Brightwell Classic 10 mm Plössl eyepiece, with soft pouch

Specifications

Description

The Classic 10 mm is a four-element Plössl eyepiece with a 52-degree apparent field and a 1.25 in barrel. It gives medium to high magnification in most telescopes: 70x in a 700 mm refractor, 120x in a 1,200 mm Dobsonian, and 150x in a 1,500 mm Maksutov.

That range suits the Moon, the planets, and small deep-sky objects such as planetary nebulae and globular clusters. Jupiter shows its belts and moons, Saturn shows its rings and often the Cassini Division, and the Moon shows craters along the terminator in sharp relief.

The Plössl design gives clean, contrasty images with little scattered light, which helps on the planets. The lenses are fully multi-coated, and the barrel is threaded for 1.25 in filters, so a color filter or a nebula filter screws on directly.

Short focal length Plössls have short eye relief. At 7 mm, the Classic 10 mm requires you to place your eye close to the lens, which can be uncomfortable for observers with glasses and for long sessions. Observers who wear glasses often prefer a longer focal length eyepiece with a Barlow lens to reach the same magnification.

The field stop of 8.8 mm gives a true field of about 0.42 degrees in a 1,200 mm telescope, enough to frame a planet with its moons and to give a minute or two before a target drifts out of the field in a telescope that does not track.

The Classic 10 mm pairs naturally with the Classic 25 mm: together with a 2x Barlow lens, they give four magnifications that cover most observing needs in a small telescope.

About this configuration

This listing covers one configuration of the Brightwell Classic 10 mm Plössl eyepiece, defined by its case, eyecup, finish, and edition year. The soft pouch keeps dust off the eyepiece and fits in a jacket pocket during a session. A soft pouch protects the lenses from scratches when you carry the eyepiece between the car and the telescope. The twist-up eyecup sets your eye at the right distance from the lens, with or without glasses.

Titanium gray shows dust and fingerprints less than black, and it keeps a uniform look over time. The 2023 edition uses the same lens design as later years, with small differences in the grip pattern. The true field in your telescope is roughly the apparent field divided by the magnification you reach with this eyepiece.

What's in the box

• Eyepiece with fold-down rubber eyecup
• Top and bottom dust caps
• Plastic storage case
• Soft padded pouch

Compatibility notes

• Fits any 1.25 in focuser, diagonal, or Barlow lens.
• The barrel accepts standard 1.25 in filters (M28.5 x 0.6 thread).
• Eye relief of 7 mm is short for most glasses wearers.