Newbie Question

Hi,

I'm new to astronomy and just purchase a Meade 8" LX-90 LNT-UHTC and need some eyepieces. The scope came with a Meade Ultra Wide 8.8mm
and a 40mm plossl. I was looking a purchasing a couple more.

Looking on the web I've come across some zoom eyepieces. Can anyone comment on zooms? Is the image quality sufficient? Down sides?

Do you have any other recommendations for additional eyepieces that I should purchase to have a good viewing range- i.e. I assumed I should get a 25mm plossl but came across the zoom.

Is the 8.8mm a good choice for high magnification...is that too high or low for my scope.

Lastly, can anyone recommend a good book or two for a starter. I'd also like some reading on astrophotography (for beginners).

Thanks,

Paul

Paul:

What is the focal length of your scope? That will help other in the forum give you better advice on eyepiece selection.

Zoom eyepieces used to have a bad reputation. Years ago, I bought a zoom from Orion and returned it within a month because I was so disatisfied with the optics. Nowadays, zoom eyepieces are very popular.

I own 3 zoom eyepieces, all made by Tele Vue:8-24, 3-6, and 2-4 mm. The optical acuity is not as good as a fixed mag eyepiece but the convenience is worth the compromise. I have never regretted spending the money for mine.

Rey

BTW the focal length of my scope is 2000mm f/10(8")

Most likely 250x will be all that will be useful on any night with some exceptions. So the 8.8mm is 227x and that is a lot. An 8mm would be 250x, so maybe a 7mm (285x)would be OK for those exceptional nights, but you have to have pretty good skies to do that.

I think a 14mm (142x) UWA to match your 8.8mm would be good if you can afford it.
If not then good Plossls will work well in your scope.

The 40mm (50x)Plossl will be fine for your low power, nut the exit pupil will be a little large, but should still work fine.

Maybe a 26mm (76x) Plossl or a 21mm-22mm (95x) wider field EP would be the other size that would be useful. Something like a Hyperion or that type of EP, not too expensive and at f/10 they will work very well.

Astronomy for Dummies is an easy to follow beginners book. You might go down to the local library and see what they have for beginning Astronomy. That is better than buying because you can try it and return it for another without spending anything.

Hello Paul, and welcome to the hobby.
I, and many others, think that Dickenson's "Nightwatch" is about the best beginners book around.
Follow that with Dickenson and Dyer's "Backyard Astronomer's Guide".
I started out with a LX-90 myself, and a set of plossls.
Still use the scope sometimes, but seldom use the plossls anymore.
After a little reading and learning, I added the 14mm and 8.8mm UWA's. The 14mm was always useful, but the sky conditions often precluded use of the 8.8mm. You should be able to find a series 4000 14mm UWA on Astromart for a decent price.
You'll want a nice medium power EP too. For me, the 27mm Panoptic fit the bill. That's assuming you don't want to plop down the bigger bucks for a 20mm Nagler. The 19mm Panoptic is great too, but the field of view is not much greater than the 14mm UWA. If you're limited to 1 1/4' EP's, perhaps the 24mm Panoptic would be appropriate.
If you do have a 2" diagonal, you'll want a wider field EP at some point, so you can fit some of the larger objects into your view, such as Andromeda, the Pleiades, the double cluster, etc. A 35mm or 41mm Panoptic would be ideal here, or the 40mm Meade SWA. You can find all of these in the classifieds, to make your hard-earned dollars go farther.
Don't rush into all this. Take your time and HAVE FUN!
Linton