Eyepieces for my 8' Dob.

[untold raven]

Hey all, i am ready to upgrade the lenses that came with my telescope, but I am not sure which ones I should get.

My local store has quite the range and I am looking at the following Saxon ones:

https://binocentral.com.au/brand/saxon/saxon-5mm-68-degree-super-wide-angle-1-25-inch-eyepiece
https://binocentral.com.au/brand/saxon/saxon-13mm-68-degree-super-wide-angle-1-25-inch-eyepiece
https://binocentral.com.au/brand/saxon/saxon-17mm-68-degree-super-wide-angle-1-25-inch-eyepiece
https://binocentral.com.au/brand/saxon/saxon-21mm-68-degree-super-wide-angle-1-25-inch-eyepiece

I have been saving up and can afford 3 of them, any recommendations. I'd like a range that allows me to observe the moon, deep sky objects and planets.

Thank you in advance.

Eyepieces for my 8' Dob.

[viral wraith]

I'd get one that's more zoomed in, one wide-ish and a good barlow, instead of many different eyepieces

Usually people end up using 1 or 2 max

[soft prawn]

And for 2 eyepieces, I personally would recommend an Explore-Scientific Argon Eyepiece

one at around 30 - 20mm and one at 12 - 9mm

[viral wraith]

Also I can't check that site for some reason, what's the price on those

Or one 20mm xwa at 100°

I'm never stopping shilling for that ep

[untold raven]

about 250 aus each

[soft prawn]

Yeah go with the Explore-Scientific Argon Eyepieces

theyre really really good

easy to clean too due to being waterproof

[untold raven]

any particular mm

[soft prawn]

^

that + a decent 2x or 3x barlow

[simple lance]

I wouldn't buy 100° eyepieces without testing them before. It is really "special", some people like it a lot, others don't.
68 et 82° is already very good. I have the ES 24, 11 and 6.7 mm and for the moment I haven't found huge flaws.

[simple lance]

Have you already tried cleaning them ? Mine are second-hand and my 24mm has a grease spot in the middle of the front lens, I don't want to ruin it by cleaning it under water 😅

[soft prawn]

Try getting it off with q-tips and distilled water (very carefully) and at the end, splash with distilled water to rinse off any residue and leave to dry. Theyre waterproof but not underwaterproof lol

If that doesnt work then use q-tips with isopropyl (also very carefully) and rinse with distilled water.

If you do that with non-waterproof eyepieces, part of the distilled water can seep between lenses and fog them up

[viral wraith]

I find 100° ep very immersive, to view dsos they're great as the objects will take a long time to drift away

[mint coyote]

Hard agree on ultrawides, I find 68 degrees to be plenty, and 80+ is more of a party trick (though I would get one for outreach purposes, the general public loves seeing the Moon in an ultrawide).

@untold raven I'd suggest testing an ultrawide eyepiece by borrowing one from an astronomy club first rather than committing to one right off the bat, just because they are quite an investment.

Also, I think you can get those same eyepieces for cheaper on Aliexpress (rebranded as Hercules Plano): https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832749779457.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

[viral wraith]

as usual aliexpress comes to save the day

[mint coyote]

They're the same as Baader Hyperions and I like them a lot in my RC, which is a little slower than your Dob (but that means edge correction will probably be a little worse in your scope, faster scopes are harder on eyepieces).

Eye relief is fantastic and I use my glasses with them without issue, if that's a factor for you. (I use my Hyperions for outreach and few people trouble finding the exit pupil, either, even with aggressive nebula filters)

I have the 21mm, 13mm, and 8mm

[viral wraith]

mh on the OA discord they really don't recommend the hyperions on faster scopes

I haven't tried one myself but that's what I was told

[mint coyote]

It is true they fall apart in fast scopes, but the reason I've never felt the itch to upgrade is because the ergonomics of the eyepiece are fantastic and I prioritize that over a better corrected field

[viral wraith]

that's fair, perhaps they're better on tracked mounts as you can just keep the object centered

[mint coyote]

Oh yeah that's a big factor I should mention, I've never actually owned a Dob before (all my observing has been with SCTs and my RC now on EQ mounts)

[viral wraith]

my xwa does fairly well on the edges, the difference is noticeable but not that bad

to add another plus to very wide eyepieces, it's easier to find stuff without tracking

[mint coyote]

That cannot be understated tbh

[viral wraith]

which is another reason I love my xwa, I can find stuff so easily

[mint coyote]

I may pick one up post-graduation

[viral wraith]

you'll love it (probably), I got mine on aliexpress for around 220€

[mint coyote]

I didn't realize they were that cheap and my #1 motivation for getting it is to share that spacewalk view with people when I do astronomy outreach

Good eye relief too

Honestly maybe the call is to get this eyepiece + two shorter Hercules Planos

(or one)

[viral wraith]

it's what I'll do, an xwa for dso and some wide field planetary and a SWA 7mm for closer views

there's a 5mm 110° xwa but I'm not ready to spend that money again lol

[mint coyote]

https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/astro-gear-today/reviews/astro-tech’s-20mm-xwa-an-affordable-extreme-field-eyepiece-r4585/

[viral wraith]

that's the one, mine is skyrover branded

[mint coyote]

the red circle is the field with an 8" f/6 dob

[viral wraith]

I bought it from this listing, it's the cheapest around
https://aliexpress.com/item/1005005888968723.html

[simple lance]

Mmmh. I'll have to find isopropyl alcool or ethanol (I guess it also work) without having to buy a liter of it

[soft prawn]

though honestly

dont clean it if you dont notice it while viewing

i have a thumb print on my main eyepiece and i havent bothered to clean it because i dont notice it while viewing

[simple lance]

Well I've watched M42 last week (in horrible conditions) and effectively I didn't notice it. I did not pay attention though.

(What a view in a 10" )

[soft prawn]

Then dont clean it honestly

if you dont see it unless you actively try to its fine

[simple lance]

Now that I think about it, I wasn't able to have a good focus on stars clusters, stars weren't pinpoints. It might be collimation issues (on the moment I didn't check it) but maybe this grease spot is blurring the image just enough that I can spot it on clusters.

I'll check this with a properly collimated scope.