DOB10” COLLAPSIBLE - Eyepeice Questions

[GAS747]

Hi Guys,

I recently brought one of these suckers:

http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=139&class1=1&class2=106

Now it came with a 10 and 25 eyepeice. Just not too sure what im suppose to be using for viewing planets.

I managed to find mars with both but cant really see much other then a small dot, if i zoom it the clarrity is terrible but i see it big.

any help or suggestions?

Sorry im new to this :)

Cheers!

[barx1963]

Paul
Firstly congratulations on the scope, and on having the good sense to ask for help!
Mars is not easy to see at the moment as it is very low in the north, so you are looking through a lot of air, which is rarely still and makes seeing difficult.
When you say zoom I assume you are moving the focuser? This is only to focus, if you go out of focus, it will look bigger but you are not zooming or making the image bigger, just blurrier (is blurrier a word?)
The 25mm eyepiece is the lower power one giving about 48x in your scope and the 10mm gives higher power at about 120x. Use the 25mm to locate the planet then up the power with the 10mm to get a bigger image. Beware of power as it also makes the field of view smaller so the planet will move out of view quicker. It also increases the effect of the poor seeing.
Once you move onto Deep Sky stuff (galaxies, nebulae, globulars etc) you will probably find that the 25mm will be in your focuser 90% of the time.

[GAS747]

well im pretty sure I located mars, it looked like mars anyway its really low but im sure i found it

I found if I zoomed out, it got reall blurry but i could still see it, just looked terrible. when i zoomed it, it was in focus but small looked nice though!

I see what you mean about the differences between 25 and 10 eye peice now it makes sence :) thanks heaps!

[barx1963]

Mars is low in the northern sky right now and is the brightest object there apart from the moon. It will; have a distint red colour and will twinkle much less than any other stars.
Even with the 25mm you should be able to make out some kind of marking, maybe even a white patch at the top of the disc which is the North Polar Cap. Be patient and wait for those few moments of clarity.
If looking for another challenge, swing the scope to the south and find the Sothern Cross (Crux) locate the star closest to the horizon which is Mimosa or Beta Crucis. Then in your finder you should see a little patch below it and slightly to the right, then examine this in your scope. It's my favorite little cluster, NGC4755 the Jewell Box! This object doesn't mind a bit of power so once you have it centred. pop in the 10mm and see the difference.
Let us know how you go.

[GAS747]

i just got my first view of saturn! WOW thats amazing!!! I cant beleive how good it looks even though its small i can still make out the rings etc clearly!

[GAS747]

Anyone have any idea's if I can get different eye peices or any recommendations that I should be using for this scope?

Iv been looking at Jupiter latley thru my 10mm eyepeice looks good but just wondering if there is anything else which would maybe make the image a bit larger in the scope.

[sly]

Paul,

You could try to go for a 5mm, 6mm or 7mm eyepiece...just don't try to overpush it!
Alternatively, you could consider acquiring a 2X barlow that you will be able to use with both your eyepieces, providing a larger range of magnifications!
It all comes down to your budget for the lot!

Sly

[GAS747]

cool thx for the info, ill have to look and see how much the 5mm eyepeices are worth!

[icytailmark]

hi paul,

i have the 12" edition of this scope and i use 7mm Pentax XW, 2x Barlow, 13MM Nagler type 6, and a 20 mm nagler type 5. Also buy yourself a collimator because you will need to line the mirrors up every time your viewing. Dont bother getting a 5mm you just need to use a 2x barlow on your 10mm that came with the scope. I just use my 2x barlow and my 7mm (which makes it a 3.5mm) on the moon and planets when the seeing is really good.

[GAS747]

thats really helpful information.

do you know what something like that would be worth?

[icytailmark]

a Tele vue brand 2x barlow (1.25") from www.bintelshop.com.au (http://www.bintelshop.com.au) is $139 i use that one but you can get cheaper barlow lenses. Its the most useful accessory any astronomer can get. I spent around $1500 just on accessories like eyepieces,filters,light shroud etc etc.

[GAS747]

What you guys think of this???

http://www.ozscopes.com.au/achromatic-barlow-lens-saxon-2x-1-25-inch.html

Not sure with brands and qaulity...

How with that work with say my current 10mm eyepeice?