Kit upgrade advice - what next???

[chessdoon]

Hi,

I’ve had my Skywatcher scope (8 inch Dob) for about 2 years and use it mainly in my backyard in suburban Sydney. I would still consider myself a beginner. I’m enjoying it and have been thinking about what to purchase next to add to the experience. ie filter, eyepiece, ????

I bought the telescope second hand and have the two Super Plossl eye pieces (10 & 25mm) that originally came with it. I also have a 2in GSO Superview – 42mm and a 1.25in GSO Superview – 20mm that came with the purchase, both of which seem to work well.

My go to eyepiece at the moment is an Orion Edge on Planetary – 12.5mm and I also have an Astronomik CLS-filter, both of which have been purchased as gifts.

My question is what would be a good addition to my kit. Things to consider are that I’m on a budget and I mainly view from my backyard.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

:thanx:

Mick

[Benjamin]

You may have some of these things...

1. Observing chair (adjustable height)
2. Telrad or Red dot finder (Telrad is easily stuck on to the tube)
3. Right Angle Correct Image finderscope (used in conjunction with the Telrad makes star hopping a little more fun)
4. Narrowband UHC filter for Nebula
5. Nice collimation tools and replacing any hex screws on the secondary or primary mirrors with Bob's Knobs
6. Eyepieces (maybe an 82° Explore Scientific 6.7mm for higher magnification)
7. DIY fan or flock the interior
8. Digital setting circles (Argo Navis etc.)
9. Plan more trips to a dark sky to use the scopet there then you'll probably feel less inclined to get any of the above except for the chair!

[gaseous]

Hi Michael,
As Ben said, some sort of Narrowband filter will help bring out any nebulae in a suburban setting more than the CLS will. Although a decent one may set you back a few hundred dollars, they should last a long time and will make a big difference to your viewing experience - I'd be getting one of these first. The GSO Superviews are remarkably good eyepieces for the price - you could consider the 30mm version as well, although if your budget stretched you could look into an Explore Scientific 82° 30mm (for 3-4x the price of a GSO!). Maybe a 2x Barlow to double the effective magnification of your current eyepiece collection. There's no right answer, and as long as you have the funds, you can fill in the gaps in your collection of gear whenever you feel the need, but I think a narrowband filter would be a good starting point.

[chessdoon]

Thanks Ben and Patrick for the advice. It looks like the filter is the first thing to get and maybe something to magnify. I do have a Meade Barlow x2 so that should help. I also like the looks of the GSO Superview 30mm. Decisions, decisions!

[Benjamin]

This may or may not help but here are some things on filters. On the Lumicon site it's useful to see that there are exit pupils which suit each filter. I started out with 1.25" Baader filters (UHC and O-III) but it wasn't long before I had a few 2" eyepieces in which these filters are useless. The 2" eyepieces were at longer focal lengths (bigger exit pupil) where the extra barrel size is needed and this is also where the filters were actually more useful. So, if you have some kind of adapter or extension tube in which the 1.25" eyepieces sit that has 2" filter threads I'd say buy the 2" version of the filter to future proof a bit. That's my experience anyway. I use the Astronomik 2" UHC filter and love it, especially in light polluted skies.

http://www.lumicon.com/store/pg/15-LUMICON-Nebula-Filters.aspx

A test to see if what Lumicon say is true...

http://www.lcas-astronomy.org/articles/display.php?filename=the_best_nebul a_eyepieces&category=eyepieces

Filters and the targets they help with...

https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/user-reviews/accessories/astronomical-filters/filter-performance-comparisons-r1471

[chessdoon]

Thanks for the advice. I have ordered a narrow band filter and a GSO Superview 30mm. I'll have to wait a couple of weeks as they're a gift but I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.