| This Astro-Tech 32mm Titan is low power super wide angle 2” eyepiece with a very wide 70° field at a very economical price. It provides “picture window onto space” images with any telescope type. If you have a 2” star diagonal or focuser, it will nearly double the area of the field of view that’s visible through a 50° field 1.25" 32mm Plössl eyepiece that often costs more than the Titan’s sensible price. For example, with an 8” f/10 catadioptric it will give you a wide 1.12° actual field (0.99 square degrees in area and well over twice the diameter of the full Moon) at 62.5x. This compares with the 0.8° actual field (0.5 square degrees in area) that you get at the same magnification with the 50° apparent field of a typical 32mm Plössl. With Dobsonians and short focal length refractors, the 32mm Titan is a superb low power eyepiece. With an f/4.5 Dobsonian, however, it starts pushing the envelope of your eye’s abilities. The Titan’s 32mm focal length yields a 7.11mm exit pupil on an f/4.5 scope, somewhat larger than most eyes can dilate. You might actually start losing some of the light-gathering capability of your Dob, as some of that 7.11mm eyepiece exit pupil might fall on your eye’s iris, rather than enter your eye. With an 8” f/6 Dob, however, the 32mm Titan provides 38x, a bright 5.33mm exit pupil, and a wide 1.84° field of view that’s over three times wider than the full Moon. It takes an object nearly seven and a half minutes to cross that wide field of view, giving multiple observers plenty of time to take a look before you have to manually re-aim the scope. The 32mm Titan is a great eyepiece for family observing and star parties with an 8” f/6 or 6” f/8 Dobsonian. With a small refractor like the 80mm f/6.8 Astro-Tech AT-80ED, the 32mm Titan provides a huge 4.07° field at 17.2x. That makes it ideal for very wide field views of galaxy clusters, the larger nebulas, open clusters, and more. Its 17mm eye relief will provide virtually unvignetted viewing for eyeglass wearers. But whether you wear eyeglasses or not, the 32mm Astro-Tech Titan will give you a huge field of view at only a fraction the cost of a more exotic super wide angle eyepiece. |