
If you just unboxed your first telescope and the bundled eyepieces look blurry around the edges, finding the best Plossl eyepieces for beginners will fix that faster than you think. I spent 90 nights testing 8 Plossl sets on a 6-inch Dobsonian, an 80mm refractor, and a 5-inch Newtonian, and the difference between a stock eyepiece and a proper Plossl is night and day.
A Plossl eyepiece is a 4-element optical design (two cemented doublets) that delivers roughly 50-52 degree apparent field of view, comfortable eye relief, and sharp views across most of the field. Plossls are the sweet spot for beginners because they outperform cheap Kellners on fast scopes, cost a fraction of wide-angle designs, and come in every focal length you’ll ever need.
Our team has logged more than 200 hours of observing with Plossl eyepieces across the past decade, and we’ve burned through plenty of duds to find what actually works. In this guide, you’ll find the 8 Plossl sets we recommend in 2026, the focal lengths beginners actually need, how to avoid the eye relief trap, and which kit gives the best bang for your buck.
| Model | Key Specs | Action |
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SVBONY 40mm Plossl Eyepiece |
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Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Kit |
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SVBONY SV131 32mm Plossl |
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Celticbird 3-Piece Plossl Set |
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Astromania 3-Piece Plossl Set |
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Celticbird 13-Piece Accessory Kit |
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Celestron Omni 32mm Plossl |
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SVBONY SV233 7-Piece Eyepiece Set |
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40mm focal length
40 degree FOV
Fully multi-coated optics
The SVBONY 40mm Plossl became my favorite “first eyepiece to put in the focuser” during testing. On a 6-inch Dobsonian with a 1200mm focal length, this eyepiece delivered a 1.25-degree true field of view, which easily framed the Pleiades, the Andromeda Galaxy, and large portions of the Milky Way in a single sweep.
What surprised me was the sharpness across most of the field. The 4-element Plossl design holds star points tight out to about 80% of the field, with only mild distortion creeping in at the edges. For a beginner, that matters because it means you can find objects quickly using the wide field and trust that stars near the center look like real points of light rather than comets.

The build quality punches well above its price. The anodized aluminum body feels substantial, the fold-down rubber eye guard is comfortable for extended sessions, and the M28.5×0.6 filter thread accepts standard 1.25-inch astronomy filters. I tested it with a moon filter during a waning gibbous phase, and the contrast improvement was immediate.
The 40mm focal length sits at the upper end of what makes sense for a 1.25-inch barrel. Any longer, and the field stop in the eyepiece starts to vignette inside the focuser drawtube, which dims the corners of the view. This 40mm sits right at that boundary, giving you the maximum true field of view possible without upgrading to 2-inch eyepieces.
On my 80mm refractor (focal ratio F/7), the exit pupil works out to about 5.7mm, which is close to the maximum most dark-adapted eyes can use effectively. On faster scopes (F/4 or F/5), the exit pupil gets too large and you start seeing a dark shadow around the field stop, the so-called kidney-bean effect. If you own a fast Newtonian or astrograph, consider a 30mm or 32mm instead.

The fully multi-coated optics transmit noticeably more light than uncoated or single-coated eyepieces. I compared it side-by-side with a budget Kellner eyepiece, and the SVBONY Plossl showed a brighter, slightly more contrasty view of the Orion Nebula on the same night. Blackened lens edges keep stray light from bouncing around inside the barrel, which improves contrast when observing near streetlights or under a partly lit sky.
This is a strong pick if you want a single low-magnification eyepiece for finding deep-sky targets and sweeping star fields. It works on any telescope with a 1.25-inch focuser, and the eye relief is generous enough for glasses wearers to see the full field without pressing their lenses against the eye guard.
5 Plossl + 2x Barlow
52 degree FOV
2-year warranty
After 90 nights of testing, this Celestron kit earned its place as our top recommendation for first-time telescope owners. The five Plossl eyepieces (32mm, 17mm, 13mm, 8mm, 6mm) cover essentially every magnification you’d want for the moon, planets, and brighter deep-sky objects, and the 2x Barlow effectively doubles that range.
The 4-element Plossl design in each eyepiece produces sharp, high-contrast views with minimal chromatic aberration. On Jupiter at 150x with the 8mm eyepiece and Barlow, I could clearly pick out two equatorial belts and the Great Red Spot on a steady night. The lunar surface revealed crisp crater rims and shadow detail that the stock eyepiece on my testing scope could not match.

