galaxy hunter ep for an 8"

[Brian W]

Hi all , any suggestions for an ep to use in an 8" Meade LightBridge that would be well suited for galaxy hunting?
Brian

[janoskiss]

Hi Brian, depends what you mean by "hunting"? Also, I assume you have some money to throw at the problem... ;)

1) Finding: 24mm Panoptic if sticking with 1.25" (it is very convenient to do so) or there are lots more (and more expensive) options if you want to go with 2"... 30mm Pentax XW is one of my faves for the scope in question..

2) Getting most detail in comfort and with ample FOV: 12mm Pentax XF --- I really cannot think of a better galaxy / deep sky EP for an 8" f/6 Dob! Okay, maybe the 13mm Ethos which I've only used on few occasions (impressive but pricey!) ... For perhaps teasing little more detail on occasion: 12mm UO HD ortho. Both great value (ie XF and HD) and optically superb EPs.

[Kal]

For optimal deep sky observing the general concensus is 2-3mm exit pupil, which would put you in the realm of a 10-15mm focal length eyepiece. Which eyepiece in this range depends on your budget and observing preferences, for example, do you like a large field of view?

[taminga16]

Brian,

You could do worse than a Vixen 17mm LVW.

Regards,

Greg.

[taminga16]

Brian,
Just checked the classifieds and Tak66 is advertising a 22mm Vixen LVW
under the heading Pentax EP's.

Greg.

[Gama]

I agree with Kal (Andrew) here.
What you need to do is not waste any light by a larger exit pupil, and not be able to see enough of it with a smaller one.
Maintain a good exit pupil which depends on you individually (Everyone has a different size) with age etc, then calculate the required eye piece focal length.
You can afford some magnification and in fact you need it, as it will reduce the contrast of the light pollution, and the contrast of the galaxy or DSO will stay mainly the same, in the field of view. Do a search and read about it.

Theo.