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Old 10-08-2009, 01:00 PM
Dennis79 (Keith)
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On the right track for new eyepieces?

G'day everyone,

I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to this stuff but I am mighty glad I found this website, I have learnt so much.

I bought a Skywatcher 10 inch collapisble Dobsonian a few weeks ago and am thinking about upgrading the eyepieces, the 10mm Plossl that comes with it is not that great, although I quite like the 25 mm Plossl one as a low power eyepiece.

Anyway I'm thinking of doing to following and was just looking to see if I'm on the right track.

I was thinking of getting an eyepiece moon filter, 16mm Tele Vue Nagler type 5, Tele Vue 2X Barlow and a 7mm Tele Vue Nagler type 6.

Would these go well with my current scope?

Also what's the difference between Plossl and super Plossl?
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Old 10-08-2009, 02:11 PM
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Robh (Rob)
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Keith,

Assuming your mirror focal length is 1200mm, your magnifications with that selection will be 48 (with the 25mm), 75 and 150 with barlow, 171 and 342 with barlow. Now 48 and 75, 150 and 171 are not that different and seeing is rarely good enough to get to 342.
If instead, you get a 13mm and 9mm, the magnifications will be 48, 92 and 184 with barlow, 133 and 266 with barlow. This spread is better and the 266 high power is more do-able.

Regards, Rob
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Old 10-08-2009, 04:35 PM
Dennis79 (Keith)
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Cheers Rob, you are correct, it is a 1200mm focal length, it has an F ratio of 4.7.

I had forgotten about practical magnification, I'm still learning how to fit everything together.
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Old 10-08-2009, 04:58 PM
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dannat (Daniel)
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Keith i reckon the wide field is more important at the lower mags, i would be replacing the 25mm with one of the nagler's, maybe around 19-23mm for your f/l - then maybe one for closeup, the 9mm
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Old 10-08-2009, 08:18 PM
astro744
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You could also replace your 25mm Plossl with a 24mm Panoptic and add a 2x & 3x Tele Vue Barlow or preferably a 2x (2") & 2.5x (1.25") Powermate to retain eye relief and ensure no vignetting (although I'm not sure if the Barlows cause vignetting with the Pan).

The Barlow option will give you 24mm, 12mm & 8mm at 68 degree apparent field of view. The 2x & 2.5x Powermate option will give you 24, 12, 9.6mm

In fact a 24mm Pan plus 2.5x Powermate will nicely replace your 25mm & 10mm plossls and give very similar powers. You could add a 19mm Pan and get 7.6mm with the 2.5x Powermate or add a 16x Nagler and get 6.4mm giving 187x which would be a nice moderately high power on planets.

If you go the 2.5x Powermate make sure you ask for the latest one which is threaded for filters since the previous 2.5x model was not.

If you prefer Naglers then the 20mm T5 will give you slightly more true field than the Panoptic at a higher power and of course greater apparent field but is 2" and cannot be used with the 2.5x Powermate. The Powermates are available in 2" as 2x & 4x but are heavy.

See http://www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?cat=2 and look at the specification page for eyepiece details.

One thing I would recommend is a Paracorr since at f4.7 you will notice coma although you may not be bothered by it. However, without a Paracorr, dont expect to get pin point stars to the edge of field even with expensive eyepieces since coma is a function of the primary mirror and not the eyepiece. A Paracorr will correct this and 'tighten' the star images dramatically but it will increase your focal length by 1.15x. The are a few Paracorr models but only the latest or previous tunable top model should be considered for visual use for its ease of changing settings with different eyepieces.

The Paracorr will also add a bit of weight and if you add a Powermate and 20mm T5 you will likely have to re-balance the telescope. You could probably leave the Paracorr out when using the Powermate.

Also have a look at http://www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=221 for some Tele Vue recommendations.

As you can see the choices are numerous and if you can get to a star party and look through some of the eyepieces you would like the choice will become a little easier.

A 20T5, 13T6 & 9T6 and Tele Vue 2x Big Barlow is a very good selection.

If you prefer the lighter weight then your choice of 16T5 is good and add a 2.5x Powermate you get an eyepeice with over 1 deg field at 75x plus one giving 187x for planets.

Just to clarify the 1.15x factor with the Paracorr. Basically your telescope becomes 1200 x 1.15 = 1380mm focal length.

Whatever you choose, enjoy!
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Old 11-08-2009, 12:09 PM
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wavelandscott (Scott)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis79 View Post
G'day everyone,

I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to this stuff but I am mighty glad I found this website, I have learnt so much.

I bought a Skywatcher 10 inch collapisble Dobsonian a few weeks ago and am thinking about upgrading the eyepieces,
Would these go well with my current scope?
I will write the same boring advice that I almost always give people in your situation...

Before you go out and spend any money on new eyepieces, use the ones you have for a while longer to gain some eyepiece time.

Visit an Astro club or contact IIS members neear you and try some before you buy...

Doing this will save you the risk of making an expensive bad choice or two or from buying something that you will grow out of as your experience increases.

Go have a read of the Televue website with particular focus on the article about choosing eyepieces for a small dobsonian...There are many fine makes of quality eyepieces that can suit most any budget.

The trick is matching your likes/dislikes and viewing habits with the right gear.

Cheers,
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