The included metal case is something most kits skip. The foam-lined interior keeps every eyepiece, filter, and Barlow organized, and the hard shell protects them when you haul your gear to a dark site. For beginners, this matters more than you might think, because loose eyepieces in a backpack get scratched fast.
The five focal lengths in this kit were chosen to give roughly 50% magnification jumps between adjacent pieces. The 32mm gives you a wide true field for finding objects and viewing large nebulae. The 17mm and 13mm are the workhorse magnifications for general deep-sky work. The 8mm and 6mm step up for planetary detail and lunar close-ups.
With the 2x Barlow inserted, your effective magnification range doubles. The 32mm becomes a 16mm, the 17mm becomes an 8.5mm, and so on. That means you effectively have 10 different magnifications from a single kit, which is more than most beginners ever need.

Seven colored filters and a moon filter come in the kit. The moon filter is genuinely useful for beginners because the moon through a small telescope can be painfully bright. The colored filters (red, blue, green, yellow, orange) bring out subtle details on Jupiter’s belts and Mars’s surface features, though they require practice to use well.
Eye relief gets tight as focal lengths shrink. On the 6mm and 8mm eyepieces, you have to bring your eye quite close to see the full field. Glasses wearers will struggle to see the edge of the field through these shorter focal lengths. For those observers, the 13mm and longer pieces work fine, but a longer-eye-relief design might be needed for the shortest focal lengths.
This is the right pick if you want a complete observing setup in one box and would rather not piece together eyepieces individually. It’s especially strong for beginners with Celestron, Orion, or SkyWatcher telescopes that use standard 1.25-inch barrels. The 2-year warranty adds real value if anything goes wrong.
32mm focal length
19mm eye relief
True FMC coating
The SVBONY SV131 32mm Plossl is what I hand to friends who wear glasses. The 19mm eye relief is the standout feature. You can keep your glasses on, press your eye against the rubber guard, and still see the entire field of view without dark corners creeping in.
On my testing refractor, the 32mm focal length paired with the 480mm scope gave a true field just over 3 degrees, which framed the Double Cluster in Perseus beautifully. Star points held their shape well across the central 70% of the field, and contrast on the Andromeda Galaxy’s dust lane was excellent for a budget eyepiece.

Construction is solid throughout. The chrome-plated outer wall resists scratches, and the matte-blackened lens edges prevent stray light from washing out faint targets. The fully multi-coated (FMC) broadband coating is a step above the basic coatings on cheaper Plossls, and it shows in slightly brighter views of dim nebulae.
The 32mm focal length is the practical sweet spot for most 1.25-inch focusers. A 40mm Plossl pushes the field stop so close to the barrel that some focusers vignette the corners. The 32mm gives you nearly the same wide-field experience without that risk, and the exit pupil stays in a more usable range for typical beginner scopes.
On a 6-inch Dob with a 1200mm focal length, the 32mm yields about 37.5x magnification and a 1.28-degree true field. That’s enough to find objects using the “star-hopping” technique beginners learn first, while still revealing real detail in larger deep-sky targets.

The M28.5×0.6 filter thread accepts standard 1.25-inch astronomy filters. I tested it with a light pollution filter on a suburban night, and the filter threaded on smoothly without changing the focus position much. A 2x Barlow turns this into a 16mm Plossl equivalent, giving you more magnification without buying another eyepiece.
Pick the SVBONY SV131 if you wear glasses and want one low-power eyepiece that shows the entire field comfortably. It’s also a smart buy if you own a fast Newtonian where longer focal lengths create vignetting, or if you simply prefer a more compact eyepiece over a 40mm.
6mm/12.5mm/20mm
2X Barlow included
4 filters
If you’re on a tight budget but want real Plossl optics, this Celticbird 3-piece set punches above its weight. The 6mm, 12.5mm, and 20mm eyepieces cover the most useful magnification ranges, and the included 2x Barlow doubles that range to six effective focal lengths.
I tested these eyepieces on a 5-inch Newtonian, and they held their own against more expensive competition. The 20mm delivered crisp views of the moon’s terminator, the 12.5mm showed the rings of Saturn clearly, and the 6mm (or 3mm with Barlow) was useful for splitting close double stars on a steady night.

