Halden Strider 32 mm wide-field eyepiece

Specifications

Description

The Strider 32 mm is a five-element wide-field eyepiece with a 52-degree apparent field and a 2 in barrel. Its 30 mm field stop gives a wide true field at low power, and the eyepiece is built for telescopes with a 2 in focuser. Use it to locate targets and to frame large deep-sky objects, such as the Pleiades, in a single view.

A 32 mm eyepiece gives low magnification in most telescopes. It produces about 31x in a 1,000 mm refractor, about 38x in a 1,200 mm Dobsonian, and about 63x in a 2,000 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain. In the 1,200 mm telescope, the true field is about 1.4 degrees, enough to frame the full Moon with room around it. Low power also gives a bright image and a wide exit pupil under dark skies.

The five elements are arranged to keep stars sharp across most of the field in telescopes slower than about f/6. Faster Newtonians show some softening toward the edge of the field. All air-to-glass surfaces are fully multi-coated, which reduces ghost images from bright stars near the edge, and the barrel interior is blackened to reduce internal reflections.

With 20 mm of eye relief, the eyepiece suits observers who wear glasses when the fold-down rubber eyecup is lowered. Raise the eyecup to block stray light when the eye is close to the lens. The barrel is threaded for 2 in filters.

At about 480 g, the eyepiece is heavier than most 1.25 in designs. Check that the focuser and diagonal are rated for 2 in accessories, and tighten the focuser lock screw before observing so the eyepiece stays in place.

About this configuration

All configurations of the Halden Strider 32 mm wide-field eyepiece share the same optical design; the options change the eyecup, the case, and the finish. 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.

The silver anodized body is easy to find in a dark accessory case and wipes clean after dewy nights. The 2023 edition uses the same lens design as later years, with small differences in the grip pattern. 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 with fold-down rubber eyecup
• Top and bottom dust caps
• Padded storage case

Compatibility notes

• Requires a 2 in focuser, diagonal, or Barlow lens, or a 2 in to 1.25 in adapter.
• The barrel accepts 2 in filters.
• Sharp across most of the field at f/6 and slower; softer at the edge in faster Newtonians.