Quillon Kestrel 24 mm wide-field eyepiece

Specifications

Description

The Kestrel 24 mm is a six-element wide-field eyepiece with a 68-degree apparent field and a 1.25 in barrel. Its 27 mm field stop is about the largest that fits in a 1.25 in barrel, so it gives the widest true field available to telescopes without a 2 in focuser.

In a 1,200 mm telescope, the Kestrel 24 mm gives 50x and a true field of about 1.3 degrees. That is enough to frame the Double Cluster, the Pleiades, and the full Moon with space around it. In a 1,500 mm Maksutov, where 2 in eyepieces do not fit, it gives 63x and the widest view the telescope can show.

The design keeps stars sharp across most of the field in telescopes of f/6 and slower. In faster Newtonians, the outer part of the field shows some astigmatism, which is common for wide-field designs at this price. The lenses are fully multi-coated.

The 15 mm eye relief suits most observers without glasses and some with them. The rubber eyecup folds down, and a slight concave eye lens helps you take in the whole field at once.

The Kestrel 24 mm makes a good finder eyepiece in small refractors, catadioptric telescopes, and Newtonians with 1.25 in focusers. It also works as a low-power eyepiece in binocular viewers that accept 1.25 in eyepieces.

At 230 g, the Kestrel 24 mm is light enough that it does not upset the balance of small telescopes when you switch from a smaller eyepiece.

About this configuration

All configurations of the Quillon Kestrel 24 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.

Black anodizing is the standard finish of the Kestrel line and matches most focusers. This is the 2025 edition, which added a safety groove to the barrel and a firmer eyecup detent. Check the barrel size in the specifications against your focuser or star diagonal before you choose a configuration.

What's in the box

• Eyepiece with fold-down rubber eyecup
• Top and bottom dust caps
• Soft storage pouch

Compatibility notes

• Fits any 1.25 in focuser or diagonal.
• The barrel accepts standard 1.25 in filters (M28.5 x 0.6 thread).
• Gives the widest true field possible in a 1.25 in system.