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Date: 08 Jul 2007 13:08:28
From: Kickin' Ass and Takin' Names
Subject: Is it possible to have too many eyepieces?
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I have an Orion XT-12 Intelliscope that I haul out 2-3 nights a week
(1500mm FL, f/4.9. I live in badly light-polluted urban skies, but,
by the end of the year, will be in a rural area where the Milky Way is
visible (not bright, but visible).
Once I move, I plan to work on a certificate for the Messier objects
then who knows what else.
Do I have too many eyepieces? Here's what I have.
Set of Meade Plossls -- this is the set that was sold for $99.00 when
you bought an ETX-series scope. The eyepieces are all 1.25-inch: 40,
32, 26, 20, 15, 12, 9.7 and 6.4mm.
2-inch eyepieces:
TeleVue PanOptic 35mm
TV PO 26mm
1.25-inch eyepieces:
TV 18mm Radian
12mm UO ortho
TV 10mm Radian
9mm UO ortho
7mm Nagler Type 6
6mm UO ortho
5mm Nagler Type 6
4mm UO ortho
3.7mm Orion Epic ED-2
TV 2X 1.25-inch Barlow
I find myself hauling out the 35mm or 26mm to view the moon and to see
wide areas of the sky -- maybe use each one 1-2 times a week.
Most of the time, I use the 18, 10, and 7mm eyepieces. For example,
last night I spent 30 minutes staring at Jupiter and used mainly the
10mm with an occasional look through the 7mm.
I used the 4mm ortho during the Mars opposition a few years ago but
have barely touched it since.
I'm thinking about getting down to:
35mm or 26mm TV PO
18mm Radian
10mm Radian
7mm Nagler
2X Barlow
Also have a 12mm ??? Plossl with lighted crosshairs -- think I'll keep
it.
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Date: 22 Jul 2007 20:18:15
From: ko57
Subject: Re: Is it possible to have too many eyepieces?
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Another thing,
>Kickin' Ass & Takin' Names posted:
"I'm thinking about getting down to:
35mm or 26mm TV PO
18mm Radian..."
If you do thin out your herd I'd still hang onto both of these for a
while before I'd part with one or the other (that gene again...)
unless you really don't use one or the other. With me, I don't look
through my 32 that much but I like that it is there when I do. Unless
there's a financial or weight/space issue, I'd wait just a bit. I'd
read a post that one guy looked through his Konigs after using his TVs
just under a year and decided he couldn't go back to the Konigs, the
TVs quality and abilty to to correct a bit of coma were too important
to ignore.
K.Eliz...O
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Date: 22 Jul 2007 19:51:02
From: ko57
Subject: Re: Is it possible to have too many eyepieces?
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If you have certain must-grab eps when you go out viewing, and others
that you always avoid, then yes you can. You have one heck of a
telescope, premium quality eps, sounds like a good match as the
TeleVues are what you reach for, perhaps the smaller FOV eps might be
more than a bit of a chore to use with that size dob.
You might have too many when they start to feel like clutter, unless
you have just a tad over the limit of pack-rat in you, the "just in
case..." gene. If children look through your telescope, would you
rather keep some eyepieces set aside for them to use or don't mind
them experiencing the view with premium gla$$? If you don't want to
part with them, set them aside so you don't have to deal with them
when you grab your ep toolbox for viewing. Less weight, too.
I have a few eps I'm selling on Astromart, no TVs, Pentaxes, Taks,
etc., just inexpensive yet good quality but I just don't really use
them or see myself reaching for them in the future. I usually grab my
7UO, 15mm Russell Optic WA, and a very inexpensive but seems to be
VERY narrow field 5mm-less than an ortho, in the 30's range-but it's
sharp. The 25 and 32 Sirius plossl for widefield-I wish Russell Optic
had a 25 widefield 1.25" with the same glass as my 15mm (1.25")-that
is one sharp, contrasty black sky ep-I'll never part with it. I like
the UOs myself, they have that sharp looking clarity that seems to eek
out the tiniest details, do the cleanest splits on the double doubles.
