BARLOW X-CEL 2X, Ø 31.8mm

The Celestron Barlow is a good-quality, three-element Barlow with 2x magnification. It is ideal for use with short focal length telescopes, where the maximum possible result is achieved. It is mainly used in planetary observation, as it doubles the magnifications provided by the eyepieces, allowing for the high magnifications required.

The Barlow is a tube with a lens at the bottom end and a top end designed to accept an eyepiece. It enhances the magnification of an eyepiece two, three, or five times, depending on the manufacturer's specifications. For example, a typical 2x Barlow, combined with a 16mm eyepiece, offers magnifying power equal to that provided by an 8mm eyepiece. Thus, the magnification options we have are doubled.

Using a Barlow lens with medium or low magnification eyepieces has two advantages over high-magnification eyepieces:

• It increases the eye relief, that is, the ideal distance between the eye and the eyepiece, making it easier to capture the entire field of view.
• It improves image quality by reducing optical aberrations at the edges of the field.