What are the best eyepieces for my new Orion XT8 telescope?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around selecting appropriate eyepieces for the Orion XT8 telescope, with a focus on planetary viewing. Participants also explore related topics such as astrophotography techniques and equipment recommendations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests considering a 6-10mm eyepiece for planetary viewing, noting the XT8 comes with a 25mm piece.
  • Another participant recommends getting a good ED shorty barlow and a long eye relief eyepiece for better viewing experiences.
  • Concerns are raised about the effectiveness of eyepiece projection photography compared to prime focus photography, with one participant advising against it.
  • There is a discussion about the optimal focal length for eyepieces, with one participant calculating a 12mm eyepiece based on the telescope's specifications.
  • Some participants propose using a 9mm eyepiece with a 2x barlow for planetary viewing, suggesting it would yield ideal magnification under good conditions.
  • Recommendations for brands and specific eyepieces are made, including mentions of Owl Astronomy and Zhumell kits.
  • Participants discuss the need for a motorized mount for effective astrophotography, with suggestions for software and camera adapters.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various preferences for eyepiece specifications and astrophotography methods, indicating multiple competing views. No consensus is reached on the best approach or equipment.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention limitations regarding the effectiveness of certain eyepieces and photography methods, as well as the variability in product availability from certain suppliers.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in amateur astronomy, particularly those using the Orion XT8 telescope or similar equipment, may find this discussion beneficial.

QuantumPion
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I just bought my first telescope, finally settled on the Orion XT8 after originally considering a Celestron 90EQ refractor or 130EQ Newtonian. Figured I might as well get something that will last me a while from the get-go instead of wasting money on lower end scopes.

Anyway, what are some good eyepieces to consider getting? I believe the XT8 only comes with one 25 mm piece, so I think I'd like to get a 6-10mm piece for planetary viewing. Also, should I get one of those laser collimators, or will I be able to get by without one?
 
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QuantumPion said:
I just bought my first telescope, finally settled on the Orion XT8 after originally considering a Celestron 90EQ refractor or 130EQ Newtonian. Figured I might as well get something that will last me a while from the get-go instead of wasting money on lower end scopes.

Anyway, what are some good eyepieces to consider getting? I believe the XT8 only comes with one 25 mm piece, so I think I'd like to get a 6-10mm piece for planetary viewing. Also, should I get one of those laser collimators, or will I be able to get by without one?

Great scope! Get a good ED shorty barlow if you don't already have a barlow. Your next EP should be in the 10mm range. I would get a good quality LER (long eye relief) eyepiece at the shorter focal lengths or use the plossl with a barlow and a spacer to give a range of magnifications with your 25mm plossl (which should have at least 20mm eye relief). This thread has my recommendations a few pages back.
CONGRATULATIONS on your new telescope.

You can wait on the laser collimator.
 


I put the scope together last night but by the time I got it ready, it got cloudy out.

Today, it was 100% visibility all day long but as soon as I got home, bam, clouds! Is this a curse or what?

I did manage to get a moon shot though since it was almost full.

rm80mOy.jpg
 
Last edited:


Nice job QP!
 


I took the above by just carefully holding my iphone up to the eyepiece. I have a DSLR, is there a mount I can get which would allow me to mount it directly in front of the eyepiece?
 


Sweet, on sale too.
 


I would caution against eyepiece projection photography. It is more difficult than prime focus and generally yields disappointing results. Even planets typically yield better images at prime focus than with eyepiece projection. A good barlow lens is all you probably need.
 


Chronos said:
I would caution against eyepiece projection photography. It is more difficult than prime focus and generally yields disappointing results. Even planets typically yield better images at prime focus than with eyepiece projection. A good barlow lens is all you probably need.

What would you recommend as the best method for novice astrophotography with my equipment (XT8 scope, Canon EOS 20D camera)?
 
  • #10


QuantumPion said:
What would you recommend as the best method for novice astrophotography with my equipment (XT8 scope, Canon EOS 20D camera)?

Without a motorized mount you won't be able to do much astrophotography. You should be able to get images of the planets and moon, but anything more than that is just not going to happen really. If you really want to learn more about it, head over to cloudynights.com and hit up their forum. That site is dedicated to astronomy and there are a lot of resources there.
 
  • #11


Prime focus is my suggestion. You will need an adapter to mount the camera to the focuser. I also recommend APT for software. It allows you to preview your shots and is not expensive. You should be able to get decent moon and planet shots even without a clock drive.
 
  • #12


Alright I'll look into that. My other question is for eyepieces. I read somewhere that a telescope has the best acuity with an eyepiece focal length equal to about twice the focal ratio. So that would be 12mm for my scope (2*1200mm/203mm). However this would only give me 100x zoom, and I'd like more zoom for planetary viewing. Should I get a 12mm EP and a 2x Barlow? Or a 6mm EP? Or some other combination? Also what is a good recommended eyepiece for < $100 range? I was just going to get the Orion 2x shorty Barlow and the 12mm long eye relief eyepiece from telescope.com, but I was also considering the 12mm ED eyepiece as well, not sure which one would be better or if there is another brand which offers better bang for the buck.
 
  • #14


You will discover yourself drawn to widefield eyepieces for general observing. I would suggest something in the 20mm range for this purpose. For planetary viewing, a 9mm ep along with a 2x barlow is a good choice. Unbarlowed it will yield 133x, which will be just about ideal on most nights. With 2x barlow, you can get 266x, which is about as much useful magnification as you can coax out of an 8" primary under very good seeing conditions. In theory, you push it to as much as 400x, but, that assumes near perfect optics and seeing conditions. Not terribly realistic. Owl astronomy has a good selection of good quality eyepieces like these at very reasonable prices.
 
  • #15


Chronos said:
You will discover yourself drawn to widefield eyepieces for general observing. I would suggest something in the 20mm range for this purpose. For planetary viewing, a 9mm ep along with a 2x barlow is a good choice. Unbarlowed it will yield 133x, which will be just about ideal on most nights. With 2x barlow, you can get 266x, which is about as much useful magnification as you can coax out of an 8" primary under very good seeing conditions. In theory, you push it to as much as 400x, but, that assumes near perfect optics and seeing conditions. Not terribly realistic. Owl astronomy has a good selection of good quality eyepieces like these at very reasonable prices.

Just a quick pointer about OWL astronomy; it's a family-run business, and one of their family members is currently recovering from a stroke. I know this after some short email exchanges, where I originally inquired about several of my purchases that had to be refunded due to my purchased items not being in stock, despite seeing the items openly offered on their website, with no warning of them being out of stock.

This isn't to say that they are a bad business; they aren't. I would just expect some unpredictably with certain items.
 

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