Orion Skyquest XT10i - Recommended EPs?

[beardmeister]

Hi,
First post and very new to this but would love to get some advice if anybody is able to offer some.

I recently purchased a 10 inch dobsonian second hand - (Orion Skyquest XT10i Focal Length 1200mm; Focal Ratio 4.7) and have been very much enjoying dabbling in my first attempts at backyard astronomy. The guy i bought it with gave me two eyepieces (1x 'Super 25 Wide Angle Long Eye Relief' and 1 x 'Celestron 10mm').

I'm getting the bug so to speak and are now looking at getting some additional eyepieces and would just like some advice as to what would be suitable/recommended for my scope?

I've read on a few forums about eyepieces needing to be 'well corrected' on fast scopes but i'd be lying if i said that i actually understood what this meant or what brands I should be looking out for. It's all a bit confusing at this point to be honest!

Anyway if anybody could point me in the right direction that would be very much appreciated. Not looking to break the bank but would like something that performs reasonably well.

Cheers
Simon

[BeanerSA]

At this early stage of the hobby, I can only speak of my own experiences.

I purchased a 15mm eyepiece to fit between the 25 and the 10. In my case it was a GSO/Bintel Plossl, but one of the SWA 66° eyepieces would have suited. The quality of the glass was significantly better than any of the kit eyepieces.

Next up, I replaced the 10 with a SWA 66° 9mm eyepiece.

Lastly, I just picked up a GSO/Bintel 30mm Superview.

Total (retail) cost ~$200. Now I know the difference good glass makes and at what mag I like to view at, I would be prepared to spend money on more expensive eyepieces in the future.

I also spent $170 on a 6mm planetary eyepiece, which I can only use when viewing conditions are exceptional. So I should have saved my dough.

HTH

[The Mekon]

Buy the 13mm T6 Nagler that astroboy has up on the classifieds. You will be amazed at the difference it makes. It will be like you have purchased a whole different scope.

[beardmeister]

Thanks for the advice all.

Anybody +1 on Mekon's suggestion?

$300 is a fair outlay for me at the moment but if it makes a huge difference to the quality of what you are seeing then it might be worth the stretch...

Cheers Simon

[Allan]

The 13mm Nagler is a very good eyepiece, and would be a much used eyepiece in your dob. They are more expensive, but are a lifetime, spend the money once type eyepiece. Unless you look through an Ethos oneday that is, and decide you like those to.

Another item to look at eventually is a Paracorr. That coupled with a good eyepiece like the Nagler will show you a beautiful wide-field view of sharp stars all the way to the edge of the field of view.

I know many people with XT10 dobs. They are great scopes and do benefit from using good eyepieces. My suggestion is to buy slowly as you get experience and a chance to use other peoples gear, and build a quality eyepiece lineup.

[bigjoe]

+1 to the 13mm nagler;simply outstanding .
bigjoe.

[beardmeister]

Thank-you all for the advice.

I've gone ahead and bought the 13mm Nagler. Really looking forward to giving it a run some time next week!

Thanks again.

Cheers
Simon

[The Mekon]

Good decision Simon. When you get the 13mm, get your scope out, make sure it is well collimated, point at an object like 47Tuc with the 10mm or 25mm. Then put the 13mm in a take it all in and post your impressions!

[The Mekon]

The other thing I was going to say is that Naglers and other Televue eyepieces especially used ones, are like an alternate currency. If you are ever short of a dollar you can sell a couple to raise money and not lose much when you want to buy them back!