251 replies to this topic

[RichD]

I seem to do a lot of observing with just 3, but not quite 90%;

35mm panoptic
20mm Nagler
11mm Nagler

But like Jon above, I do like to take out a range of mags for various objects. I'd miss the 14mm morph too much, or on steady nights the 8mm Radian and barlowed morph.

[Mike Q]

I could do three eyepieces but i am glad i dont have to lol.

[Olimad]

For a few months, I am able to do all my observations with 0 eyepiece. I look at the sky, cloudy, that's it....

I realise now, how lucky with the sky I was last year.... 

[vicuna]

After all, amateur astronomy (to me) isn't a military mission where I need to have all the bases covered...

If seeing limits magnification to just 130x, and my eyepiece delivers 150x, I just accept it & enjoy the view anyways.

 

Bottom line, my nights under the stars, now more than ever, are spent in awe & wonder.

 

I wish you would post more often on here. you're a good influence on me. I am a little bit too gear oriented.

[Magnitude7]

Thanks for the kind words vicuna.

 

I am a little bit too gear oriented.

I suspect most of us have that in common.  It's human nature.

 

I think part of overcoming that, is by letting go of some equipment.  Out of sight, out of mind. 

 

Just do some careful comparisons (fun!), pick the best, and discard the rest.  You won't regret it. 

 

On rare occasion, you might temporarily regret selling an eyepiece.  But it most cases, you can just buy it again.  No harm done.

 

Anyways, letting go is good practice for that inevitable day when we have to let go of EVERYTHING.

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Edited by Magnitude7, 16 June 2024 - 10:12 PM.

[Orion68]

For a grab n go session, the 3-8mm and 7-21mm zooms with a 32mm plossl works fine.

[rrpallechio]

Four.

 

• SVBONY SV152 illuminated reticle eyepiece for centering during alignment
• Tele Vue Ethos 10mm eyepiece
• Tele Vue Ethos 17mm eyepiece
• Tele Vue Nagler 31mm eyepiece

 

The three Tele Vue eyepieces can be used as weapons in case I am attacked by wildlife

Edited by rrpallechio, 17 June 2024 - 12:40 AM.

[therealdmt]

With my refractors, it’s often just 1 eyepiece (a zoom) plus, depending on the zoom involved, a barlow. I might bring along a 30mm, too, and occasionally one other, but basically 1 or 2 eyepieces for 90%.

 

For my 10" Dob, I bring out my eyepiece case with 6 eyepieces in it, plus these days usually a few (1 to 3) eyepieces more on the side. It’s gotten to feeling a bit ridiculous as I don’t end up using most of them, though late in a session I’ll often go through a bunch of the ones I haven’t used just because I brought them out and don’t want to "waste" them somehow, lol. When the planets are around though, I use a couple of the shorter focal length eyepieces that don’t get as much use on my DSO nights. In general, 5 eyepieces is a comfortable non-excessive number for me to have on hand, though if there will be no planetary or lunar observing, I’ll often do the bulk of my observing with just three or four (68° 24mm, 82° 14mm and 8.8mm, plus probably some time with the 6.7mm)

[TheChosen]

Took me a long time to get here but now yes:

 

30mm SkyRover

14mm AngelEyes 65 deg

11mm MaxVision

 

I am keeping also one zoom for fun (just sold the Baader Zoom)

 

Also Barlow 2x, 3x but those are not eyepieces.

[GGK]

Three eyepieces 90% of the time -- not a chance.  There's simply no way for me to fully observe everything that I point at with only three eyepieces.

 

I'm content using only 3 eyepieces for a 20-minute session with a single scope or when necessary due to minimal packing space for a trip.  But in a longer session at home, I use many more.   

 

Gary

[Alex65]

Yes, I do use just three eyepieces for 90% of my viewing, if not actually more. The three eyepieces that I use most often with my 6" Dob are:

 

Low power - 25mm 

Medium -     15mm  

High -           8mm   

 

For exceptional nights I also have two higher power (6mm and 3.6mm) eyepieces but I don't use them for every viewing session. 

[Piero DP]

90%?

Dobs: 4 eyepieces.
Tak: Low power, Zeiss zoom + VIP Barlow
TV-60: 24 Pan, N9T6 and Nagler zoom 6-3mm.

100%?
Same for the refractors. With the dobs, add 1-2 eyepieces and the VIP Barlow on the 3-4 shortest focal lengths.

[izar187]

3 is very common for me too.

As shared by others, which three does depend on scope of choice for the night, and the targets of opportunity I then choose to hunt.

Low, medium and high power... or low, high and higher power.

Some of this is determined by the place of observing, as the darkness of the site affects my low power choice.

Focal length of scope affects the high and higher power choice.

So, yup most often 3 for me.

But which 3 can vary.

 

FWIW, there is 8 in the gear case.

But I do not want 8 out and to be futzing betwixt and between them.

No to that for a long time now. For me.

Edited by izar187, 17 June 2024 - 04:24 PM.

