Quote:
Originally Posted by bratislav
Given that you have undriven telescope, there are two things you can do.
1. get a Paracorr. That will allow whatever eyepiece you get to work much more than approx 1 mm circle you get to play at f/5 before coma destroys the image. Between variable seeing and you nudging the scope all the time, chances of seeing planetary detail get to zero rather quickly. With Paracor, planet can drift from edge to edge and stay as sharp as it was in the middle. If you get a well corrected, wide angle design (I've seen Type 1 Nagler 4.7 go for as low as 100 bucks) you suddenly have many minutes to observe, not mere seconds at the time.
2. (better) Make a platform. Driven telescope will allow you to see much more on planets.
Contrary to popular belief, the eyepiece plays only a few last few percent in planetary work. That is, a high quality mirror on a driven mount with a cheap Chinese Plossl will work million times better than an average mirrored, undriven scope with a $$$$$ Zeiss Abbe Unobtanium polished by Norwegian virgins using Rouge made from rusting samurai swords during a total solar eclipse.
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I would put driven platform first and foremost as a moving object is more difficult to concentrate on even if the entire field is sharp although the Paracorr option is a good idea.
With regards to your last sentence your limiting factor is your "average mirror". Put the good Zeiss eyepiece on a premium mirror and you will notice a difference.
Good eyepiece + good mirror = good view
Good eyepiece + bad mirror = bad view
Bad eyepiece + good mirror = bad view
Bad eyepiece + bad mirror = bad view
Your eye, local seeing, collimation and a few other factors also come into play.
Note I'm not saying all expensive eyepieces are good or all cheap eyepieces are bad. Just remember the eyepiece is half your telescope.