best eyepieces for my starter telescope?

Question

I'm getting a starter scope and one I looked at came with 25mm 12.5mm 10mm and 4mm celestron eyepieces which are of Kellner design. I hear a lot about the plossl design but not so much the kellner and was wondering if the plossl are better and if I had to choose one size to get in a plossl what the best one would be to start out with. was looking at a Orion Sirius Plossl 26mm which was a good price and their was a 12.5mm as well but where I don't have alot of money my choices need to be wise choices so I don't end up just getting frustrated.

to add about aperture. money is a big thing and in another question I was told to look at a 10" reflector but I can't afford one and the 6" reflectors in my price range are of poor quality as far as reviews go so I'm looking at a 4" maksutov because it falls in my price range comes with alot of accessories like a motor drive for the equatorial mount and the reviews seemed good. I know bigger is better as far as apperture goes but money is an issue as I have to consider shipping as well. The issue is whether the celestron eyepieces would be best choice since they come with it or if I would do well to invest in a plossl....just not sure which would give the best optical quality

Answer 1

In general, a Plossl will give you a little less aberration at the edge of the field. With any type of eyepiece, a lot depends on the quality of the lenses that go into it. There are well-made Kellners that give bright, sharp views and there are crappy Plossls that are like looking through a dirty windshield. I don't know anything about the current Celestron Kellners. If you're getting the Mak-Cass, most of them are fairly long f-ratio and therefore work well with simple eyepieces.

I suggest you buy the telescope, with whatever it comes with, and learn to use it first. After a while it will become obvious to you what the weakest link in your setup is; then you can concentrate on upgrading that. At the outset, your best strategy is to get as much telescope as you can, and add accessories later. If you start with a crappy telescope, the best eyepieces in the world won't help it.

Answer 2

If your telescope comes with the four you listed, there's probably no point in buying a 26mm as well, since you won't notice a difference between the 25mm and the 26mm. I anticipate your 4mm will be next to useless. I barely ever bother with anything smaller than 12mm - especially with small scopes that are easily prone to vibrations.

If you want a good three eyepieces, I would recommend a 25mm, a 12mm, and a 36 or 40mm for clusters and other wide-field objects (like Andromeda).

The 25mm is good for pretty much anything - globulars, brighter galaxies, planets, the Moon. The 12mm will come in useful for small dim objects - the Ring nebula and some fainter galaxies. The 36/40mm will be good for larger extended objects - star clusters and large galaxies.

You didn't mention the primary mirror size of your scope, so I'm assuming you're getting at least a 4.5" if you want to see galaxies. Good luck!

Answer 3

Well stay away from claims of 500x eye pieces they are usually useless when it comes to viewing with any serious intents. Generally what you say is available are good choices. Since eye pieces are a function of mirror or lense diameter and focal lenght you can determine from that the limit to eyepiece diameter. Generally for small telescopes it is rare to see an eyepiece greater 12.5mm. Since magnification comes from focal lenght using a too large of an eyepiece is of no use, it is possiable to blank out the sky with too much magnification. Also of importance is to first define what you want to use the scope for. Usually it is best to start out determining if you want to view planets, stars,nebulae and go easy on large aperatures and eye pieces in case you become disappointed in what you can see. At least you will have minimized your cost. If you find you are satisfied and would like to move up to a better grade of telescope (larger aperature and focal lenght) then you can do so. Many times someone will go out and buy a large telescope thinking they are really going to see everything only to wind up dissappointed and lose interest as well as a large amount of money. Many a telescope have been relegated to the dust bin because of this. Stay away from department store telescopes as they often contain defects,it is much better to deal with a reputable telescope maker or dealer. You may pay a little more but you will be happier.