Posts Made By: Michael Tencza

With all the folks who sell eyepieces second hand and claim to have never cleaned them (or used them), I'm happy to see that experienced people feel it is necessary for routine maintenance. I don't do this often but when I do I use Zeiss lens cleaner sprayed onto a white kleenex, then a clean one to finish. When viewing I keep my case close by and unless I am swapping eyepieces several times to compare them I keep eyepieces capped and in the case when not in use. None of this is hard or very time consuming and protects your investment. Although I bought all of my eyepieces used the cost was high enough that I would not want to have them damaged or lost carelessly.

I had the good fortune to use a friend's XT12 at a star party last month and saw a great view of Saturn through a 7mm nagler. The resulting magnification with that combination was 214x. In your scope with its shorter focal length a 7mm nagler/planetary would magnify by 171x and should be just fine with the same sky conditions.

I agree completely with Jon that with your aperture higher magnifications ought to be easily attained and provide fine views if the skies permit. I was getting some really nice views with my 120mm f=1000mm refractor and 6mm Radian last night. The Cassini Division was clearly seen as were details in the globe. A 254mm reflector probably will do at least as well.

As a final thought you might check out Floyd Blue's review comparing several high end oculars for planetary use. Personally I have had BO/TMB planetaries and they were good for the money but I found the TV Radians better and will hopefully also get a Pentax XL 5.2mm soon. I also keep a few UO Orthoscopics (18mm and 12.5mm) and a Celeston Ultima 2x Barlow SV around for fun. I like to compare views with the radians and sometimes my old eyes actually prefer the smaller field of view.

Clear Skies, Mike

You've almost convinced me to add to my filter collection. Did you get a chance to try it on Saturn also?

I got a look at Jupiter last night for the first time this year also but as you said the planet was low in the sky and the temperatures have temporarily dropped here in Raleigh, NC providing a lot of radiant cooling in the atmosphere. In fact after viewing the conjunction of the moon and Venus I turned up the magnification on the moon and the atmosphere looked similar to the air above hot pavement in the summer. Still some nice viewing though.

If you don't mind using a barlow you might enjoy the TV 7 and 5 mm Radians and get two extra focal lengths in the bargain.

Thank you for the questions Floyd, I appreciate reading everyone's opinions.

1) I am relatively new to this hobby and while I have looked through other people's Nagler eyepieces at club observing sessions, which were great BTW, the widest FOV I currently own comes from my 19 mm Panoptic. I use this eyepiece a lot as my finder in the 1.25" mode. Pincushion doesn't bother me at all and I feel it is a very sharp ocular in my scope. For planetary use I have TV Radians which I obtained after using B_/T__ Planetaries. The FOV is adequate to find planets easily with my scope and since I don't have tracking I appreciate being able to view without adjusting the position for a longer period of time. I upgraded to these from the Planetaries because of the increased sharpness and contrast obtained. ER is important to because as a general rule because I hate putting anything near my eyes (contacts are absolutely out of the question). All this notwithstanding I own a small set of volcano top UO Orthoscopics that have both a smaller FOV and less ER than the Radians because 1) they are less costly and still fine eyepieces for star parties and situations where I want to protect my investment in my more expensive equipment and, 2) there are times when I actually like the smaller FOV as it helps me to concentrate better on my intended target. I deal with the ER issue for the Orthoscopics by sticking to focal lengths 12.5 mm or greater and using a barlow.

2) If I am going to pay a premium price for a premium eyepiece I expect most (>90%)of the FOV to be sharp. After all we are in this to see things as they as, not as distortions.

3) I also expect minimal color problems from my oculars. I have read reviews that report some color in the Radians but whatever amount there is doesn't seem bother me.

So summing up none of this is a necessity it is simply what I enjoy and want from this hobby. Case in point, I hope to someday invest in a 10 or 12" dobsonian to see DSOs. Not because it is a necessity, but it would sure make life a bit more fun.

BTW Jupiter is getting nicer to see as the sky clears up here in NC.

Clear Skies,

Mike

Dust can be removed from most surfaces with an airbulb. For grease and other adherent materials I use Zeiss Lens Cleaner and white kleenex. There was a thread in the eyepiece section regarding cleaning eyepieces that applies if you would like a diverse set of opinions. Most of us do clean our equipment from time to time, but with care and not very often.

I finally got a chance to try the Baader Contrast Filter on Jupiter tonight and it worked very well with a variety of eyepieces, allowing me not only to see bands but detail within them. I should add that I used this filter with a William Optics Minus Violet Filter in the mix, but it still worked fine for me.

I have enjoyed this activity for about a year and a half and have become reasonably competant at finding dim objects and tinkering with my equipment. My wife recently gave me a Starbound Observing Chair for my birthday and it has made a big difference for me. It allows me to concentrate on the views better without the fatigue that ensues from bending ones neck and back into shapes they were never intended for. It is also true that time is important to extract details from many objects and a good observing chair will provide that. I recommend them highly.

Clear Skies

1) Widefield eyepieces: Many people like the Orion stratus/baader hyperion lines of eyepieces. I believe they are similar except for the coatings. There used to be a larger model, possibly 30mm, than the current largest 21mm, but it was discontinued. Rarely does it come up used on Astromart but you might get lucky. The Q70s have also received some favorable reports, but haven't been around as long. Just heed the warnings about inexpensive widefields in fast scopes like yours. The edge performance is likely to disappoint you. Check out the review section here on Astromart for excellent advice.

2) Clarity of Jupiter: Another thing to consider aside from the excellent suggestions so far is your focuser. The ability to use fine focusing is very important to tease out fine details, at least for me. The most cost effective way to upgrade your stock Orion Dob for fine focus is to get an Orion helical focuser (new $ 49.95). I put one on my 120mm refractor and I wouldn't use my scope without it. Note however that you can only use it for your 1.25" eyepieces as it fits into the your existing 2" focuser like the 2" to 1.25" adaptor you already have. However, since it is most important to fine focus at high power this is not usually a problem.

Clear Skies

The 10 mm Radian is made for your needs. I enjoy these eyepieces for FOV and eye relief (translate that to comfort). They also give very sharp views. The 10 mm will provide 150x with your Hardin and will fit nicely between the 115.4x and 187.5x you already have. Be careful though, you may like it so much you will have to trade in your 5 and 7 mm planetaries like I did. Another more expensive alternative is the Pentax 10.5 mm. Check Floyd's excellent review for a comparison.

Clear Skies 8)