127 Mak - Eyepiece for wide field viewing

[copperg]

Hi,

I have recently lashed out and acquired a new SkyWatcher 127 Mak/Cas Az goto f/11.8. The widest eyepiece I have is a 24mm.

A couple of Questions to get me on track, pls....;

I get the drift from searching the net that 32mm may be the effective limit.

- Anyone able to recommend the widest eyepiece these Maks can handle given the inherent high mag/narrow field of view of the scope design??

- Anyone have experience with 40mm. (I'm considering a Tele Vue 32mm $129)

- How would it handle a wide apparent field eyepiece - say 70deg

- Whats the recommended filter for moderate light pollution & good nebulae viewing (SkyGlow, OIII or UHC-s etc)

Thanks

[Liz]

Hi Garry and welcome :welcome:.
I was one of these little scopes, but still reasonably new so havent tried the bigger EPs in it.
Alas, pretty cloudy up here, but will try as soon as I can one of my bigger EPs.

[andrew2008]

The TV32mm plossl gives the widest possible FoV in a 1.25" eyepiece. The 40 will show the same field with lower magnification. The 32 should be great eyepiece in that scope.

[copperg]

Thanks for info Andrew... Looks like 32mm is best...

Any comments from other Mak 127 owners also?? and....

Advice on;
Whats the recommended filter for moderate light pollution & good nebulae viewing (SkyGlow, OIII or UHC-s etc)

Thanks

[gb_astro]

Hi Garry.

You only have to limit yourself to the 32mm plossl if you want to stay with a 50° apparent field of view (AFOV).

Any eyepiece with a 27mm field stop (FS), the maximum for a 1.25" eyepiece, will give you the same maximum true field of view (TFOV) in your scope but at different AFOVs and magnifications.

As an example the TV 24 Panoptic has a FS of 27mm and an AFOV of 68°.
In your F1540mm Mak this gives you a TFOV of about 1° at a magnification of 64.
The 32mm TV plossl, with the same 27mm FS, gives you the same TFOV of 1° at a magnification of 48, and a 50° AFOV.

Up to a point most people prefer a wider AFOV.
Aslo in this case X64 will give you a darker sky background than X48 which should make the view better again.

So certainly consider those 70°s

gb.