Meade ETX-125 and Celestron/Meade eyepiece set

Hi,
I'm a beginner in this field, and I'm thinking of getting the ETX-125
along with an eyepiece set. Should the Celestron eyepiece set +
filters or Meade eyepiece set suit me better?

Regards,
Michael

While reading in the bathroom on 9 Oct 2004 20:11:46 -0700, I saw that
(Michael) had written:

Hi,
I'm a beginner in this field, and I'm thinking of getting the ETX-125
along with an eyepiece set. Should the Celestron eyepiece set +
filters or Meade eyepiece set suit me better?

I've got the ETX-125 (see my page at
http://www.pivot.net/~beady/tune-up.html), and I so far find three
eyepieces to be sufficient: the included 25mm and 9mm, plus a 40mm
Plossl. I'm still mulling the need for a Barlow.

I've learned a few things about this hobby; one of them is that
there's a very strong tendency to always want to spend ever more money
on it. You always seem to want to buy more and bigger; more
eyepieces, bigger telescope, more accessories, etc. I've finally
broken out of this, and have trimmed my observing kit to the ETX-125,
an observing chair, a roll-up table, charts and a headlamp with red
beam. The only after-market purchases for the telescope I've found
much use for have been the one extra eyepiece, a power cord and a dew
shield (oh yes, and a level and compass, cannibalized from stuff in
the basement).


--------------
Beady's Corollary to Occam's Razor: "The likeliest explanation of any phenomenon is almost always the most boring one imaginable."


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Hi,
I'm a beginner in this field, and I'm thinking of getting the ETX-125
along with an eyepiece set. Should the Celestron eyepiece set +
filters or Meade eyepiece set suit me better?

Regards,
Michael

Before making a purchase I hope you take the time to take a look through some
various telescopes and get a feel for their strengths and limitations. A star
party or club outing is a good way to do this. That way you avoid unpleasant
surprises when your new beauty shows up at the door step.

The one thing to be aware of concerning the ETX-125 is that it has a long focal
length/slow focal ratio (F15) and it is limited to 1.25 inch diameter
eyepieces. What this means is that the maximum field of view is limited to
something like 0.8 degrees and the maximum useful exit pupil is only about 2mm.
If you are hoping to see big swaths of the Milky Way or see the entirety of
the Pleiades then you will likely be disappointed by this scope.

My point here is not to run down the ETX-125 but rather to point out that its
capablities may or may not be capable of meeting your expectations. Best to
know that now rather than at first light.

Regarding the eyepiece sets. If the Meade set is still available for $99 then
it would probably be the way to go but otherwise, the Celestron kit seem
reasonable if purchased for something around $100. There is a comparison of
these two kits on www.cloudynights.com

Best wishes

jon isaacs

"Michael" wrote in message
m...
Hi,
I'm a beginner in this field, and I'm thinking of getting the ETX-125
along with an eyepiece set. Should the Celestron eyepiece set +
filters or Meade eyepiece set suit me better?

Both Jon and John have given you good feedback.

Also, try this:

http://www.weasner.com/etx/ref_guides/eyepieces.html