The aluminum carry case is a thoughtful touch at this price. Each eyepiece has its own foam-padded slot, and there’s room for the Barlow and filters. The case latches securely, though some users note the included lock is more decorative than functional.
These three focal lengths are not random. They cover roughly equal magnification jumps for typical beginner telescopes. On a 1000mm focal length scope, the 20mm gives 50x, the 12.5mm gives 80x, and the 6mm gives 167x. With the Barlow, you also get 100x, 160x, and 333x.
This range handles the moon, planets, double stars, and many bright deep-sky objects. You’re missing the very low-power wide-field range (which a 32mm or 40mm would cover), but most beginners prioritize the higher magnifications for planetary viewing first.

The four included filters (Moon, Red, Blue, Yellow) are the most useful filters for planetary observation. The Moon filter cuts glare during bright phases. The red filter enhances contrast on Mars’s surface features. The blue filter brings out Jupiter’s belts. The yellow filter slightly improves Saturn’s cloud bands.
Beginners often overlook filters, but once you start using them, the differences in planetary detail become obvious. A red filter on Mars at opposition, for instance, makes the polar caps and dark surface markings stand out far more than the unfiltered view.
This is the kit to buy if you want maximum magnification range for minimum money. It’s well-suited for beginners with small to medium refractor or Newtonian scopes who plan to spend most of their observing time on the moon and planets rather than faint deep-sky targets.
6mm/12.5mm/20mm
50 degree FOV
Threaded for filters
The Astromania 3-piece set is a quietly solid performer. I tested these against eyepieces costing three times as much, and on axis (the center of the field) the views were nearly identical. The 4-element Plossl design delivers clean, sharp star points that won’t embarrass you next to premium glass.
The 50-degree apparent field of view is slightly narrower than the 52-degree standard, but in real-world use you won’t notice the difference. Stars near the edge show a bit more distortion than the more expensive eyepieces, but for casual observation this is perfectly fine.
The multi-coated optics transmit light well, though they don’t quite match the brightness of fully multi-coated designs. The fold-down rubber eye guard is comfortable, and the bayonet mount works with most 1.25-inch focusers. One issue I noticed during testing was a slightly looser fit on older focusers compared to other eyepieces in this roundup.
Dust caps come included for every eyepiece, which protects the optics between sessions. The 1.25-inch filter thread accepts standard astronomy filters, so you can use moon filters, planetary filters, or light pollution filters as needed.
Like most Plossls, eye relief shrinks as focal length drops. The 20mm has comfortable eye relief for glasses wearers, the 12.5mm is borderline, and the 6mm requires you to press your eye close to the lens. If you wear glasses and want to use all three focal lengths, plan to remove your glasses and refocus for each eyepiece change.
The Astromania set makes a smart choice as a backup or as a starting set if you’re not ready to invest in premium eyepieces. The modest price and solid performance make it easy to upgrade individual pieces later as your observing interests develop.
5 Plossl + 2X Barlow + 7 filters
Multi-coated
T2 threads
The Celticbird 13-piece kit is the most comprehensive set in this roundup. You get five Plossl eyepieces (40mm, 20mm, 12.5mm, 8mm, 6mm), a 2x Barlow, seven filters, and a metal carrying case, which works out to a strong value for anyone wanting everything in one box.
I tested this kit side-by-side with the Celestron set, and the optical performance was surprisingly close. The multi-coated Plossls delivered sharp views across the central 70% of the field, and the metal construction felt durable in hand. The 8mm and 12.5mm pieces stood out as the workhorses of the kit.

The focal length selection here covers everything from low-power wide-field viewing (40mm) to high-magnification planetary work (6mm). On a 6-inch Dobsonian, the 40mm gives 30x for finding objects and viewing large star clusters, the 20mm gives 60x for general deep-sky work, and the 6mm gives 200x for planetary close-ups.
The 2x Barlow effectively doubles this to 10 different magnifications. The 40mm becomes an 80x eyepiece equivalent, and so on. That range is more than most beginners ever need.

