Astro-Tech 28mm UWA 82° 2" Eyepiece

This has turned out to be my goto EP for my Mewlon 180c. It provides great sharpness, FOV and power as an all purpose EP.

I’ve used Astro-Tech eyepieces for a long time and I’ve never been disappointed. And always for the price they have been incredible values. From other reviews my expectations were higher for this eyepiece. I wasn’t disappointed. In my 14” f/4. 6 reflector with a paracorr the stars are tack sharp across the entire view. The wider view compared to the 22mm Nagler I also use in the scope really helps frame some objects better. And makes things a bit easier to swing on to. The only criticism I can offer is it’s a bit harder to line my eye up with this one say compared to my 22mm Nagler, but that doesn’t detract anything. You just learn to position your eye where it needs to be for this one. You quickly get used to it. And since I got the 28mm, it’s been the go to eyepiece in this big scope. I really don’t have a lot of need to use other eyepieces unless I can get away with higher magnification for something or I think an object will look better with a narrower view. Unless you have a slower scope and want a bigger exit pupil, this 28mm eyepiece is a fine low power choice for 2” focusers.

I tried to gauge my expectations with this eyepiece since it was my first upgrade from the cheap Plossl pieces that I bought when I started. It had gotten great reviews on CloudyNights and didn’t have the high price of the other wide field eyepieces so I decided to go for it. It has proved to be an outstanding eyepiece and I am very glad I purchased it. Quite frankly, it’s blown me away. The field of view is much greater than my previous low magnitude eyepiece (a 32mm Plossl w/ ~50 degree fov) and this has a notable impact on the immersion I feel while observing. I have been using this 28mm in my 8” dob probably 98% of the time since I got it. Nothing else in my collection compares to the clarity, fov and immersion that this beauty has. I’ve included a picture of the UWA 28mm next to a UWA 7mm which I ordered at the same time. It’s a big eye piece!