Telescope Eyepieces, Barlows, and Tele-Extenders

Telescope eyepieces make up half of the optical train for visual observing. In most cases a telescope eyepiece contains more optical elements than the telescope itself. A carefully chosen eyepiece set will help to maximize the enjoyment of your telescope. Good eyepieces allow a telescope to live up to its full potential. Conversely, mediocre eyepieces will limit the performance of the best telescopes. While most eyepieces will perform well in the slower focal ratios of Schmidt-Cassegrains, some will not perform well in the faster optics of Newtonian Reflectors and Apochromatic Refractors. The table below displays eyepieces from TeleVue, Meade, Celestron, Orion, Explore Scientific, and Coronado. This is a long page, so please be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom.

TeleVue Nagler The TeleVue Nagler eyepiece line represents the gold standard of modern widefield eyepiece design. Nagler eyepieces provide tack sharp images across an extremely generous 82 degree apparent field.	TeleVue Panoptic TeleVue Panoptic eyepieces deliver tack-sharp images across a generous 68 degree apparent field. The 19mm and 24mm Panoptic eyepieces are extremely popular in binoviewer applications.	TeleVue Radian TeleVue Radian eyepieces offer a 60 degree apparent field of view and a comfortable 20mm of eye relief. All TeleVue Radian eyepieces are compatible with TeleVue's DiopTRX astigmatism correcting lens system.
TeleVue Ethos The amazing TeleVue Ethos eyepiece offers an incredible 100 degree apparent field of view. Televue raises the bar once again with the introduction of the Ethos eyepiece.	TeleVue Zoom Zoom eyepieces have been embraced by spotting scope users for their quick power change convenience. The ability to fine tune the exit pupil to obtain the best overall object contrast is an overlooked advantage, especially when using nebular filters.	TeleVue Plossl TeleVue Plossl eyepieces are the cornerstone of TeleVue's reputation. Since their introduction in 1980, these Plössls have won praise and patents, including a patent in Japan. Plössls still enjoy the attention to detail as any TeleVue eyepiece.
Meade Series 5000 5 Element Plossl The new Series 5000 5-element eyepieces offer a generous 60° apparent field-of-view, compared with the 50 field of most any Plössl eyepiece on the market today. These eyepieces allow you to enjoy a wider field of view without paying a premium price.	Meade Series 5000 Super Wide Angle The new Series 5000 Super Wide Angle eyepieces boast a 68° apparent field-of-view and image resolution that is razor sharp from edge-to-edge. These eyepieces are a perfect match for Schmidt-Cassegrains.	Meade Series 5000 Ultra Wide Angle Meade Series 5000 Ultra Wide Angle eyepieces offer an astounding 82 degree apparent field of view. The designs required several different types of exotic glass in order to achieve the highest level of optical performance.
Meade Series 4000 QX Meade’s Series 4000 QX Wide Angle is a new line of 5 element eyepieces. They yield a super wide 70 degree apparent field of view at very attractive price. These eyepieces perform best in slower focal ratio telescopes such as Schmidt-Cassegrains.	Eyepiece Sets Eyepiece sets can be an attractive addition to a beginner telescope, provided that the focal lengths of the eyepieces are well matched to the the telescope. Typically we recommend carefully chosen eyepieces over packaged sets.
Orion Stratus Wide Field Enjoy a wide-field window into the heavens served up by Orion Stratus eyepieces. The 68° apparent field provide a 31% wider true field of view than that of a typical Plossl, Stratus eyepieces quite literally put more stars in your eyes.	Orion Edge-On Orion Edge-On eyepieces deliver remarkably flat fields with pinpoint stars from the center to the edge. Edge-on eyepieces feature big eye lenses and long eye relief.	Lunt Solar 7.2 - 21.5mm Zoom The LS7-21ZE Lunt Solar 7.2 - 21.5mm zoom is a general purpose 1-1/4 inch eyepiece that may be used with Solar telescopes, spotting scopes, or any other telescope accepting 1-1/4 inch eyepieces.
Explore Scientific 82 Degree Explore Scientific 82 degree series eyepieces are waterproof and nitrogen purged to prevent internal fogging. Their 82° apparent field is truly a full-immersion experience.	Explore Scientific 100 Degree Explore Scientific pulled off something of a surprise at the 2009 Winter Star Party by demonstrating a new 14mm eyepiece with a 100 degree apparent field of view. These eyepieces are now available in 9mm, 14mm, and 20mm focal lengths.	Vixen NLV 8-24mm Click-Stop Zoom Eyepiece The Vixen NLV 8-24 Click Stop Zoom eyepiece is great for many applications such as part of a grab and go set up, Solar observing or as a do it all terrestrial eyepiece.
Celestron Omni Plossl Celestron Omni Series eyepieces are a 4-element symmetrical Plössl design featuring blackened lens edges and a multi-layer coating group on each lens surface to maximize light transmission and contrast. These are good quality starter eyepieces.	Celestron X-Cel The Celestron X-Cel is an economical upgrade from the basic Plossl eyepieces supplied with most telescopes. Their greatest strength is found in the generous 20mm eye relief - a feature commonly found on other eyepiece lines costing several times more.	Coronado CEMAX Specifically designed for use at H-Alpha wavelength and multi coated on every surface (including cemented surfaces), the CEMAX eyepieces are the ultimate in contrast enhancement for the solar observer.
Barlows and Tele-extenders Barlows offer an economical means to extend an eyepiece collection, but they do have some performance limitations when used with long focal length eyepieces or for imaging. We recommend the TeleVue Powermate for imaging.