Brightwell Summit 4 mm Plössl eyepiece

Specifications

Description

The Summit 4 mm Plössl is a four-element eyepiece with a 50-degree apparent field and a 1.25 in barrel. It is a high-power eyepiece. In a 500 mm refractor it gives 125x, in a 1,200 mm Dobsonian it gives 300x, and in a 2,032 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain it gives 508x. At these powers, small changes in focus, collimation, and tracking show quickly, so you will use it mostly on the Moon, bright planets, and close double stars.

The 3.2 mm field stop sets a narrow true field. In a 1,200 mm telescope it spans about 0.15 degrees, or roughly 9 arcminutes, which is enough to frame a planetary disk with some space around it. Because the apparent field is 50 degrees, the true field narrows quickly as focal length increases, so the eyepiece suits detailed views of small targets rather than wide sweeps of the sky. Start with a lower-power eyepiece to locate the object, then move up to this one once it is centred.

The Plössl design uses two cemented doublets facing each other. In telescopes slower than about f/6, it gives sharp stars 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 that would lower contrast on the Moon and planets.

With 9 mm of eye relief, the eyepiece needs your eye close to the lens, so you will find the full field easiest to see with glasses off or with a short eyecup in place. The barrel is threaded for standard 1.25 in filters and fits any 1.25 in focuser or diagonal. The eyepiece weighs 45 g, which keeps it balanced on lightweight focusers in smaller telescopes.

About this configuration

This listing covers one configuration of the Brightwell Summit 4 mm Plössl 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 winged eyeguard helps you hold your eye at the right position, which makes the edge of the field easier to see.

The black anodized barrel and body resist scratches and do not reflect light into the eyepiece. This is the 2023 edition of the Summit line, the earliest version that is still listed in the catalog. To find the magnification, divide the focal length of your telescope by the eyepiece focal length in the specifications.

What's in the box

• Eyepiece
• Top and bottom dust caps
• Plastic storage case
• 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.