Skywatcher Classic 150p eyepiece recommendations

[Jimmy81]

Good evening all and happy Christmas (Eve). I am new to astronomy after a lifetime of being fascinated by the night sky. I finally got round to purchasing my first telescope, which is a Skywatcher Classic 150p f/8 Dob. Came with stock 10mm & 25mm eyepieces, a Celestron Omni 9mm a tiny little 3.5mm and a cheap looking 2x Barlow. I have used the 9,10 and 25mm to view the moon and Jupiter and to be honest for a first timer I was really quite impressed with what I could see. However, I know there significant gains to be made by upgrading the eyepieces so I have ordered (only ordered yesterday so not expecting to receive them for a week or so) the following from FLO - 8mm, 12mm, 18mm and 2x Barlow all BST starguider. I felt that would give me the best coverage in terms of magnification from 67x to 300x. My question is, do I keep the Barlow or exchange for another dedicated focal length eyepiece? I want to be able to view a bit of everything until I learn what really floats my boat. Thanks in advance 

[Saganite]

Hi,

Welcome to SGL

I have used BST eyepieces in the past and they are really good eyepieces regardless of the fact that they are inexpensive.  The 12mm and 18mm , I thought, were the pick of the range, very good, but I have no experience of the BST barlow so I cannot comment .  I think you have chosen well, the 8mm will give 150x nice, for planetary, though barlowed to 300x may not get much use.  The rest, 66x, 100x, 133x and 200x are a nice spread and will allow you to cover all bases, and get you well into the hobby whilst you discover where your main interests may lie.

Good luck and enjoy your new telescope...🙂

Edited December 24, 2023 by Saganite

[Jimmy81]

Thanks for replying so promptly, I wasn’t sure I’d get a reply on Xmas eve. My only niggle was getting the Barlow or getting the 25mm for wide view of the sky, but seeing as I already has a 25mm (albeit a cheap stock eyepiece) I figured the Barlow maybe the better option if it matches the quality of the eyepieces. I get that I prob won’t Barlow the 8mm much at all just yet, but I know already that I will end up upgrading the scope in the future 😄

Merry Christmas 

[Zermelo]

Welcome to SGL.

You should get some great observing with that scope and the eyepiece range you (will) have. On the 25mm, I would stick with the stock EP for a while; they are not that bad, and I think you wouldn't notice so much improvement with a Starguider as you will with the stock 10mm. On the Barlow, again, experiment with it a few times, in different conditions, and see what you think. Compare the views between, say, the Barlowed 18mm with the 8mm.  If the Barlow degrades the image to your eyes, consider getting another.

I doubt that your 3.5mm will get much use in that scope, though.

 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

An excellent first telescope choice and one that you can use for years and years without feeling any need to change it!

In my (limited) experience you'll probably find yourself settling on a couple of the eyepieces as your go-to and then maybe using the Barlow occasionally.  I regularly use a 20mm and a 9mm.  Of the two, the 20mm gets a lot more use and often I'll use the Barlow with the 20mm in lieu of the 9mm and rarely use the 9mm with the Barlow as there are other limiting factors at play.

Sounds like you've got yourself a nice, versatile spread there and a very decent telescope.

[Jimmy81]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I’m very much looking forward to receiving and experimenting with my new eyepieces. What’s people’s thoughts on filters? I have a moon filter which works well to take the brightness out of the moon. According to the clear outside website I live in a Bortle 5 area. Should I be looking at any filters to help with the viewing experience? 

[RT65CB-SWL]

9 hours ago, Jimmy81 said:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I’m very much looking forward to receiving and experimenting with my new eyepieces. What’s people’s thoughts on filters? I have a moon filter which works well to take the brightness out of the moon. According to the clear outside website I live in a Bortle 5 area. Should I be looking at any filters to help with the viewing experience? 

Hi @Jimmy81 and welcome to SGL. 

Filters are a ‘marmite’ thing... either you love them or hate them, thing!

Below is the filters I use most often:

• variable polarising filter.
• Baader Neodymium.
• Explore Scientific UHC.

Other filters that I use are:

• Baader Continuum.
• Explore Scientific CLS.
• Explore Scientific Olll.
• Explore Scientific S2.
• ‘unknown’ set of colour filters - #82A is the most used from the set.
• ’unknown’ #47.

UHC and Olll filter brands do vary in quality and price. I chose the Explore Scientific brand because they are/were in the better than average quality bracket and price when I purchased them.

[Spile]

Start with the 25mm supplied EP and develop your skills. When you are ready to upgrade I would recommend a zoom eyepiece. Although I have the Baader Hyperion IV you will see that lots of forum members recommend the excellently priced equivalent from Svbony so that is what I would recommend. 

[Jimmy81]

1 hour ago, Spile said:

Start with the 25mm supplied EP and develop your skills. When you are ready to upgrade I would recommend a zoom eyepiece. Although I have the Baader Hyperion IV you will see that lots of forum members recommend the excellently priced equivalent from Svbony so that is what I would recommend. 

Thanks for the recommendation. I had considered a zoom eyepiece but in the end opted for 3 eyepieces (8mm, 12mm, 18mm) and a 2x Barlow all BST Starguider, purchased from FLO. All 4 pieces cost less than £200 inc postage so to me represents excellent value and should give me enough range to explore the skies. 
I’ve attached an image of the moon taken last week using the supplied 25mm eyepiece and an iPhone 12.