The Skywatcher 20116 EQ3-2 polar finderscope is designed to aid polar alignment for accurate visual and photographic tracking. The EQ3-2 mount does not come with this accessory as standard. Very high grade optics give a clear view
Available to purchase from Northern Optics
Available to buy from Northern Optics
The Maplin N50JU triple pack aluminium flight case is quoted as being ideal for engineering tools. But on tested we found it ideal for binoculars. We were easily able to accommodate each case for a range of binoculars from 42mm up to giant 20x80mm plus accessories.
Each case comes with movable dividers that can be moved to suit each set. The 2 smaller sizes have 2 dividers and the largest has 3
These cases will not only help protect your binoculars from minor bumps compared to a standard soft case, but they will also help keep the damp weather of the optics when not in use in the field if used for astronomy
The example image shows a set of 15×70, 10×50 and 8×43 binoculars inside the larger case
Don,t just think they are for tools and binoculars. They can be used for safe storage of any general use items
Available to purchase from Northern Optics where you will also see full spec
The Ostara 2″ SWA-70 are designed to give picture window wide field of views if the night sky. Available in focal lengths of 26mm 32mm and 38mm there is a good range of choices. Each has long eye relief for spectacle wearers, great internal blackening for reduced reflection and fully multi-coated optics for bright views with high contrast.
Eye cups are fold down. But in most cases you will be able to leave them out. The cups are very soft for comfortable views and help reduce stray light. Build quality is excellent with a sleek glossy finish. A useful rubber strip is around the centre of each eyepiece to aid grip if using gloves
Each eyepiece comes boxed and complete with lens caps. Threaded to accept 2″.
With a retail guide price of £94.95 – £104.95 they are very competitively priced
Available to purchase from Northern Optics
Have just done my own little wide field eyepiece shoot-out. This was following a request from a customer looking for a good wide angle E/P for his Olivon T800 spotting scope that he purchased from us.
I tested on an Olivon T650. Eyepieces tested were the Ostara FF 27mm, Ostara ED 21mm and a Celestron X-CeL LX 25mm.
As these were different focal lengths, I did not compare on the field of view.
What I did go by was overall sharpness, contrast and edge of field quality. This may surprise some, but the winner by a mile was the Ostara FF 27mm. It showed much better edge of field sharpness over the other two + less chromatic aberration across the field (despite not being marketed as ED)
Just proves that sometimes you need to forget what it says on the tin, and simply look through them. The same applies to spotters, binoculars and telescopes.
“I can not see anything through my telescope”. This is a frequent comment I receive from unhappy budding astronomers. Usually it is after they have bought a cheap telescope from a catalogue shop, or a camera shop that may not offer the correct advice.
We find that many cheap telescope OTAs (optical tube assemblies) are OK. The main downfall is that the eyepieces are of a low build quality , give way too much magnification, or both. Even worse, many come with the dreaded 0.96″ size eyepieces. This means your choice of accessories may be limited to second hand cast offs.
If you are struggling to buy extra eyepieces, we recommend using the eyepiece with the highest number on it. The number equates to the focal length of each eyepiece. The higher the number (focal length), the lower the power. A low power eyepiece will give you a wider view, better image quality and easier to focus. So if you have eyepieces with 25mm, 10mm and 4mm, use the 25mm one..If you have a cheap plastic barlow that came in the box, best not use it. This will reduce the overall quality of image
If you see a low cost small telescope boasting 660x POWER !!! . If this sound too good to be true it no doubt is. A sensible set of Plossls with magnifications of 20x , 50x and 100x will suffice.
For further advice, contact Northern Optics . If you live locally, we may be able to visit to give you some hands on advice. Or bring your scope to our weekend outlet to try a few eyepieces out.
The Celestron #93609 piggyback mount allows fitting of any camera “piggyback” to your celestron SCT OTA. The clever design allows the starpointer / finderscope to be fitted at the same time. This is very useful for wide field imaging.
Note that if use with the Skyprodigy 6″ SCT you will need to purchase longer screws for it to fit securely. Comes complete with all fittings
Available to buy from Northern Optics
The Skywatcher 1.25″ 2x deluxe barlow lens is a great lens for both visual and photographic use. As a barlow lens, it has a solid build quality and a multi-coated doublet lens for very good results in the mid to low price range. Complete with lens covers.
For photographic use, the clever design allows a t-ring (not included) to be fitted for prime focus photography. Depending on the telescope used, you may be able to use with or without the barlow lens screwed in. With the barlow lens unscrewed it is possible to replace with a 1.25″ filter. Ideal for deep space use, and will also help keep dust off your camera sensor
This barlow comes as standard with many Skywatcher telescopes as standard
Available to purchase from Northern Optics
The Optical Hardware 3x budget barlow is designed to triple the magnification of any 1.25″ eyepiece. As the title suggests this is at the budget end. Very basic single lens gives a much softer image than multi-coated equivalents with more false colour. The body is also plastic. It does however come with lens caps
But if you are on a very limited budget, it is a good way to experiment with different eyepieces / magnifications
As always , check the maximum sensible magnification your telescope will go to without losing too much optical quality
Available from Northern Optics
Sitting nicely in the mid range of the Skywatcher UWA 58 deg Planetary eyepiece range is the 6mm option. This is a sensible mid-high power eyepiece that will give 166.6x magnification on a 1000mm focal length telescope, or over 300x with many SCT / MAK type telescopes.
Just like the rest of the range, the 6mm version comes in the same body style and high build quality. Also like the rest of the set you get great internal baffling with black edges. This is essential for Planetary and Lunar/Solar work.
Do not think these eyepieces are just for Planets and the Moon. They also make great double star splitters and work great on smaller DSOs like Planetary nebulae
Image shows the 5mm option for demonstration purposes
Available to purchase from Northern Optics