Posts Made By: Tom Mitchell

I am a newbie regarding scopes and eyepieces and have recently acquired a Nexstar 5 along with a Celestron 25mm Plossl, a Celestron Ultima 5mm and a Celestron 12.5mm Ultima.

I live in the Tampa, Florida area and the city lights are annoying to say the least. Just wondering, are there any recommendations that would enhance my viewing or are the above eyepieces sufficient?

It seems that the 5mm is somewhat tough to look thru as the images are a bit more dim than with the other two pieces and my eyelids are literaly touching the glass in order to get a decent view. The 12.5 seems to be pretty good and the 25mm is nice, but doesn't really bring Jupiter in very close (as an example).

I see a lot of used eyepieces for sale in Astromart and any tips on what to try and pick up would be appreciated; new or used. My self-imposed budget is to spend no more than $100 each per new/used eyepiece. Thanks in advance.

Hello. I'm a bit of a newbie at astronomy and was hoping for a bit of help. I have a Nexstar 5 along with a Celestron 25mm plossl, Ultima 5mm and Ultima 12.5.

In looking at Jupiter...from central Florida, it just seems to me that the 12.5 provides a far "sharper" image than the 5mm. The 5mm brings in a "bigger" Jupiter, but it just doesn't seem as sharp regardless of the focus adjustments I make. Is this a limit to a smaller scope? And will I be better served with eyepieces in the 12.5mm to 30mm range as opposed to the 4mm to 8mm stuff? The 25mm shows a very good image as well...but the 12.5 is equally as sharp and much more impressive to look at.

Thanks for your help.