Explore Scientific 82° 24mm Waterproof Eyepiece - 2"

The eyepiece is hermetically sealed and purged with inert Argon gas. This process removes internal, moisture-containing air and replaces it with a dry gas, preventing internal fogging when moving from a warm house to a cold observing site. The seal also protects the internal lens elements and coatings from moisture, dew, and dust.

The ultra-wide 82° apparent field of view creates an immersive, "spacewalk" feeling that makes observing more comfortable and engaging. This wide expanse makes it easier to use averted vision—looking slightly to the side of a faint object—which places the image on a more light-sensitive part of your retina, helping you see finer, fainter details in objects like galaxies and nebulae.

In a typical 8" f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, this 24mm eyepiece yields about 85x magnification, which is ideal for a wide range of deep-sky objects. It excels at framing moderately sized targets in their entirety, such as:

• Globular Clusters like the Hercules Cluster (M13) and M5.
• Bright Planetary Nebulae like the Ring Nebula (M57) and the Dumbbell Nebula (M27).
• Galaxies where you want to resolve some core detail, such as Bode's Galaxy (M81).

Yes, while 24mm is generally considered a low-to-medium power for planets, it provides excellent initial views of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. For more detailed observation, you can pair it with a high-quality 2X or 3X Focal Extender or Barlow lens. This setup increases the magnification while preserving the eyepiece's comfortable eye relief and wide field.

Without a Barlow, the 24mm eyepiece will provide a wide, expansive view of the entire Orion Nebula (M42), including the fainter surrounding nebulosity. Adding a 2x Barlow will double the magnification, effectively making it a 12mm eyepiece. This will narrow your field of view but allow you to zoom in on the core, easily resolving the four primary stars of the Trapezium (Theta¹ Orionis).

To achieve a wide 82° apparent field at a 24mm focal length, a larger field stop is required than what can physically fit inside a 1.25-inch barrel. The 2-inch barrel format is necessary to prevent vignetting (darkening at the edges of the view) and allow the entire, expansive 82° field to be illuminated.