Tele Vue Nagler 13mm Type 6 — image 1
Tele Vue

Tele Vue Nagler 13mm Type 6

The workhorse Nagler: a full 82 degree field at medium power in a compact 1.25 inch body, the one eyepiece most deep-sky observers reach for first.

91/ 100
Polaris Score
Optical quality · Immersion · Comfort · Value
See the breakdown ↓
What it's for
Low power · wide fieldHigh power · narrow field

This is a medium-power, wide-field eyepiece, the workhorse magnification where most deep-sky objects look their best: globulars resolving into stars, galaxies showing shape, planetary nebulae holding a disc. It is not your finder eyepiece, and not your highest-power planetary glass, it is the one in between that you use most.

Apparent Field
82°
Barrel Size
1.25"
Eye Relief
12mm
Focal Length
13mm
From$381

Lowest in 90 daysLowest ever tracked

Price tracked by PolarisObserved 91 timesTracking since Jul 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.

It is the magnification most deep-sky objects look best at, so it earns more eyepiece time than anything else in the case.
Best at
✓It is the magnification most deep-sky objects look best at, so it earns more eyepiece time than anything else in the case.
✓Stars stay pinpoint across the whole 82 degree field even at f/5, the hard engineering problem of a fast scope, quietly solved.
✓It carries the full Nagler experience in a small, light 1.25 inch body, no 2 inch focuser and no rebalancing required.
Trade-offs
!Eye relief is a modest 12mm, comfortable for most observers but tight if you must keep glasses on.
!At 82 degrees it is wide, but not the 100 degree wraparound of an Ethos, the edge is present if you look for it.
!It is medium power by design, neither your widest finder view nor your highest planetary magnification, you will still want eyepieces on either side of it.
02In your telescope

One eyepiece. A different job in every scope.

37× in a small refractor, 156× in a long SCT

An eyepiece has no magnification of its own — the telescope decides. The same eyepiece becomes 37× and 2.2° of sky in a little refractor, or 156× 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
37×
True field
2.2°
Exit pupil
2.4 mm
In a short f/5.5 apo it runs about 37x across a 2.2 degree field, a wide, bright, medium-low view that frames large open clusters whole.
8-inch Dobsonian
1200 mm · f/6
Magnification
92×
True field
53′
Exit pupil
2.2 mm
In a 1200mm f/6 Dob it hits its stride near 92x, the deep-sky sweet spot where globulars resolve to stars and galaxies show real shape.
12-inch Dobsonian
1500 mm · f/5
Magnification
115×
True field
43′
Exit pupil
2.6 mm
In a 1500mm f/5 Dob it climbs to about 115x on a still-bright 2.6mm exit pupil, tightening onto smaller galaxies and planetary nebulae.
8-inch SCT
2032 mm · f/10
Magnification
156×
True field
32′
Exit pupil
1.3 mm
On a 2032mm f/10 SCT it reaches roughly 156x, real planetary and lunar power with 82 degrees of sky wrapped around the view.
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.

13mm FL · 82° AFOV · 1.25"
82 degree apparent fieldThe Nagler signature
Immersive
As wide as apparent fields get before the rare, far pricier 100 degree class, the black edge sits well out in your peripheral vision.
13mm focal lengthMedium power
The workhorse
The magnification most deep-sky objects look their best at, the eyepiece that ends up living in your focuser.
12mm eye reliefWorkable, not relaxed
Adequate
Comfortable for observing bare-eyed, but tight if you need to keep glasses on for astigmatism.
1.25 inch barrelFits every scope
Universal fit
Drops into any focuser or diagonal, no 2 inch adapter and no rebalancing the scope.
360 g / compactTravel-friendly
Light
A fraction of the weight of a big 2 inch eyepiece, your focuser and your grab-bag both thank you.
04What comes alive

The targets this eyepiece was born for.

