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Eyepieces
Eyepieces
Whichever type and size of telescope that you opt for there are a few essentials that you will need, the first of which are eyepieces. Although you can just about get away with two, a much better proposition would be three: a low power, medium and high power. By low magnification I mean about 30x which will give you fields of view in excess of 1 degree (or two Full Moons side by side) which is ideal for looking at comets, star clusters and nebulae. A medium power eyepiece is about 90x which will show you the Moon nicely cradled in the field of view, while a high power ocular will be around the 150x to 200x mark, capable of showing roughly 2/5ths of the Moon?s disc at once.
This range of magnifications ? 30x to 200x ? is applicable to our ?average? 9cm refractor or 11.5cm Newtonian. Larger instruments can use correspondingly higher powers, but there are practical limits imposed by the steadiness of the atmosphere that set the maximum magnification at 300x or so. At this juncture it is instructive to say that magnification is NOT the be all and end all of owning a telescope ? ALWAYS use the minimum magnification that shows you crisply defined detail. If ? as is commonly the case ? the air is very unsteady making the image of the Moon ripple like looking through running water, then no amount of additional magnification is going to improve the view. Choose a lower power and wait for another night of good seeing.
Types of eyepiece
There are two main things to know about your prospective eyepieces: their design and focal length. The designs to look for are Plossls or Orthoscopics, though the slightly cheaper Kellners are a good standby ? particularly if you have a typical Newtonian telescope. My personal preference is for the Plossl design, especially when anti-reflection coated. They possess well-corrected, wide fields of view and are well suited to all types of telescopes and observational subject matter. At roughly $69 to $200 each they are not cheap, but most good instruments are supplied with at least one these days. However, when you consider that an eyepiece is just as important a link in the optical chain as the objective mirror or lens, then the cost is put into perspective. In some the cases the images shown are representations only.
This range of magnifications ? 30x to 200x ? is applicable to our ?average? 9cm refractor or 11.5cm Newtonian. Larger instruments can use correspondingly higher powers, but there are practical limits imposed by the steadiness of the atmosphere that set the maximum magnification at 300x or so. At this juncture it is instructive to say that magnification is NOT the be all and end all of owning a telescope ? ALWAYS use the minimum magnification that shows you crisply defined detail. If ? as is commonly the case ? the air is very unsteady making the image of the Moon ripple like looking through running water, then no amount of additional magnification is going to improve the view. Choose a lower power and wait for another night of good seeing.
Types of eyepiece
There are two main things to know about your prospective eyepieces: their design and focal length. The designs to look for are Plossls or Orthoscopics, though the slightly cheaper Kellners are a good standby ? particularly if you have a typical Newtonian telescope. My personal preference is for the Plossl design, especially when anti-reflection coated. They possess well-corrected, wide fields of view and are well suited to all types of telescopes and observational subject matter. At roughly $69 to $200 each they are not cheap, but most good instruments are supplied with at least one these days. However, when you consider that an eyepiece is just as important a link in the optical chain as the objective mirror or lens, then the cost is put into perspective. In some the cases the images shown are representations only.
Eyepieces
| Eyepiece 25mm 1.25 H | Skywatcher Cheshire collimation eyepiece | Meade 12.5mm MH 1.25 |
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SKU: SKU51
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SKU: SKU216
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SKU: SKU50
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Our price: $40.00
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Our price: $52.00
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Our price: $60.00
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| Eyepiece 6mm 1.25 | Skywatcher Eyepieice 12mm 1.25 inch Plossl | Skywatcher Eyepeice 4mm 1.25 inch Plossl |
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SKU: SKU52
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SKU: SKU372
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SKU: SKU370
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Our price: $69.00
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Our price: $69.00
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Our price: $69.00
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| Skywatcher Eyepiece 9mm 1.25 inch Plossl | Sky-Watcher 12.5mm 1.25" Plossl eyepiece (4 Element) | Eyepiece 10mm 1.25" Erecting |
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SKU: SKU371
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SKU: SKU311
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SKU: SKU54
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Our price: $69.00
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Our price: $71.00
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Our price: $82.00
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| Skywatcher 20mm 1.25 inch Plossl Eyepeice | Sky-Watcher Illuminated Reticle 1.25" Eyepiece | Eyepiece 28mm 2" |
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SKU: SKU231
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SKU: SKU56
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SKU: SKU74
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Our price: $82.00
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Our price: $96.00
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Our price: $99.00
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