I have an Orion FunScope which I received as a gift. Specs (for those who don't know); A reflector scope. Comes with an Optical Diameter 76mm, a Focal Length 300mm; Focal Ratio f/3.9, and comes with two 3-element Eye Pieces (20.0mm (15x), 10.0mm (30x)). Its highest useful magnification 152x. Recommend folks see his video on this scope: "Orion Funscope / Celestron Firstscope review/comparison" I love it's portability and that sits nicely on my tripod, but like everyone here, I would like to improve my experience. I'm not a fan of wasting money on poor products, since sooner or later it will cost me, but I neither want to spent a ridiculously amount of money. Based on your videos (IMHO they are great introduction to this hobby!!), I should consider a shorty Barlow fully multi-coated lens. Based on the lenses I have, it should be a 3x or 5x Barlow lens. My goals is to be able to see the rings and moons of Saturn. (Just like I use to, with an old refractor scope I once had) Amazon results gave me few results of brands I'm familiar with: Celestron 93428 X-Cel LX 1.25-Inch 3x 3-element apochromatic Barlow Lens (~$65) Orion 8707 High-Power 1.25-Inch 3x 4-Element Barlow Lens (~$134) Orion 8715 High-Power 1.25-Inch 5x 4-Element Barlow Lens (~$175) Do you have any advice on these Barlow lenses, or should I consider a different vendor/model for my FunScope?
The "H" stands for Huygens lenses, the "SR" is a Ramsden. Both are simpler, two-lens element designs. For your 1000mm f/l telescope, they will work ok for now. Plossls in longer focal lengths will be better at some point - a 25mm and 16mm, perhaps. TMB, Orion, Zhumell and Astro-Tech all have decent "planetary" type eyepieces with shorter focal lengths with better eye relief. A 9mm and 6mm might be worth getting for those at some point. I'd suggest any of those to upgrade your eyepieces.
Just realized that I was putting my shorty in the wrong place (that's what she said), I placed in behind instead of before.. thank you EOTS.. Great videos..
oh thanks for telling me cause i was using my barlow lens opposite of my telescope for 1 month and thats why i was getting blurry image of the moon :DDDD
Hi Diane - certainly those without glasses can use eyepieces with good eye relief. The eye relief of most eyepieces is not so long that it is difficult to see objects through them. The challenge is when eye relief is too short, and either those with glasses - or even those without - have difficulty getting close enough to the lens to see the entire field of view.
A couple of questions: 1.) Does using a barlow impact the Telescopic Field of View ( TFOV)° ? For example my 600mm f-7.5 with a 10mm eyepiece with 82° AFOV gives me 1.36° of TFOV. If I were to add a 2x Barlow does that cut the TFOV in half to 0.68° TFOV? 2.) Does using a 2x barlow double the eye relief distance of any eyepiece? And does a 4x powermate quadruple the eye relief distance? 3) Does using a barlow impact the field stop diameter of the eyepiece in use? How is the value impacted? Thanks for all your effort. Great videos. I learned a lot. ( a lot more to go)
thanks for the information..I'm the new user of telescope and find difficulties in set up my telescope and don't know the differences of each eyepieces, erecting eyepieces and barlow lens
You're welcome, and I'm glad I helped. Honestly, I don't do astrophotography very well. I only know a little about the basics. Try one of the beginner astrophotography forums on Cloudy Nights, and ask there. Plenty of helpful folks who can guide you much better on that question than I can.
Andrés, it is not a hard and fast rule. A short one or a long one can be suitable for a reflector. The one thing to be careful of is reflectors that have very short focuser tubes - a longer barlow may wind up in the incoming light path. But for most telescopes, this is not a problem.
Hi David, nice informational video. I'm planning to buy exploreone 50mm kids telescope for my six year old daughter at 35$. Will this work fine and still have decent view of the planets let me know. I'm on a shoe string budget
Very true; I didn't mention that as I was already running longer than I'd wanted to on this one. But it certainly is a way to alter the magnification quite simply.
Are these eyepieces all Plossls? The 8" scope can handle up to 400x magnification on the best nights of steady seeing, though you'll often be limited to 150x or 200x most nights, which the 7.5 should provide (around 160x). Sounds like you might need more eye relief...??? A Zhumell Z-Series, Orion Expanse or Astro-Tech LER series eyepiece might make the observing experience better for you; it's much easier to view through those ones in the shorter focal lengths of 4mm - 8mm.
I own a Celestron 130 telescope with 10 mm (33 x) and 20 mm (66 x) eye piece. I just wanted to know which barlow lens I should buy, which would improve the magnification without any degrade in picture clarity. Thanks
Nice video and explaining. I own Omegon Mightypak 90/1000 with a 25 mm eyepiece and the maximum zoom is 180x. How do I mount my Barlow 5x lens to my telescope to get the maximum zoom? I think It will be 200x. Do you think the lens is too big for this telescope and get Barlow 2x instead? What other eyepiece do you recommend for zooming and landscape shooting?
I purchased a Barlow that the bottom lens screws out and screws directly onto your eye piece giving 1.5X, thus making my long eye relief 15mm into a 10mm LER giving me 100x even. I can change it back to 2x and get 7.5x, but decided to max out my 102 refractor at 166 without the Barlow as it's rated at 175x so 166 is close enough. So with 1.55X & 2X added to 32mm, 25mm that came with scope (was good) 15mm LER and 6mm LER and enhanced field of view too. So I believe I'm set. Hmm....If I was to put the 1.5x onto the wide angle LER 6mm / 1.5 = 4mm / 1000 = 250X, or about 75X more than the scope is rated for....hmmm. I think I'll give it a shot on Mars tomorrow morning.
Because that telescope comes with the 10mm that would effectively be the same as a 20mm with a 2x barlow, and since a 2x barlow put the magnification at 200x, which is really beyond what that scope should do (175 is the practical max), I would suggest a 1.5x or 1.8x barlow.
A small tip is that the lens of the 'Barlow' can usually be unscrewed from its tubular housing (Barlow tube?) and fitted directly onto the eyepiece barrel. This will make a 2 times Barlow magnification transform into a 1.5 X magnification Barlow; e.g., A '20mm' eyepiece becomes a '10mm' or '15mm' eyepiece. The lowdown is that this gives you even more eyepiece magnification choices.
Possibly; it would depend on the type of lens configuration, and if the barrel size of the eyepiece matched that of the telescope - or if a suitable adapter could be used / made.
David Question? If you would have a better eye piece , would I have a better view of the planets ect.. ..Your eyepieces (eye relief,) From what I understand there for people with eyeglasses! can a person without glasses use them to? Your videos, very clear about explaning the subject ,Thank you .
You should make two more sereis of multiple videos like these. Talking about filters(planetary,solar, lunar,skyglow and Nebula) and Astrophotography(Film,digital Cameras, Camera(or video)eyepeices and ccd's and autoguiders)you could also talk about ccd filters RGBL and Alternates for ccds as well.
