Brightwell Classic 8 mm Plössl eyepiece, with soft pouch

Specifications

Description

The Classic 8 mm is a four-element Plössl eyepiece with a 50-degree apparent field and a 1.25 in barrel. It is a high-power eyepiece for telescopes of moderate focal length, and it helps you split close double stars, resolve planetary detail, and frame small deep-sky objects at higher magnification.

An 8 mm eyepiece gives 88x in a 700 mm refractor, 150x in a 1,200 mm Dobsonian, and 254x in a 2,032 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain. In the 1,200 mm telescope, the true field narrows to about 0.33 degrees, a little under two-thirds of the apparent diameter of the full Moon. That is enough to frame a compact globular cluster such as M13, but it is too narrow for most wide star fields, so you will often switch to a lower-power eyepiece to locate a target first.

The Plössl design uses two pairs of cemented lenses facing each other. In telescopes slower than about f/6, the stars stay sharp across most of the field, with some softening at the edge in faster Newtonians. The lenses are fully multi-coated, and the barrel interior is blackened to reduce internal reflections.

With 10 mm of eye relief, the Classic 8 mm suits observers who do not wear glasses. Glasses wearers may find the eye point too close to see the full field, so check before buying. The fold-down rubber eyecup blocks stray light when folded up. The field stop of 7.0 mm sets the true field, and the barrel is threaded for standard 1.25 in filters.

Because it is compact and light, the Classic 8 mm pairs well with a Barlow lens and a 25 mm eyepiece, giving you three magnifications across a telescope of moderate focal length.

About this configuration

This listing covers one configuration of the Brightwell Classic 8 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. A winged eyeguard helps you hold your eye at the right position, which makes the edge of the field easier to see.

The black body with a color ring lets you tell focal lengths apart quickly under a red flashlight. This is the 2023 edition of the Classic line, the earliest version that is still listed in the catalog. 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
• Winged rubber eyeguard

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).
• Sharp across most of the field at f/6 and slower; softer at the edge in faster Newtonians.