Nexstar 4SE

[toshapetriji]

I´m about to purchase the Nexstar 4SE and would like to know what eye pieces you would recommend me to buy.

The scope comes with a 1.5 inch 25mm eye piece which is not enough I guess.

TVM

[Ags]

Hi, I have a NexStar 4SE. You can see my EPs in my sig.

The 6mm and 9mm Planetary EPs cost £49 each from Modern Astronomy and work well, but with hindsight I might have been better off getting a 7mm rather than the 6mm. The reason being that the 6mm gives too much magnification most nights. On nights with good seeing the 6mm is great, but i don't use it as much as I would like. The 9mm is brilliant at 150x magnification. So I'm saving to add a 7mm to my line-up - probably a Baader Genuine Orthoscopic.

I got the 24mm Hyperion as my wide-field EP - it gives about 1.23 degrees field of view (2.5 moon diameters). That is the widest field you can get with the 4SE as it only takes 1.25" EPs. A cheaper alternative would be to get a 32mm plossl which gives the same true field of view but with less magnification and contrast. (The 25mm plossl that comes with the 4SE is really nice, and gives you a 1 degree field of view, by way of comparison. I don't use it anymore as I have the Hyperion.).

The only other accessory I'm thinking of getting is a Baader UHC-S filter, to tease out a bit more contrast in nebulae.

[JamesM]

This scope has a focal length of 1325mm and accepts 1.25" eyepices. In order to find the magnification, you divide this number by the focal length of your chosen eyepiece:

1325 / 25 = 53 magnification (x53)

Therefore a 10mm eyepiece would give you:

1325 / 10 = x132

Lastly, a 6mm eyepiece would then give you:

1325 / 6 = x220

In terms of objects, it would seem at the moment that a magnification of x120 to x140 would be good for Jupiter which is fairly low in the sky this year. With average 'seeing' conditions, the maximum you could expect to see with ANY scope is around x250 so from this and the above calculation you can make a judgement as to what you want. I don't have this particular scope so I couldn't make a recommendation on a particular brand or type of eyepiece.

James

[toshapetriji]

Thanks for the feedback.

I´m planning on going the televue route. Can anyone advise on a good place to look for secondhand EP?

Thanks again.

[GJBC]

either on the for sale section on SGL

It is always busy and new stuff comes up regular or http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/ loads there as well

i have had luck on both recently buying and selling

it is always asking the main dealers if they have deals on or second hand kit you never know

[andrew63]

A good place for used equipment is the web site uk astronomy buy and sell.

I've bought a few bit and pieces and stuff is often from fellow enthusiasts

regard, andrew

[mijijim]

Hi,

If you are going the TV route do not forget about Powermates, I have 4EPs

and 2 Powermates which if used creatively can give you up to 20 sizes.

mijijim.

[mijijim]

Hi,

I should have mentioned all my scopes are refractors.

mijijim.

[toshapetriji]

thanks for the advice guys.