Binorum Super Plössl 18mm 50° SPL 1.25″ Planetary Eyepiece
The Binorum Super Plössl 18mm eyepiece represents a versatile workhorse in any astronomer's eyepiece collection, delivering exceptional optical performance across a wide range of celestial targets. With its classic 50° apparent field of view and carefully optimized focal length, this eyepiece provides the ideal combination of magnification, field coverage, and image quality for everyday astronomical use.
Versatile Focal Length for Universal Application
The 18mm focal length occupies a sweet spot in the eyepiece focal length range, making it suitable for virtually any telescope and observing application. On short focal length telescopes like compact refractors or fast Newtonians, it provides comfortable medium-power views ideal for lunar observation and planetary detail. On longer focal length instruments such as Schmidt-Cassegrains or long-focus refractors, it delivers wider fields perfect for scanning star fields, locating objects, and enjoying extended nebulae or large star clusters.
This versatility means the 18mm can serve multiple roles in your observing sessions. Start your evening using it to locate and center objects with its generous true field of view, then switch to higher magnification eyepieces for detailed planetary study. The focal length provides sufficient magnification to reveal lunar crater detail, planetary cloud bands, and the structure of brighter deep-sky objects, while maintaining enough field coverage to keep objects comfortably in view.
Superior Super Plössl Optical Design
The Super Plössl configuration employs a sophisticated four-element optical design that delivers excellent correction for common aberrations throughout the field of view. This proven architecture provides sharp, high-contrast images from center to edge, with minimal optical distortion or color fringing. The design maintains consistent image quality even when used with fast focal ratio telescopes, where simpler eyepiece designs often struggle.
Modern manufacturing techniques ensure each optical element meets exacting specifications for surface accuracy and alignment. The result is an eyepiece that performs reliably across different telescope types and observing conditions, delivering the optical quality serious observers demand.
Exceptional Brightness and Color Fidelity
This eyepiece excels in brightness and color rendition, characteristics essential for revealing subtle details in astronomical objects. The combination of high light transmission and accurate color reproduction makes it particularly effective for planetary observation, where distinguishing atmospheric features depends on perceiving subtle color variations. On Jupiter, belt colors and zone boundaries appear natural and distinct. Saturn's rings display their delicate hues with accuracy, while Mars reveals true surface coloration.
The lunar surface showcases remarkable detail through this eyepiece, with the brightness and contrast revealing intricate crater formations, ray systems, and the subtle color differences between highlands and maria. For deep-sky objects, the eyepiece's light-gathering efficiency and color accuracy help distinguish nebula types and reveal star colors in clusters.
Professional-Grade Optical Coatings
Every optical surface features special FMC (Fully Multi-Coated) treatment, maximizing light transmission while minimizing internal reflections and ghosting. This advanced coating technology delivers multiple critical benefits: exceptional image sharpness, accurate color rendition throughout the spectrum, and improved contrast that reveals faint details. The multi-layer coatings prove particularly effective when observing bright objects like the Moon or planets, where uncoated or simply coated optics can suffer from scattered light and reduced contrast.
The lens edges have been professionally blackened to eliminate stray light reflections within the barrel. This attention to detail ensures that light reaching your eye has traveled the intended optical path, maintaining contrast and preventing the ghosting or flare that can obscure faint details near bright objects.
Thoughtful Mechanical Design
Rubber fold-down eyecups provide effective shielding from stray light while offering viewing comfort during extended observing sessions. The eyecups adjust to accommodate both eyeglass wearers and those observing without glasses, ensuring everyone can achieve proper eye positioning for the full field of view. The generous eye relief makes viewing comfortable even during long periods at the eyepiece.
The standard 1.25″ barrel diameter ensures universal compatibility with telescope focusers, diagonal prisms, and filter threads. The barrel is precisely machined to tight tolerances, providing secure seating in focusers without wobble while remaining easy to insert and remove.
Complete Focal Length Series
This eyepiece belongs to an extensive Super Plössl family spanning focal lengths from 6mm to 40mm: 6mm, 6.4mm, 7.5mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 12.5mm, 15mm, 17mm, 18mm, 20mm, 25mm, 32mm, and 40mm. This comprehensive range allows you to build a matched eyepiece set tailored to your telescope's characteristics and your observing preferences, ensuring consistent optical quality and mechanical feel across your entire collection.
Why Choose Binorum
Binorum eyepieces combine time-tested optical designs with modern manufacturing precision and coating technology. Each eyepiece undergoes rigorous quality control to ensure consistent performance and long-term durability. With Binorum, you receive reliable optical equipment that delivers sharp, high-contrast views session after session, allowing you to concentrate on exploring the cosmos rather than managing equipment issues. The brand's commitment to optical excellence ensures every eyepiece meets the demanding standards that serious amateur astronomers expect.