@@OzzyPropyl I did that too I was like etc is wrong with this eyepiece???? And than I watched this and now I have to wait for the moon to stop covering Mars so I can look at it
You're probably best sticking with what you have. The max practical magnification for a scope of that aperture is about 200x, so the 240x and up magnifications won't do much for you. And you're right, a 2x barlow is effectively doubling many eyepieces that you already have, and the 3x is really just too much. I'd say if the eyepieces you have are Plossls, you might be just as well to get some short focal length/longer eye relief eyepieces like Zhumell, TMB, Orion or Astro-Tech offer.
thank you for replying.I was completely confused about the benefits of telescopes but thankfully i ran into your website. I am thankful for vidoes online it was very helpful. I am understanding more on how to use this perticular telescope. I have taken some amazing pitures on the moon and jupiter and its 4 moons the other night before the snow storm. i am in new jersey. what camera or piece can you recommend for video and images. i am really excited so far.just ordered a solar filter it
Not always, but sometimes they are. Sometimes they are called "long eye relief" eyepieces. However, they can be used to view anything at higher magnifications, not just planets.
i am new to stargazing so i don't even know how to attach the lenses to the telescope. i have a celestron cpc1100. is there a video out there that explains how to attach the barlow and lenses? thanks for any help, mark
That scope will need a barlow or short focal length eyepiece to generate sufficient magnification for a decent-sized image at the eyepiece. Because your scope is 130mm aperture, you don't want to exceed 250x total magnification, and on most nights, more like 150 to 175 (that applies to most any telescope). You might be served well by a 6mm eyepiece with long eye relief and a 2x barlow, which with your present eyepieces will give you a nice range of magnifications.
A Celestron Travel Scope is really a spotting scope intended for terrestrial observing. It will be difficult to get good views for astronomy viewing with it: 1) The focal length is quite short; increases chromatic aberration & hard to get full magnification. CA not as noticeable during day, but very evident at night with stars/Moon 2) The diagonal is a 45 degree style, which orients the image upright; a 90 degree type is better quality for night sky. (Not enough space to diagnose here easily.)
Yeah, one these days I need to get one of those. Unfortunately, I think I've been bitten by the astrophotography bug. (Help.... save me.... and my checkbook.....)
I had the barlow between star diagnol and eyepiece, couldnt focus on the planet i was after. put it where suggested in this video (although i did it before seeing the video) and got the focus! but the barlow is cheap, need a better one. This is a nice series of videos!
Depends on the aperture and focal length if your telescope, information that is necessary to help answer your question. This series of videos covers how to calculate that and not exceed maximum practical magnification.
It is a Celestron Nexstar 130SLT, so the sights I have expected to see are what I have seen from others with the same product. It all but seems that it doesn't have any magnification at all, as if it just simply points in the right direction. I guess it is either the case that there is something that I am not doing right, or the magnification I need lies in additional lenses, or that the telescope is broken!
Hey EOTS, great vid as always. Just wondering, I have a Meade 114eq 1000mm f8.8 bird jones style. So there is already a lens mounted inside the focus tube. Is this effectively a built in Barlow? I read on some forums that I should stick to dedicated eyepieces instead of using barlows due to this added internal lens. Do you have any opinion on this matter? Have you used a bird jones with a barlow? Thanks for any help...
I heard that every telescope has its maximum magnification. How do I calculate that? my telescope is skywatcher pro series(refractor) 80ed 600m 5mm / 20mm lense
쿵판다 any telescope can be made to go to any magnification. But that doesn't t mean you will see a good image. So there is a maximum practical magnification. Calculate that by multiplying 50 for every inch (or 25mm, but multiply it in inches) of aperture. So your telescope's maximum practical magnification is about 150 or 160.
Divide focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. See "Telescope Basics 2" for a discussion on that. If you add a barlow lens, simply multiply the magnification of the scope/eyepiece combination by the increase the barlow you have provides.
It only has a 650mm focal length, so with a 9mm eyepiece, you're only getting 72x magnification. That's fine for some star clusters and other deep sky objects (even the Moon), but it won't make the planets look large at all. You really need either a 2x or 3x barlow, or some 3mm, 4mm or 5mm eyepieces to get sufficient magnification from that scope. It should give you nice wide field view of larger objects like M39, M45, M42, M31 and the Double Cluster though.
thank you so much :),i will order one of those asap.I have to go out to the park in 3 hours to observe saturn tonight as it is going to be in the opposition.could you please tell me what eyepiece,or eyepiece with 3xbarlow or with diagonal i should use for the best result for me to see saturn?i will be using my celestron 70mm travel scope tonight.
Hello David, I was wondering what you think is the better Barlow lens for my Apertura AD8 8” Newtonian? There are two I am considering , the Tru Vue “Big2” 2x ( 2 Element ) or the Orion high power 2 - 4 Element? I use the complete line of Orion Stratus 3.5mm-24mm Eyepieces. You seem very knowledgeable and I’m reaching out to you for some advice. Thank you!
I'm not sure you'd actually need a barlow. You have most magnifications covered, even close to the highest your telescope will support. And the barlows you've mentioned would largely duplicate magnifications you already have. What did you want to get the barlow for?
@@Eyesonthesky thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! And your right, there is really nothing I need it for. I was at a Astronomy club a little while ago and was told “ you need a Barlow lens to be complete “ but I’m leaning towards you on this one , I don’t really need it. Thanks so much and I love your videos !
@@Navigatorbythestars glad to help! A barlow may be useful if you get an equatorial platform and try some basic planetary astrophotography, but otherwise, yeah... I don't see why you'd need one with the eyepieces you've already got. And thanks! Clear and dark skies to you!
Hey guys i have a question to everyone here, i see the Jupiter and its 4 moon from northern hemisphere (INDIA). Here is the question, If Jupiter and its moon are in the horizontal plane which is same as orbital plane of Jupiter and also same as Earth and its moon plane, then when i see the moons of jupiter should not they be placed in vertical order rather than in horizontal order ? Because if they are placed in horizontal order does it mean they revolve around Jupiter in plane perpendicular to the orbital plane of the Jupiter ?? Can some one please explain these to me...
Hi David! Which type of Barlow would you recommend for a reflector?? A Shorty or a long one?? I was told the longer ones are better for reflectors, but watching this video I got the opposite, so can you please help me?
Hi David, just bought a used Meade ETX 70AT missing the barlow however I do have the eyepieces...can I use the telescope without it until I can purchase one?
hi, great video, i have a problem. I have a camera attached to a barlow x2 fitted to my small cassegrain, i have it all fitted into a .965" to 1.25" diagonal. i get a bright spot that fades from the centre like a large hazy star, would this be due to the step up diagonal?
Hi, David! Can you tell something about these Eyepieces + Filters + Barlow lenses kits (comes with these fancy aluminium suitcases)? I'm really thinking about buying one ot these - Celeston or Orion - doesn't matter.
+magdanoz88 Hi - I'm not a fan of those. Often, most of the items in the are not all that useful. The longer or medium focal length ones - such as 32mm and 16mm or 17mm - are generally good. And a Moon filter can be nice to have. But beyond that, the short focal length eyepieces tend to have very short eye relief, and the other colored filters CAN be useful, but when you discover you can see all the details without them, become less useful very quickly. I'm more a fan of buying individually-selected eyepieces and filters to suit your own needs and telescope. Hope that helps.
