Meade LX90 12” ACF - eyepieces, objects to look at

[Nightingale]

So i’ve recently purchased this scope.. tracking is good.. works marvelously with the meade stella and Sky Safari pro app..

could i know what wide angle eyepieces would go well with it ie. High mag for jupiter and the lowest high mag for deep sky yet with nice wide views (cheap yet good views). I have a set of cheap chinese plossls, a 34mm 72 deg (china made wide angle), a baader zoom, a 12mm vixen slv and and awaiting a 25mm slv.. i also have a set of coloured and a 1.25 and 2 inch uhc (china made) filters.. not sure if adding more to the collection would give me better views in my light polluted sky.

And also if there is a field derotator that would go with this alt az setup for limited AP?

Lastly, what are the deep sky objects should i be looking out for in my light polluted sky? I have covered structures around the large and small megalenic and the orion.. what other galaxies or nebulas should i be looking out for with this scope visually?

And for those of you who are wondering if a 2inch diagonal with a sct crayford would clear the base in this 12 inch ; yes it does!

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

There's a De-rotator in the For Sale section....
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=178610

[Nightingale]

Hi Ken,

Yes i saw that ad.. will it work with the LX90? I know they work with the LX200 serial boards..

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

Good question!
I used one on my LX200....don't honestly know about the LX90...

Just checked the manual - looks like you need an LX200.
https://scopepics.files.wordpress.co...meade-1220.pdf

[PeterM]

Seems the derotator wont work with LX90 only LX200. I read the Meade 1220 derotator is a RS232 device and the Aux port with LX90 is not an RS232 port.
Here is an old IIS thread.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=74655

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/5...or-on-an-lx90/

[Outcast (Carlton)]

Hi there,

I have an LX90, 8" so not sure how valid my observations will be but, here goes:

For planetary, wide angle is not so important. Furthest I could push mine on Jupiter was a 6mm fujiyama ortho. However, that was only one phenomenal observing nights, in general 9mm worked best for picking out good detail. Saturn with a 6mm was awesome & I could even Barlow that. Jupiter is very bright though so, when viewing was sub par, a lot of detail just got washed out at very high power. I own the vixen SLV's in 9/6/4/2.5mm they are extremely good in all the scopes I own & on par with the Japanese orthos I've recently sold but, much more comfortable to use. I'd have no hesitation recommending more of those for your collection for planetary observing.

For 'widefield', a whole 1.3 degrees in an 8 " SCT I used the Meade UWA 82 degree series but they are nigh impossible to get these days. The explore scientific 82 degrees work very well but, be warned, in the 2" 30mm series they weigh a whopping 1kg...Awesome views though with an almost immersive feeling on nebula such as Eta Carina & Orion...

The ES's are readily available & for what they are, reasonably priced but, not cheap.

If budget is an issue, look at the GSO Superviews, Sirius Optics SWA Eps, not in the same league as the ES's & Meade UWA but, still good views.

My $1.64 worth...

[Nightingale]

I was considering the meade uwa but the longest f/l it comes in is 20mm.. that would give a very tiny tfov.. the 30mm es eyepiece would give me about the same tfov as my current 34mm 72 deg - so called aspheric eyepiece (made in china).. and i am not sure if the views would be any better.. from a few reviews on those who have bought them on amazon, they concur that the es 30mm quality is no better than the celestron xcels.. so i might wait for reviews on the new meade 26mm MWA.. that would give me a tfov of 0.85 deg in my 12 inch f10.. but not sure what it will cost though..

[Outcast (Carlton)]

Originally Posted by Nightingale

I was considering the meade uwa but the longest f/l it comes in is 20mm.. that would give a very tiny tfov.. the 30mm es eyepiece would give me about the same tfov as my current 34mm 72 deg - so called aspheric eyepiece (made in china).. and i am not sure if the views would be any better.. from a few reviews on those who have bought them on amazon, they concur that the es 30mm quality is no better than the celestron xcels.. so i might wait for reviews on the new meade 26mm MWA.. that would give me a tfov of 0.85 deg in my 12 inch f10.. but not sure what it will cost though..

Re: The Meades, yes sadly, 20mm is the longest FL.. however, it is a corker of a view.

Intrigued by comments you've read about the ES 30mm, I cannot comment on the Celestron Xcels, I've never looked through them but, The ES 30mm I have is sublime... including in an 12" F5 Newtonian.. it is pinpoint to the edge... The best eyepiece I had for opening up FOV on my 8" was the Sirius Optics 38mm 70 degree FOV. The views were pretty good for the money (Around $160) & as far as I can tell, identical to the Orion Q70 EP at $249.

Not a good eyepiece in my Newtonians but, in the SCT it was good, not sublime but, good....

Another line to look out for in the IIS classifieds is the Vixen LVW's. No longer made but, if you can get your hands on them, I can assure you they will blow you away.. So clear, full of contrast... I will be pitting them against my Meade UWA's soon to see if the Meade's remain in my possession... They are honestly that good... It will be a long process to decide if the Meades stay because, they are damned good too & maybe they still have a place in my collection...

FWIW, I consider my ES 30mm a definite keeper.. if you can, I highly recommend you look through one for yourself... from what I have read, I suspect they are better than the XCELs but, I do not know that for fact...

Cheers