M13 Hercules Cluster, Ring Nebula (M57), Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), Jupiter, Orion Nebula…
M13 Hercules ClusterComes alive
M13 Hercules Cluster
At medium power the outer stars resolve into a sparkling ball, framed in a wide dark field with room to spare.
Ring Nebula (M57)Comes alive
Ring Nebula (M57)
The smoke ring holds a clean disc at this magnification, bright and obvious against a black 82 degree surround.
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)Excellent
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
Both cores in one view, and on a dark night the bridge of light between them starts to show.
JupiterExcellent
Jupiter
In a longer scope this reaches real planetary power, the belts and the dance of the moons sharp and steady.
Orion Nebula (M42)Comes alive
Orion Nebula (M42)
The Trapezium sits crisp in the glowing wings, the whole core framed with the surrounding nebulosity around it.
Double ClusterExcellent
Double Cluster
Both clusters together at medium power, hundreds of stars scattered across a wide, richly framed field.
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
13 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
Fast Dobsonian · f/4–f/6
Its natural home, medium power on deep-sky with pinpoint stars to the edge
Apo refractor · f/5–f/7
A wide, sharp medium-low view for framing large clusters and nebulae
8–11″ SCT
Turns the long focal length into genuine planetary and lunar magnification
Pair it
What extends its range
A low-power 2″ eyepiece
The wide finder view this medium-power glass is not meant to give
A short Nagler or Delos
The high-power planetary step above, parfocal and matched in feel
Tele Vue Paracorr Type-2
At f/5 and faster, keeps the fast-scope field sharp corner to corner
07The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

91/100
91/ 100
Tele Vue Nagler 13mm Type 6

Judged on what it was built to do, deliver the whole Nagler experience at a working magnification without the bulk of a 2 inch eyepiece, it lands almost perfectly. The optics are flawless to the edge even in a fast scope, and only the modest eye relief keeps it from a clean sweep.

Optical quality
95
Immersion
93
Comfort
70
Value
83

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.

You own a fast Newtonian, Dob, or refractor and want a medium-power eyepiece that stays…
Buy it if you
✓You own a fast Newtonian, Dob, or refractor and want a medium-power eyepiece that stays razor sharp to the very edge.
✓You observe deep-sky objects and want the target framed in a wide, dark field rather than pinned in a narrow tunnel.
✓You want one do-everything eyepiece that handles galaxies, globulars, and bright planets from a single 1.25 inch barrel.
✓You value a compact, lightweight body that will not rebalance your scope or demand a 2 inch focuser.
Look elsewhere if you
!You wear glasses at the eyepiece and cannot observe without them, the 12mm eye relief is workable but not relaxed.
!You want the widest possible true field for sweeping the Milky Way, a low-power 2 inch eyepiece frames far more sky.
!You chase the last bit of planetary detail on steady nights, a dedicated short focal length delivers more magnification.
!You are on a tight budget, the optics are worth it but a good 68 degree eyepiece costs a fraction and still pleases.
09The numbers

Full specifications.

5 measured and stated values
Optical
Focal Length13mm
Apparent Field82°
Comfort & handling
Eye Relief12mm
Fit & build
Barrel Size1.25"
Editor’s Take

This is the focal length that made the Type 6 line famous, wide enough to frame, sharp enough to study, light enough that your scope never notices it is there. For most observers it becomes the eyepiece that lives in the focuser.

— The Skynocular verdict
10Alternatives

For a different goal, start here.

3 alternatives, each mapped to the goal it wins at
More power

Tele Vue Nagler 9mm Type 6

The same 82 degree body a step up in magnification, for smaller galaxies, tight doubles, and more planetary detail.

More eye relief

Tele Vue Delos 12mm

A slightly narrower 72 degree field but a luxurious 20mm eye relief, the pick if you observe with glasses on.

More immersion

Tele Vue Ethos 13mm

The same focal length at 100 degrees, grander wraparound still, if you can carry and afford the extra glass.

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