Hello guys are new to the telescopes, my daughter received a 76 mm Firstscope and I would like to Barlow lens 3x or 5x buy using eye SR4mm and H20mm you think would be most appropriate?
+Cristian Franguloiu For the 20mm eyepiece, you could use either one. For the 4mm eyepiece, neither barlow would be appropriate. Remember, you don't want to magnify more than 50x per inch of aperture. So for that telescope, 150x is the practical, maximum magnification (and even that might be too much!). Ideally, a 2x barlow is maximum you could use; that will net you the following magnifications with the two eyepieces - 15x, 30x, 75x and 150x. Anything above 120x to 150x in that telescope will just look like magnified fuzziness.
I would suggest a better telescope. A 114mm f/8 reflector would be a good option to consider; if your budget allows it, a 150mm f/8 or 200 f/6 Dobsonian reflector would be even better.
very informative! thanks for the video. i am new to astrophotography and i hope you could answer this, if this kind of setup will work. Refractor+barlow+dslr w/adapter. There is no diagonal. Will i be able to achieve focus? thanks!
jack sparrow Honestly, I don't know. I do very little astrophotography, and what I do, I am not very good at. I would think that set up should work, but it depends on a number of factors regarding each piece of equipment. I would try it and see.
i have a refractor 900 mm telescope i received as a gift over forty years ago. i have not used it much over the last twenty years or so and finally was able too get the lens mixed up while trying too use it again., the barlow lens i thought had lens at each end. i ask not sure about this and need to put the correct lens back on the barrel of it. any help would be welcome..thanks.
Hi David, Thanks for the video; What is advisable?single or 3 glasses Barlow for better view of planets? With double or triple glasses you loose some light,with single you suffer of reflections,so after all,which one would you recommend for a better view and photography for a dark planet like Jupiter?
Reflections can be minimized with good anti-reflection coatings. Better quality barlows have these, so more lenses that reduce chromatic aberration is preferable. Dual or triple lens systems are going to be better then.
hi love your videos and was looking for some help just started looking at stars and moon with a bresser NT 114 telescope it has a super plossl 26 mm lens and focal lenght of 500mm i would like to increase my magnification but not to sure what barlow lens would be good for my set up as im very new to this hobby and dont want to buy the wrong magnifier and end up with fuzzy image quality i belive my max magnification can go to 228
So I have a 8" dobsonian Skywatcher, and I currently own a 2x barlow lens. I want to purchase a x5 barlow lens for better viewing of planets such as Jupiter, Saturn etc. Would you recommend I get one or would that not work very well? my 8" is 200mm/1200mm. I have a few eye pieces. The ones I got with my scope are the 25mm and 10mm eyepiece. With the boxset that has the 2x barlow lens I got the 15mm eyepiece and 6mm.
L812812 it isn't just about more magnification, it's about the object being clear enough to see detail well. An 8" has a maximum practical magnification of 400x on the very best, most still-atmosphere nights. Most nights you are going to be limited to 200x or at best, 300x. So you wont have too many nights with ideal seeing conditions. Purchase barlows and eyepieces accordingly.
Hi guys! How important is it to place the barlow in the scope first as opposed to at the end, in the diagonal, and the lens or imager placed directly in the barlow?
I will be using the Celestron C5 with a D7200 Nikon camera. The C5 has a threaded t-mount built in. So all I will need is a t-ring for the camera. Is there a way to control the zoom are is it whatever I see through the scope?
You can try using a barlow lens to increase magnification. But what many people do is crop their photos in a photo editing software. It also depends on what you are looking to image - planets / the Moon? Use a barlow, most likely. Deep sky objects? Probably don't use a barlow. Do you have a Bahtinov mask to help you achieve focus? If not, get one. They are an inexpensive but indispensable astrophotography tool.
Would you suggest for me to change my eyepiece to plossl and diagonal or go for a better telescope??in that case what would be the best option to see the rings of saturn or other planets with detail?i want to also be able to view at least some of the brightest objects in the sky in detail such as arcturus,or vega etc..as well as possible galaxies or nebulas.Thank you
Hello David! Irecently bought a Meade LightBridge mini 82mm that came with a H20mm and a H9mm. I'm thinking in buying a Meade PL 4 mm multi-coated. This eyepiece would be good to see planets and nebulas with this scope? also could i use it with a 2x barlow lens? Thanks in advance!
Luiz Pacheco a 4mm Plossl has a truly tiny lens size and almost no eye relief. You are better off getting a 3x barlow and using it with the 9mm eyepiece instead.
Kaleb Larry you are better off getting individual eyepieces with longer eye relief, at least for the very short focal length ones. Plossl eyepieces under 10mm focal length have very short eye relief. I'd suggest something like the Orion Expanse eyepieces or similar "clones."
What is the aperture and focal length of the telescope? Planets will always look very small, even in very large telescopes at high magnification; they won't ever look like the great Hubble, Cassini or even Voyager photos.
Hi David, I wanted to ask you a question on my telescope. So it's a Galileo telescope that has a D:76 and F:700 plus I'm using an eyepiece of 25mm but the problem is that the moon wasn't quite as close as I'd want it to be so I recently got a 3x barlow and it doesn't even show up good!!! Its super blurry no matter how close or far I move the magnification! please help!!!
Hello I'm new to stargazing. I have a Galileo 800mm x 95 mm with a 3x Barlow and a 6 mm and 20mm eyepices I would like to view the planets , how can I do so , what do I need?
Hello. i just recently got a celestron 130 slt telescope . i love it. but the 2 eye pieces i have are not anough to view far distances for instance saturn. i can see it but i would love to see it wayyyyy closer lol. so here is the question what barlow lense should i use to vies saturn and its rings and jupiter and its moons. i am farely new to astromy and so far i am excited. please help
Hi there, with my telescope (9mm eyepiece) I have never been able to see much more than I could with a pair of binoculars. Being new to stargazing, I have wondered whether there is something simple which I have overlooked. I don't know whether I have been wrong to expect to really see anything with a telescope straight out of the box, or whether all this time I simply needed a barlow extension to see things up close?
Depends on the aperture of the telescope. Don't exceed 50x per inch (or per 25mm) of aperture. Often you will be limited to less though. On the best nights you can push it to 50x per inch.
@@hyperzombie1855 right, so for every 25mm of aperture, you do not want to exceed 50x of magnification. So for 76mm, do not exceed 152x or you will just be magnifying a mushy looking image. To calculate, you can work backwards. 700mm focal length / 152 = 4.6. So you cannot use the Barlow with the 8mm eyepiece or really the 12mm (except for the Moon, sometimes on the very steadiest nights). Use the 30, 12 and 8 by themselves most of the time and you will have a good range of low to high magnifications. But you would benefit from having a 5mm or 6mm eyepiece for some higher power. Look at the Orion Expanse 6mm or Astrotech Paradigm 5mm options. Hope that helps! Clear and dark skies!
my dad bought me a used powerseeker 127eq for christmas because ive been wanting a telescope and it came with a 3x barlow lense. on a bird jones style telescope with it being stretched to 1000mm in its short tube. putting the barlow lense in with the high power lense it comes with comes out to 750x, which is absurd. this whole telescope is absurd. however, i do appreciate the sentiment
I have this scope.....used it for a light weight birding scope, but its got awful CA, so i ended up stealing bits off it to use with a better quality scope. also cheap diagonals/erecting prisms can cause problems too.....some of the cheap 45deg ones also introduce image problems.
