Explore Scientific First Light

[Cec]

Hi all
First apologies if I have this in the wrong area.
Also this is not a scientific report, just what I observed on a slightly windy night when the clouds rolled in about 8.00pm
I have an 18" obsession dob and prefer to use a bino for viewing where possible. My only eyepieces were a pair of 19mm pans and a 2" 27mm pan. I have recently aquired a pair of 14mm ES, pair of 6.7mmES and a pair of 10mm ES 70degree.
OK on the moon (waxing 34%) with 19mm pans great focussed, some colour towards the edge, some atmospheric heat noticeable.
14mm ES in bino in , WOOOOOW!!!!! 82degree difference is noticeable, foused to edge, could not see coma to the edge, heat waves more apparent, but very clear, contrast great, noticed difference to pans in colour. This could be because of higher magnification. The family must of heard me as they are now lined up for a look, my wife wears glasses but was impressed by the eye relief.
OK now in with the 6.7mm ES The moon is getting lower on the horizon, but the view was great, the atmospherics are worse than before and the colour variation is more noticeable, more orange toward the edge and some coma noticeable.
These 6.7mm will be kept for the nights of excellent viewing.
Now to Saturn, low in the eastern sky, with the 19mm pans great cannot identify the gap in the rings but can see two moons,well focused.
In with the 14mm ES better now 3 moons and can see the gap now and then, atmospheric conditions not great, some detail on Saturn is just visible.
I did not try the 10mm or 6.7mm on Saturn.
Now to Omega cent, put the 14mm in, boy what can I say, this is magnificant, better than the 19mmpans, the whole cluster is in the AFOV, descibed to me by family member as like looking at diamonds.
The jewej box was brilliant, colour of the seperate stars was very noticeable. I did not get a chance to use the 10mmES70degree because of clouds moving in.
Overall the ES14mm great, these and my 19m pans will become my goto eyepieces, the 6.7mm for exceptional viewing nights. I did have some beaning with the bino especially with the 6.7mm ES until I had my eyes lined up with the centre of the bino, I did not notice any reflections from in the eyepieces, both the 14 & 6.7mm don't weigh mor than the 19mm pans so my balance arrangement for the bino was not affected.
Now all I need is some real QLD weather, NO clouds.

I did not get to see any DSO's.
Please feel free to ask any questions
Thanks
Cec

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Nice little report there. No doubt they are good eyepieces. Right now there is no better bang-for-the-buck eyepiece series on the market.

[mr bruess]

this is not a scientific report but an explore scientific eyepiece report.
where do you buy these eyepieces?
How much are they?

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

US. Optcorp or Astronomics. Others also. $99 US for the 4.7,6.7,11,14mm variants. Prices go up for the 18,24 and 30mm which are 2inch" eyepieces.
Only while the ES winter sale continues. Should be finishing up about the 20th of April. With the Aussie $ they are even cheaper now.

[Satchmo]

Cec

You could add value to the review by adding details of magnification which would include whatever Barlow amplification that your binoviewer uses. What is the brand of the BV ? A 10mm eyepiece with an F4.5 scope is still a 2.2mm exit pupil which is still relatively idling for monocular scope with no barlow.

[Cec]

Hi Satchmo
Ok here goes, the bino is a Denkmeier, part of the "big easy package" It is a Standard Denkmeier, so does not have the Focusing SCD holders, or the Power Switch.
The bino acts like a barlow with two different powers X 1.4 and X 2.5.
I very rarely use the Bino at X 2.5.
With my scope 18' and focal lenght of 2025mm, the 19mm pans are actually acting as 13.5mm, magnification of 150.
With the 14mm ES eyepieces, in the Bino act as 10mm and magnification of 202.5. With the 6.7mm ES eyepieces, acting as 4.8mm and a magnification of 421 approximately.
As can be seen by these figures, the 19mm and 14mm eyepieces will get most use and the 6.7 for those exceptional nights.
With the 27pan not using the bino(2" not 1.25") the magnification is X 75, so you can see I have a gap between the X 75 and the X 150.
I need a couple of eyepices that would gige me X 100 to X 120 with 1.25" for the Bino. Any suggestions, also the bank balance is low.
If these figures are not correct, please feel free to adjust them
Hope this helps
Cec

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

Cec.
Nice summary.
Ta!
I have a pair (?) of Denk II BVs waiting for me at the post office (can't get to it as roads are washed out tho' ).
Your report was very interesting as I bought another 19 Panoptic to pair in the BVs based on similar calcs and the views through a single 19 with my f15 Mak-Cass. The pairing has no problem resolving detail on Saturn or Jupiter though. Cassini division was easily visible earlier in the year.
I already have a 13mm Nagler with which I'm more than happy, but per your report, might give the shorter Explore Scientifics a whirl on Luna during those nights of great seeing.