Finally a break in the clouds-First Light for 4 eyepieces.

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StarBru United States of America
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Finally a break in the clouds-First Light for 4 eyepieces.

#1

Post by StarBru »


After a wind storm with clouds and possible rain at dusk a few nights ago I expected another night full of clouds. I had bought 3 used and 1 new eyepieces a few weeks ago and I have been anxious to look through them. The 4 eyepieces are:

Meade Series 4000 UWA 14mm, 1.25/2 inch
Baader Classic Ortho 18mm, 1.25 inch
Agena Starguider Flat Field 27mm, 1.25 inch
BST Flat Field 16mm, 1.25 inch

It seemed like forever since I had seen a clear sky, but there was a break in the clouds. It was about 7:40 pm and we had just ordered some pizzas and made a salad. What the heck, I had about 40 minutes before the pizza delivery person showed up! :pizza: I grabbed my 120mm f/8 reflector on its alt/az mount because it's the largest scope I have fully set up at any given time and I can carry it outside in one piece. After placing the scope on the back patio, I then retrieved my eyepiece case and I was ready to go.

With the outside temperature at 93 degrees at 8 pm (cooler than normal) I am expecting less than optimal views because I didn't wait to bring the tube to temperature before viewing. Also, my next door neighbor had apparently recently installed motion sensor floodlights and my large palm trees were setting them off as it was still a little windy out. It wouldn't be a good night to look for faint fuzzies!

Meade Series 4000 UWA 14mm in 2 inch mode at 71x: I sighted the first quarter moon in the Telrad finder and moved over to the eyepiece to focus. Wow! :Astronomer1: Words cannot express how crystal clear and how big the view was. I had never looked through an eyepiece with more than a 66 degree AFOV so this UWA at 82 degrees or as I read in a review as more like a 78 degree AFOV, well it was BIG no matter what! I felt like I was looking through a much bigger scope! The views were perfect to the edge in the eyepiece. I had to share, so I ran inside the house and insisted that my wife, adult daughter and her boyfriend have a look.

After everyone ooh'd and aah'd, my daughter points and asks "What's that bright star over there?" I told her I was pretty sure it was Jupiter, but let's have a look. I swung the scope over there and yep, Jupiter and its 4 moons, and bigger than I thought it would be! The N. and S. Equatorial Belts, Equatorial Zone, N. and S. Tropical Zones, and the S. Polar Region could easily be seen, but the view got better with moments of clearer atmosphere and for scant moments I could see a few Temperate Belts. I have to admit this classic 14mm eyepiece has it's blackouts when standing and trying to look at something smaller than the moon, but I think it will be easier to position the eye when sitting and with more experience over time.

Baader Classic Ortho 18mm at 56x: This eyepiece is as clear and sharp as can be! Jupiter and the moon were just as good as in the Meade 14mm UWA. The Meade did have the advantage of more magnification and the wider FOV though. I would like to make a more thorough comparison between the two when time allows. This is the new eyepiece, the 3 others are used.

Agena Starguider FF 27mm at 37x: It was a little less clear around the edges, but this could be from needing a better cleaning or maybe it's from tube currents? Otherwise it looks great. Note: It looks like the 16mm BST in appearance and is not available in this size like the current Starguider eyepieces on the market.

BST FF 16mm at 63x. This was the worst of the 4 eyepieces. I could see some fuzziness around the outside field of view while looking at the moon and a dark speck off to the left, so it definitely needs cleaning again. This is the eyepiece that while I was cleaning it, had been smeared with grease from the inside of the twist-up eyecup. Other than that, it was just as sharp as the 27mm.

I wanted to look at a few globular clusters before the pizza came, but not only did I run out of time but some high thin clouds moved in and I knew it was quitting time. I tried going back out after our late dinner, but the clouds had completely covered the sky! :angry-jumpinganger:

Conclusion: To be fair, both the 16mm and the 27mm Flat Fields will need a good cleaning before I can properly assess how good they are, They were both clear and sharp except around the very edges. I am looking forward to looking through them again.

The 18mm Baader Classic Orthoscopic is a delight, and I am very glad I listened to a few good people on this forum regarding purchasing a good 18mm eyepiece. The best value for the money. This one is a keeper!

