Introduction
Dobsonian Telescope!
What a magnificent piece of machinery! It allows you to see the stars and perhaps the greatest mystery in the universe.
Yes, numerous factors make an excellent Dobsonian telescope eyepiece. But choosing the perfect one for your Dobsonian also requires consideration and forethought.
Here, we’ll assist you in finding the best eyepieces for an 8-inch Dobsonian. The 8-inch Dobsonian refers to the primary diameter being only 8 inches.
And we’ll guide you in choosing the best eyepieces for your 8-inch Dobsonian. We will provide you with the best eyepieces available in the market. And we’ll even provide you with proper guidelines for buying the best one.
Let’s get started-
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Baader 1.25″ & 2″ 8-24mm Hyperion Universal Mark IV Zoom Eyepiece
Product Overview
The very first product on our list is Baader Hyperion Zoom Eyepiece. This is the best eyepiece for an 8-inch Dobsonian. This is the Baader Zoom’s 4th generation.
Firstly, this eyepiece has a 68° Wide-field of view. It provides a better visual experience, mainly for large deeper sky objects.
Besides, it has around five focal lengths 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 mm. An 8mm focal length gives medium-to-high magnification for watching galaxies, planetary nebulae, and globular clusters.
Where 24mm gives the lowest magnification for large angular sights of the Milky Way in the dark sky.
Apart from this, the 55mm diameter allows you to use the product in a dual mode. Here, the interpupillary distance is 55mm. These two features make life easier and are for use with binoculars.
Here, the provided barrel size is compatible with all the 1.25” and 2” Dobsonians.
The materials also have high-quality “Phantom Coating” on them. This multi-coating gives maximum contrast and absolute privilege from reflections for the faintest objects.
On the other hand, it includes a big adjustable rubber eyecup, foldable eyecup, and smaller straight rubber eyecup and wing.
It implies that this eyepiece can be used with nearly anything, including those who use glasses and even astrophotography cameras.
Most importantly, this particular eyepiece provides 4 mm more back focus. This is quite important when you’re spotting!
Lastly, you’ll get two different adapters for an 8-inch Dobsonian, and the spotting scope adaptation comes with the eyepiece.
Pros
- It has an adjustable barrel that allows it to work with both 1.25′′ and two ′′ telescopes.
- This eyepiece can be used with any telescope in any situation.
- Different eyecups ensure variety.
- The eyepiece is genuinely universal.
Cons
- It’s slightly more expensive than the other options.
Orion 08890 1.25-Inch Premium Telescope Accessory Kit
Product Overview
This comprehensive set of high-quality accessories will substantially enhance your Dobsonian’s capabilities. The Orion Telescope Accessory Kit is a fantastic set of eyepieces for an 8-inch Dobsonian. It even comes with a variety of 1.25-inch astronomy accessories included.
Also, the apparent field of view of these eyepieces is 52 degrees. This wide-field gives a better idea of objects deep in the sky.
A robust, shorty 2x Barlow lens doubles the magnification of any installed 1.25-inch eyepiece, giving you many magnification options. You can use it with the provided eyepieces and any other 1.25-inch eyepiece.
Pros
- Not expensive enough.
- Each lens has a field of view of 52-degree.
- For this low price, a high-quality 2x Barlow lens is almost like buying ten lenses.
- There are additionally five planetary filters and one moon filter with purchase
- Fits all Dobsonians with a 1.25-inch focuser.
Cons
- This kit is not good for beginners.
- There is no clear instruction provided with the purchase.
Baader Planetarium 1.25” and 2” 4.5mm Morpheus Wide-Field Eyepiece
Product Overview
Baader has paid just as much attention to manufacturing as to optical design. This eyepiece is one of the best-designed eyepieces offered by Baader.
This astronomy eyepiece from Baader Planetarium has a 17.5mm focal length and a 76-degree apparent field of view, which provides a wide, immersive ‘spacewalk’ experience when observing stars, nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters. It also gives clear views of the Moon, planets, and other solar system objects.
Other than that, the eyepiece has 23mm long eye relief. It gives a comfortable viewing experience, even if you are wearing eyeglasses.
Additionally, the product fits with 1.25″ and 2″ Dobsonian focusers without any additional adapters but is not compatible with 0.965″ focusers. Perfect for your 8-inch Dobsonian.
That said, the size and weight have been adjusted for use with astronomy binoculars so that both eyes can be used to observe. The importance of the eyepiece is 10.6 oz (300g).
The build quality is excellent. Sealed with water-tight housing, which ensures a long-time field use with your 8-inch Dobsonian.
Pros
- 76 degrees of the wide field of view gives a very comfortable viewing experience.
- True colors and high contrast indicate great color fidelity.
- 23mm long eye relief is fantastic for people wearing glasses.
- Excellent work in correcting edges.
Cons
- Although it is not a genuine 2″ eyepiece, this is rarely an issue considering the focal lengths.
Explore Scientific 82 Degree Series Gas Purged 11mm Waterproof Telescope Eyepiece.
