Brightwell Horizon 32 mm wide-field eyepiece

Specifications

Description

The Horizon 32 mm is a five-element wide-field eyepiece with a 65-degree apparent field and a 2 in barrel. Its 35 mm field stop gives a much wider true field than any 1.25 in eyepiece can, which makes it a finder and survey eyepiece for telescopes with 2 in focusers.

In a 1,200 mm Dobsonian, the Horizon 32 mm gives 38x and a true field of about 1.7 degrees. That frames the Andromeda Galaxy with its companions, the full extent of the Pleiades, and long sections of the Veil Nebula with a nebula filter. In a 2,032 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain with a 2 in diagonal, it gives 64x and a field of about 1 degree.

The low magnification produces a large exit pupil, about 5.4 mm in an f/5.9 telescope. That gives bright views of extended objects under dark skies. In fast telescopes below about f/5, stars at the edge of the field show some astigmatism and coma, which a coma corrector reduces.

The 22 mm eye relief suits observers with glasses, and the rubber eyecup folds down. The 2 in barrel has a safety undercut and accepts 2 in filters.

At 520 g, the Horizon 32 mm is heavier than small eyepieces, so check the balance of your telescope after you insert it, especially on a Dobsonian. Many observers keep it in the focuser most of the night and switch to higher power only after they have found a target.

The Horizon 32 mm is an affordable way to get a wide field in a 2 in telescope.

About this configuration

This listing covers one configuration of the Brightwell Horizon 32 mm wide-field eyepiece, defined by its case, eyecup, finish, and edition year. This configuration comes without a case, which suits observers who keep their eyepieces in a shared foam box. No case is included, so the eyepiece ships in a simple box with its two dust caps fitted. A fold-down eyecup is simple and has no moving parts that can loosen in cold weather.

A color ring near the top of the body marks the focal length, which helps when you swap eyepieces in the dark. This is the 2024 edition, which revised the undercut on the barrel and the grip rings of the Horizon line. 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

Compatibility notes

• Needs a 2 in focuser or 2 in star diagonal.
• The barrel accepts standard 2 in filters (M48 x 0.75 thread).
• Shows edge astigmatism below about f/5 unless you use a coma corrector.