Hey there! Im planning to buy a Celestron firstscope 76mm... and its comes with two eyepices 15x and 75x..... Now my question is .... should I get a 2x barlow or a 1.5xto 3x variable barlow? And pls tell me what a variable barlow is along with pros and cons.. Thanks! Hope you see this and reply soon
+MEGABOY240 Any barlow on that 75x eyepiece is going to magnify more than that little scope can handle on most nights (and perhaps any night, given that it's a low cost mirror). 120x is probably the best you can do most of the time. I'd suggest getting perhaps a lens that will net you 50x to 60x magnification and a 2x barlow. You might still be able to use it on that 75x eyepiece, but you'll likely get a lot better views with the slightly lower magnification eyepiece. If you can find one used, an Orion Expanse 6mm is a good option, or look for one of the "clones" of that style for a bit less money.
Is there any Exit Pupil Amplification in the Telescope or Binoculars market? Just like Digital camera has lense digital Amplification too. Is that u means, Bigger magnification Eyepieces 66deg/40x=1.65deg FOV. Also plus your Exit pupil will also drop down from 80mm Lense size/40x = 2mm Exit pupil left. Is that correct? 2mm Exit pupil + 1.65deg FOV left? "How to see it in that way?"
@eyesinthesky I have a celestron astromaster 114eq telescope and was thinking of buying a barlow lens for it. the specs of my scope says the highest useful magnification is 269x. My question is, if the barlow lens exceeds that magnification with a particular eyepiece, will it make my views impossible to focus? Will it just make a bunch of blurry planets etc?
Lorie Honaker you've got the right idea. It basically just magnifies the image as it is. So if the atmosphere is already mushy, you're just going to see a larger image that's mushy. And there's only so much light that can be squeezed through your eyepiece at a given aperture. What will provide you the best images is a very still night (look for the stars to be steady), and patience. Some of the best moments of visual clarity through the atmosphere only stay that way for a few seconds or moments. And, experience matters. The more often you look, the more you'll start the see.
+Eyes on the Sky thx for replying back to me on this matter. I live in the eastern US. And where i live there is virtually no light pollution what so ever. I got my scope delivered to me yesterday and unfortunately, it has been raining ever since and i havent got to use it yet. But i have always been amazed by astronomy and finally decided to buy me a telescope. I actually bought a very VERY cheap telescope($25 NEW) from a local store and looked at the moon thru it and could actually see some detail. Altho the moon is really the only thing that i could see with it. After that, that was it! I had to buy me a better telescope. lol. but hopefully i will like my new telescope once i actually get to use it. i have been monkeying around with the eq mount and dont quite have the hang of it yet. It confuses me because the RA ring with the numbers on it will turn by itself and can be put on any given number without moving the scope. After i have my scope polar aligned, do i just turn my scope towards whatever object im wanting to look at? then just turn the ring on the RA axis to match the RA of whatever object that im looking at once i get centered on the object? i know not to move the tripod after it is polar aligned. I guess that i will get the hang of it but any advice would be greatly appreciated. thx in advance
I have a 1.5x erecting eyepiece that came in stock with my refractor scope. Is it same as a 1.5x barlow lens or something is different between barlow and the erecting eyepiece
+Kristian Alexandersen No, it is just more awkward to look through a refractor that way. The star diagonal aims the light back up, so you can just bend towards the telescope slightly to view through the eyepiece. Without the star diagonal, one has to get down into an awkward position usually and look up through the eyepiece - unless the tripod is quite tall.
+Kristian Alexandersen Achromatic lenses can show a purplish or yellowish "fringe" around bright objects, because 2 glass lenses don't nicely converge all colors of light to a single focus. An achromat uses two lenses (crown and flint), and gets *most* wavelengths of light close-enough. Apochromatic lenses usually use three lenses (all different types of glass, one often being expensive fluorite) and better correct this aberration, so the image doesn't have that fringe/colored halo. It doesn't make much difference around dimmer objects, but 1st magnitude stars, bright planets and the Moon? It is sometimes bothersome to some observers.
A question, I have a 70mm celestron travel scope ,and i want to see the saturn and its rings.I have 3xbarlow,20,10,4mm eyepiece and diagonal.I can not even see the saturn properly as it looks blurry.what eyepiece,or barlow would you suggest for me to see saturn clearly,the only object i see is the moon and even for that i can not see the crater so clearly.I do not know what i am doing wrong and can not see it.Please HELP!
Thanks for the nice comment, and you're very welcome. Glad these helped! :-)
I have an Orion FunScope which I received as a gift.
Specs (for those who don't know); A reflector scope. Comes with an
Optical Diameter 76mm, a Focal Length 300mm; Focal Ratio f/3.9, and
comes with two 3-element Eye Pieces (20.0mm (15x), 10.0mm (30x)). Its
highest useful magnification 152x.
Recommend folks see his video on this scope: "Orion Funscope / Celestron
Firstscope review/comparison"
I love it's portability and that sits nicely on my tripod, but like
everyone here, I would like to improve my experience.
I'm not a fan of wasting money on poor products, since sooner or later
it will cost me, but I neither want to spent a ridiculously amount of
money.
Based on your videos (IMHO they are great introduction to this hobby!!),
I should consider a shorty Barlow fully multi-coated lens. Based on the
lenses I have, it should be a 3x or 5x Barlow lens.
My goals is to be able to see the rings and moons of Saturn. (Just like I
use to, with an old refractor scope I once had)
Amazon results gave me few results of brands I'm familiar with:
Celestron 93428 X-Cel LX 1.25-Inch 3x 3-element apochromatic Barlow
Lens (~$65)
Orion 8707 High-Power 1.25-Inch 3x 4-Element Barlow Lens (~$134)
Orion 8715 High-Power 1.25-Inch 5x 4-Element Barlow Lens (~$175)
Do you have any advice on these Barlow lenses, or should I consider a
different vendor/model for my FunScope?
LOVE IT! I never thought of putting my Barlow before my star diagional that is awesome!
You both have a lack of logic and I'm not kidding..
How so..?@@UfoJoe
Saaaaaaaaamme
The "H" stands for Huygens lenses, the "SR" is a Ramsden. Both are simpler, two-lens element designs. For your 1000mm f/l telescope, they will work ok for now. Plossls in longer focal lengths will be better at some point - a 25mm and 16mm, perhaps. TMB, Orion, Zhumell and Astro-Tech all have decent "planetary" type eyepieces with shorter focal lengths with better eye relief. A 9mm and 6mm might be worth getting for those at some point. I'd suggest any of those to upgrade your eyepieces.
