Explore Scientific 82deg 11mm — image 1
Explore Scientific

Explore Scientific 82deg 11mm

A 11mm Explore Scientific 82° Series: the workhorse magnification where most galaxies, globulars and nebulae look their best, from an 82-degree ultra-wide that gives you the classic "walking in space" field for far less than a Nagler.

85/ 100
Polaris Score
Optical quality · Immersion · Comfort · Value
See the breakdown ↓
What it's for
Low power · wide fieldHigh power · narrow field

Medium power. At 11mm this is the workhorse magnification where most galaxies, globulars and nebulae look their best.

Apparent Field
82°
Barrel Size
1.25"
Eye Relief
15mm
Focal Length
11mm
From$149.99

Lowest in 90 daysLast $139 in Mar 2026

Price tracked by PolarisObserved 25 timesTracking since Mar 2026

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The spacewalk

You don’t look at a field.
You look into the sky.

Every number on the spec sheet matters less than one feeling: how much sky wraps around your eye. Widen the apparent field and watch the black edge of the eyepiece slip away.

82° apparent field

At 82°, the edge slips into your peripheral vision, you stop looking at a field and start looking into the sky.
Try this eyepiece on your own scope in the Simulator →
01What it's good at

What it's best at — and the trade-offs.

Argon-purged and waterproof, so it resists dew and internal fogging.
Best at
✓Argon-purged and waterproof, so it resists dew and internal fogging.
✓A genuinely immersive 82-degree apparent field at a mid-range price.
✓At 11mm it lands squarely in medium power territory, exactly where most deep-sky objects look their best.
Trade-offs
!The outer edge softens in very fast scopes below about f/5.
!The 2-inch long focal lengths are large and heavy.
!Eye relief is a little tight for eyeglass wearers at the shortest focal lengths.
02In your telescope

One eyepiece. A different job in every scope.

44× in a small refractor, 185× in a long SCT

An eyepiece has no magnification of its own — the telescope decides. The same eyepiece becomes 44× and 1.9° of sky in a little refractor, or 185× and a tight frame in a long SCT. Here’s what it does across common scopes.

Small apo refractor
480 mm · f/5.5
Magnification
44×
True field
1.9°
Exit pupil
2.0 mm
44× across a 1.9° field at a 2mm exit pupil, crisp medium power for galaxies, clusters and planetary nebulae.
8-inch Dobsonian
1200 mm · f/6
Magnification
109×
True field
45′
Exit pupil
1.8 mm
109× across a 45′ field at a 1.8mm exit pupil, crisp medium power for galaxies, clusters and planetary nebulae.
12-inch Dobsonian
1500 mm · f/5
Magnification
136×
True field
36′
Exit pupil
2.2 mm
136× across a 36′ field at a 2.2mm exit pupil, right in the deep-sky sweet spot, bright and easy on the eye.
8-inch SCT
2032 mm · f/10
Magnification
185×
True field
27′
Exit pupil
1.1 mm
185× across a 27′ field at a 1.1mm exit pupil, crisp medium power for galaxies, clusters and planetary nebulae.
Exit pupil is how wide the beam of light leaving the eyepiece is. Around 5–6 mm is bright and immersive under dark skies; push much past 6 mm and you waste light, and under light pollution a smaller exit pupil shows more contrast.
03In plain English

The numbers, in plain English.

11mm FL · 82° AFOV · 1.25"
Focal lengthHigh power
11mm
About 109x in an 8 inch f/5.9 Dobsonian and 185x in an 8 inch SCT. A dependable high power for planets, globular clusters and small nebulae that does not demand exceptional seeing.
Apparent fieldVery wide
82°
A wide field at this magnification keeps objects in view far longer between nudges and gives useful context around the target, which helps when working through a cluster.
Eye reliefComfortable
15mm
Enough for relaxed viewing without glasses and to hold a steady eye position through a long session. Full-field viewing with spectacles is not realistic.
BarrelStandard
1.25"
Fits every standard focuser and diagonal without adapters, and stays light enough not to disturb a Dobsonian's balance.
OpticsPremium wide-field
EMD fully multi-coated
Enhanced multi-layer coatings hold contrast across many elements, and the waterproof argon-purged construction keeps the internals clear on dewy nights. A well judged balance of field, weight and price.
04What comes alive

The targets this eyepiece was born for.

