Altair Astro DeepField-250 Professional Grade 10" F8 Ritchey Chretien Astrograph

Price: £5950.00
Incl. VAT 20% ( £991.67 )

Product code: RC250-DF-PRO

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A 10" F8 carbon fibre truss tube Ritchey Chretien astrograph, 100% designed and manufactured in UK/Europe, to the highest specification.

The Altair DeepField Ritchey Chretien design is a professional observatory grade imaging instrument, suitable for schools, colleges and universities, or advanced amateur astronomers who want the best quality on the market. The complete design has taken over a year to complete and test, having been through two iterations.

We have chosen a truss-tube design because of the better thermal characteristics afforded by air circulation around the optics, almost eliminating the contrast-robbing effects of boundary air current layer formation, as well as allowing the optics to come to thermal equilibrium faster. This is also an extremely rigid design, which ensures optimum performance for the most demanding imaging requirements.

The two-element field flattener is dedicated to the particular spherical correction of the Altair Deepfield optical design at this particular aperture and is made in Europe in the same optical laboratory responsible for the mirror polishing and figuring.

Each optical set is generated and polished as a set and tested several times on a laser interferometry system, before coating in aluminium with a silicon dioxide overcoat. Each telescope comes with an optical test report which takes both primary and secondary mirrors into account as a complete system.

Product features and scope of delivery:

Ritchey Chretien F8 optical system made by a leading European optical laboratory, to the highest specification and surface accuracy it is possible to achieve.

Carbon Fibre Truss tube telescope with accurately CNC machined components (no casting).

Weight 14kg.

Optical test report in Green light, guaranteed Strehl of 0.94 at the focuser i.e. combined for both mirrors.

2x 180mm Losmandy dovetail plates. (Handle shown is optional).

3.5" Starlight Feathertouch Focuser, made in the USA. Can be fully automated with optional motor drive system.

Quartz secondary mirror with Supremax 33 primary.

Includes 2-element Field Flattener made in Europe to the exact spherical characteristic for this particular aperture mirror system. (Adapters for your particular camera are separate).

44mm flat field image circle.

The flattener can be removed for spectrometry/photometry quickly and easily, and reattached without collimation adjustment.

Super-easy collimation combined push/pull adjustment screws on rear mirror.

High Quality Transport Case (hand made) worth over £450.

Carbon Fibre secondary mirror support vanes.

All CNC machined baffles and chassis.

Inner baffle tube and outer Carbon Dewshield tube are both flocked.

Camera tilt adjustment plate on the rear of the telescope.

"Altair Astro DeepField Ritchey Chretien telescope optics are tested many times during production. The wave-front error of the complete optical system (consisting of both primary and secondary mirror as a set) must meet a minimum standard of at least 0.94 Strehl Ratio when exiting the focuser but without flattener). Each telescope is shipped with a screen-shot showing the final interferometric analysis of the wave-front produced by the particular set of optics in the telescope. This screenshot includes a computer-analysis of the wave-front produced on the test bench. Please note, in the interests of accuracy, astigmatism and coma values are not suppressed on the optical test report. Interferogram results can vary slightly with alignment of the optics when tested, ambient vibrations in the laboratory, and with random air currents - though precautions are of course taken to minimise these factors just as in any optical laboratory. The test report is to be treated like a photographic record, and each test report is unique to your telescope."

Please note: Please disregard the “Out of stock” note above, it’s merely website software feature we can’t disable. This is a special-order product, and each telescope is hand made to order, being a unique telescope in it’s own right. It therefore cannot be ordered online like other products on the website. Wait time is about 2-3 months or sometimes shorter as we have a few optical sets on hand. For more information, or for a special quote including accessories, mount, pier or observatory, please get in touch by clicking the product enquiry link, or contact us via the usual channels.