BST 1.25" 58-deg UWA Planetary Eyepiece - 6mm
Brand | BST |
Part Number | E-BS-UWAP6 |
Availability | available |
Share |
Product Info
Manufacturer Description
Outstanding Planetary and Lunar Eyepieces
These BST 1.25" fully multicoated (FMC) eyepieces give maximum detail and definition across the entire 58 degree field of view (FOV). A great value, these eyepieces are exceptional at nearly eliminating lateral color aberration and light scatter often associated with more expensive eyepieces that are better suited for deep space objects. Though primarily made for planetary observation, these eyepieces still excel when viewing deep sky objects.
More expensive eyepieces that have similar wide fields of view need many exotic glass elements to achieve that wide view - as many as 9 lenses or more. More lenses mean more cost and more glass, which attenuates the amount of light you see. That also means there are more air-to-glass surfaces that can scatter light - reducing contrast and sometimes causing multiple reflections (ghosting) when viewing very bright objects such as the Moon and planets. Extra lenses can also mean compromises in the overall design that can often lead to other issues.One such issue of all that glass is lateral color aberration that appears as a cloud of false color around bright objects. Another issue is light scatter seen as a distracting halo or glow around bright objects. This can also reduce contrast.
Each BST UWA Planetary eyepiece has 5 lens elements in 3 or 4 groups. These eyepieces provide high contrast, no scattered light, and the highest possible definition.
Comfortable Eye Relief
The eyepiece eye relief averages around 16mm for the entire series. The 25mm eyepiece features 20mm of eye relief. Even the 2.5mm eyepiece has almost 17mm of eye relief! Experienced observers will truly appreciate such generous eye relief at significant magnifications.
Excellent Fit and Finish
These eyepieces are fully internally baffled and all internal spacers have antireflection microbaffles on their edges with flat black anodizing to reduce reflections. Every air to glass surface is broadband multicoated for peak light transmission and outstanding contrast on subtle lunar and planetary detail. The lens edges are blackened to eliminate internal reflections.
Each eyepiece has a flexible rubber fold-down eyeguard. Dust covers are provided for both ends of each eyepiece. A groove is machined into the nose piece barrel to ensure the eyepiece is less likely to fall out of the diagonal or focuser.
Please Note: While these eyepieces look similar to the TMB / TMB II ED eyepieces (and are also sold by some other sellers incorrectly under the TMB label), they are not the same as or copies of the 6-element TMB eyepieces. The factory making these eyepieces just uses the same external housing for the eyepieces.
Reviews
-
Jun 21, 2019
Great upgrade from the basic eyepieces provided with Nexstar 6SE
Pros: Cons: Comments:I'm new to this hobby, although have been an avid reader of Sky & Telescope for years.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
Acquired a Nexstar 6SE and with several entry level eyepieces, and wanted to see if an upgrade would provide any material/observable benefits.
Acquired the BST 6mm which is at the upper end of the magnification range for the 6SE (focal length of 1,500mm / 6mm = 250x), and the results have been impressive. Contrast, sharpness and resolution were improved (when compared to a Celestron orthoscopic 7mm (Japan) and Celestron Plossl 9mm (China).
The BST FOV is impressive when comparing the BST to these two eyepieces. Also compared the BST to a Celestron x-Cel LX 12mm, and both were comparable other than the size - equally crisp, good resolution, with no visible scatter.
Was impressed with the comparison of these three different eyepieces when I was finally able to view Jupiter - conditions were marginal and the BST performed equal to or better in most cases. All the moons were crisp and bright compared to Jupiter, and occasional got a window that enable me to see the distinct bands.
During the same night, the moon was in the waxing crescent phase - the BST provided an impressive view of boundary between light and dark.
At this juncture of my hobby, will be my first go to eyepiece (along with my x-Cell LX) until I'm able to further upgrade my investment in this hobby.
After acquiring this eyepiece, acquired two others (25mm & 15mm) and with a 2x Barlow, provides a very nice mix of magnification, FOV and viewing options.
Pros
Quality
Good value and upgrade
Solid feel and design
Nice eye relief
Wonder Agena container
Cons
None
Best Use - planetary viewing
Location
Central IowaThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Sep 29, 2016Excellent eyepiece!
Pros:Quality Lenses
Cons: Comments:Bought because I wanted a good quality eyepiece for planetary observation. The views are quite crisp. This also works nicely on me 70mm refractor for birdwatching too. Can't go wrong with this one.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Sep 8, 2014Incredible value
Pros:Pleasing Fov,Easy to Use,Quality Lenses,Excellent resolution,Excellent contrast
Cons:Heavy
Comments:I was looking to update and unify my working eyepieces by retiring three older specialized sets, and find one set that would be more versatile. These would have to have a high degree of resolution for binaries, high contrast for planetary work, and a comfortable wide field for deep sky work.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
After months of reading and researching, I actually stumbled onto Agena's impressive lineup of oculars. The BST Ultra Wide Planetary eyepieces are extremely flat across their field with excellent color correction. The eye lens is incredibly large. No pinholes here even at 2.5mm!
The apparent field of view is spacious for deep sky work. The resolution excellent for binary star busting. And the high contrast is great for planetary study. All this is accomplished with just 5 lenses in 3 groups so they do not rob me of light.
The feel and build quality is excellent. They are impressive just to look at. I bought the whole series and am delighted with their performance with my 3" & 4" Unitrons and 6" AVX refractor. These are a tremendous value.This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Sort bySpecifications
Apparent Field of View 58° Barrel Size 1.25" (31.7mm) Bolt Case Included Yes - Free Agena Eyepiece Container Bolt Case Size Agena 52x80mm Coatings Fully Multi-Coated End Caps 2 Eye Relief by Design 16.3mm Filter Threads Standard 1.25" Filter Thread (M28.5 x 0.6) Focal Length 6mm Lens Elements 5 Lens Groups 3 Rubber Eye Guard Yes Blackened Lens Edges Yes Manufacturer BST Eyepiece Focal Length 5.1mm - 10mm Eyepiece Field of View 51 - 60 degrees Eyepiece Series BST UWA Planetary Barrel Type Tapered barrel Eyepiece Weight 5.30oz (150.25g)