I recently reviewed a Guan Sheng Optical (GSO) 8-inch classical Cassegrain telescope for Astronomy Technology Today. In this article, I review the GSO 8-inch GSO Ritchey–Chrétien. The classical Cassegrain would be the better choice for visual use, while the Ritchey–Chrétien is the better instrument for astronomical imaging. American astronomer George […]
Orion‘s 10″ and 12” f/8 Orion Ritchey-Chrétien Astrograph Truss Tube Telescopes feature premium quartz mirror optics in its hyperbolic primary and secondary to achieve flat images that are virtually free of chromatic aberration, for true-color performance. Each of the Orion Ritchey-Chrétien Astrograph Truss Tube Telescopes primary mirror and the secondary […]
Astrozap Telescope Dust Covers: Astronomers can get pretty finicky about cleanliness, especially when it comes to their telescope optics. The reality is that dust is everywhere and it is next to impossible to keep it entirely off a telescope’s optics. However, you don’t have to allow dust to settle on […]
Paramount MYT Robotic Telescope Mount: I was the observatory director for the Kaua`i Educational Association for Science and Astronomy (KEASA). We shared our observatory complex with Kaua`i Community College. The complex consists of a roll-off-roof observatory, a building with a 10-foot diameter Ash Dome, and a Sky Shed Pod with […]
At first blush, the PlaneWave PW1000 may appear simply a scaled-up version of Planewave’s PW-700, but as the side-by-side comparison in Image 3 instantly reveals, the challenges associated with that increase in aperture are substantial. The PlaneWave PW1000 is a complete one-meter observatory-class telescope featuring a direct-drive altitude-azimuth (Alt-Az) mounting […]
While PlaneWave Instruments debuted its new L-Series direct-drive mount at NEAF 2017 (Image 1), details on the series are not yet available on its website. But what are available there are features and specifications of its new, fully automated PW-1000 one-meter observatory telescope (Image 2). At first blush, the PW-1000 […]