Product Overview
Explore Scientific 82-Degree Eyepiece is the fourth one on our list. This is one of the ultra-wide eyepieces you might be looking for in your 8-inch Dobsonian.
It has 82 degrees of “Apparent Field of View.” This ultra-wide field of view gives you a very comfortable viewing experience. And it even promotes the natural relaxation of the eyepiece. When your eyes relax, you can observe for a long period.
Here, the focal length is 11mm. This is a popular focal length. You will get an upper-medium magnification from it.
The eyepiece is waterproof and gas purged. You can use it for a long time; this one is best for outdoor use.
You can use it with Explore Scientific Focal Extenders. It will give you a 2x,3x, and 5x magnification while the eyepiece maintains the naive apparent field of view and eye relief.
It has EMD ( Enhanced multiplayer deposition) coatings. All the surfaces and edges of this eyepiece are flat black.
Pros
- Ultra-Wide apparent field of view of 82 degrees.
- The eyepiece is waterproofed and argon purged.
- There is no undercut, making swapping eyepieces very fast.
- This 11mm focal length is popular and good for upper-medium magnification.
Cons
- Eye relief isn’t much.
Tele Vue 21mm Ethos 2″ Eyepiece
Product Overview
This TeleVue 21mm Ethos 2″ Eyepiece is our next product. We liked it because of its simplicity. And it gives Fantastic contrast and clarity.
The best part of this eyepiece is the apparent field of view. The AFOV is 100 degrees. This will help at maximizing the experience of the “spacewalk” experience with the 21mm Ethos. Its natural playground is large deeper sky objects and dense star fields.
The focal length of this eyepiece is 21mm, which delivers high minifying power, making it ideal for closely viewing the planet’s surfaces.
Two focuser lenses are included with the eyepiece. It has 15mm eye relief on this eyepiece, giving an incredibly wide range of views; this is a positive thing.
Pros
- It gives Fantastic contrast, clarity
- Excellent AFOV at 100 degrees, which gives you a very comfortable viewing
- It has 15mm eye relief on this eyepiece which gives their incredibly wide range of view
- The images are brighter than those seen through other Tele Vue eyepieces.
- Fits with all 8-inch Dobsonians with a 1.25-inch focuser
Cons
- As eyepieces are heavy, a good focuser is required to support them.
Buying Guide
Eyepieces are the important elements for your Dobsonian telescopes. You cannot degrade your Dobsonian’s optics by pairing it with a low-quality eyepiece. Poorly manufactured telescope eyepieces can turn a clean, beautiful image into a sad, blurry mess.
Proper Eyepieces are too important to get the perfect output from your Dobsonian. Before you go searching for Dobsonian’s eyepieces online, familiarize yourself with the following terms:
Focal Length
It is the essential measurement of an eyepiece. The focal length is the length the beam travels to your eye through the eyepiece.
But, it is also the determining element in the magnification of an image through your Dobsonian. Remember, the higher focal length will always bring the lower magnification.
Through this 8-inch Dobsonian, you can easily see The Moon, bright binary stars, bright planets, bright nebulae, and bright open and globular clusters.
But it would be tough to see all of them clearly if you don’t use perfect eyepieces for your Dobsonian.
Apparent Field of View
That’s the calculated angular diameter of light visible. This light comes from the eyepiece. Any eyepiece less than 40 degrees is considered narrow, making it ideal for viewing the planets or the moon. Eighty degrees or higher is considered wide.
A wider field of view delivers a more realistic visual experience, especially for deep-sky objects.
True Field of View
This phenomenon is directly from the sky’s angle produced by the eyepiece. It’s used in the telescope and is expressed in degrees.
Barrel Size
The component of an eyepiece that inserts into the focuser or diagonal is known as the barrel, and it comes in two sizes: 1.25″ and 2″. There is another barrel size, 0.965″.
However, as most telescope manufacturers worldwide moved to the standard long ago, they are becoming scarce. That standard size is 1.25″.
Eye Relief
Eye relief is quite important. Not having sufficient eye relief means that your eyelashes will brush the glass. Also, when eye relief is a bit too long, you won’t be able to see the image. Here, the right fit matters.
You could count the distance between the eyepiece and your eye as the eye relief. Here, the distance needs to be enough so that you can focus on the image.
Appropriate eye relief is a matter of preference, although most people will find eyepieces with a length of 10-20mm, which is simple. People who wear eyeglasses prefer long eye reliefs of more than 15mm.
FAQs
Question: Does Baader Hyperion Universal Zoom Eyepiece include the 2.25x Barlow?
Answer: No, it does not.
Question: Are Explore Scientific 11mm 82 Degree Eyepieces durable?
Answer: Yes, those are waterproof.
Question: What’s the weight of TeleVue 21mm Ethos 2″ Eyepiece?
Answer: It’s 2.3 pounds which are slightly heavy. Good focusers are needed to support them.
Final Words
We tried to give you a proper guideline for buying the best eyepieces for an 8-inch Dobsonian. All our reviewed eyepieces are best sellers in the market right now.
Also, we gave a good buying guide where we tried to explain what features you should consider buying an eyepiece. This information will help you. Goodbye!
