stevew
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/03/06
Posts: 622
Loc: British Columbia Canada
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Yes I know the Naglers and Ethos are the best, but what are your other favorite eyepieces?
I have the set of Meade 4000 series Ultra Wide, and Super Wide. The 6.7 Ultra wide is my favorite for planets. Very sharp and has a wide field. The 14 mm Ultrawide with the rubber eyecup is also a fantastic eyepiece.
I also love an old Celestron [Vixen] 26 mm Silver top plossl. Very sharp and great view.
I also have a Knight Owl 30 mm 80 degree 2 inch eyepiece that is a real bargin. No it does not perform as well as the Nagler 31, but is a great value for that "BOOB TUBE" view.
What are some of your favorites?
Steve
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16 inch Dobsonian
Celestron C9.25
Coulter 8 F4.5
Antares 152 F-6.5
Celestron C5
Televue Genesis SDF
Televue Pronto
Losmandy G11
TV Gibraltar
W.O. EZ Touch
Vixen Polaris
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"Mos Eisley space port, You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany"
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Biff
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/04/05
Posts: 2254
Loc: Courtice, Ontario
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Well since Naglers and Ethos are out, then the 12.5mm UO Ortho (in a TV 2x barlow). But the 31T5 is my real favorite.
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Ryan
Antares 200mm f/6 Dob & 130mm f/5 Travel Dob.
Projects on the go...
- a couple 80mm SS refractors on the back burner.
- a few small mirrors awaiting polishing
- 260mm f/7.15 mirror... still polishing
Member of DRAA
 My house.
 DRAACO
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markleewebb
sage
Reged: 11/04/06
Posts: 283
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16mm Konig for best low cost ep. Radians are prety good, but I prefer the Baader Hyperions to the Radians. All-around it may be hard to beat the 27mm Panoptic.
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cuir
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/03/07
Posts: 856
Loc: 45° 1'12. N, 73°56'12. W (Qc)
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For widefield, it was the 25mm W70, before I got a 24mm Panoptic.
For high magnification, it used to be 12.5 Celestron X-Cel, but I'm now split between the 11T6 and 13T6.
My 32mm TV Plössl is also very dear to me.
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Seb
Latest eyepiece spreadsheet
Choosing the right eyepiece
Main scope: 150mm Skywatcher Maksutov
Favorite ep: 24 Panoptic
Pref'ed filters: Lumicon 0III and UHC
Mounts: EQ6-Pro and Skyview AZ
Just in: C8-S-XLT
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Brooklyn
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/24/08
Posts: 870
Loc: Central New Jersey
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Baader hyperion 68 degree eyepieces
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Meade 8.25"(209.55mm) LX-90 EMC (SCT)
Albert Einstein =>
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”
“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.”
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KWB
Postmaster
Reged: 09/30/06
Posts: 7627
Loc: Westminster,Co Elev.1646Meters
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How about were? Does that qualify?
Before astigmatism began to predominate my uncorrected viewing as far as non-eyeglass use,these eyepieces were my personal favorites. I loved the overall optical quality,not being large in physical size and reasonable pricing. When used with a barlow the finest corrected off axis eyepieces I've ever used. Due to a lack of eyerelief with my glasses,these Ultimas are long gone.
I no longer have any favorites and just take each eyepiece as it comes,first figuring out if I can fully use it to my satisfaction and then try to determine if it suits my purposes for a specific optical task and quality.
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Kenny
"When dealing with a mystery,choose the most unlikely of the likely possibilities"-Sherlock Holmes
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Patricko
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/30/07
Posts: 742
Loc: around the corner
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My favorite low power eyepiece in my Pronto is a used $40 Smart Astronomy 19mm 65 degree flat-field eyepiece.
My favorite mid power eyepiece is a old 6mm coated ortho.
My favorite high power eyepiece is a Barlowed old Japan Meade 4.7mm UWA 4000 series eyepiece.
