Ostara PL 32mm 1.25″ eyepiece review. Observing the double cluster

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The Ostara PL32mm eyepiece can be purchased from Northern Optics as part of the Ostara 1.25″ Planetary eyepiece and filter set. Though it may be available as a separate item while stocks last.

At first glance it looks very similar to the Optical Hardware PL30mm eyepiece. But when you pick it up, it feels much more solid. Lens coatings are better, and internal baffling is excellent.

For this observing test I used a Skywatcher 12″ dobsonian. The eyepiece gave 47x magnification. As this eyepiece is designed for wide field observations, I turned to the double cluster (NGC 869 and 884). I was immediately impressed with the bright image showing excellent colours and contrast. Having a closer look there was some elongation of stars in the outer 3rd of view. But as the clusters were within this field of view it was not a problem.

From my light polluted viewing location, a combination of a good quality rubber eye cup and great internal baffling kept most of the stray light out of view.

Before the session ended, I turned to Polaris. Despite the low magnification, the 9th magnitude companion was easily seen despite the glare from the primary star.

The lens coatings are quoted as fully coated. But I believe they are at least multi coated from what I have seen with my observations. This is a quality and highly recommended eyepiece.

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