Explore Scientific 14mm 100° — image 1
Explore Scientific

Explore Scientific 14mm 100°

A 14mm Explore Scientific 100° Series: the workhorse magnification where most galaxies, globulars and nebulae look their best, from a 100-degree hyper-wide that puts the field edge out past the corner of your eye.

86/ 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 14mm this is the workhorse magnification where most galaxies, globulars and nebulae look their best.

Apparent Field
100°
Barrel Size
2"
Eye Relief
14.5mm
Focal Length
14mm
From$349.99

$1 above 90-day lowLast $349 in Aug 2026

Price tracked by PolarisObserved 53 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.

100° apparent field

At 100°, 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 will not fog in cold, damp air.
Best at
✓Argon-purged and waterproof, so it will not fog in cold, damp air.
✓A 100-degree apparent field: the closest thing to a spacewalk short of an Ethos.
✓At 14mm it lands squarely in medium power territory, exactly where most deep-sky objects look their best.
Trade-offs
!Big and heavy; the long focal lengths need a sturdy focuser and can shift balance.
!Eye relief is tight for the field, and eyeglass wearers will miss the last few degrees.
!Expensive, and you pay for the field more than for on-axis sharpness.
02In your telescope

One eyepiece. A different job in every scope.

34× in a small refractor, 145× in a long SCT

An eyepiece has no magnification of its own — the telescope decides. The same eyepiece becomes 34× and 2.9° of sky in a little refractor, or 145× 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
34×
True field
2.9°
Exit pupil
2.5 mm
34× across a 2.9° field at a 2.5mm exit pupil, right in the deep-sky sweet spot, bright and easy on the eye.
8-inch Dobsonian
1200 mm · f/6
Magnification
86×
True field
1.2°
Exit pupil
2.3 mm
86× across a 1.2° field at a 2.3mm exit pupil, right in the deep-sky sweet spot, bright and easy on the eye.
12-inch Dobsonian
1500 mm · f/5
Magnification
107×
True field
56′
Exit pupil
2.8 mm
107× across a 56′ field at a 2.8mm exit pupil, right in the deep-sky sweet spot, bright and easy on the eye.
8-inch SCT
2032 mm · f/10
Magnification
145×
True field
41′
Exit pupil
1.4 mm
145× across a 41′ field at a 1.4mm 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.

14mm FL · 100° AFOV · 2"
Focal lengthMid power
14mm
About 86x in an 8 inch f/5.9 Dobsonian and 145x in an 8 inch SCT. This is the range where globular clusters resolve and galaxies keep a dark background, and it is where a very wide field pays off most.
Apparent fieldSpacewalk
100°
At a mid focal length a 100 degree field produces a true field as wide as a much longer conventional eyepiece, but at higher magnification. That combination of wide field and dark sky is what makes these eyepieces memorable on nebulae.
Eye reliefComfortable
14.5mm
Fourteen and a half millimetres is the most comfortable in this range and enough for thin spectacles, though a 100 degree field always asks you to look around rather than take it in at once.
BarrelRequires 2 inch focuser
2"
Every eyepiece in the 100 degree range uses a 2 inch fitting, so a 2 inch focuser or diagonal is required; only the 30 mm model steps up to 3 inch. These are also heavy pieces of glass, so expect to rebalance a Dobsonian and to check that a light focuser holds one securely.
OpticsFlagship wide-field
EMD fully multi-coated
Enhanced multi-layer coatings maintain contrast through a long, complex optical train, and the sealed argon-purged body resists fogging. This is the focal length most owners of the 100 degree range use most.
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
14 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 2-inch focuser
A 2-inch focuser or a 1.25-inch adapter; most Dobsonians and larger refractors qualify.
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 (~8mm)
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.

86/100
86/ 100
Explore Scientific 14mm 100°

Judged as the workhorse magnification where most galaxies, globulars and nebulae look their best, it earns its score on a 100-degree apparent field: the closest thing to a spacewalk short of an ethos. Tighter eye relief at this focal length is the main thing holding it back. It is honest about being a specialist, not an all-rounder.

Optical quality
88
Immersion
100
Comfort
76
Value
76

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.
✓Observers happy to take their glasses off at the eyepiece.
✓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.
!Eyeglass wearers, who will not comfortably reach the full field at this focal length.
!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 Length14mm
Apparent Field100°
Comfort & handling
Eye Relief14.5mm
Fit & build
Barrel Size2"
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 100° Series is for.

— The Skynocular verdict
10Alternatives

For a different goal, start here.

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

Explore Scientific 100° Series 20mm

The same optics with more true field, for framing larger objects and finding your way around.

→
More magnification

Explore Scientific 100° Series 9mm

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.

→