What does apparent field of a telescope refer to?
The apparent field of view is the angular diameter (in degrees) of the circle of light that the eye sees. All Celestron Plossl eyepieces have excellent apparent fields (46 to 52 degrees). Meade eyepieces such as the Wide Angle, Super Wide Angle and Ultra Wide Angle eyepieces also have excellent apparent fields that range from 67 degrees to 84 degrees. • What is the difference between SMA and Plossl eyepieces in terms of performance? SMA eyepieces provide high quality images at medium to high magnification. At low magnification, the image around the edge of the apparent field tends to be slightly elongated. With an apparent field of 52 degrees and eye relief of 4mm to 14 mm, Celestron SMAs are great for planetary viewing. Since planetary viewing does not require the same sharpness out to the edge as does deep sky viewing, the SMA eyepieces are great low-cost solution for planet lovers. Plossl eyepieces, on the other hand, provide excellent sharp image out to the edge of the apparent fie
