35 replies to this topic

[Echolight]

I bought an 8-24 zoom for my first eyepiece. Covers a lot of range. Perfect for high power on the Moon and planets.

Lets you fine tune the magnification to match the variable contrast levels of different objects or the varying atmospheric turbulence known as "seeing" to obtain the sharpest image.

And will let you quickly zoom out to reacquire a target if it slips from your field of view.

 

Yeah, it crosses over the magnification of your 23. But you'll still use the 23 for it's much wider field of view when looking at larger objects like open clusters and other DSO.

I have a similarly wide 20mm 2" eyepiece for this same purpose.

Edited by Echolight, 18 December 2024 - 09:36 PM.

[Dave Mitsky]

I looked at it the other night. It definitely is noticeably more edge on than it was in October. At low power, 25x(?) I couldn’t see the rings at all and wondered if I was on something else.

This is the most recent image of Saturn that I've acquired.  I shot it more or less as a lark on December 1st.  The Seestar S50 has only a 250mm focal length and is not good at imaging planets, although I have gotten a few mediocre images of Jupiter. 

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[SeattleScott]

10mm Luminos. Would match the fit and finish of your 23mm, ultrawide, solid performer.

10mm Astrotech UWA. A bit smaller, lighter and cheaper than the Luminos. Also 82 AFOV like Luminos. Performance likely nearly identical in your scope.

9mm Xcel LX. Even cheaper, better eye relief for more comfortable viewing, but only 60 AFOV.

[Dave Mitsky]

I've posted one of my recent Seestar S50 images of Jupiter at https://www.cloudyni...sit/?p=13860364

[CollinofAlabama]

ClintonVA,

 

You bought this scope used, so are you sure it's in collimation?  No one has mentioned this, and I'm not the best person to write on the subject, being that I have never owned an SCT in my life, but I am a little familiar with the process from friends in my astronomy club.  I am very familiar with newtonian reflector collimation, however, and can guarantee you that no eyepiece can make a mirror-ed telescope out of collimation work well.  If your scope needs collimation, however, it's akin to a guitar needing tuning.  Doesn't mean the guitar is junk, just that it needs adjustment and that's all.  Your C8 may be putting up rotten renditions of things because it's not collimated.

 

Again, I'm the last person to give you good advice on this subject, since I've never owned an SCT, but I can tell you that when I collimate my C130SLT telescope, that little guy throws up the best images a 5.1" mirror might throw into your eyeball.  Everyone's commented before on how sharp and nice my stars are, and it does a very, very nice job, but that's because I've made sure the mirrors work correctly, and, although the process is a little different with a standard newtonian compared to an SCT, correct collimation makes a lot of difference in what your scope will show through any eyepiece.  I'm sure there are dozens of YouTube videos and libraries worth of commentary available from googling good ole Cloudnights.com on the subject, so help is at hand, but you might need to at least check your collimation and make sure things appear "correct".  A star test on Polaris comes to mind as a simple test, but whatever you decide or settle on as your best method, make sure your collimation is good before giving up on the scope.  A great, classical guitar formerly owned by Andrés Segovia might get out of tune, but could still be worth a few tens of thousands of dollars, and so it is with a C8 out of collimation.  It might throw up some bad images with the mirrors out of alignment, but get them aligned and it is likely to produce a much better image.

 

Good luck

Edited by CollinofAlabama, 19 December 2024 - 02:26 PM.

[doyers017]

Juipter with a C8 should be a little more defined than a point of light. Try tinkering with the eyepieces you are using. Also make sure that you are looking at Jupiter instead of a star. Getting the finderscope locked in right really helps with this.

[rjacks]

With a 9-12mm eyepiece, you should be able to get a lot of detail on Jupiter, including moon shadows. If the seeing conditions are very good, you should be able to get some detail on Mars. Saturn is too low now. General rule of thumb is not to bother with objects below about 30 degrees from the horizon, unless 20 degrees is as high as they are going to get (southern objects). If Jupiter looks like a star, then you probably aren't pointing at Jupiter. Be patient. Good luck! 

[TheReboot]

Absolute beginner here - first telescope. I bought a used Celestron C8 and have various lenses. Guess I was expecting to see Jupiter larger than just a point of light. Am I doing something wrong. Hoped I could see rhe rings of Saturn at least. Does it matter if o am in town with lots of light pollution? Just need some assurance this is what is normal and not like in the photos I see posted. Will a Barlow pr ,oom lens make things larger? Thank you for any advice.

