Most people never even a telescope eye-piece a second thought as they think they are not of any use. But let me tell you that a powerful eye-piece, your telescope is nothing. A telescope eye-piece allows you to focus all the light the telescope gathers in it. Also, while any planetary viewing, both focal length, and aperture play a huge role. Only an eye-piece can do that for you. So, looking for the best telescope eyepiece for viewing planets is always a top priority. Today, I am not just going to talk about some popular brands in the market. You need to know before you purchase your best telescope eyepiece set. Well, let us look for the perfect product to make planetary views great.
Types of Telescope Eyepiece – Which One Do You Need?
During your search for the telescope eyepiece set, you came across different models. But they all belong to a subtle part of any telescope. There are mainly 4 types of eyepieces available.
Plossl:
Plossl is the most common type of eyepieces available in the market. Mainly, these are great for beginners and quite flexible. They offer a moderate field of view. So, when you are looking for a great number of objects to look in the sky, then Plossl is always going to be the best choice. Plossl also comes in a wide range of focal lengths, and they can accommodate the different long focal lengths. Plossl also tends to have more eye-relief. For this reason, this type of eyepieces is comfortable to use.
Orthoscopic:
Best suited for observing planets and moons, Orthoscopic eye-pieces designed mainly for reducing chromatic aberration and distortion. The field of view of this type of lenses is a flurry, and you don’t have to face issues such as over muddiness or star trailing. But the field of view is very limited. In general, you get a 40 to 45 degrees’ field of view. Most astronomers use this type of telescope to observe planetary details rather than large objects.
Wide-Angle:
Just like the name suggests, wide-angle eyepieces offer a wide-angle field of view. Viewing deep and muddy sky objects such as nebulae, deep sky clusters, always get easy with these types of eyepieces. What type of field of view you get mainly depends on the exact design of the telescope. But they differ from 68 degrees to 120 degrees. These lenses always provide a clear and realistic image of a wide object such as the cosmos.
Barlow Lense:
This is a very unique accessory, but we cannot refer it to an eyepiece. Attaching it to the telescope always increases the focal length and magnification of the telescope. The magnification can reach up to 2 times larger. Burlow lens offers more flexibility to your telescope.
Before Buying the Best Telescope Eyepiece for Viewing Planets:
Even less powerful telescope can become very powerful with the help of a telescope eyepiece. Choosing the good telescope eyepieces in the astronomer’s market is always a hard nut to crack. As there are numerous options available, you will have a tough time choosing the right model for you. Anyway, it’s not just about which model is the best, rather it’s about which one suits your telescope the best.
For this reason, you need to know what things you should have in your eyepieces. Yes, looking for the best telescope eyepiece bands is important, and you should look for that. But looking for the basics is equally important. Now, we are going to talk about the things you should look in terms of buying your telescope eyepiece.
Size of the Eyepiece:
When you are looking for a telescope eyepiece, you need to know what type of telescope you are using. But when you buy an eyepiece, you will get to choose the lens. Anyway, when we talk about what type of eyepiece you should be looking at, we mainly talk about the focal length. Now, we are going to talk about some of the telescope eyepieces out there.
2 mm to 4.9 mm Eyepieces:
These types of eyepieces will always produce high magnification, and you will need a steady watching condition. Without a steady observing condition, the eyepiece will produce a larger magnification.
5 mm to 6.9 mm Eyepieces:
Great for long focal length telescope, and great for planetary details. But with steady observing conditions, the eyepieces will work for short focal length telescopes.
7.9 mm to 9.9 mm Eyepiece:
Mainly for shorter focal length telescopes and great for planetary, lunar star, and double star details.
10 mm to 13.9 mm Eyepieces:
You can use these types of eyepieces on just about any focal length. Also, the eyepieces offer good background darkening so that one can easily study planetary nebula, small galaxies, and planetary and lunar details.
18 mm to 24.9 mm Eyepieces:
Will work nicely on a longer focal length telescope, and can show a wide planetary field or wide objects. But if you use it on a shorter focal length telescope, you will get mid-range magnification. Specially, you will get to see galaxies or large open clusters.
31 mm to 39.9 mm Eyepieces:
When it is used for larger focal length telescopes, viewing large nebula, open clusters, Orion nebula, full lunar disk, large open clusters, and many larger objects. These eyepieces are great for locating things in the open sky. On the other hand, if you’re using shorter focal lengths, you can use the eyepieces for the wider starry sky field.
40 mm Telescope Eyepieces:
These eyepieces offer great magnification. Also, you get to see great starry vistas, planetary details, starry fields, and extended nebulas with ease.
1. Tele Vue 100-degree View
The concept of the eyepiece makes it a good product in the market. Enabling you to get a wide field of view, eye relief, and full contrast whenever you are looking for details on a planet. The first thing that is going to impress you is the 100-degree apparent field of view. With the 15 mm eye relief, you are sure to enjoy it. Most of the eyepieces do not come with any eye relief. Anyway, this eyepiece offers great comfort for viewing and observing your planets.
