggestion is both low priced and very good in quality department.

I personally am a big fan of zooms and if your budget is larger then the baader Mk IV zoom is a superb bit of kit in all departments albeit a little pricey. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by bomberbaz

[Naughty Neal]

Xcel lx's are all 1.25" ep's.

 

The 7 & 9mm  Xcel lx's get a very high rating from Ernest   and at a new price is also much the same price as the wide angled Nirvana's that Michael rates highly. 

If wanting new Xcel lx's at avery good price then one can get new ones for <£57 via AliExpress.

Edited October 23, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[M40]

I'm going to +1 to the baader zoom. Not only is it a great piece of glass, but the way a zoom works is perfect for a dob. Start on low power then up the power. If you lose the target, just switch back to the low power and start again.

Out of interest, I also bought the associated baader zoom barlow and have yet to use it with the zoom, so dependent on budget, give it a miss.