Just realized that I was putting my shorty in the wrong place (that's what she said), I placed in behind instead of before.. thank you EOTS.. Great videos..
oh thanks for telling me cause i was using my barlow lens opposite of my telescope for 1 month and thats why i was getting blurry image of the moon :DDDD
Haha, me too! 😂
Hi Diane - certainly those without glasses can use eyepieces with good eye relief. The eye relief of most eyepieces is not so long that it is difficult to see objects through them. The challenge is when eye relief is too short, and either those with glasses - or even those without - have difficulty getting close enough to the lens to see the entire field of view.
A couple of questions:
1.) Does using a barlow impact the Telescopic Field of View ( TFOV)° ? For example my 600mm f-7.5 with a 10mm eyepiece with 82° AFOV gives me 1.36° of TFOV. If I were to add a 2x Barlow does that cut the TFOV in half to 0.68° TFOV?
2.) Does using a 2x barlow double the eye relief distance of any eyepiece? And does a 4x powermate quadruple the eye relief distance?
3) Does using a barlow impact the field stop diameter of the eyepiece in use? How is the value impacted?
Thanks for all your effort. Great videos. I learned a lot. ( a lot more to go)
thanks for the information..I'm the new user of telescope and find difficulties in set up my telescope and don't know the differences of each eyepieces, erecting eyepieces and barlow lens
You're welcome, and I'm glad I helped. Honestly, I don't do astrophotography very well. I only know a little about the basics. Try one of the beginner astrophotography forums on Cloudy Nights, and ask there. Plenty of helpful folks who can guide you much better on that question than I can.
Andrés, it is not a hard and fast rule. A short one or a long one can be suitable for a reflector. The one thing to be careful of is reflectors that have very short focuser tubes - a longer barlow may wind up in the incoming light path. But for most telescopes, this is not a problem.
Hi David, nice informational video. I'm planning to buy exploreone 50mm kids telescope for my six year old daughter at 35$. Will this work fine and still have decent view of the planets let me know. I'm on a shoe string budget
Yes Chris - it just magnifies more. Just don't exceed 50x - 60x per inch (or per 25mm) of aperture.
Very true; I didn't mention that as I was already running longer than I'd wanted to on this one. But it certainly is a way to alter the magnification quite simply.
Thanks for finally explaining the difference between short and long focus. Also, how to install long Barlow on a refractor. I will test that out.
Are these eyepieces all Plossls? The 8" scope can handle up to 400x magnification on the best nights of steady seeing, though you'll often be limited to 150x or 200x most nights, which the 7.5 should provide (around 160x). Sounds like you might need more eye relief...??? A Zhumell Z-Series, Orion Expanse or Astro-Tech LER series eyepiece might make the observing experience better for you; it's much easier to view through those ones in the shorter focal lengths of 4mm - 8mm.
I own a Celestron 130 telescope with 10 mm (33 x) and 20 mm (66 x) eye piece. I just wanted to know which barlow lens I should buy, which would improve the magnification without any degrade in picture clarity. Thanks
Nice video and explaining. I own Omegon Mightypak 90/1000 with a 25 mm eyepiece and the maximum zoom is 180x. How do I mount my Barlow 5x lens to my telescope to get the maximum zoom? I think It will be 200x.
Do you think the lens is too big for this telescope and get Barlow 2x instead? What other eyepiece do you recommend for zooming and landscape shooting?
Thanks for the info, I'm gonna give a 3x barlow a try!
I purchased a Barlow that the bottom lens screws out and screws directly onto your eye piece giving 1.5X, thus making my long eye relief 15mm into a 10mm LER giving me 100x even. I can change it back to 2x and get 7.5x, but decided to max out my 102 refractor at 166 without the Barlow as it's rated at 175x so 166 is close enough. So with 1.55X & 2X added to 32mm, 25mm that came with scope (was good) 15mm LER and 6mm LER and enhanced field of view too. So I believe I'm set.
Hmm....If I was to put the 1.5x onto the wide angle LER 6mm / 1.5 = 4mm / 1000 = 250X, or about 75X more than the scope is rated for....hmmm. I think I'll give it a shot on Mars tomorrow morning.
Because that telescope comes with the 10mm that would effectively be the same as a 20mm with a 2x barlow, and since a 2x barlow put the magnification at 200x, which is really beyond what that scope should do (175 is the practical max), I would suggest a 1.5x or 1.8x barlow.
A small tip is that the lens of the 'Barlow' can usually be unscrewed from its tubular housing (Barlow tube?) and fitted directly onto the eyepiece barrel. This will make a 2 times Barlow magnification transform into a 1.5 X magnification Barlow; e.g., A '20mm' eyepiece becomes a '10mm' or '15mm' eyepiece.
The lowdown is that this gives you even more eyepiece magnification choices.
Possibly; it would depend on the type of lens configuration, and if the barrel size of the eyepiece matched that of the telescope - or if a suitable adapter could be used / made.
David Question? If you would have a better eye piece , would I have a better view of the planets ect.. ..Your eyepieces (eye relief,) From what I understand there for people with eyeglasses! can a person without glasses use them to? Your videos, very clear about explaning the subject ,Thank you .
You should make two more sereis of multiple videos like these. Talking about filters(planetary,solar, lunar,skyglow and Nebula) and Astrophotography(Film,digital Cameras, Camera(or video)eyepeices and ccd's and autoguiders)you could also talk about ccd filters RGBL and Alternates for ccds as well.
I'm so dumb I was puting the Barlow on the top of the elbow thing
SAME!!!
@@tylerwickwire1522 HA I look at Mars it looks so awesome
@@tylerwickwire1522 also I just got done seeing the blood moon
@@OzzyPropyl I did that too I was like etc is wrong with this eyepiece???? And than I watched this and now I have to wait for the moon to stop covering Mars so I can look at it
Oh thank god i read this😊👍 all i could see was blur and floaters in my eyes when i looked through with the barlow up top
I definitely will check out eye in the sky cause that's where I am when I go night fishing. Thanks for the barlow tip. Very informative
You're probably best sticking with what you have. The max practical magnification for a scope of that aperture is about 200x, so the 240x and up magnifications won't do much for you. And you're right, a 2x barlow is effectively doubling many eyepieces that you already have, and the 3x is really just too much. I'd say if the eyepieces you have are Plossls, you might be just as well to get some short focal length/longer eye relief eyepieces like Zhumell, TMB, Orion or Astro-Tech offer.
thank you for replying.I was completely confused about the benefits of telescopes but thankfully i ran into your website. I am thankful for vidoes online it was very helpful. I am understanding more on how to use this perticular telescope. I have taken some amazing pitures on the moon and jupiter and its 4 moons the other night before the snow storm. i am in new jersey. what camera or piece can you recommend for video and images. i am really excited so far.just ordered a solar filter it
Not always, but sometimes they are. Sometimes they are called "long eye relief" eyepieces. However, they can be used to view anything at higher magnifications, not just planets.
i am new to stargazing so i don't even know how to attach the lenses to the telescope. i have a celestron cpc1100. is there a video out there that explains how to attach the barlow and lenses? thanks for any help, mark
That scope will need a barlow or short focal length eyepiece to generate sufficient magnification for a decent-sized image at the eyepiece. Because your scope is 130mm aperture, you don't want to exceed 250x total magnification, and on most nights, more like 150 to 175 (that applies to most any telescope). You might be served well by a 6mm eyepiece with long eye relief and a 2x barlow, which with your present eyepieces will give you a nice range of magnifications.