M13 globular cluster, The Whirlpool (M51), The Dumbbell Nebula (M27), M81 and M82, The Ring…
M13 globular clusterComes alive
M13 globular cluster
Resolves to the core with pinpoint stars across the field.
The Whirlpool (M51)Excellent
The Whirlpool (M51)
Two cores and a hint of the bridging spiral arm.
The Dumbbell Nebula (M27)Comes alive
The Dumbbell Nebula (M27)
The apple-core shape framed with dark sky around it.
M81 and M82Excellent
M81 and M82
Both galaxies in one field, one soft, one edge-on and streaky.
The Ring Nebula (M57)Excellent
The Ring Nebula (M57)
A clean smoke ring at a comfortable scale.
The Trapezium in OrionExcellent
The Trapezium in Orion
Four stars split cleanly inside the glowing nebula.
05Role in a collection

Where it sits in your eyepiece case.

Where it sits across 3 focal lengths

A good eyepiece collection isn’t a pile of glass — it’s two or three focal lengths that hand off from wide to tight. This is the anchor at the bottom of the ladder: the one you find and frame with. You buy it once, and it stays your low-power eyepiece for life.

32 mm
Low power · wide field
Find, frame and sweep. Your widest true field and the lowest useful magnification, the eyepiece you reach for first.
Veil Nebula · Pleiades · Milky Way star clouds
11 mmThis one
Medium power · the workhorse
Where most deep-sky objects look their best, galaxies, globulars and planetary nebulae at a comfortable scale.
M13 · Ring Nebula · most galaxies
7 mm
High power · detail
Planets, the Moon at the terminator, tight double stars and the smallest planetary nebulae. Steady-air nights only.
Jupiter · Saturn · lunar craters
06Build around it

What it pairs with.

The telescope · Pair it · Filter it
The telescope
What it goes into
Any 1.25-inch focuser
Fits essentially every telescope made.
Fast, short scopes love this field
A fast Newtonian or refractor turns this focal length into a rich, wide sweep.
Pair it
What extends its range
A high-power eyepiece (~7mm)
Locate and frame with this one, then swap to high power for planets and small objects.
Filter it
What transforms the view
A mild broadband light-pollution filter
Lifts contrast on galaxies and clusters from the suburbs at medium power.
07The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

85/100
85/ 100
Explore Scientific 82deg 11mm

Judged as the workhorse magnification where most galaxies, globulars and nebulae look their best, it earns its score on a genuinely immersive 82-degree apparent field at a mid-range price. The comfortable eye relief lifts it further. It is honest about being a specialist, not an all-rounder.

Optical quality
85
Immersion
93
Comfort
84
Value
80

Polaris weighs how well the eyepiece does the job it was designed for — optics, immersion, comfort and value — never list price or brand.

08Who it's for

An honest fit check.

Observers who want the workhorse magnification where most galaxies, globulars and nebulae…
Buy it if you
✓Observers who want the workhorse magnification where most galaxies, globulars and nebulae look their best.
✓Anyone who observes in eyeglasses; the eye relief here is long enough to see the whole field.
✓Deep-sky observers chasing the most immersive, wrap-around field they can get at this price.
Look elsewhere if you
!Anyone chasing the absolute widest field, who should look at a 100-degree eyepiece.
!Grab-and-go observers watching every gram, since this is not the lightest option.
!Planetary specialists who want the last ounce of high-power contrast from an orthoscopic.
09The numbers

Full specifications.

4 measured and stated values
Optical
Focal Length11mm
Apparent Field82°
Comfort & handling
Eye Relief15mm
Fit & build
Barrel Size1.25"
Editor’s Take

Sweep it across a rich star field and the reason to own this focal length is obvious in a second. That is what the 82° Series is for.

— The Skynocular verdict
10Alternatives

For a different goal, start here.

2 alternatives, each mapped to the goal it wins at
More magnification

Explore Scientific 82° Series 6.7mm

The same line at higher power, for planets and the smallest deep-sky detail.

→
Cross-shop

Tele Vue Nagler

A natural alternative at a similar price point, if you want to compare field and feel before committing.

→