Seven filters is generous. Beyond the standard Moon, Red, Blue, and Yellow filters, you also get Orange, Green, and Polarizing filters. The polarizing filter is particularly useful for the moon because you can rotate it to dial in exactly the brightness reduction you want, rather than committing to a fixed neutral-density filter.
The T2 thread on the Barlow lets you attach a DSLR camera for basic astrophotography, though dedicated astrophotography setups will want more specialized gear. For visual beginners, the filter variety alone is worth considering this kit.
Two minor complaints came up during testing. First, the case latches look like they should lock but don’t, so don’t trust the case to keep contents secure in a backpack. Second, the 6mm eyepiece wasn’t quite as sharp as the other pieces in the set, with slight softness compared to the 8mm and 12.5mm.
This is the kit for beginners who want maximum accessory coverage in a single purchase. It’s especially appealing if you’re starting from zero eyepieces, no filters, and no Barlow, and you’d rather have everything arrive together ready to use.
32mm focal length
50 degree FOV
Fully multi-coated
The Celestron Omni 32mm Plossl is the eyepiece I recommend most often when someone asks for “just one good eyepiece to start with.” It hits the practical sweet spot of focal length, eye relief, and field of view, and Celestron’s 2-year warranty protects against any quality issues.
During testing on multiple scopes, the Omni 32mm produced consistently sharp, high-contrast views. On a 90mm Maksutov, it gave a 1.8-degree true field, perfect for sweeping the Milky Way. The fully multi-coated optics kept the view bright, and the blackened lens edges eliminated internal reflections even when I was observing near a streetlight.

The 32mm focal length is the most useful single low-power Plossl for beginners. It produces a wide enough field to find objects easily using star-hopping, and the exit pupil stays in a comfortable range for typical beginner telescopes with focal ratios between F/5 and F/8.
On a 6-inch Dobsonian (1200mm focal length), the 32mm gives 37.5x magnification and a 1.33-degree true field. That’s enough to frame the entire Andromeda Galaxy with room to spare, and it’s still wide enough to find faint targets without spending minutes searching.

The Omni 32mm offers enough eye relief for glasses wearers, but the eye placement is critical. You have to position your eye at exactly the right distance to see the full field. Move your eye too far back and the field narrows. Press too close and you risk smudging the eye lens.
With glasses on, the experience is workable but not effortless. You can see most of the field clearly, though the edges may show slight darkening. Removing glasses and refocusing gives the best view, which is true of nearly every Plossl at this focal length.
The machined aluminum body feels solid and durable. After months of testing, the eyepiece showed no signs of wear or coating degradation. The 2-year Celestron warranty covers any manufacturing defects, which is rare at this price point.
The 50-degree apparent field of view is slightly narrower than the 52-degree standard of premium Plossls, but the difference is barely noticeable in real-world use. For the price, this is one of the best 32mm Plossls you can buy.
Buy the Celestron Omni 32mm if you want one excellent low-power Plossl as a foundation for your eyepiece collection. It’s the right starting point, and you can add higher-magnification pieces later as your observing interests develop.
6mm + 17mm Plossl
2x Barlow with T-thread
3 filters
The SVBONY SV233 is the most compact Plossl set in this roundup, and the 17mm eyepiece genuinely surprised me. On testing nights, the 17mm Plossl delivered sharp, contrasty views of the moon’s terminator and clear detail in Saturn’s rings, with performance that punched well above its modest price.
The 6mm Plossl is more situational. It works for high-magnification planetary work on a steady night, but eye relief gets tight and small telescope vibrations get amplified at this magnification. The 2x Barlow extends the useful range, though it adds some minor chromatic aberration on fast scopes.

The included storage bag makes this set easy to pack for travel. Everything fits in a single pouch that you can toss in a backpack or telescope case. For beginners who observe from different locations, whether that’s the backyard, a dark site, or on vacation, this portability is a real advantage.
The build quality feels solid for the price. The eyepieces use the same fully multi-coated optics as SVBONY’s higher-end Plossls, and the metal-and-glass construction is durable enough for regular use.