You could use a Focal Extender instead of a Barlow. They do exactly the same as a Barlow but they don't alter the eye-relief.
Thanks for this playlist. Great job on the videos very helpful
A Celestron Travel Scope is really a spotting scope intended for terrestrial observing. It will be difficult to get good views for astronomy viewing with it: 1) The focal length is quite short; increases chromatic aberration & hard to get full magnification. CA not as noticeable during day, but very evident at night with stars/Moon 2) The diagonal is a 45 degree style, which orients the image upright; a 90 degree type is better quality for night sky. (Not enough space to diagnose here easily.)
Yeah, one these days I need to get one of those. Unfortunately, I think I've been bitten by the astrophotography bug. (Help.... save me.... and my checkbook.....)
Thank you so much for this extremely helpful series! You are an inspiration! Looking forward to next week's video :)
I had the barlow between star diagnol and eyepiece, couldnt focus on the planet i was after. put it where suggested in this video (although i did it before seeing the video) and got the focus! but the barlow is cheap, need a better one.
This is a nice series of videos!
dave101t thank you! And yes, a better Barlow will help a lot.
Hi, great channel. Beginner here ): I have a Barlow X3. Q1 what mag would go best with this? Thankyou. Fran
Depends on the aperture and focal length if your telescope, information that is necessary to help answer your question. This series of videos covers how to calculate that and not exceed maximum practical magnification.
It is a Celestron Nexstar 130SLT, so the sights I have expected to see are what I have seen from others with the same product. It all but seems that it doesn't have any magnification at all, as if it just simply points in the right direction. I guess it is either the case that there is something that I am not doing right, or the magnification I need lies in additional lenses, or that the telescope is broken!
Wait so I have a 3x Barlow for a reflector telescope. Is that bad? What’s the cons?
Hey EOTS, great vid as always. Just wondering, I have a Meade 114eq 1000mm f8.8 bird jones style. So there is already a lens mounted inside the focus tube. Is this effectively a built in Barlow? I read on some forums that I should stick to dedicated eyepieces instead of using barlows due to this added internal lens. Do you have any opinion on this matter? Have you used a bird jones with a barlow? Thanks for any help...
I probably said that before but since I'm watching this video again I'd like to say it one more time: Thank you. :)
Much appreciated Ahmed - clear and dark skies!
I heard that every telescope has its maximum magnification.
How do I calculate that?
my telescope is
skywatcher pro series(refractor)
80ed
600m
5mm / 20mm lense
쿵판다 any telescope can be made to go to any magnification. But that doesn't t mean you will see a good image. So there is a maximum practical magnification. Calculate that by multiplying 50 for every inch (or 25mm, but multiply it in inches) of aperture. So your telescope's maximum practical magnification is about 150 or 160.
Divide focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. See "Telescope Basics 2" for a discussion on that. If you add a barlow lens, simply multiply the magnification of the scope/eyepiece combination by the increase the barlow you have provides.
It only has a 650mm focal length, so with a 9mm eyepiece, you're only getting 72x magnification. That's fine for some star clusters and other deep sky objects (even the Moon), but it won't make the planets look large at all. You really need either a 2x or 3x barlow, or some 3mm, 4mm or 5mm eyepieces to get sufficient magnification from that scope. It should give you nice wide field view of larger objects like M39, M45, M42, M31 and the Double Cluster though.
Hello,Can we use eye piece of binocular or riffle scope to eyepiece of telescope?
thank you so much :),i will order one of those asap.I have to go out to the park in 3 hours to observe saturn tonight as it is going to be in the opposition.could you please tell me what eyepiece,or eyepiece with 3xbarlow or with diagonal i should use for the best result for me to see saturn?i will be using my celestron 70mm travel scope tonight.
Hello David, I was wondering what you think is the better Barlow lens for my Apertura AD8 8” Newtonian? There are two I am considering , the Tru Vue “Big2” 2x ( 2 Element ) or the Orion high power 2 - 4 Element? I use the complete line of Orion Stratus 3.5mm-24mm Eyepieces. You seem very knowledgeable and I’m reaching out to you for some advice. Thank you!
I'm not sure you'd actually need a barlow. You have most magnifications covered, even close to the highest your telescope will support. And the barlows you've mentioned would largely duplicate magnifications you already have. What did you want to get the barlow for?
@@Eyesonthesky thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! And your right, there is really nothing I need it for. I was at a Astronomy club a little while ago and was told “ you need a Barlow lens to be complete “ but I’m leaning towards you on this one , I don’t really need it. Thanks so much and I love your videos !
@@Navigatorbythestars glad to help! A barlow may be useful if you get an equatorial platform and try some basic planetary astrophotography, but otherwise, yeah... I don't see why you'd need one with the eyepieces you've already got. And thanks! Clear and dark skies to you!
Hey guys i have a question to everyone here, i see the Jupiter and its 4 moon from northern hemisphere (INDIA). Here is the question,
If Jupiter and its moon are in the horizontal plane which is same as orbital plane of Jupiter and also same as Earth and its moon plane, then when i see the moons of jupiter should not they be placed in vertical order rather than in horizontal order ? Because if they are placed in horizontal order does it mean they revolve around Jupiter in plane perpendicular to the orbital plane of the Jupiter ?? Can some one please explain these to me...
Hi David! Which type of Barlow would you recommend for a reflector?? A Shorty or a long one?? I was told the longer ones are better for reflectors, but watching this video I got the opposite, so can you please help me?
never thought of putting the barlow infront of the diagonal...will give it a whirl!
Hi David, just bought a used Meade ETX 70AT missing the barlow however I do have the eyepieces...can I use the telescope without it until I can purchase one?
I tried my Barlow lens in my 13" Dobsonian but I did not have enough in focus. So close though!
hi, great video, i have a problem.
I have a camera attached to a barlow x2 fitted to my small cassegrain, i have it all fitted into a .965" to 1.25" diagonal. i get a bright spot that fades from the centre like a large hazy star, would this be due to the step up diagonal?
Depends; what is the aperture of your telescope? Do you have any other eyepieces?
Hi, David! Can you tell something about these Eyepieces + Filters + Barlow lenses kits (comes with these fancy aluminium suitcases)? I'm really thinking about buying one ot these - Celeston or Orion - doesn't matter.
+magdanoz88 Hi - I'm not a fan of those. Often, most of the items in the are not all that useful. The longer or medium focal length ones - such as 32mm and 16mm or 17mm - are generally good. And a Moon filter can be nice to have. But beyond that, the short focal length eyepieces tend to have very short eye relief, and the other colored filters CAN be useful, but when you discover you can see all the details without them, become less useful very quickly. I'm more a fan of buying individually-selected eyepieces and filters to suit your own needs and telescope. Hope that helps.