Another beginner here! I'm glad to see you're getting into the hobby as well! Regarding your sights of Jupiter, I believe you make be looking in the wrong spot or be doing something wrong. While I'm not familiar with your scope specifically, I do know that the C8 has a focal length of 2032mm while being an 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, which should be more than enough to see the planets. I'd have to guess, if you're only seeing a bright light, your sight may be slightly off and may be showing you the wrong part. Another thing that could be it is your eyepiece. If you have a bad one or an underpowered one, it can create issues for you in seeing. I hope you find the fixes to your problems because seeing the planets are one of my favorite things! Clear skies!

[Russell Swan]

I notice that some posters do a disservice to novices in suggesting they invest in $200+ eyepieces. That does nothing but scare the majority of people away from the hobby. Get the sub $100 Paradigms and X-Cel lines.
They work great with an F/10 instrument such as the C8. Not everyone needs to drive around in a Ferrari or even a Cadillac when learning to drive. Especially for viewing planets which do not require a wide field. 
 

9mm to 18mm 1.25” eyepiece range 

Edited by Russell Swan, 20 February 2025 - 01:58 PM.

[maniack]

I notice that some posters do a disservice to novices in suggesting they invest in $200+ eyepieces. That does nothing but scare the majority of people away from the hobby. Get the sub $100 Paradigms and X-Cel lines.
They work great with an F/10 instrument such as the C8. Not everyone needs to drive around in a Ferrari or even a Cadillac when learning to drive. Especially for viewing planets which do not require a wide field. 
 

9mm to 18mm 1.25” eyepiece range 

Exactly! People will say "buy once cry once", but the reality is that investments in hobbies tend to be a progression for most reasonable people. You start with something decent and then you built upon that when it makes sense to upgrade.

 

I've been in the hobby for over 5 years (not that long compared to many people here) and have bought (and given away or sold) over a dozen scopes at this point. I still only have 1 eyepiece that cost more than $200 - the Baader Mark IV zoom. Even that is not much better than the plain old 8-24mm Meade zoom I have. It goes a bit wider and is mechanically better, but it's also larger and is more subject to reflections from ambient light.

 

For wide field in the 1.25" format I went from a 32mm Plossl to a 25mm X-cel LX to an ES24 ($126+taxes from Aliexpress). I see no reason to spend more than twice as much to get a Panoptic.

 

For the C8/8SE/etc. I recommend the X-cel LX 25mm or Paradigm 25mm for close to the widest field (the 32mm Plossl is slightly wider but eye placement is a bit awkward) and an 8-24mm 60-40 degree zoom to cover most of the useful magnification range. The Agena version comes in at $73 and Celestron at $100, with cheaper options on Amazon (Astromania for example) that appear identical but no guarantees that the coatings are the same. In the rare cases where the seeing supports a higher magnification or I'm splitting a really close double star the Celestron Omni 2x Barlow has been a useful addition.

[BKBrown]

Absolute beginner here - first telescope. I bought a used Celestron C8 and have various lenses. Guess I was expecting to see Jupiter larger than just a point of light. Am I doing something wrong. Hoped I could see rhe rings of Saturn at least. Does it matter if o am in town with lots of light pollution? Just need some assurance this is what is normal and not like in the photos I see posted. Will a Barlow pr ,oom lens make things larger? Thank you for any advice.

That is a nice scope you have there, so you want to make sure that everything is properly adjusted and working to spec...especially the collimation. Unlike a Newtonian system, the SCT only requires the adjustment of the front mounted secondary mirror to line everything up properly. By your user name, is it safe to assume that you live in Virginia? We have many active astronomy clubs here in the commonwealth and getting to know the members can give you a huge boost up. For instance, these acquaintances can often let you try different eye pieces in your scope, give you help with the mysteries of collimation , or point you toward the club's lending closet to try out different gear. If you are in central Virginia near Charlottesville I would be glad to assist if you would like to PM me. C'ville has a large and active club, and NOVA in northern VA is positively massive. It is well worth your time to seek local help and get to know the folks in your area.

 

Clear Skies,

Brian