Vixen NPL Ploessl 10mm 50° 1.25″ eyepiece
The Vixen NPL Ploessl 10mm is part of the popular NPL Plössl eyepiece series, which has earned a strong following among amateur astronomers worldwide thanks to an excellent balance of performance and value. The classic four-element Plössl optical design, combined with fully multi-coated (FMC) optics, delivers outstanding light transmission and high contrast across the entire field of view. Whether you are studying the cratered surface of the Moon, the cloud belts of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, or more distant deep-sky objects, this eyepiece renders fine detail with clarity and precision.
Key features
50° apparent field of view
The 50° apparent field of view provides a comfortable and well-balanced viewing experience - wide enough to appreciate the surrounding star field, yet tight enough to maintain sharpness from the centre to the very edge of the field. This makes the NPL Ploessl 10mm suitable for both planetary sessions and casual sweeps across star clusters and nebulae.
Universal 1.25″ barrel with filter thread
The standard 1.25″ barrel diameter ensures compatibility with the vast majority of telescopes available today, from entry-level refractors to large Dobsonian reflectors. The built-in filter thread allows you to attach a lunar filter, a colour planetary filter, or a narrowband nebula filter directly to the eyepiece without any adapters, making it easy to fine-tune the image for each observing target.
Compact and lightweight design
One of the most practical advantages of the Vixen NPL Ploessl 10mm is its low weight and compact form factor. These characteristics make it particularly well suited for use with binoviewer attachments, where balanced weight and matched optical parameters between the two eyepieces are essential for comfortable long-session viewing. The eyepiece fits naturally into any eyepiece case and adds minimal load to a focuser.
Who is this eyepiece for?
The Vixen NPL Ploessl 10mm is a versatile choice for a wide range of observers:
- Beginners looking for a reliable, affordable first eyepiece to complement a starter telescope.
- Intermediate observers who want a dependable 10mm eyepiece for planetary and lunar work.
- Experienced astronomers building a matched binoviewer eyepiece pair.
- Anyone who wants a compact backup eyepiece of consistent quality.
Optical performance in practice
At 10mm focal length, this eyepiece delivers medium-to-high magnification depending on the telescope it is paired with. On a telescope with a 1000mm focal length it will produce 100x magnification - a classic sweet spot for lunar and planetary observation under average seeing conditions. The FMC coatings minimise reflections and scatter, resulting in good image contrast and natural colour rendering.
Technical specifications
| Parameter |
Value |
| Optical design |
Plössl (4 elements in 2 groups) |
| Focal length |
10mm |
| Apparent field of view |
50° |
| Barrel diameter |
1.25″ (31.7mm) |
| Eye relief |
approx. 6mm |
| Lens coatings |
FMC (fully multi-coated) |
| Filter thread |
Yes, standard 1.25″ |
| Body material |
Metal barrel |
What can you observe with the Vixen NPL Ploessl 10mm?
- Moon - craters, mountain ranges, rilles and terminator detail at medium-high magnification.
- Planets - disc of Jupiter with cloud belts and moons, Saturn with ring system, Mars surface markings during opposition.
- Double stars - clean separation of close pairs at moderate magnification.
- Open clusters - detailed views of stars within compact clusters.
- Bright nebulae and globular clusters - core detail in objects such as M13, M42 and M57.
Compatibility and accessories
The Vixen NPL Ploessl 10mm works with any telescope or spotting scope equipped with a standard 1.25″ focuser. It is also compatible with binoviewers and star diagonals using the 1.25″ format. Recommended accessories to use with this eyepiece include:
- Lunar or neutral density filter for high-contrast Moon observation.
- Colour planetary filters (e.g. Wratten 80A blue or 21 orange) for enhancing planetary detail.
- Barlow lens 2x for doubling effective magnification when seeing conditions allow.
