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lenses for sky watcher telescope

spidergirl

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spidergirl

spidergirl

Posted
Posted

hello there, we are relatively new to sky gazing. we have a Sky watcher d 114mm f 500mm. currently using -

super 10 long eye relief, super 25 wide angle long eye relief and 2x barlow lens (these came with telescope.) Don't seem to be able to see as much detail as they say we should.

what additional lense/s would you recommend, bearing in mind we have very little knowledge of these things.

your advice would be much appreciated.

thank you.

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brantuk

brantuk

Posted
Posted

The max magnification with that scope and your lenses will be 100x (i.e. 10mm barlowed 2x = 5mm. Divided into 500 focal length gives 100x mag).

If you were looking at planets (eg Jupiter) You'l see the moons and some colour - possibly even the banding - but most likely a bit hazy/blurry/fuzzy depending on conditions.

Trouble is - the 10mm and barlow supplied with the SW scopes are not the greatest. I had the same ep's on a 150P and wasn't really satisfied - views were blurry like yours. To get crisper clearer views you need to invest in some decent ep's. Doesn't have to be a lot - and buying second hand from the for sale section you can take a couple of steps up for a modest cost.

I'd recommend a Tal 2x barlow (£35 new from FLO or circa £25 s/h) or a s/h TV barlow. Plus a better quality 10mm or 12mm . If you can find an 11mm TV plossl for around £40 quid s/h then snap it up. There are better offerings with all the popular makes as well (SW, Meade, Celestron, WO, etc).

Don't over magnify though - in the UK conditions dictate around 180-200x as a practical limit for most scopes.

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Moonshane

Moonshane

Posted
Posted

I think you may be better initially to get a better barlow eyepiece eg the 2x Tal - Tal 2x and 3x Barlows

see how you get on with what you have and this may be an improvement. if you still cannot see much detail then you may need to improve your eyepieces. this is then down to budget as eyepieces cost anything from £15-650 or even more. good examples of decent eyepieces for good money are the TMB Planetary or the Paradigm / Discovery eyepieces which sell for maybe £30-40 each new but you can get them used sometimes.

do bear in mind that with your aperture (114mm) you are to some extent limited on deep space targets but it will be good on the moon, planets and brighter Messier objects like the open clusters etc.

also, you'll never get 'hubble like' views through any telescope. the amazing thing is that you can see things millions of miles away with modest equipment. maybe think about downloading Stellarium - free software - and also some star maps online for free. this will help keep the interest going and maybe 'Turn Left at Orion' would be a good book?

personally, although there's nothing inherently wrong with sets of eyepieces, I'd tend not to buy them as there's always a lot that you don't use.

my philosophy was buy the best in good used condition as you can use them in any scope and they can be sold for not much if any, less than you pay for them.

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Capricorn

Capricorn

Posted
Posted

I am assuming that spending out on an eyepiece set that is comparable to the cost of the scope isn't what you want. I know I wouldn't, at least at first.:p

Next point is I don't like barlows, read of so many being poor that adding one into the optical path seems pointless. So have ignored.:):eek:

Astronomica sell a range of "super plossls" at £20 a piece.

You can get 4mm, 6.5mm, 10mm, 15mm and 20mm are £25

25mm and 30mm are £25.

Ignoring your 10mm I would say go for the 6.5mm, 10mm, 20mm and 30mm in time.

They also have WA (Wide Angle) eyepieces at £29: 8mm, 12mm, 17mm, 20mm.

How about all in time? Maybe 17 or 20 but not both.

They do a nice range of ED eyepieces but at £50 I am guessing that these are not what you envisage at present.

Rother Valley Optics do the Antares range. They have 6mm, 10mm, 12.5mm, 17mm, 20mm, 25mm. All at £20.

Of these I would say 6mm, 12.5mm, 25mm. (you already have a 25 and if OK keep and use instead.)

Will say that your scope is f/5 so really needs decent eyepieces and all the above are budget eyepieces.

Search for "GSO eyepieces", know someone does them just cannot locate the retailer/site. They are similar price to above and have a good name.

Suggest you resist the idea of magnification for the sake of it, until more familiar, so go no lower then 6mm.

Look round the for sale sections of the other astro forums, you cannot see the one here.

Stick an approximate location in your profile, someone may suggest a local club or be able to lend you an EP or two.

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glowjet

glowjet

Posted
Posted

Hi Spidergirl,

I see this is your first post so a very warm welcome to SGL, familiarizing yourself with your scope takes time, some extremely good advise has already been given, but before you dip your hand in your pocket again consider this, you may not have had good views at present but this may have been down to atmospheric conditions, unless, what is termed the seeing is excellent, what you observe may have been degraded by conditions, again if your site is light polluted and you are able to transport your scope to somewhere very dark on a suitably clear night, then you will be able to make an assessment of the instruments ability. Whilst you are finding your way around, read as much as possible on the subject, your local library will have a mine of information and it`s free. I will not be long before you are able to form your own opinion of what you require next.

John.

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  • 1 year later...
1GuyFromHalton

1GuyFromHalton

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I was amazed when i purchased a Skywatcher 200P how little I could see in clarity. I thought about spending more on eyepieces, filters (shocking light pollution here) etc.

Turns out my collimation was way out and my secondary supports were twisted a lot too.

I used an old 35mm camera film holder, sharp knife and a needle to get greatly improved 'seeing'.

So money isn't always the solution. A little research and a few odds and ends and your on your way.

My experience led me to the ultimate conclusion :- astronomy is a hobby. It's not something you get out of a parcel that works straight away :)

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Lenny147

Lenny147

Posted
Posted

Hi spidergirl

I also have a skywatcher and as you say the eps are not up too much, i can sort of get away with the 25mm but the barlow and 10mm are not good. I just purchased a Tal x 2 and the views are greatly improved with my 25mm. Now its off to replace the 10mm and some extra eps :)

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  • 10 months later...
breezy

breezy

Posted
Posted

Skywatchers super plossl ep's are not too bad , if you want check out skies the limit , email or ring Alan the proprietor and ask him about the bst explorer range , they are very good value for money and Alan is very helpful . The 25mm is prob fine for moon and planets, I found the eye relief awful on the 10mm it was like it was stuck to my eyeball , a decent 32mm low power ep will be useful , the gso ones get a good review by peeps on here

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AddersFC

AddersFC

Posted
Posted

I have to agree with breezy -

Wth only the humble Skymax 127 goto, I found an enormous difference in performane when I purchased an

18mm BST Explorer ED. So I can't recommend them highly enough for the price!

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