You can watch DSOs just like a cluster or galaxy via 2x magnification. Not just that, you will get just as much magnification as you would want for planetary objects. Planetary viewing cannot get any better. From the outlook, the tele vue eyepiece is very sturdy & durable. Unlike any other cheap quality Plossl, this one is always producing crisp and bright photos. Viewing planets cannot get any better
2. Celestron 40mm Omni Eyepiece
Celestron is known as one of the best telescope eyepiece brands in the market. They are always introducing good quality eyepieces within a very moderate price range. Well, this model is great for planetary viewing. To get a good view of any planet. The moon or deep-sky objects include a wide field of view & other kinds of stuff. So you will get a clear view of your object. The field of view is quite moderate. A 60-degrees field of view is going to provide you with great magnification & provide a bright crisp image almost to the edges.
The threaded rubber grip is non-slip, and you will get a good grip even if you are wearing a glove in your hand. Even the barrels are threaded to accept filters. Featuring a pop-up rubber eye guard for providing comfort, and better viewing. The multiple layers of high-transmission coating provide sharp and clear images. Overall, this is a great eyepiece for your telescope to observe planets such as Mars, Saturn, Neptune, or even the moon.
3. Meade Instruments Wide Angle Eyepiece
Among your valuable money spent on an eyepiece, this one is sure to be a luxury ride. Firstly, the design is unique. Well-made, and durable. Well, a premium quality eyepiece is sure to work well in any fast optical instrument. The contrast of the image the eyepiece produces is natural, the color tone is all right. Anyway, the apparent field of view is very large. An 82-degree field of view will give you enough power to watch planetary details with ease. Alongside, the 7 elements multicoated lens has blackened edges, and for this reason, reflection is reduced. This eyepiece offers sharp optimal performance.
People wearing eyeglasses can use this eyepiece with ease. As the eyepiece features good-quality eye relief. The eye relief is more than a type-6 angler. Well, they say that this is a waterproof eyepiece, but you don’t use a lens during rain or watery condition. Anyway, the eyepiece ensures that you can use the product in a dewy condition. To make things better, the eyepiece comes with a 1-year limited warranty. Overall, this is one that is great. [ Read more top-quality photo printers]
4. Baader Planetarium
Taking lower-priced telescope eyepieces into consideration, this is always the best choice. The 7 elements of Hyperion optical design help you to get a crisp and sharp image of the planetary objects. Also, the eyepiece enables color correction. Mainly, the focal length of the product is quite interesting, the 8 to 24 mm focal length changes. According to your choice and click stops when you need it to.
This eyepiece will offer a great field of view. When the eyepiece is set to an 8 mm setting, you will get 68 degrees field of view. when you set it to a 24 mm setting, you get 50 degrees field of view. Unlike many other top eyepieces that don’t offer any eye relief, this model is different. It offers 12 to 15 mm eye relief for comfort and efficiency.
5. Explore Scientific – Telescope Eyepiece
Going on with high-end products can be a good idea. But many people always like to get things done with cheaper ones. Anyway, when you look for a 4.7 mm eyepiece, you need to keep a good amount of money. Going for the cheap one will not get you anywhere near a crisp, bright, high-contrast image. Especially, when you are looking for a 4.7 mm eyepiece set. Well, this one is a high-end eyepiece. You will get a bright and crisp image of the edges of the eyepiece. Can pinpoint the stars while viewing on a steady viewing condition. The 82-degree’ true apparent view provides great details while watching planets or deep-sky objects.
The color and tone of the images are sharp & natural, except in daylight. There is an orange tint from the Hyperion coating, and you cannot raise any objection. The reason is, that when everything is dark, the orange tint will not be visible. This is typical of all sorts of 4.7 mm eyepieces. Alongside the super optical support, the wider field of view comes in handy. There will be no noticeable distortions on the edges of the eyepiece. But the EP works fine and is great for the money & budget.
Are Dobsonian telescopes good for viewing planets?
Yes, the Dobsonian telescope is good for viewing planets. Especially, people who are amateurs or beginners can use this telescope. The telescope can gather a lot of light around it. S, viewing planets gets easier.
What is a 2x Barlow lens?
A Barlow lens is a very useful lens that will easily connect with your eyepiece. A 2x Barlow is a very common type of lens that will dual the magnification of your eyepiece.
What mm eyepiece is for a telescope?
Mainly, you will find 6 standard barrel sizes for your telescope. They are 24.5 mm, 31.75 mm, 50.8 mm, 68.58 mm, 76.2 mm, and 102 mm.
How powerful does a telescope have to be to see the rings of Saturn?
To view the rings of Saturn, even the smallest telescope needs to be 25x power. Anyway, if you get a 3-inch telescope at 50x magnification, you will be able to see the rings of Saturn.
How do I choose a telescope eyepiece?
To choose the best telescope eyepiece for viewing planets for your eyepiece set, you need to check out the field of view, magnification, and barrel size. What type of lens do you need, and the price?