Would a 'good' EP make much difference in a so-so scope?

[Truly55]

Following on from Rory's thread would a good EP make any difference to viewing in my Celestron Nexstar SLT127? I got the bog-standard 9 and 25mm EP's with the scope and have bought a TAL 2x Barlow but would I see with better quality with a better (more expensive) EP?

By the way what is a Plossl EP and how is different to mine - assuming they are?

[spartan]

i bought a 7mm nagler on the recommendation of the shop owner for my 8 inch skywatcher, and to be honest, i wished i had bought a eyepiece set, as the difference is hardly noticable, to the two eyepieces that came with the scope, considering it cost almost as much as the telescope. to say the least i was disappointed

[Rusty Strings]

At F11, the celestron slt 127 is very forgiving of eyepieces and whilst the supplied ones may not show the scope of to its best, you won't have to spend too much for an improvement. Try as many different ep's out in your scope as you can before you buy. Having a local astro society will help here.

[John]

Could you say a bit more about how you feel your scope is under performing ?.

Better quality eyepieces are nice but your scope should be happy with most eyepiece types.

There are other potential culprits for under performance which it might be worth exploring 1st before throwing £'s into eyepieces.

[Truly55]

Could you say a bit more about how you feel your scope is under performing ?.

Better quality eyepieces are nice but your scope should be happy with most eyepiece types.

There are other potential culprits for under performance which it might be worth exploring 1st before throwing £'s into eyepieces.

Our Moon is awesome on the 25 and 9mm EPs but I can only just make out Jupiter although the 4 moons are ok. Just wondering if a better EP would improve the view?

[SiriusB]

Our Moon is awesome on the 25 and 9mm EPs but I can only just make out Jupiter although the 4 moons are ok. Just wondering if a better EP would improve the view?

From what your describing it sounds more like sky conditions than an eyepiece problem.

A good eyepiece will squeeze a little more out of your scope, but your dependant on the weather, if the air is stable, you'll see a bit more detail on the moon & planets, if the skies are particularly transparent, you'll see a bit more of the deep sky objects.

Unfortunately any eyepiece no matter how good, can't magic these problems away.

Its worth bearing in mind Jupiter is not particularly high now by the time it's dark, which doesn't help to show it at its best.

Also are you letting your scope cool down before looking at Jupiter?

I have the skywatcher version of your scope, fairly new to me but some say it needs an hour or more to cool down outside.-not noticed it myself yet, but that's what they say.

Hope that helps.

[John]

Cool down time is important with maksutov scopes. The warm air currents in the tube take time to disperse and, once they have gone, this will make a big difference to the quality of the views. 45 minutes to an hour should be enough. Try pointing the tube downwards with no eyepiece in the diagonal to allow the warmer air to escape out the back as it rises in the tube.

With my mak, I usually set the scope up then go and do something else for an hour before trying anything other than low power observing.

[Truly55]

Cheers guys for the support. Every little tip is taken on board and learnt from.

[SBGemini]

Hi there Truly55

I am a partially sighted newb with same scope as you, and similar initial disappointments about the views I was getting. However, after a lengthy discussion with Martin at FLO, I tried the Baader Hyperion 13mm EP. Bearing in mind my visual difficulties, the improvement for me was amazing, clear **** views with great eye relief ( I can view with contact lenses or spectacles ).

The Hyperions are the size of hand grenades ( another thread idea for Astro Baby maybe?) and I found I was fumbling in the dark and was terrified I was going to drop something expensive!

So, I exchanged the 13mm EP for the Baader Hyperion clickstop zoom. Result, total transformation, I am not finding myself bobbing about to get my eye centred as I was withe the supplied Celestron 9pm. Hope this helps.

SBG

[Rossco72]

A Televue Nagler is a great eyepiece but as has been said in a slower scope like yours you will get nice views with most eyepiece designs. The tube currents and atmospheric conditions are probably far more relevant than the actual EP used.