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Clear skies,
Patrick
 "Life is too short, go collect some photons!" - Me, myself, and I
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BillP
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/06
Posts: 2239
Loc: Vienna, VA
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One thing I've noticed about "favorites" for me...it changes over time 
Recently I've just switched out my inventory again and the new favorites are:
1. Radians
2. Meade 3000 Smoothide Plossls
I've gravitated back to Radians due to their larger 60 deg and still very orthoscopic-like fov displaying very little rectilinear and angular magnification distortions at all right to the edge. Simply a clean look, like an ABBE Orthos, except the edge is as good as the center.
The Meade 3000 older smoothies are a recent find. Found an old one on the used market, tried it out, and was astounded at the contrast it showed on planetary -- and they made a 5mm 
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250mm f/4.7 Orion XT10i Dobsonian
102mm f/8.0 Tak TSA Super-APO
66mm f/5.9 WO ZenithStar SD APO
40mm f/10 Coronado P.S.T.
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kaaikop
sage
Reged: 07/13/08
Posts: 466
Loc: Ste-Therese, Canada
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Presently, I would have to say: Radians & LVW's
The focal lenghts sort of fall between each other, which is kinda cool!
My favorite of them all right now is the Radian 12mm (196x in my C925) I could watch M13 for hours!
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Benoit, RASC Montreal
-C 9.25XLT on EQ6 Pro / ED80SF on Portamount
-Plossls, Radians, Naglers, LVW's & Orthos.
-a pair of 7x50's
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mosdc61
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/04/06
Posts: 510
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Since the very first line excludes my 31T5, 13 & 8 Ethos...well, if I'm not allowed to state these are my favs...
My favorite would be any of my TV Plossl's, followed very closely by the UO Abbes (volcano tops - sorry, too many years love affair with these to completely give up on them).
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Bart
sage
Reged: 05/28/06
Posts: 231
Loc: Inside the (DC) Beltway
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I keep going back to my 9mm Nagler, so I guess that's my favorite EP.
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Mead 12" LightBridge
Orion 127mm Mak
Orion 80ED
Orion Short Tube 80
Baader Hyperion 3.5,5,8,13,17,24mm
Baader Hyperion Aspheric 31mm
Orion Sirius 25mm
Celestron Plossl 4,6,9,15,32mm
Orion UltraView 10x50
Canon XTi
My two eyes
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bcuddihee
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/04/06
Posts: 930
Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
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20TV Plossls.
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B Cuddihee
On the quest to find the best for the least!
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1968 Jason Empire 60X700mm refractor (my buddy from way back)
Celestron Nexstar8SE(a remarkable 8" grab and go)
Feathertouch Microfocuser
Stellarvue 50mm "Sparrowhawk" finder
Denk bino's with Power x switch
Pair of Smart Astronomy 25mm Sterling Plossls
Pair of Smart Astronomy 19 EF's
Pair of 15 Garrett SWA's
7mm UO HD Orthoscopic
Agena 38 SWA
Agena 26 SWA
Garrett 2" 2x ED Barlow
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doug76
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/05/07
Posts: 2619
Loc: SE Louisiana
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Pentax XW's, the ones I own, and the ones I will. Wide field, long eye relief, true color, no astigmatisms or distortions, work to perfection in any scope.
Doug
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Doug
The Truckstop Astronomer
Meade 12" Lightbridge/Dob Driver II
Celestron C6 SCT
Celestron C6R/Moonlight focuser
Celestron XLT150
Astro-Tech AT80EDT
TOWA 60/700 (under construction)
Celestron CG5-ASGT, CG-4
Celestron Nexstar SE (large)
Meade SWA 34mm
Televue Panoptic 24mm
Pentax XW 10mm, 7mm
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Astro-Tech AT66ED
Celestron Nexstar SE (small)
Televue Plossl 32mm
Smart Astronomy Solar System 14.5mm
BO/TMB Planetary 9mm, 7mm, 5mm, 4mm, 3.2mm, 2.5mm
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123456
super member
Reged: 11/05/06
Posts: 149
Loc: mid tenn
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my 9mm nagler is it !
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100ED
Sirus mount
12.5 ORION PDSE
15x70 " "
9x63 " "
Naglers, Panoptics Running Wild!
