Hi Ed,

How severe is your correction?

I have been wearing glasses and observing for over 20 years now. Personally, my preference has been to simply put aside my glasses when I bring my eye to the eyepiece. Yes, it is inconvenient to put the glasses somewhere and put them back on when you step away from the eyepiece or raise your head to look at the skies to position the telescope. But I use an SCT for most of my observing, and I've added a tray to the tripod to hold all kinds of stuff, including my glasses.

I tried observing with glasses for a while but did not like that at all. The FOV got crimped in most cases.

If you can observe by removing your glasses, do that for a while to see how you like it. No point rushing into buying new eyepieces if you won't observe with glasses anyway.

If your astigmatism is severe, Tele Vue makes correctors for that, but they come with their own set of issues (cost and limited applicability).

Harry D.

 

Sorry to hear about your astigmatism, Ed. I don't wear glasses for anything other than reading, so take what I'm about to say with a healthy grain of salt. Wait a second, salt isn't healthy. Scratch that.

As StaringAtStars mentioned, if your astigmatism isn't too bad, then the scope becomes your glasses, so you don't need to wear them while observing. But if your astigmatism is above some level, and I don't know what that level is, then yes, you will benefit from wearing them. I know that's not much help, but you'll have to try it out for yourself and see the difference.

Anyway, my understanding from reading other posts about this subject is that the entire game for you will be about having EPs with enough eye relief. And from what I've read, 13mm isn't quite enough - it's more like 15mm, and 16mm is better. Those are the recommendations that other people make.

But the real test is YOU. If you can make it work with 13mm, then that's obviously all YOU need.

As for eyepieces that deliver more eye relief at shorter focal lengths, yes, of course, Explore Scientific is going to do it for you, and it's nice that they're having a sale right now. As for the Agena EWAs, these are basically Erfles ( a design from early in the last century), and they will not work well in short focal ratio scopes - like your ETX-80, and will only be a bit better in your 8-inch dob. They will suffer from a lack of sharpness in a zone at the outer edge of the field, and that zone will grow larger and larger the lower your focal ratio goes. I would not recommend them for you.

Yes, the Celestron X-Cel LXs are very good, and should be just what you need. While they are not the same as the Meade HD60s, meaning that they are not clones of each other, they are equivalent quality-wise, even though the Meades cost $10 more. I have never, ever read a bad word about the X-Cels - they are universally praised wherever I have read about them. Here are another couple of eyepiece lines you should consider:

1) Agena Starguider - 15.8mm eye relief - $60
(also sold as a clone called the AT Paradigm)
I have the 15mm version, and it's a very nice EP for me.

http://agenaastro.com/agena-1-25-dual-ed-eyepiece-5mm.html

2) BST Planetary - 15.8mm eye relief - $55

http://agenaastro.com/bst-1-25-uwa-planetary-eyepiece-5mm.html

Each of these will give you a lot more room to play with than your current Plossls. The Starguiders, like the X-Cels, have a 60-degree FOV, the BST is 58 degrees.

 

Sorry for not having noted this query before now - we've been having decent nights and it's getting WARM here in Podunk!

What FL are you looking for, Ed? I've been putting together a collection of 2" EP's of late - with very nice FL's. Toss out some further details, and I'll be happy to see what pops up.

All the best -

Dave

 

The X-cel's work really well on slower scopes, not sure how they handle faster scopes (haven't tried them in my F/4 Dob), but I think they, along with the Agena Starguiders (which are basically the same EP in a different body) are some of the great bargains in EP's today. I tend to prefer the shape/build/ergonomics of the X-Cel's more, but optically I imagine they're both excellent, and the Starguiders are a bit cheaper.

 

I think the original Celestron X-cels were 55° with 20mm of eye relief. Those are discontinued, but other EPs with the same specs are still available and well regarded. The Zhumell Z-series planetary is the best bargain, and telescopes.com is listing the 14.5mm as in stock - which is lauded as maybe the best in the bunch. Their 18mm is said to be lackluster. I have only the 3mm which gets little use, but I do like it.

The current X-cel LX oculars are 60° with around 16mm usable ER. I like the X-cel LX I have and can use it comfortably with glasses, though I recognize ER demands vary from one person to the next.

 

I see an oft-quoted article on "Eyeglasses: The Wearer and the World of Astronomy,"- coming down the way. Or series thereof! I think I know you and your style well enough, Ed. And, hence, I'm jealous! I wear glasses also. But I only need 'em for minor matters - like reading and writing. But maybe tomorrow..... I can only hope!

I'm serious! Please keep copious notes of your findings. Brand and makes. Focal-Length. Condition of the EP, and the weather. This could well turn into a major study which can wind up as the definitive text on this seldom reported aspect of viewing - at least in my readings of this myriad field/hobby.

I know a little of what I speak. As you may have noted - I, too, write a goodly amount and have a recognizable style. I study the craft as both a form of teaching, as well as an artform. And so, my friend, I can see you're well down the road too! And I like nothing better than to see a wide-open vacuum-of-knowledge approached for filling. Preferably by an author with first-hand insight.

Go get 'em, Tiger!

Dave

 

I have the same issue with bad eyesight, wearing tri-focals have cataracts forming but do my observing and imagining for my own personal satisfaction and share with family and friends. I am not a pro just doing it for my own. hang in there and do your own thing, it will give you satisfaction and a good feeling.

 

I underwent 35 treatments in a hyperbaric oxygen-chamber to speed-up healing and rebuilding of tissue after surgery. These treatments are called "dives" as it's the equivalent of being a ways under-water regards the pressure applied all over you. And this especially affected my optical-nerves.

For quite awhile after these 'dives,' I no longer needed reading-glasses. Myvision sharpened all across the board - range, clarity, color-perception, all sorts. Everything short of x-ray vision! But slowly my eyesight returned to it's previous settings. Back to my reading-glasses for nearby materials. Ah well...

If it had lasted, optomotrists would be out of business. Pity! Maybe someday we'll learn how to lock this change in place.

'Ta,

Dave