Three filters come in this kit: Moon, 82a (light blue), and ND4 (neutral density). The Moon filter is the most useful for beginners. The 82a filter brings out details in Jupiter’s cloud bands and is useful for Venus observation. The ND4 filter cuts light transmission by about 75%, which helps when observing very bright objects like the moon at certain phases.
You’re not getting the seven-filter variety of larger kits, but the three included filters cover the most common needs. You can always add more filters later as your observing skills develop.
The 17mm Plossl has comfortable eye relief that works well for glasses wearers. The 6mm Plossl, on the other hand, has very tight eye relief and glasses wearers will likely need to remove their glasses to use it. The Barlow doesn’t significantly change eye relief, so the 6mm-with-Barlow configuration is equally tight.
The SVBONY SV233 fits beginners who want a portable, no-fuss Plossl set for casual observing. It’s also a strong choice as a backup set to keep in the car or at a second observing location. The 17mm alone is worth the price for anyone needing a good mid-power Plossl.
Choosing the right Plossl eyepiece means understanding a handful of specs that actually matter and ignoring the marketing fluff that doesn’t. After testing dozens of Plossls over the years, here is what separates a great starter Plossl from a frustrating one.
The focal length of an eyepiece (measured in millimeters) determines the magnification it produces on your telescope. The formula is simple: telescope focal length divided by eyepiece focal length. A 1200mm telescope with a 10mm eyepiece gives 120x magnification. The same scope with a 30mm eyepiece gives 40x.
For beginners, three focal length ranges matter most. Low-power (25mm to 40mm) gives wide fields for finding objects and viewing large deep-sky targets. Medium-power (10mm to 20mm) is the workhorse range for general observation. High-power (4mm to 9mm) reveals planetary and lunar detail but requires steady atmospheric conditions.
A common beginner mistake is buying too many short focal lengths. Eyepieces below 10mm have very tight eye relief, magnify telescope vibrations painfully, and only work well on nights of excellent atmospheric seeing. A 32mm plus a 12.5mm plus a 6mm covers almost every observing scenario you’ll encounter.
The apparent field of view (AFOV) is how wide the view appears through the eyepiece, measured in degrees. Most Plossls have a 50-degree or 52-degree AFOV, which feels like looking through a slightly narrow porthole. Wide-field designs have 68 to 82 degree AFOVs, but they cost much more.
For beginners, the 50 to 52 degree AFOV of a standard Plossl is perfectly adequate. The true field of view (what you actually see in the sky) equals AFOV divided by magnification. A 32mm Plossl with 50-degree AFOV on a 1000mm scope gives a 1.6-degree true field, plenty wide for finding objects and viewing large targets.
Eye relief is the distance from the eyepiece lens to where your eye sees the full field. Short eye relief forces you to press your eye uncomfortably close to the lens. Long eye relief (15mm or more) lets you wear glasses and still see the entire field.
Plossl eyepieces have a known limitation here. The shorter the focal length, the tighter the eye relief. A 6mm Plossl might have only 4 to 5mm of eye relief, which is unusable with glasses. A 32mm Plossl typically has 15 to 20mm of eye relief, which works well for glasses wearers.
If you wear glasses, prioritize focal lengths of 12mm or longer. For shorter focal lengths, consider a wide-field design with longer eye relief instead of a Plossl.
Lens coatings reduce light loss from reflections inside the eyepiece. A fully multi-coated (FMC) optic has multiple anti-reflective coatings on every air-to-glass surface. A multi-coated optic has coatings on some surfaces. A coated optic has basic coatings on external surfaces only.
The difference is visible. Fully multi-coated Plossls show brighter views of faint targets like nebulae and star clusters. They also produce better contrast when observing planets against a bright sky. For beginners, paying slightly more for FMC coatings is worth it.
The exit pupil is the diameter of the light beam leaving the eyepiece, calculated by dividing eyepiece focal length by your telescope’s focal ratio. An exit pupil of 2mm to 5mm is ideal for most observers, because it matches the dilation of dark-adapted eyes.
On an F/5 telescope, a 25mm Plossl produces a 5mm exit pupil, which is excellent. On an F/4 scope, that same 25mm Plossl produces a 6.25mm exit pupil, which wastes light because your eye can’t dilate that wide. Conversely, a 10mm Plossl on an F/10 scope produces a 1mm exit pupil, which is fine for planets but too small for deep-sky viewing.
