EARTH & COSMOS
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EARTH & COSMOS |
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| Description Televue make a range of eyepieces and this one is probably the most loved of the lot. In fact it was hailed as the hot new product of 2003 in Sky and Telescope, especially given that it is a 1.25” eyepiece. It has a comfortable eye relief of 15mm and a 68 degree field of view. It was designed so that Nagler type of performance could be mixed with wide field viewing. |
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Use For me it was love at first sight. A friend who has a large range of eyepieces has this in his collection. I viewed with it one night and knew instantly I had to have one. I made sure I would not be waiting all that long to have one in my hands. Now this is unusual in that up until then I only owned three eyepieces. I have never been a collector in that regard, but this was different. I like to view things in high, medium or low power. That says a lot about what this eyepiece is like in the flesh. I typically use this eyepiece for two purposes. In the C9.25 and the SDM 18” I use it as a wide field eyepiece. I also use it as a planetary eyepiece in the C9.25. |
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In the SDM this eyepiece does suffer from sea-gulling at the very edge of field (if I had to guess it looks about 3mm from the edge). Coming in from the edge all the stars are tight and quite crisp. There is no ghosting and contrast seems quite nice. Detail seems extremely sharp which is better than other high end eyepieces. The field is a little curved though and this is evident when you scan across an area by moving the scope. However, this is not enough to distract the viewer. If you can get past that little bit of sea-gulling, which you really cannot see anyway if you are looking in the centre (due to it being in your peripheral vision), then this EP gives a solid performance in a fast Newtonian. In the C9.25 targets such as M42 and Eta Carina appear quite remarkable. It gives a nice bright contrast to them, with no apparent sea-gulling or ghosting. The images are crisp and sharp all the way to the edge of the field. I have seen many remarkable views through this eyepiece and the SCT, in fact many people have remarked what a lovely images the scope presents while using this eyepiece. Personally I think it is a combination of both elements, both the SCT and the Pan 24. However, where this eyepiece really shines is when it is combined with the TV 2.5x powermate in an SCT. The detail and sharpness of the planetary disks is absolutely superb. By way of comparison using a 9mm Nagler in an SCT just does not have the same sharpness or clarity that the Pan 24 does in the same scope. The impact of the Pan and the 2.5x powermate has on many occasions inspired profound exclamations from a whole range of people. Final Analysis For any amateur this eyepiece is a joy to use. It is in my estimation one of the best eyepieces you can buy and one that should be in your kit. It should be the first eyepiece that you buy. It will save you searching for that one great eyepiece. With that in mind I can highly recommend it to all.
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