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TexBiker
super member
Reged: 12/18/07
Posts: 130
Loc: North Texas
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24mm Panoptic
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Michael
Dallas, TX
Orion 127mm Mak-Cass
Orion 10" Dob
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Lawrence Sayre
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/16/04
Posts: 3698
Loc: N.E. Ohio
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If speaking only of currently owned, it has to be my 25 mm Antares Elite, alone or Barlowed.
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My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a moral being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.
Ayn Rand (in the appendix to 'Atlas Shrugged')
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naglertized
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/10/07
Posts: 1515
Loc: Jacksonville Florida
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20mm Nagler Type 2. The best EP I've ever used, bar none.
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Clinton
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InkDark
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1497
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Quote:
24mm Panoptic
Same here
Quote:
25 mm Antares Elite, alone or Barlowed
Same here but make it a 15mm
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Jimmy
"Rarely Have So Many Understood So Little About So Much" - Palle Yourgrau
"...since that time, I have not complained about the weather one single time. I’m glad there is weather." – Alan Bean, Apollo 12
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Phillip Creed
Idiot Seeking Village
Reged: 07/25/06
Posts: 1032
Loc: NE Ohio
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Without a doubt--13mm Type 6 Nagler. This is the eyepiece equivalent of the .30-06 Springfield--an all-purpose galaxy / planet / nebula killer ocular "round", so to speak. Plus, although it's expensive, you can actually save up for this thing vs. selling internal organs for a 31T5 or a 13E.
As far as non-Televue / Pentax eyepieces, I'd say high on that list would be the Vixen 22mm LVW. I threw that thing to the wolves by popping in an un-Paracorred 16" f/4.5, and it was sharp as a tack except for the mirror's coma showing up on the very edge.
Another sleeper out there is the new Celestron 23mm Axiom LX. It's heavy, but it's very sharp on-axis, very well-corrected, and its FOV actually looks BIGGER than the advertised 82-deg. Think what a 23-mm "UWAN" would perform like in a parallel universe, and you're close.
Clear Skies,
Phil
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"Why suffer from insanity when you can revel in it?"
Wilderness Center Astronomy Club member since 1995
ICQ Comet Observer Code: CRE01
*****
16" f/4.5 Truss Dobsonian (FOR SALE!!)
Orion 120mm ST Refractor
23mm Axiom LX
13mm Nagler Type 6
9mm Nagler Type 6
1.75X Siebert Barlow
*****
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Sean Cunneen
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/01/07
Posts: 562
Loc: Blue Island Illinois
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5mm TMB planetary. I've had the set, but I sold them all and kept this one and the 7mm. The 5mm shows me a ton of detail and only seems to be limited by seeing. Oh yeah, I paid $50 for it!
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Sean Cunneen
Blue Island IL
8" f/8 Home built Newt, Discovery mirror, curved vane spider, CG5 Motorized head with Intelliscope DSC, Pier
C102hd CG-4
100mm F4 Cedar Tube RF Refractor
2,3,4,5,6mm Televue Plossls
27T3,33T3,44T3
9-22 Ethos Zoom
NO, I'M NOT SELLING!
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kfred
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/11/03
Posts: 2001
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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24mm Pan and 20mm Ultrascopic...
Fred
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River Cam - Cambridge England
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helpwanted
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/04/07
Posts: 1757
Loc: Phoenix, AZ
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19mm Panoptic... in the past i would say the TMBs, but i would rather have a set of Edge-ons (SPL), much sharper, and vendors actually have them in stock to ship !
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j3ffr0
sage
Reged: 07/06/08
Posts: 232
Loc: Virginia
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If you take away my Naglers I still enjoy my 15, 10, 7.5 Ultrascopics. They are at least as sharp as the Naglers with a more neutral color tone.
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10" Dob
127mm Mak
PST
35, 24 Panoptic; 16, 13, 9 Nagler
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stevecoe
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2129
Loc: Arizona, USA
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Mine is 22mm Panoptic, great view with the 6 inch refractor. Enough power to see some detail and yet a nearly 2 degree field of view. A great combination in an easy to use eyepiece.
