Hi Chris,
For LX200 specific info you should join http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/LX200GPS/
And to answer your eyepiece question, look in the FILES section of that forum for my article entitled Eyepiece Selection for the LX200 or some such.
Clear skies,
Pete
Deep Sky Eyepiece Question
What you really need to do is to slow down a bit. Saturn won't be high in the evening sky until next month and Neptune & Urinus are both sinking in the W.
A 9mm is going to be a bit too much for most winter nights as the air is usually unstable. And you're not going to get a Radian for your price range. For this time of year something in the 14mm to 17mm range is what we can usually get away with.
That being said, I lived with just my 26mm and 9mm Plossl eyepieces for the first couple of years that I owned my first 10" SCT.
Try to observe with people, and borrow eyepieces to try. ClearVue Optics has a nice selection of low cost high quality eyepieces that you should consider. Hint: ASSNE members get a discount.
Pete
A 9mm is going to be a bit too much for most winter nights as the air is usually unstable. And you're not going to get a Radian for your price range. For this time of year something in the 14mm to 17mm range is what we can usually get away with.
That being said, I lived with just my 26mm and 9mm Plossl eyepieces for the first couple of years that I owned my first 10" SCT.
Try to observe with people, and borrow eyepieces to try. ClearVue Optics has a nice selection of low cost high quality eyepieces that you should consider. Hint: ASSNE members get a discount.
Pete
Deep Space ep's
Hi, Chris
I am pretty much a deep space addict, working with a 15" dob and a 6" refractor. Look in my eyepiece case and see which one looks like it has seen more use than any other, it is a 30mm which only yields 63x on my dob. Some nights, that is the only power I use. Except for the moon and planets and the odd planetary nebula, power simply robs the sky of context. Most large nebulae and many open star clusters will fill your widest eyepiece and then some, and even galaxies can be more fun with other galaxies in the same field of view or seen in context with the surrounding stars. Whatever yields the widest view for your scope will probably be your favorite ep.
Heed Pete's advice to hang with the gang and borrow ep's. Most club members readily share their gear to let you try different combos before you buy. And don't forget filters. Deep space will quickly show you the need for some kind of contrast filter (the Orion Ultrablock is a good one) and maybe even some specialty filters like an O-III narrowband. But again, try before you buy. I also recommend Clear Vue Optics, some good ep's without having to sell one of your children or other relatives.
Clear skies!
I am pretty much a deep space addict, working with a 15" dob and a 6" refractor. Look in my eyepiece case and see which one looks like it has seen more use than any other, it is a 30mm which only yields 63x on my dob. Some nights, that is the only power I use. Except for the moon and planets and the odd planetary nebula, power simply robs the sky of context. Most large nebulae and many open star clusters will fill your widest eyepiece and then some, and even galaxies can be more fun with other galaxies in the same field of view or seen in context with the surrounding stars. Whatever yields the widest view for your scope will probably be your favorite ep.
Heed Pete's advice to hang with the gang and borrow ep's. Most club members readily share their gear to let you try different combos before you buy. And don't forget filters. Deep space will quickly show you the need for some kind of contrast filter (the Orion Ultrablock is a good one) and maybe even some specialty filters like an O-III narrowband. But again, try before you buy. I also recommend Clear Vue Optics, some good ep's without having to sell one of your children or other relatives.
Clear skies!
Bob M
15" f5 Starsplitter Dob/80mm Finder
5" Explore Scientific triplet APO on a Vixen Sphinx GEM
________
"He numbers all the stars, and calls each one by name." Ps 147:4
15" f5 Starsplitter Dob/80mm Finder
5" Explore Scientific triplet APO on a Vixen Sphinx GEM
________
"He numbers all the stars, and calls each one by name." Ps 147:4