A New EP For A Skymax 127 GOTO

[Chestercopperpot]

Only had my scope for a week so far but i want an EP thats a bit more powerful than the 10mm supplied.

Had a nice look at Jupiter the other night but even with the 10mm and barlow it was only just noticable as Jupiter.

I want to get much closer if possible.

I believe 6mm is as high as you should go for this scope, is that right?

Any suggestions for EPs would be great.

Dont mind spending upto £70 ish

[Capricorn]

At f/11.8 I would say anything around 8-10mm is as small as you should consider. I think that SW state a max mag of 240ish but doubtful in reality.

Lets face it a 3mm EP and a 3x Barlow would mean 1500x, theoretically that is what you get but it isn't realistic and you wouldn't see anything.

Going the suggest that a better 10mm eyepiece might give clearer and sharper views and that might improve things.

If you go for an 8mm then suggest something that is decent and therefore a TV plossl comes to mind. Alternativly an Orion ED eyepiece. Just don't be surprised if the extra magnification doesn't really improve the situation. Still say that sharpness and clarity could be the root of the problem.

[Budgie]

There's a good post at the top of this section about what EP's to use with your scope.

[robhal9000]

Hi,

A 9mm TMB clone from ebay at 38 quid inc delivery may be a good choice for an upgrade planetary EP.

[LukeSkywatcher]

On my Celestron 90EQ~~~3.5" apeture (f11,F/L 1000), i found that the most powerful/smallest EP i could use and still see things was a 9mm EP. It was/is great with planets and the moon.

On my new scope a SW 130P Heritage (5"apeture,f5,F/L 650mm), i can really push the boat out and use a 6mm EP, 6mm+2x Barlow (on a REALLY good night) or a 4mm EP on planets. I dont even want to try the 4mm EP with a 2x barlow on the moon or planets. The 130P is great for picking up DSO's.

I'm really more of a widefield observer. 25-30mm EPs are my weapon of choice.

[sn00p]

I regulary use a TMB 6mm Planetary with my skymax 127. You may not want to go that low if you have bad viewing and try a 7 or 8mm. I say try the 6 you will sell it no problem if you have issues... at at £40 they are spot on. You will get most your money back maybe less a £5 and postage so imho its worth the gamble...

[RichieP]

If you are already using a 10mm with (I assume) a 2x barlow, you are already effectively using a 5mm eyepeice.

That is 300x. Not really worth pushing it much more than that.

I'd spend the money on a better eyepiece or barlow (or both).

Richard

[great_bear]

At f/11.8 I would say anything around 8-10mm is as small as you should consider.

Yes - it's possible to push a little harder, but given average seeing in the UK, I must concede that's a good choice. You'll not want your first "nice" eyepiece to be something that can only be used very occasionally.

You have to get very close-up to an 8mm TeleVue Plossl to get the whole field in view - so it's not good for spectacle wearers. If this doesn't bother you then the TeleVue Plossl is about the best recommendation you'll get.

[kniclander]

the benefit of the TMB planetary (or a clone) over the plossl is not only the extra eye relief but also the wider field of view although if your mount is goto/motorised I suppose the wider FOV doesn't matter too much.

[brantuk]

Jupiter is a bit low at the moment and will appear to "shimmer" in any eyepeice cos your looking through a lot of atmosphere. It'll be better when it's higher around Sept/Oct time.

Magnification isn't everything and clarity of view is often more important - and that means ultimately spending more on ep's. A 10mm Telvue plossl will help here but don't buy brand new. Not a lot can go wrong with ep's unless they're abused and astronomers keep their kit in good order.

Scan the for sale section regularly and for your budget you'll pick up one or two good plossl's for around £35 to £40 each.

Hope that helps

(also - aim for around 80% of the manufacturers stated maximum magnification)

[great_bear]

(also - aim for around 80% of the manufacturers stated maximum magnification)

Plus (and this is where it gets complex) focus (no pun intended) on getting a good eyepiece around 200-220x if this is below the limit mentioned above. i.e. in my opinion, don't let your first "nice" planetary eyepiece have a magnification greater than 220x as a maximum - 200x is better.

Finally, remember that all such advice is "approximate", and your results may vary.

[Chestercopperpot]

Brilliant advice peoples

Cheers