Halden Strider 32 mm wide-field eyepiece, with hard case

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. The hard foam-lined case protects the eyepiece from knocks during travel and stacks neatly with other cases. A hard case keeps the eyepiece safe in a busy accessory box at a star party or an outreach event. The fold-down rubber eyecup blocks stray light, and you can fold it back if you observe with glasses.

A color ring near the top of the body marks the focal length, which helps when you swap eyepieces in the dark. The optics in the 2024 edition match the other years; the changes concern the housing only. 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
• Padded storage case
• Hard foam-lined 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.