Q1: I am an lucky owner of an Meade LX200 Telescope. This includes an oculair: Meade Super Plossl 26 mm Multicoated. What are the differences of other oculairs? Is a bigger one better and if yes why? I am very new to astronomy but it has my interest.

A: Oculars are defined by the millimeter the bigger the millimeter the smaller the magnification. the smaller the millimeter the greater the magnification. It is a good idea to get a range. to figure out the magnification you will be using simply divide the foacl length of the telescope by the millimetyer of the eyepiece and the number that you get is how many times the naked eye that you will be seeing with.

Q2: I recentely bought an ETX-105AT Meade telescope which had a Super Plossl 26mm Eyepiece included. I tried looking at the moon, venus and mars, but i could only see stars and more stars. In the instruction manual they showed pictures of saturn and i thought i was going to get to see that, but i didnt. What can i see with the Super Plossl 26mm and how close? Raul Ovalle.

A: with the 26mm eyepiece your magnification is 57x the naked eye. What it sounds like the problem is is that you are not aligned correctly. When you look through the finderscope do you see the same thing as when you look through the telescope. As for what you can see that is dependant on the aperture not the magnification with a 105mm telescope you should be able to see all the planets minus pluto of course, and thousands of deepspace objects.

Q3: I own a meade 114EQ telescope will the Super Plossl 40mm Eyepiece work with my telescope and If so is there a guide I can follow for future reference?

A: As long as the eyepiece is a 1.25' it will work jsut fine. There really is no type of guide to reference. Just follow a simple rule of thumb when trying to think of what eyepiece to get "The larger the millimeter of the eyepiece the smaller the magnification"

Q4: how many lenses are there in the eyepiece? may i know?

A: This eyepiece has 4 lens elements.

Q5: MY SON AND I ARE BEGINNERS. WE OWN AN DS2130ATS AND A ETX90 AT TELESCOPE. WE HAVE 9 18 25 26 MM LENSES. THESE ARE ROUNDED OFF.WHAT OTHER LENSES AND ACCESSORIES SHOULD WE BUY. I KNOW WE CAN SHARE THE SAME LENSES.

A: As for accessories to buy the main thing i suggest is lunar and color filters to help create contrasts in what you are looking for. Other than that it will depend specifically on what you plan to do with the scope as to what accessories you will need.

Q6: We own a Meade NG 70 telescope for beginners. We are not too happy with the eyepieces that come with that. Looking for ones with a better magnification. Can you please recommend ones that are ideal? Thank You very much. S.Satyamoorthy

A: We'd suggest the Zhumell 6.3mm Super Plossl eyepiece. It'll give you 111X magnification with your scope's 700mm focal length and will be good for viewing the planets. Another good choice would be the Zhumell 10mm Super Plossl. That will give you 70X with your scope, and it can be used with a 2X Barlow lens to give 140X magnification, which is near your scope's theoretical maximum. Here's the URL for the 6.3mm; just paste it into your browser's address window: http://telescopes.com/products/Zhumell_1.25in._6.3mm_Super_Plossl_Eyepiece_26041.html. And here's the URL for the 10mm: http://telescopes.com/products/Zhumell_1.25in._6.3mm_Super_Plossl_Eyepiece_26041.html. Here, too, is the URL for a Zhumell 2X Barlow: http://telescopes.com/products/Zhumell_1.25in._2x_Achromatic_Barlow_31011.html. This can double the power of any other eyepieces you have, too, instantly doubling your eyepiece collection.

Q7: Do you charge tax for items online in South Carolina?

A: No, there's no sales tax for items shipped outside Minnesota.

Q8: What is the lowest priced 1.25" eyepiece (say 40mm) with crosshairs.

A: The lowest-priced telescope eyepiece with reticle is the Celestron 10mm Plossl Reticle Eyepiece 1-1/4 inch. Here's the URL; just paste it into your browser's address window: http://telescopes.com/products/celestron-10mm-plossl-reticle-eyepiece-1-14-6054.html. The page includes an illustration.

Q9: Hi, I have a Tasco 402 power Telescope!!! I just want to know if a can upgrade the Eyepieces and what kind of Eyepieces can I buy for that telescope? this is my telescope technical Specifications: Objetive Diameter 60mm, Focal Length 700mm, Eyepie

A: Despite inflated manufacturer's claims, you cannot get 402X in usable magnification from a 60mm refractor. Try it and see; all one gets is mud. The actual maximum usable magnification figure is about 140X, which will be exceeded (175X) with the 4mm eyepiece that came with the telescope. The 12.5mm eyepiece will produce 56X alone and 129X when used with the 2.3X Barlow lens that came with the telescope. That is a reasonable magnification level for the Tasco 60mm telescope.

Q10: I have a 114EQ-D 4.5" Polaris telescope and it has been sitting out of site for some time. The book that came with the telescope recommends an MA9mm (.965") and a MA40mm(.965). Are thes still available or are there equivalents I could possible order.

