Agena 1.25" Wireless Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece with Focusable Dual Crosshair - 20mm

An illuminated reticle eyepiece is virtually indispensable for serious astronomy observing and astrophotography. The Agena 20mm illuminated reticle Plossl eyepiece boasts a double line crosshair laser etched into optical glass that extends from edge to edge. It greatly simplifies centering celestial objects in the eyepiece for more accurate go-to alignments. The illumination is variable, allowing the observer to adjust it for current conditions. It can also be turned off when not needed.

Unlike single line crosshairs in other illuminated reticle eyepieces, the double line design doesn't obscure small targets when attempting to center them – they remain visible in the small box created by the intersection of the two pairs of double lines. Alignment can also be achieved by putting the object at the intersection of any two perpendicular lines. The reticle can be rotated and facilitates polar drift alignment routines for equatorial mounts and precision guiding for astrophotography. Eyeglass wearers will appreciate the focusing mechanism that allows them to bring the reticle to a sharp focus.

The 20mm focal length provides a wide 70° apparent view of the sky allowing you to find objects and alignment stars more easily than shorter focal length eyepieces, while maintaining good eye relief, especially when compared with other higher-power reticle eyepieces (just use a barlow with this eyepiece if you want even more magnification/accuracy). With the illuminator turned off, the eyepiece can be used like any other eyepiece for comfortable observing. Weight = 7.8oz.

Please note: This eyepiece was deliberately designed with a large center box compared to what you might be accustomed to with most other reticle eyepieces. This was based on requests from many customers who primarily wanted an alignment eyepiece that was easier to use, without excessive squinting and straining. Others who want to use this eyepiece for critical tracking can simply defocus a star to where it occupies the center box, and its tracking/guiding will be just as accurate as using a smaller star image with a smaller central crosshair box.