Central Coast Astronomical Society now has a small collection of eyepieces, red-dot finders, and binoculars available for members to try at club observing events.
We’ve put together three different kits intended to help members compare different fields of view, focal lengths, and observing styles before investing in their own equipment. It is especially helpful for newer telescope owners who are not sure what eyepieces would work best with their scope.
Available items include:
- Tele Vue and Explore Scientific eyepieces in a range of focal lengths
- Low-power wide-field eyepieces
- Medium- and high-power eyepieces for the Moon, planets, and deep-sky objects
- Red dot finders
Because this equipment is valuable and needs to be transported carefully, we will not automatically bring the set to every event. If there is a specific eyepiece, finder, or pair of binoculars you would like to try, please request it before the next star party.
Available Kits
Sky Scout Kit
This set includes beginner-friendly gear for learning the sky and getting comfortable with basic observing. Items in this kit include binoculars, red dot finders, and simple accessories that help members find objects, practice star-hopping, and build confidence before buying their own equipment.
- Red dot finders with dovetail base
- Celestron Cometron 7×50 binoculars
- Explore Scientific 11mm and 30mm (both 82o) and 16mm (68o)
- Orion Superwide 8mm, 13mm, 17mm, 22mm (all 65o with 20mm eye relief)
Discovery Kit
This observing kit is available at club star parties so members can try different eyepieces under real night-sky conditions. This kit is ideal for comparing low power, medium power, high power, wide-field views, and eye comfort before deciding what works best with your own telescope.
- Stellarvue multi-reticle finder (red dot, crosshair, circle, target) with dovetail base
- Tele Vue 24mm Panoptic
- Tele Vue 18.2mm DeLite
- Tele Vue 5mm Radian
Signature Optics Collection
This is a premium set of high-end eyepieces reserved for special requests and guided comparisons at club events. This collection gives members a chance to experience exceptional views through Tele Vue and other high-quality optics without needing to purchase them first. Available to experienced members after approval.
- Tele Vue 55mm Plössl
- Tele Vue 27mm Panoptic
- Tele Vue 17mm Nagler
- Tele Vue Type 1 Naglers: 40mm, 32mm, 11mm, 9mm
- Tele Vue 2″ Visual Imaging Tuneable Paracorr Type 2
How to Request Equipment
These items are available upon request. Please let us know by sending us an email at least 24 hours before the event, detailing which items you’d like to try so we can bring it with us to the stargazing event. At events, club equipment will be available for supervised use only. Please check items out from the designated volunteer, use them carefully, and return them before the end of the evening. To request an item, please include your name, the telescope you plan to bring if applicable, the specific eyepiece (or item) you would like to try, and what you are hoping to observe or compare.
During use, if something gets smudged, dusty, or dirty, simply return it and let the equipment volunteer know. Please do not clean eyepiece lenses or optical surfaces yourself.
We hope these help members learn their equipment, try new observing options, and make more confident decisions before buying astronomy gear! If you have astronomy equipment you would like to donate, please contact us. We’re happy to consider items that would be useful for member observing, outreach, or the club equipment library.