Will get a few more eventually.
I'm a bit of a pack rat (putting it mildly-'...keeeeeep it
aaaaaaalllll...') but I'm tired of the house clutter (unorganization)
so I'm slowly but somewhat steadily clearing out in the house, and
your post's title no doubt triggered the stop by the ep box.
Clear dark skies your way,
K.Elizabeth.O
.
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Date: 22 Jul 2007 20:00:06
From: Florian
Subject: Re: Is it possible to have too many eyepieces?
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16mm Nagler type 5 in my TV76 95% of the time. Just works for me.=20
.Florian
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Date: 09 Jul 2007 00:04:57
From: IMPEACH BUSH NOW!
Subject: Re: Is it possible to have too many eyepieces?
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Yes if you are into eyepieces vs astronomy!???
Some people build $700,000 observatories and dont have a
working telescope on the place!
Kickin' Ass and Takin' Names wrote:
> I have an Orion XT-12 Intelliscope that I haul out 2-3 nights a week
> (1500mm FL, f/4.9. I live in badly light-polluted urban skies, but,
> by the end of the year, will be in a rural area where the Milky Way is
> visible (not bright, but visible).
>
> Once I move, I plan to work on a certificate for the Messier objects
> then who knows what else.
>
> Do I have too many eyepieces? Here's what I have.
>
> Set of Meade Plossls -- this is the set that was sold for $99.00 when
> you bought an ETX-series scope. The eyepieces are all 1.25-inch: 40,
> 32, 26, 20, 15, 12, 9.7 and 6.4mm.
>
> 2-inch eyepieces:
> TeleVue PanOptic 35mm
> TV PO 26mm
>
> 1.25-inch eyepieces:
> TV 18mm Radian
> 12mm UO ortho
> TV 10mm Radian
> 9mm UO ortho
> 7mm Nagler Type 6
> 6mm UO ortho
> 5mm Nagler Type 6
> 4mm UO ortho
> 3.7mm Orion Epic ED-2
>
> TV 2X 1.25-inch Barlow
>
> I find myself hauling out the 35mm or 26mm to view the moon and to see
> wide areas of the sky -- maybe use each one 1-2 times a week.
>
> Most of the time, I use the 18, 10, and 7mm eyepieces. For example,
> last night I spent 30 minutes staring at Jupiter and used mainly the
> 10mm with an occasional look through the 7mm.
>
> I used the 4mm ortho during the Mars opposition a few years ago but
> have barely touched it since.
>
> I'm thinking about getting down to:
> 35mm or 26mm TV PO
> 18mm Radian
> 10mm Radian
> 7mm Nagler
> 2X Barlow
>
> Also have a 12mm ??? Plossl with lighted crosshairs -- think I'll keep
> it.
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Date: 08 Jul 2007 13:59:49
From: MitchAlsup
Subject: Re: Is it possible to have too many eyepieces?
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I end up using only a few of my collection.
My most used EP is my 31mm T5 Nagler, followed by my 13mm T1 Nagler.
The 31 is prefered for wide viewing and as a super finder eyepiece,
and for viewing big things like M31, M33, M57,... Once a smaller
object is centered, the 13mm brings it in for bigger viewing.
When it comes to planetary viewing, I like to be able to select an EP
matched to the seeing that night. Some night will put up with a 4.5mm,
others with a 6mm, and a couple of nights per year will permit using
as much as 3.5mm.
My collection is all Naglers and a PowerMate 2" 2X.
31mm, 20mm, 13mm, 12mm, 9mm, 7mm
15.5mm, 10mm, 6.5mm, 6mm, 4.5mm, 3.5mm times 2X
I do have a high power EP that is only used wit the PowerMate and only
used for collimation giving 2mm effective FL.
But robably 75% of the time is spent with the 31mm in the tube. and
15% with the 13mm. I even find this usage pattern in all 3 telescopes:
20" DOB, 11" SCT, 6" AP APO (With the execption that the AP APO is
used mainly for planets).
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