A: The world has moved on to 1.25-inch focusers since your scope went into the closet. There aren't very few .965-inch eyepieces made, and most of those are of very poor quality. The only one we still carry is a 40mm. Here's the URL; just paste it into your browser's address window: http://telescopes.com/products/meade-40mm-modified-achromatic-965-inch-12229.html. You might consider upgrading to a scope with a 1.25-inch focuser. As an alternative, you can purchase an adapter that will enable you to use good-quality, 1.25-inch eyepieces with your 114EQ-D. Here's the URL to one such; just paste it into your browser's address window: http://telescopes.com/products/orion-965-inches-to-1-25-inches-eyepiece-adapter-14332.html. The adapter will allow you access to 1.25-inch Plossl eyepieces of much higher quality than the two .965 MA eyepieces that came with your scope. You'll find you'll get much larger fields of view, as well as brighter, crisper images with Plossls than with the Modified Achromats. Here's the URL for a Zhumell Eyepiece and Filter Kit that will help you get the most out of the scope: http://telescopes.com/products/zhumell-1-25in-eyepiece-and-filter-kit-31061.html.

Q11: I just bought an old Meade Researcher Series Modell 1266. Its a 12.5-inch F6? Reflector. I have only one eyepiece and its a 26mm LP. I do not know what that does for me or what its best suited for. I would like some direction on what types of eyepieces I s

A: Your Meade Researcher Model 1266 is indeed an f/6. It has a 2-inch focuser. For object location and wide-field viewing of nebulae, galaxies, we'd recommend 32mm and 40mm Super Plossl, 2-inch eyepieces. For closer inspection of the Moon and planets, we'd suggest 9mm and 14mm Super Plossl, 1.25-inch oculars. You'll also need an adapter that will allow you to use 1.25-inch eyepieces in a 2-inch focuser. Here's the URL for the 9mm eyepiece; just paste it into your browser's address window: http://telescopes.com/products/meade-super-plossl-9mm-eyepiece-1-25-inch-31916.html. Here's the URL for the 14mm eyepiece: http://telescopes.com/products/meade-super-plossl-14mm-eyepiece-1-25-inch-31917.html. Here's the 32mm URL: http://telescopes.com/products/meade-super-plossl-32mm-eyepiece-2-inch-31920.html, Here's the 40mm: http://telescopes.com/products/meade-super-plossl-40mm-eyepiece-2-inch-31921.html. And here's the URL for the adapter: http://telescopes.com/products/zhumell-2in-1-25in-eyepiece-adapter-38699.html

Q12: i own a 12"dob i wonder if 40mm its the highest i can go

A: Generally speaking, a telescope's minimum practical magnification level is about four times its aperture in inches, or in the case of a 12-inch Dob, about 48X. To find the amount of magnification a given eyepiece will produce, divide the focal length of your telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece, in this case 40mm. If your scope has a 1,200mm focal length, a 40mm eyepiece would produce 30X magnification, which would be too little for your scope.

Q13: I have a orion snort tube 4.5\" equatorial relector tescalcope. Dia. 114mm FL 1000mm 1/8.8 i would like a good lence for this at a good price what would you recommend?? thanks Jerry

A: The eyepiece to choose depends on what you'd like to do with it. Most planetary viewing is done with 100-150X magnification. You could achieve 100X with an eyepiece having a 10mm focal length. You'll get a little over 150X with an eyepiece having a 6.3mm focal length. The 40mm ocular you've looked at would produce only 25X with your telescope.

Q14: WHAT MAGNIFICATION IS BEST FOR VIEWING STARS

A: We usually recommend a low powered eyepiece for viewing stars. The lower powers give you the larger fields of view. Most telescopes will come with a 25mm or something close. I would suggest a larger 32mm eyepiece for viewing stars. It will have less magnification, but a much larger field of view. Feel free to call us at 800-303-5873 and let us know what scope you have and we can make some recommendations.

Q15: I have a Meade DS 2114 con .965" and 2" holders, may i get anywhere a 1.25 holders and use the most common eyepieces? Thanks

A: Yes, you would be able to change this to the standard 1-1/4 inch format. Here is the pieces that you need. http://www.telescopes.com/products/Meade_AD-2_Adapter_-_Accepts_1.25_Inch_Oculars_-_Fits_.965_Inch_Focusers_26920.html Thank you

Q16: Hello i am a first time user of a 70 az-ads refracting tele.i was wondering how the magnification lens works. Is a 6.4 mm super plossel stronger then a 9.7mm super plossel or the other way around? Thank you

A: The "power" or magnification of a telescope is determined by dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece used with it. Since any number divided by 6.4 is larger than the same number divided by 9.7, the 6.4mm eyepiece is "stronger."

Q17: HI, Which would be a better choice on a f/5 refractor, the Meade super plossl 4000 series or the Celestron omni series eyepieces? Thanks , Antonio.

A: Members of both eyepiece series will give you great views. There's very little difference between them.