Enjoy;
Steve Coe
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150mm 6" f/8 Celestron Refractor on Sirius Mount
80mmED 3" f/7.5 Orion Refractor
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
New Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2799
Loc: Lodi, California,
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For me, my favorite EP so far that doesn't require a second job or maxing out the credit card would have to be the Orion 15mmExpanse.
Crisp, sharp views and a decent FOV.
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Orion XTi10 f/4.7
Orion XTi8 f/5.9
Meade NGC 70mm f/10
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
My Sketch Gallery
My Astronomy Blog
A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.
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Lamb0
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/25/07
Posts: 668
Loc: Fairbury, Nebraska
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Favorite eyepiece:
1.25" widefield - 24Pan
2" -20T5
High Power - 5-8mm Series 1 Speers-WALER (The Canadian Cannon)
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John "Have eyepiece - will travel!"
8" f/5 Dob w/2.14" sec in a 12" alum tube 'The Mortar' - w/PCorr 2° TFoV @ 36.5X ~70% illum *NICE*
Typical eyepieces: 32 Burg, 24 Pan, 20T5, 5-8 SW, Others ALL 2": Pcorr, 2X PwrMt, Ast H-b, Lum UHC + OIII
60mm $50 Walmart Special in training - aka "Backpack Observatory"
Minolta Activa 12x50 , Steiner 15X80
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Rogerio
super member
Reged: 09/01/07
Posts: 177
Loc: Soteropolis
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Wide Field: 24mm Panoptic
Planetary: 16T5 Nagler + 2x TV Barlow
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Mr. Mike
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/08/05
Posts: 858
Loc: Churchville, NY
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For DSO viewing its my Vixen LVWs. My 22mm and 13mm are used extensively in every viewing session I have. Then, for planets its my Takahashi LE. The Tak is sooooo good that it seems as if there is NO eyepiece in the diagonal. Perfect throughput, contrast, and a slightly cooler hue that add up to sparkling views.
I want to add the following EPs:
Panoptic 35mm
Takahashi LE 5mm
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Stellarvue NG 80mm ED
Meade 7x50 Binos
Pentax XW 5mm
Meade 5K UWA 8.8mm
Vixen LVW 13mm
Vixen LVW 22mm
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Dave M
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/03/04
Posts: 4516
Loc: N.E Ohio
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Have 3 favorites
Meade 14mm series 4K UWA
Vixen 22mm LVW
Masuyama 30mm
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Dave
Meade 16" F4.5 EQ Starfinder
Meade 10" SCT / Losmandy G11
Tak FSQ106ED
Canon 20D
SBig ST-4
http://www.spacew.com/gallery/DM
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coutleef
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 821
Loc: Montreal and St-Donat, Québec,...
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Besides the Nagler,
for planets, TV plossls are the best (in my mind and eye, much better than Nalgers and Pans anyways).
for DSOs, panoptic 22 (Nagler-like view)
Francois
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François
Nexstar 8 SE
50mm StellarVue finderscope, Astronomik UHC-E and Orion OIII filters
WO Swan 40mm; TV Pan 22mm; TV Nagler 9T6, 12T4, 17T4; TV Plossl 11mm and 15mm.
WO 2" dielectric diagonal retrofitted with Denk Power Switch (and now reach the zenith with the shorty adapter).
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AstroRealtor
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/26/08
Posts: 538
Loc: Terra Firma
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I have several TV Plossls that never fail to satisfy. A 22 Panoptic for finding and enjoying many DSOs. I'm vowing NOT to look through an Ethos until I can justify making one mine.
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Clear Skies, Jim
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Discovering: Messier objects, Deep sky treasures, NGCs, Double stars, & Nebulae of all kinds.
Televue 85 "Polaris" Mount
Custom Crafted Newtonian Dob 8" f7 w/Feathertouch
Celestron Cometron Reflector 114mm f8
Zeiss Diafun 8 X 30 Binos
Zeiss 10 X 56 Binos
 Aldrich Astronomical Society
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csa/montana
Astro Ambassador
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