Your videos are best but I want to know how to set coordinates on ra and Dec circles on the eq telescopes
Thank you! Very informative!
Thanks for the series.
You're welcome! I make starhopping videos too, so I hope you'll want to check those out and subscribe as well.
Hello guys are new to the telescopes, my daughter received a 76 mm Firstscope and I would like to Barlow lens 3x or 5x buy using eye SR4mm and H20mm you think would be most appropriate?
+Cristian Franguloiu For the 20mm eyepiece, you could use either one. For the 4mm eyepiece, neither barlow would be appropriate. Remember, you don't want to magnify more than 50x per inch of aperture. So for that telescope, 150x is the practical, maximum magnification (and even that might be too much!). Ideally, a 2x barlow is maximum you could use; that will net you the following magnifications with the two eyepieces - 15x, 30x, 75x and 150x. Anything above 120x to 150x in that telescope will just look like magnified fuzziness.
I would suggest a better telescope. A 114mm f/8 reflector would be a good option to consider; if your budget allows it, a 150mm f/8 or 200 f/6 Dobsonian reflector would be even better.
I have a 3x barlow lens any good?
very informative! thanks for the video. i am new to astrophotography and i hope you could answer this, if this kind of setup will work.
Refractor+barlow+dslr w/adapter. There is no diagonal. Will i be able to achieve focus?
thanks!
jack sparrow Honestly, I don't know. I do very little astrophotography, and what I do, I am not very good at. I would think that set up should work, but it depends on a number of factors regarding each piece of equipment. I would try it and see.
Thank you so much I was using the barlow lense wrong this whole time
i have a refractor 900 mm telescope i received as a gift over forty years ago. i have not used it much over the last twenty years or so and finally was able too get the lens mixed up while trying too use it again., the barlow lens i thought had lens at each end. i ask not sure about this and need to put the correct lens back on the barrel of it. any help would be welcome..thanks.
Hi David,
Thanks for the video;
What is advisable?single or 3 glasses Barlow for better view of planets?
With double or triple glasses you loose some light,with single you suffer of reflections,so after all,which one would you recommend for a better view and photography for a dark planet like Jupiter?
Reflections can be minimized with good anti-reflection coatings. Better quality barlows have these, so more lenses that reduce chromatic aberration is preferable. Dual or triple lens systems are going to be better then.
Thank you for replying (Y)
hi love your videos and was looking for some help just started looking at stars and moon with a bresser NT 114 telescope it has a super plossl 26 mm lens and focal lenght of 500mm i would like to increase my magnification but not to sure what barlow lens would be good for my set up as im very new to this hobby and dont want to buy the wrong magnifier and end up with fuzzy image quality i belive my max magnification can go to 228
So I have a 8" dobsonian Skywatcher, and I currently own a 2x barlow lens. I want to purchase a x5 barlow lens for better viewing of planets such as Jupiter, Saturn etc. Would you recommend I get one or would that not work very well?
my 8" is 200mm/1200mm. I have a few eye pieces. The ones I got with my scope are the 25mm and 10mm eyepiece. With the boxset that has the 2x barlow lens I got the 15mm eyepiece and 6mm.
L812812 it isn't just about more magnification, it's about the object being clear enough to see detail well. An 8" has a maximum practical magnification of 400x on the very best, most still-atmosphere nights. Most nights you are going to be limited to 200x or at best, 300x. So you wont have too many nights with ideal seeing conditions. Purchase barlows and eyepieces accordingly.
Hi guys! How important is it to place the barlow in the scope first as opposed to at the end, in the diagonal, and the lens or imager placed directly in the barlow?
what would the effect be of combinig a focal reducer together with a barlow lens?
I will be using the Celestron C5 with a D7200 Nikon camera. The C5 has a threaded t-mount built in. So all I will need is a t-ring for the camera. Is there a way to control the zoom are is it whatever I see through the scope?
You can try using a barlow lens to increase magnification. But what many people do is crop their photos in a photo editing software. It also depends on what you are looking to image - planets / the Moon? Use a barlow, most likely. Deep sky objects? Probably don't use a barlow. Do you have a Bahtinov mask to help you achieve focus? If not, get one. They are an inexpensive but indispensable astrophotography tool.
Would you suggest for me to change my eyepiece to plossl and diagonal or go for a better telescope??in that case what would be the best option to see the rings of saturn or other planets with detail?i want to also be able to view at least some of the brightest objects in the sky in detail such as arcturus,or vega etc..as well as possible galaxies or nebulas.Thank you
Hello David! Irecently bought a Meade LightBridge mini 82mm that came with a H20mm and a H9mm. I'm thinking in buying a Meade PL 4 mm multi-coated. This eyepiece would be good to see planets and nebulas with this scope? also could i use it with a 2x barlow lens? Thanks in advance!
Luiz Pacheco a 4mm Plossl has a truly tiny lens size and almost no eye relief. You are better off getting a 3x barlow and using it with the 9mm eyepiece instead.
Okay!! Thanks a lot for the answer!
I have a Celestron Firstscope and I'm planning on getting a case with plossl eyepieces. Are they good to use with a the Celestron Firstscope?
Kaleb Larry you are better off getting individual eyepieces with longer eye relief, at least for the very short focal length ones. Plossl eyepieces under 10mm focal length have very short eye relief. I'd suggest something like the Orion Expanse eyepieces or similar "clones."
What is the aperture and focal length of the telescope? Planets will always look very small, even in very large telescopes at high magnification; they won't ever look like the great Hubble, Cassini or even Voyager photos.
Hi David, I wanted to ask you a question on my telescope. So it's a Galileo telescope that has a D:76 and F:700 plus I'm using an eyepiece of 25mm but the problem is that the moon wasn't quite as close as I'd want it to be so I recently got a 3x barlow and it doesn't even show up good!!! Its super blurry no matter how close or far I move the magnification! please help!!!
Hello I'm new to stargazing. I have a Galileo 800mm x 95 mm with a 3x Barlow and a 6 mm and 20mm eyepices I would like to view the planets , how can I do so , what do I need?
Hello. i just recently got a celestron 130 slt telescope . i love it. but the 2 eye pieces i have are not anough to view far distances for instance saturn. i can see it but i would love to see it wayyyyy closer lol. so here is the question what barlow lense should i use to vies saturn and its rings and jupiter and its moons. i am farely new to astromy and so far i am excited. please help
Thank you very much, David!
Very helpful or considering I never connected my telenegative
Hello, is the barlow single lens or multiple lenses and what is the kind of it's lens.
Lots of David Fuller in there...
Hi there, with my telescope (9mm eyepiece) I have never been able to see much more than I could with a pair of binoculars. Being new to stargazing, I have wondered whether there is something simple which I have overlooked. I don't know whether I have been wrong to expect to really see anything with a telescope straight out of the box, or whether all this time I simply needed a barlow extension to see things up close?