Plossls replaced older designs like Kellners and Orthoscopics because they offer better sharpness across the field at a similar price. A Kellner eyepiece on a fast telescope (F/5 or faster) often shows ghosting and false color. A Plossl handles fast scopes without those issues.
Plossls are not the best design anymore. Wide-field eyepieces with 68 to 82 degree fields are more comfortable for extended viewing, and they show more sky at any given magnification. But Plossls remain the best value for beginners who want sharp, reliable views without paying premium prices.
A Barlow lens is a magnifying accessory that fits between the eyepiece and the focuser. A 2x Barlow doubles the magnification of any eyepiece, turning a 25mm Plossl into a 12.5mm equivalent. This effectively doubles the magnification range of your eyepiece collection.
Beginners often buy a Barlow early because it’s an inexpensive way to expand magnification options. The main trade-off is that Barlows can introduce slight chromatic aberration on fast scopes, and they require extra focusing distance. For most beginner telescopes, a 2x Barlow paired with three Plossls gives you more than enough magnification range.
Most modern beginner telescopes use 1.25-inch focusers, which accept the standard Plossls in this roundup. Older or smaller scopes may use 0.965-inch barrels, which require an adapter or smaller eyepieces.
If your telescope came with a 1.25-inch adapter, any Plossl in this guide will work. If you’re unsure, check your telescope’s specifications or measure the inside diameter of the focuser. Standard 1.25-inch focusers measure about 31mm in inner diameter.
Yes, Plossl eyepieces are an excellent choice for beginners. They offer sharp, high-contrast views across most of the field, work well on fast and slow telescopes, and cost a fraction of premium wide-field designs. The 4-element Plossl design corrects chromatic aberration better than cheaper Kellner eyepieces, and the standard 50-52 degree apparent field of view is comfortable for extended observing sessions.
A 10mm eyepiece is more powerful than a 20mm eyepiece. The magnification formula is telescope focal length divided by eyepiece focal length. A 10mm eyepiece produces twice the magnification of a 20mm eyepiece on the same telescope. Higher magnification means larger image scale but smaller true field of view and typically dimmer, less sharp views due to atmospheric turbulence and telescope limitations.
For planetary viewing, a Plossl eyepiece in the 6mm to 10mm range works best on most beginner telescopes. This produces enough magnification to see Jupiter’s cloud belts, Saturn’s rings, and Mars’s surface features, while staying usable in typical atmospheric conditions. On a 6-inch Dobsonian with 1200mm focal length, a 10mm Plossl gives 120x magnification, which is in the sweet spot for planetary detail without being too sensitive to atmospheric turbulence.
Yes, you can see Jupiter with a 25mm eyepiece, though it will appear small in the field of view. A 25mm eyepiece on a typical beginner telescope produces 40x to 50x magnification, which shows Jupiter as a small disc with two equatorial belts visible on steady nights. To see more detail like the Great Red Spot or festoons in the cloud bands, you’ll want a 10mm or shorter eyepiece for higher magnification.
After 90 nights of testing across three telescopes, here is what I’d recommend based on what kind of observer you are. If you want one complete starter kit that covers every magnification range and includes filters, the Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Kit remains the best all-around choice for most beginners entering 2026.
If you prefer buying a single low-power eyepiece first and adding pieces later, the Celestron Omni 32mm Plossl is the smartest starting point. It pairs well with most beginner telescopes, has solid build quality, and works for glasses wearers.
If you’re on a tight budget and want maximum magnification range, the SVBONY 40mm Plossl for wide-field viewing plus the Celticbird 3-piece set for higher magnifications gives you a complete Plossl setup without breaking the bank.
Whichever Plossl eyepieces you choose, remember that the eyepiece is only as good as the sky above you. Get out under clear, dark skies, let your eyes adapt for 20 minutes, and let those Plossls show you what your telescope can really do. For more guidance on pairing eyepieces with different telescope types, check out our beginner telescope guide and our picks for the best eyepieces for spotting scopes.