Hi guys its newbie Neil again. I was thinking of adding 2 new good quality eyepieces to my slowly expanding collection. I have the 13mm.Hyperion which is quite good. Is there much of a difference between the Hyperion and the Morpheus models? Besides price? Would Explore Scientific be a better eyepiece? I have also read that  pentax and  takahashi are good for higher mag.? Are the celestron x-cel good?   I was thinking of a 6mm for planetary (the cheap celestron 4mm just shows objects as a blur so i'd be afraid to go lower than 6mm even though i'd like very high mag for planets). The second eyepiece would be for deep sky and I am not really sure what mm to get. I have a focal reducer which would help for deep sky. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you for reading my long message! 

Neil

Hi Neil

What's your budget?
I have used Explore Scientific 82 degree eyepieces in the past and I found them very capable performers.
I would not recommend a 6mm eyepiece, with a telescope focal length of 2800mm, a 6mm with give a magnification of 467, that is way too high, even on the planets, the viewing conditions will rarely be good enough for such a magnification, focussing would have to be spot on.  An 8mm will give a magnification of 350 and that should be more than enough.
Pentax and Takahashi are top of the line eyepieces, I believe that Aubrey has some Pentax eyepieces and can give better advice than me.
If money is not an obstacle, lucky you, then consider the Televue range of eyepieces too, they are famous for their quality and views, you will not be disappointed.  You can try the second hand markets in the UK and US for eyepieces, I have bought from the US and if you ask nicely, a seller is generally willing to put no value on the item to avoid import tax, just don't tell the taxman, you're not a taxman by any chance?   
Don't get hung up on magnification, you will find you are using low to medium magnifications eyepieces far more than a high power unit.

Hope this helps.

Paul

Hi Neil
It is generally reckoned that a maximun of 200x is the most that can be used in typical Irish skies. Ocassionally you can magnify a bit more, but not often. Since your 13mm Hyperion gives you approx 215x (without the focal reducer), then you are over that limit already.

Therefore, it would be better to buy a couple of eyepieces which give a lower magnification. I would be looking for something to give you a mag in the region of 120x and something for around 80x. Most deep sky viewing will be at around these magnifications. You can consider the focal length amendment given by your focal reducer in your calculations, depending on whether you will be using it all the time.

As for brands, the Explore Scientific 82 degree series is very good. Another equivalent brand would be Meade 5000 Ultrawide and a couple of others, including Baader Morpheus (I have the 6.5mm, but have had no real chance to use it yet)

The Celestron X-Cel are maybe a step lower, whereas Takahashi would be a step higher. Another possibility in the medium price bracket is Speers Waler, either Mk2 or Mk3 (I can hear all my mates groaning here, but I think they are superb)

As Paul mentioned, Televue are the best overall, along with maybe Pentax, but you will pay premium prices for most of the ranges for both

It really depends on your budget, but it is difficult to buy a really bad eyepiece these days, most are of a high quality. Since you like the 13mm Hyperion, I would stick with those eyepieces with a wider field of view. Also, there is a general shortage of astronomy equipment at the moment, and some I have mentioned may not be available (The Meade 5000's for example). Another thing to consider is your diagonal. Most lower power eyepieces are 2".

Good luck

Thanks guys. My budget is 400 to 500 for the 2. And I am only willing to spend that much because I know I will have them for quite some time. The televue and pentax are just simply too expensive. I think I will take your advice and get a couple of eyepieces that have lower magnification. As suggested by Stevie something around 120x and 80x. I think I will be using my focal reducer quite a lot going forward so ill factor that in. As Paul suggested I might look into explore scientific and see what is on offer. And also look into the second hand market. For other brands I think ill stick with Hyperion. But I am quite curious about the Morpheus range so I might pay the extra few quid and go for them.. I really want to focus on deep sky so lower mag/wider field of view makes sense. Carl sagan once said "Astronomy is a humbling and character building experience". He forgot to mention it is also a bank account draining experience. 
Thanks the advice it really helped. I've completely changed my mind about what size eyepieces to get. Ill let you guys know what get. Time to start shopping! 

Thanks guys

Neil

A slow scope like the C11 is more forgiving with eyepieces than a fast reflector or refractor.
Stephen at Ktech has the Baader Aspheric 31mm & 36mm eyepieces for sale, either one will make an excellent lower power finder eyepiece, great price too.
You might consider the Omegon Panorama eyepieces, there is a review here:
www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/eyepi...norama-ii-eyepieces/
They are sold by Astroshop.eu.

The Baader Aspheric 31mm would be an excellent choice, great for galaxy hunting.
The Baader Morpheus 17.5mm would also be an excellent choice for medium magnifications (100x approx with the focal reducer). Rother Valley may have stock, which is more than can be said for ebay and Amazon. In fact, Rother Valley is the only place that seems to have anything at the moment

Thanks again guys. I am now very tempted by the Baader Aspheric 31mm or 36mm. Not sure which one but ill have a think. But ill be getting one of them for sure!  And the 17.5 Morpheus is something I have almost decided to get. The only thing that is holding me back is the Omegon Panorama 21mm. I am just not sure which one to go for. Should I flip a coin? If you guys had to pick between a 17.5 Morpheus or the 21" Omegon Panorama which one would you go for? 

Magnifaction wise, there is no great difference with the C11 between both eyepieces, the difference is in the field of view, 76 degrees for the Baader and 100 degrees for the Omegon.  I have never looked through a 100 degree eyepiece, 82 degrees was the widest and the views were fantasic, so much sky is visible, with the 100 degree Omegon, I can only imagine what the view will be.  
In the end, it is merely a matter of personal choice, either way, I don't think you will go far wrong.

Well I think that has swayed me towards the Omegon. Field of view was actually an issue when showing my friends star clusters etc.  God bless the moon! That saved me that night. I am not even sure why I get so hung up on magnification. I think it is something that is  ingrained in most people until they get some good experience under their belts. For example I love looking at Saturn at low mag. It just seems like it is hanging there all alone in the darkness. 
Anyway I think it is going to have to be the Baader Aspheric 31mm and the Omegon Panorama 21mm. 
Thank you both for all your advice guys. I would of most likely bought high mag eyepieces which would of ended up being next to useless so you really helped me out and also thought me a thing or 2.
Ps I ordered a Pentax SMC XS 8.5mm eyepiece. It was cheap enough and old habits die hard! I couldn't help it. It will be good for one of those rare nights when the seeing is just right. Thanks again for the advice. 

Neil

Very best of luck with the new eyepieces, hopefully you will get many years of enjoyment from them.

What I would reallyi love is to come up to one of your observing sessions at the Sugar loaf. I would love that. 

Hi Neil

Sign up with meetup.com and join the Dublin Stargazers Group, there are regular sessions planned.

Paul

I would love that. I sent Astronomy Ireland a message a while ago looking for some advice etc. They sent me back an email asking could I give them my cpc 1100. They said if I give my scope I can be a life long member. 
What an unusual thing to ask mer. I found it very odd
​​
​



​​​​
​​​

​​​​​​