Guest Hooch Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Looking for some recommendations on a EP for viewing galaxys (like M57, M13, M11). Any info would be helpful size brand ect Want somthing cheap really, second hand is fine. Below £50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman161 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) I am not sure about budget EP's myself. I jut know that the more you spend the better views you get. I viewed M13 (for the first time which is a globular cluster rather than a galaxy) the other night through my Hyperion Zoom lens and even at 8mm got pretty good contrast and definition. If you want amazing views then it has to be Televue every time, downside=price tag! Just for info none of the ones you have listed are galaxies. I'm not having a go or being rude, just want you to get the right advice from the guys who know more so you get the best views of your intended targets M13=Globular Cluster M11=Open cluster M57=Planetary Nebula Edited May 31, 2012 by Brantuk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Hi Colm. Like felix has said above, there is a bit of confusion over what you would like to see. Try here...... http://messier.seds.org/objects.html It is a list of messier objects listed by type (there are plenty of galaxys in there ) Trouble with Messier objects, the majority of them are really faint (mag 6+) which makes them quite difficult to find if you do not know where to look. Rather than spending a small fortune on an ep, you would be better getting to a really dark sky site. While I do not own a really swanky exspensive ep, I don't own a cheap one either but what I have found is that a dark site can make the difference to seeing an object, or not seeing it at all. Get yourself a good an ep as you can afford and get to a dark site and you should be set. As for ep's in your bugdet, have a look at BST explorer's, or perhaps some X-CEL LX's. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Just noticed I have not answered your question regarding ep size. If you are on about ep size as in the size of the fitment (so either 1.25" or 2") then 2" is better, bigger area, more light etc etc. (very brief explination) but will cost loads more than a 1.25" ep! But what I think you were on about is what mm ep to get? I see you have the 200P, that is either a F5 or a F6 (F5=1000mm focal ratio, F6=1200 focal ratio) so a 5mm ep will give you either X200 magnification or X240 magnification. That is perfect (seeing conditions allowing) to view things like M3, M5, M13 etc etc (clusters) but is too much magnification for say M31 (Andromeda galaxy or M45 the Plaiedes or seven sisters) in which case a 25mm or even a 32mm ep will be needed. In this case a 25mm ep will give you either X40 mag or X48 mag depending on your focal ratio. So what I am getting at is, depending on what you want to see, depends on what EP size to get, or more importantly, I think you need 2 or 3 ep's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman161 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 So what I am getting at is, depending on what you want to see, depends on what EP size to get, or more importantly, I think you need 2 or 3 ep's! Or the good all rounder we all know and love [thanks Kim ] the Hyperion 8-24mm Clickstop Zoom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Or the good all rounder we all know and love [thanks Kim ] the Hyperion 8-24mm Clickstop Zoom! I agree it is a fantastic entry level ep offering everything between 8mm and 24mm in one ep, the down side is, brand new, cheapest I can find is £179.00 - a tad out of the £50.00 price limit set by Colm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 As Felix says - you didn't list any galaxies there lol For viewing galaxies (which tend to be very large in the eyepice) you need a good quality wide angle eyepiece at low power. Andromeda for example sits very nicely in a 2" 30-40mm eyepiece. I use WO 40mm Swan, and TV Panoptic 35mm, but you can also get some very reasonable offerings in GSO's BST's, TMB's, Hyperions, WO's and Meade. All in the £35-£65 range second hand. Look for 2" cos you'll get a wider fov which will be needed. But be aware they tend to be quite chunky and weight can become an issue on some scopes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hooch Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Yeah, when I was writing that I didn't think galaxys was the right name for the Nebula and Clusters but I knew you guys would know what I was on about. I am new to all this Ok I didn't read quite a few places 2" are give a better FOV but they are pricey. I keep seeing about this zoom eyepiece so I am tempted to try that. After looking up about nebulae, clusters and galaxys I promise I wont make the same mistake again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hooch Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Also, do any of the cheaper Zoom eyepieces come close to the Hyperion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 The Skywatcher zoon is a good punt at around £50 last time I looked. Quite a bit of internal reflection though and no where near as well engineered nor as smooth as the Baader. But for a first zoom to the untrained eye it's a good start that can be sold on for little loss. The Baader is considerably better all round - crisp and sharp - great fov (narrows slightly at the 24mm end) - well baffled - and camera friendly. Very versatie - it's a keeper imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Doctor Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I have to agree with Kim, the Baarder 8-24mm zoom is my favourite EP in my collection as it saves a lot of EP changes and the views are crisp and clear. Don't fall into the trap of trying to get too high a magnification their narrow FOV sometimes makes it difficult to find objects and if the seeing conditions are less than perfect then the image can be dull and less than pin sharp due to turbulence. I think many , including myself, actually have found themselves getting larger EPs that give less magnification but much wider FOVs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hooch Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Well got myself this in the end. TS Branded GSO Superview 30mm SWA 2" for £28 delivered from a seller I have bought EP's of before. Think I will be pleased with this! Also been reading a few books to get my knowledge of stargazing improved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teslar Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 (edited) Looks good for the price. Let us know what you think of the views Edited July 1, 2012 by Teslar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 That's a nice eyepiece Colm - coincidentally it was my first 2" eyepiece too and persuaded me to go low power wide angle for larger objects. Think I paid £35 quid (it was branded GSO) and I sold it for £28 plus a red cyclops style head torch lol. Open star clusters are fabulous with it - the plieades/hyades will be smashing - enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hooch Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Nice, just need some clear skies!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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