Explore Scientific Eyepiece

[Scopeman]

Just received my Explore Scientific Argon purged 6.5mm Lunar/ Planetary eyepiece from FLO. Just love the build quality of these eyepieces.

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by Scopeman

[Nightspore]

Looks good.

 

 

I only have one 6.5mm eyepiece.

 

 

It's a Plossl. It's also almost certainly out of the same factory (JOC) as your ES.

 

 

It's nicely built. Brass-Chrome smooth barrel. Excellent optics. Even the rubber is good quality.

[Scopeman]

The exit pupil looks quite small, how do you cope with that. This is the ES

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by Scopeman

[Nightspore]

I have no problem using Plossls and ortho's. TBH they can't really be beaten for high magnification lunar/planetary. I do like the Barsta UWA's and TMB clones though. They only have an extra lens (usually a negative Smyth type).

[Scopeman]

At the cost of a small exit pupil, I don't like that personally

[Nightspore]

Although most of my body hardly functions these days; ironically my eyesight is perfect. 

 

 

If the revamped Ubuntu calculator is correct it gives me around an 0.5mm exit pupil with the 127mm Mak'.

[Scopeman]

Cool, I have 3 Baader Classic planetary Orthos up for sale if you're interested. I got them but never used them in the end.

[Nightspore]

3 minutes ago, Scopeman said:

Cool, I have 3 Baader Classic planetary Orthos up for sale if you're interested. I got them but never used them in the end.

 

I already have them. The 10mm BCO is probably my most used eyepiece on the 127mm SkyMax.

 

 

You can see it here with the Baader Zeiss Amici aimed at the Moon. I've taken the eyeguard off and also now have a close fitting dust cap borrowed from a borked ortho'. Apparently the BCO's are based on an old Zeiss Abbe orthoscopic design but with an enlarged field stop to aid target acquisition. I have a bino pair of the 32mm BCO's. Although they are actually a Plossl.

 

Baader PDF 

[Scopeman]

How's the moon looking tonight?

 

[Nightspore]

It's set.

[Scopeman]

You didn't get long then? Cloudy here, where are you exactly?

 

[Nightspore]

I haven't been out for a month. I'm on the Worc's/Staff's border (Midlands) in the greenbelt.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Nightspore

[Scopeman]

Oh right, I thought you had been out because of the image you sent of the scope pointing at the moon, lol

 

[Nightspore]

No, that was taken a while ago. It's the wrong phase anyway lol. Today the Moon was below the horizon by 19:00.

[Scopeman]

Tried the 6.5 out looking down the road just to see what it is like and it works nicely on the 127 so should be awesome on the 180!

[Nightspore]

Approx 237x in the 127mm.

 

Approx 415x in the 180mm.

 

You could very probably get these on some targets, depending on conditions of course. I can often get a good 257x with the 127mm SkyMax. 360x is often do-able on Mars with my 150mm Newtonian.  

[Scopeman]

I know the threads are different on a Clestron and SW, just wanted to know what the rear fitting was on the Celestron, T2, M94, I get confused with it all.

[Nightspore]

The SW have T2 now. I use the caps from Baader diagonals as dust caps for my Mak's.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Nightspore

[Scopeman]

Apparently, I just found out the SW and Celestrons are both the same, so T2!

[Nightspore]

Well, they do all come out of the same factory lol.

[Scopeman]

Now I am being told it is a specific Mak thread not a T2, so still none the wiser!

[Nightspore]

 

Speaking of ES EP's. A while ago I decided to replace my 19mm Luminos with an 18mm ES. They have equivalent fields of view. I quite like the Luminos, even with the 'problem' of EOFB inter alia. Unfortunately the 19mm Luminos is just too heavy on most of my set-ups. I waited nine months from the retailer before they could obtain the 18mm ES for me. It is better edge corrected but I find the eye relief less ergonomic when using it with scopes slower than f/5.

 

 

Having to wait nine months does make me wonder about ES supply chain problems, and why they have a new 6.5mm as they have the 6.7mm. 

 

[Nightspore]

8 minutes ago, Scopeman said:

Now I am being told it is a specific Mak thread not a T2, so still none the wiser!

 

AFAIK the 'Sky-Watcher' Mak's changed to a standard T2 a few years ago. Whereas Celestron threads stayed the same.

[Scopeman]

Are they different FOV sizes? My 6.5 is only the 52 degree which is fine for what I want. 

[Nightspore]

10 minutes ago, Scopeman said:

Are they different FOV sizes? My 6.5 is only the 52 degree which is fine for what I want. 

 

Oh right, sorry, the 6.7mm is 82°.