Expert: Paul Wagner - 1/24/2009

Question
What is the convenience, if any, of switching from a 1.25" to a 2" eyepiece  in my telescope??

Answer
Hi Ray

If your telescope is set up with a somewhat larger diagonal mirror, you lose a hair of light gathering power, but the 2 insh eyepiece can give you a larger field of view.  For more scopes that you buy off the shelf, this isn't a very good tradeoff, because they really aren't designed for this.  BUt if you have a larger scope ( 12 inches and above) and design the scope for the larger eyepiece, you not only gain that field of view, but you also help compensate for the smaller field of view that comes with longer focal lengths and higher magnification in the larger scopes.

Paul Wagner