Any Telescope Users Here?

[zinger1457]

Got my Christmas present early, a Celstron NexStar 6SE telescope. I'm just starting to get my feet wet but expect to make this another ER hobby. It comes with just a basic 25mm eyepiece. Any recommendations on a couple of other eyepieces that would be the most useful for someone starting out? I do live in a pretty good area for viewing, at about 5K' elevation, clear skies, and in a rural area so light pollution really isn't an issue.

[Animorph]

It's been a while since I looked at eyepieces. Mainly, heed the warnings on not going with too high a magnification for your telescope. It'll just look blurry.


We were out with an astronomy "tour" this summer, with a pro (radio) astronomer. He had a very simple and inexpensive telescope, but very fancy eyepieces. They cost way more than the 'scope. I was never quite that much of a spender, but used the better eyepiece types, at the time, for my higher magnifications.

[davemartin88]

zinger1457, what are you most interested in looking at? If you want to concentrate on the moon and planets, then you may want to get something around 17 or 18 mm to increase your power but there are usually only a few nights per year when you can really take advantage of the higher power.

The 25mm was most likely supplied because it will give you a pleasing FOV with a reasonable chance of being able to find the objects you use the goto function to find. A 32mm or a bit higher will give you a wider field of view and make it easier to look at open clusters and larger Deep Space Objects.

Sounds like you have a great spot to view- lack of light pollution should make this scope work well for you. As Animorph said, you can spend a lot of money on eyepieces but starting with a couple of additional Plossl eyepieces can give you a good start to get a better idea what FOV and magnifications will be most beneficial.

Enjoy your new scope!

[eytonxav]

Gave my 8" Celestron Ultima to DS. Mirror had moisture and drive system stopped working. Celestron told me they may not be able to repair it due to lack of parts, so I never bothered to send it back to them. If I lived way out in western Texas, I'd definitely buy another, but city lights are not so good unless you want to travel out of town.

[davemartin88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFW_M5 If I lived way out in western Texas, I'd definitely buy another, but city lights are not so good unless you want to travel out of town.

The Optical Tube on your Ultima is probably worth salvaging by removing it from the original mount and putting it on a relatively inexpensive GOTO mount. I think the 8" SCT is just about perfect for getting good views but being light enough for reasonable portability? Just a thought.

[Jackanory]

I have a Parks Pioneer, mounted on a tripod and pointed at the Ocean Beach pier -- a cheapskates whitewater view!

[eytonxav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davemartin88 The Optical Tube on your Ultima is probably worth salvaging by removing it from the original mount and putting it on a relatively inexpensive GOTO mount. I think the 8" SCT is just about perfect for getting good views but being light enough for reasonable portability? Just a thought.

Thanks Dave, I'll mention that to my son. The current mount is a bit of a heavy weight.

[jjquantz]

I currently have 3 scopes - yours should be a lot of fun. I would second davemartin88's suggestion - a 32 mm wide angle eyepiece would be very useful and then a shorter focal length eyepiece for planetary work. PM me if you would like some specific suggestions - unless others would like to hear my opinion. You might also eventually consider grabbing a video camera for your scope - they are now available for about $99 and are great fun. They can show a lot more detail in objects than you will see using eyepieces. It helps to have some experience with the old eyeball before moving to the video approach. As hard as it can be to find objects visually, it is even tougher with the small field of view that video provides.

[zinger1457]

Thanks for the suggestions! There is a local astronomy club that occasionally holds a public viewing clinic, I'm sure I'll pick up some good advice from them also.

[Nodak]

Another amateur astronomer here. I have a 35 year old Questar 3.5" and a 13" Dobsonian scope purchased about 20 years ago. I second the advice already given on eyepieces by Davemartin88 and Jjquantz.