[Simoes Pedro]

Yes

[richardr]

I really only use 3 too.  30mm UFF APM, 18mm UFF APM, 7mm X-cel lx and a 2X Teleview Barlow.  With my alt-az mount (M002C), I have a quick pick up and go kit that is relatively light and can be set up quick.  The wider field eyepieces replaced Plossls and small orthos.  I will use the 5mm Vixen Lanthanum occasionally on the moon.  However, going over 140x in Seattle is pretty rare other than the moon.   Previous wide field Konig just did not cut it.

Richard

[Scott99]

3 eyepieces is pretty reasonable for a night of deep-sky observing.  I usually end up with only 3-4 eyepieces on my tray getting used.....usually 4

 

Adding planetary to the mix complicates things.  Generally need another 2-3 high power eyepieces to fine-tune the magnification to the seeing conditions, and different planets, with Saturn and Mars needing very high power

Edited by Scott99, 17 June 2024 - 05:16 PM.

[truckerfromaustin]

I'm a little weird with my eyepieces. I use the Luminos 31, 23, and 10 for my 8 inch dob, but my 92 is a different story. I use a 40mm Swan, all of the Luminos, and the entire series of AT Paradigms, Starguiders for planetary use also with the Luminos 2.5x barlow. My 115 is used almost exclusively with the 19 and 23mm Luminos.


Clear Skies

[csrlice12]

Four...

 

TeleVue

Pentax

Explore Scientific

Orthos

[Oz Alfert]

My new 3 piece lineup . . .

 

30 Meade 5000 UHD

22 Arcturus Ebony

7.7-15.4 Sky Rover Zoom

 

on the C8 EdgeHD.

[gambler]

For solar work 3 EPs are enough for me: Televue Plössl 25, 15 are used 90% of the time, Plössl 11 for the remaining 10%.

For moon, planets, double stars from my backyard I need 4 EPs: Delos 8, 6, 4.5, occasionally Delite 4.

For general observing from a dark site I need more:
Nagler 31, Panoptic 24, Delos 14, 10, 8, 6, 4.5

[ausastronomer]

I've though about it a lot, but to cover the magnifications I want requires at least 7-9 eyepieces.

 

 

I'm pretty much the same !!

 

While sometimes I can have a night where I might use just one eyepiece for the entire session, I couldn't function without at least 6 or 7 eyepieces, at an absolute minimum, in my kit. Like you I don't like zooms either.

 

If it is a night with just one eyepiece it's sometimes the 17mm Nagler T4 + Paracorr, sometimes the 12mm Nagler T4 + Paracorr.

 

If I'm just doing bright eye candy stuff in the 18"/F4.5 Obsession, I'll generally use the 17mm Nagler T4 + Paracorr.  If I need more power on those big bright targets, I might use the 12mm Nagler T4, or the 8mm Radian.

 

Similarly, if I'm observing the same stuff in the 14"/F4.5 SDM, I will use those same 3 eyepieces, with more time on the 12mm, whereas the 18" scope gets more time on the 17mm.

 

If I'm hunting challenging dim targets, or doing lunar, planetary, or double stars, then you need a wide selection of eyepieces to get towards the threshold of the prevailing seeing, in the scope you're using at the time!

 

Hence at the pointy end I have (not counting orthos):-

 

3.5mm Pentax XW

5mm Pentax XW

6mm TV Delos

6mm TV Radian

7mm Pentax XW

8mm TV Radian

8.5mm Pentax XF

10mm Pentax XW

 

2.5X TV Powermate

1.8X TV Barlow

 

I have 16 premium widefields + 8 orthos. Apart from the orthos, they all get used at different times.  I don't use the orthos much these days as the premium widefields equal them optically, with a lot more comfort and FOV.

 

Cheers

[ButterFly]

 

FWIW, there is 8 in the gear case.

But I do not want 8 out and to be futzing betwixt and between them.

No to that for a long time now. For me.

That's why I like case plus vest.  My vest has two big side pockets and I have one focuser.  Although I'm vast majority 13/21, which three really depends on target type.  For planetaries, I typically on 8/6/zoom plus barlow.

[CarolinaBanker]

I do not, but this is a fun intellectual exercise, I’m assuming no Barlow:

Eyepiece/Magnification/Exit Pupil/AFOV/TFOV
24mm Televue Wide Field/27x/3.7mm/65 deg/2.4 deg
7mm Televue Nagler T1/93x/1.1 mm/82 deg/0.8 deg
4mm TMB Planetary II/163x/0.6 mm/60 deg/0.4 deg

Could possibly substitute the 32mm UO Konig for the 24mm Wide Field, might use the 15mm Vixen LV if seeing doesn’t support higher magnification.

[Apnee44]

Interesting to read. Since few months, I started to think about having only two very eyepieces and one a Barlow x2:

- 20T5
- 14mm/13mm need to find what I want)
- 10mm (20T5 + barlow)
- 7mm/6.5mm (14/13mm + barlow)

Why?? Just because I could found my self always using only 2 or 3 eyepieces every nights.

[rgk901]

I've tried many times...took out a scope with 2-3 eyepieces...seeing turned out great and I'd run in for a couple more or seeing turned out really bad and I'd run in for another. Or I'd attach my little 50mm finder and I'd need a couple more.

I'd have to have only one scope 3 eyepieces and sell everything else and block any future purchases.