I am really impressed with the Meade Series 4000 14mm UWA. What an eyepiece! As it is the only 2 inch eyepiece tested, it has that advantage, but the disadvantage is the size and weight that I am not used to. When I secured it in the focuser of the scope I had to re-balance the scope because of the increase in weight! It cost as much as the other 3 eyepieces combined, but it is worth every penny in my opinion! I asked my family which eyepiece they liked the best and they all agreed this one was the best and I agree! I am hoping to buy other eyepieces that are similar to it (except for the weight) as my pocketbook allows.

One last thing. It looks like I am going to have to construct some light shields for observing from my backyard, dang it!
Bruce

Refractors: Meade AR-5 127mm f/9.3, Meade ST-80 f/5 and Meade 60mm f/12, Jason 60mm f/15 #313, Jason 60mm f/12 #306 S7, Bushnell Sky Chief III 60mm f/15.
Reflectors/Catadioptrics: Meade 10" F/4 Schmidt-Newtonian, Galileo 120mm f/8.3 Newtonian, Meade 2045D 4" f/10 SCT, Meade ETX-90EC f/13.8 & Sarblue 60mm f/12.5 Maksutov-Cassegrains.
Mounts: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro & Meade LXD55 Equatorial mounts, ES Twilight II and Meade 2102 ALT/AZ mounts, a modified 10" SkyQuest Dobsonian mount, various 60mm EQ mounts.
Misc: Celestron 20x80mm binoculars, Revolution II Imager/accessories, & lots of optical accessories/eyepieces.
Projects: 8" f/2.9 and 65mm f/10 reflectors, Dobson-style binocular mirror mount.
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Re: Finally a break in the clouds-First Light for 4 eyepieces.

#2

Post by Doug James »


StarBru,That's a great report. Thanks for posting.

Doug
Celestron Omni XLT 120 Refractor, Orion XT8 Classic Dobsonian - Telrad finder - Sirius Plossl 1.25" eyepieces 40mm,25mm,17mm,
Shorty 2x Barlow lens, Orion Stratus 8mm,13mm,21mm, Baader 36mm, Meade 6.5mm,
Binoculars, Nikon 10x50, Oberwerk 20x80 LW binos
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Re: Finally a break in the clouds-First Light for 4 eyepieces.

#3

Post by notFritzArgelander »


Thanks for posting! Glad especially to hear the BCO 18mm worked well.
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: Finally a break in the clouds-First Light for 4 eyepieces.

#4

Post by Don Quixote »


Thank you , Bruce for this wonderful report.
I have enjoyed read this very much.
Congratulations on your successful first lights !
More clear skies to you.
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Re: Finally a break in the clouds-First Light for 4 eyepieces.

#5

Post by bladekeeper »


Very nice, Bruce! Glad you finally got an opportunity to light these eyepieces. I've consistently heard good things about that particular Meade series, and the BCO speaks for itself. :)

Not fun on the motion sensor light. I have a neighbor a few houses to the north with a similar setup. They are often fond of letting their little Yorkie roam the backyard in the evening. That keeps things clicking on and off while the little yapper continuously barks. And when the wind stirs the tree branches, the blinding continues.

One thing you left unresolved: How was the pizza? :D
Bryan
Scopes: Apertura AD12 f/5; Celestron C6-R f/8; ES AR127 f/6.4; Stellarvue SV102T f/7; iOptron MC90 f/13.3; Orion ST80A f/5; ES ED80 f/6; Celestron Premium 80 f/11.4; Celestron C80 f/11.4; Unitron Model 142 f/16; Meade NG60 f/10
Mounts: Celestron AVX; Bresser EXOS-2; ES Twilight I; ES Twilight II; iOptron Cube-G; AZ3/wood tripod; Vixen Polaris
Binoculars: Pentax PCF WP II 10×50, Bresser Corvette 10×50, Bresser Hunter 16×50 and 8×40, Garrett Gemini 12×60 LW, Gordon 10×50, Apogee 20×100

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Re: Finally a break in the clouds-First Light for 4 eyepieces.

#6

Post by Bigzmey »


Congrats on the first light Bruce! Your impressions are right on the money! BCOs and Meade UWA are good quality EPs, great performers on DSOs, Moon and planets. Definitely keepers.

Agena/BST FF series are not bad. They are popular with binoviewer crowd for compact size, light weight, good eye relief and wide field. But they are certainly not in the same class as BCOs and Meade UWA.

Try your TV 2.5x barlow with BCO next time. You will get sharp high power views of Moon and planets (if seeing is good of cause).
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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