Bought a moon filter pack for my telescope... didn't check the size first

Saw a deal online for a set of 6 moon filters for like $45 and grabbed them without reading the fine print. Turns out they were 1.25 inch eyepiece filters and my telescope only takes 2 inch ones. Now I have a whole collection of filters sitting in a drawer that I can't use anywhere. Has anyone else done the impulse buy thing with astronomy gear that just didn't fit?

2 comments

2 Comments

patricianguyen3d agoTop Commenter

Ha, that's rough but honestly I don't see the problem here. You got a great deal on filters and now you have a reason to upgrade to a telescope that takes 1.25 inch eyepieces. Or just buy an adapter if those exist for your scope, problem solved. People act like buying gear that doesn't match is the end of the world but it's just an excuse to expand your collection later. Seems like a win to me if you ask me.

the_angela2d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, actually adapters do exist but they won't always work right. If your scope takes 0.965 inch eyepieces, an adapter will let you stick a 1.25 inch eyepiece in there but it changes the focal length and you'll get vignetting around the edges. It's not just a simple fix, you'll lose light at the edges of the view. Plus some cheap scopes won't even reach focus with an adapter because the extra height messes up where the focal point lands. So buying a new scope might be the better move, but the adapter isn't always a magic bullet. Just gotta check if your scope can handle it before you go that route.