I have a 30mm a 12.5mm and a 8mm and a barlow 3x and an erecting eyepiece what do I use for looking at planets like Jupiter or the moon?
Depends on the aperture of the telescope. Don't exceed 50x per inch (or per 25mm) of aperture. Often you will be limited to less though. On the best nights you can push it to 50x per inch.
@@Eyesonthesky I am a beginner so can you dumb that down please?
@@hyperzombie1855 What size is your telescope? I need to know that to help you.
@@Eyesonthesky 76mm mirror length and 700mm focal length and 23x-262x magnification (152x recomended)
@@hyperzombie1855 right, so for every 25mm of aperture, you do not want to exceed 50x of magnification. So for 76mm, do not exceed 152x or you will just be magnifying a mushy looking image.
To calculate, you can work backwards. 700mm focal length / 152 = 4.6. So you cannot use the Barlow with the 8mm eyepiece or really the 12mm (except for the Moon, sometimes on the very steadiest nights).
Use the 30, 12 and 8 by themselves most of the time and you will have a good range of low to high magnifications. But you would benefit from having a 5mm or 6mm eyepiece for some higher power.
Look at the Orion Expanse 6mm or Astrotech Paradigm 5mm options.
Hope that helps! Clear and dark skies!
In that case, yes, a 1.8x or 2x barlow should be just fine.
my dad bought me a used powerseeker 127eq for christmas because ive been wanting a telescope and it came with a 3x barlow lense. on a bird jones style telescope with it being stretched to 1000mm in its short tube. putting the barlow lense in with the high power lense it comes with comes out to 750x, which is absurd. this whole telescope is absurd. however, i do appreciate the sentiment
750x on that telescope is indeed absurd. Stick to 250x magnification or less and you should be good.
Thank you, barlow ahead, check!
thanks man you help me alot
I have this scope.....used it for a light weight birding scope, but its got awful CA, so i ended up stealing bits off it to use with a better quality scope. also cheap diagonals/erecting prisms can cause problems too.....some of the cheap 45deg ones also introduce image problems.
Hey there! Im planning to buy a Celestron firstscope 76mm... and its comes with two eyepices 15x and 75x..... Now my question is .... should I get a 2x barlow or a 1.5xto 3x variable barlow? And pls tell me what a variable barlow is along with pros and cons.. Thanks! Hope you see this and reply soon
+MEGABOY240 Any barlow on that 75x eyepiece is going to magnify more than that little scope can handle on most nights (and perhaps any night, given that it's a low cost mirror). 120x is probably the best you can do most of the time. I'd suggest getting perhaps a lens that will net you 50x to 60x magnification and a 2x barlow. You might still be able to use it on that 75x eyepiece, but you'll likely get a lot better views with the slightly lower magnification eyepiece. If you can find one used, an Orion Expanse 6mm is a good option, or look for one of the "clones" of that style for a bit less money.
Thanks.... Im getting the accessory kit which comes with 30x and 50x magnifications.... so im getting a 2x barlow to use with the 50x
Hello, I have a Celestron Astomaster 90 with 20mm and 10mm eyepiece, which Barlow should I get to attain maximum best viewing? Thankyou
Thank you brother
Thank you sooooo much. This helped alot
hey im have 25mm 45x lens should i buy 2x barlow thx
Is there any Exit Pupil Amplification in the Telescope or Binoculars market? Just like Digital camera has lense digital Amplification too.
Is that u means, Bigger magnification Eyepieces 66deg/40x=1.65deg FOV. Also plus
your Exit pupil will also drop down from 80mm Lense size/40x = 2mm Exit pupil left.
Is that correct? 2mm Exit pupil + 1.65deg FOV left? "How to see it in that way?"
@eyesinthesky I have a celestron astromaster 114eq telescope and was thinking of buying a barlow lens for it. the specs of my scope says the highest useful magnification is 269x. My question is, if the barlow lens exceeds that magnification with a particular eyepiece, will it make my views impossible to focus? Will it just make a bunch of blurry planets etc?
Lorie Honaker you've got the right idea. It basically just magnifies the image as it is. So if the atmosphere is already mushy, you're just going to see a larger image that's mushy. And there's only so much light that can be squeezed through your eyepiece at a given aperture. What will provide you the best images is a very still night (look for the stars to be steady), and patience. Some of the best moments of visual clarity through the atmosphere only stay that way for a few seconds or moments. And, experience matters. The more often you look, the more you'll start the see.
+Eyes on the Sky thx for replying back to me on this matter. I live in the eastern US. And where i live there is virtually no light pollution what so ever. I got my scope delivered to me yesterday and unfortunately, it has been raining ever since and i havent got to use it yet. But i have always been amazed by astronomy and finally decided to buy me a telescope. I actually bought a very VERY cheap telescope($25 NEW) from a local store and looked at the moon thru it and could actually see some detail. Altho the moon is really the only thing that i could see with it. After that, that was it! I had to buy me a better telescope. lol. but hopefully i will like my new telescope once i actually get to use it. i have been monkeying around with the eq mount and dont quite have the hang of it yet. It confuses me because the RA ring with the numbers on it will turn by itself and can be put on any given number without moving the scope. After i have my scope polar aligned, do i just turn my scope towards whatever object im wanting to look at? then just turn the ring on the RA axis to match the RA of whatever object that im looking at once i get centered on the object? i know not to move the tripod after it is polar aligned. I guess that i will get the hang of it but any advice would be greatly appreciated. thx in advance
I have a 1.5x erecting eyepiece that came in stock with my refractor scope. Is it same as a 1.5x barlow lens or something is different between barlow and the erecting eyepiece
I am not sure. I have never heard of a 1.5 erecting eyepiece before.
Will it make any significant difference if i look through the telescope without the star diagonal?
+Kristian Alexandersen No, it is just more awkward to look through a refractor that way. The star diagonal aims the light back up, so you can just bend towards the telescope slightly to view through the eyepiece. Without the star diagonal, one has to get down into an awkward position usually and look up through the eyepiece - unless the tripod is quite tall.
Thanks for responding so quickly!
Love your videos by the way, but i didn't catch what the difference between achromatic and apochromatic lenses was.
+Kristian Alexandersen Achromatic lenses can show a purplish or yellowish "fringe" around bright objects, because 2 glass lenses don't nicely converge all colors of light to a single focus. An achromat uses two lenses (crown and flint), and gets *most* wavelengths of light close-enough. Apochromatic lenses usually use three lenses (all different types of glass, one often being expensive fluorite) and better correct this aberration, so the image doesn't have that fringe/colored halo. It doesn't make much difference around dimmer objects, but 1st magnitude stars, bright planets and the Moon? It is sometimes bothersome to some observers.
A question,
I have a 70mm celestron travel scope ,and i want to see the saturn and its rings.I have 3xbarlow,20,10,4mm eyepiece and diagonal.I can not even see the saturn properly as it looks blurry.what eyepiece,or barlow would you suggest for me to see saturn clearly,the only object i see is the moon and even for that i can not see the crater so clearly.I do not know what i am doing wrong and can not see it.Please HELP!