Altair Wave Series 102mm F7 Super ED Triplet APO

The Altair Astro Wave Series 102mm Super ED Triplet APO is a highly specified refractor telescope, offering premium class visual or imaging performance.  Sharpness, colour correction and contrast are what this telescope is all about. 

The legendary 102mm FPL-53 ED Synthetic Fluorite triplet lens has been deemed essentially perfect by various independent testers. In our 12th year of production, the 2022 version sports the latest "X-Rings" and an upgraded focuser, aluminium tube with modern powder coatings, and the same legendary optics with test report in green light.

This telescope is a natural choice for customers wanting the best possible optical performance at 4" of aperture, and has attracted rave reviews from our customers, as well as a very positive reviews in various astronomy magazines. With smaller dimensions than the famous Altair Wave Series 115mm Triplet APO, the 102mm is slightly more practical, offering more portability and compactness.

Optional Planostar reducer and flattener 2022 version:

• Planostar 0.8x M92 Reducer with M48 thread giving a focal ratio of F5.6 and 572mm focal length for wide field imaging (product code: RED102EDTXM92)

• Planostar 1.0x M92 Flattener with M48 thread keeping focal ratio at F7 with 715mm focal length (product code: FLAT102EDTXM92)

Here are instructions about how to attach the Planostar M92 reducer and flattener to the M92 focuser.

The spacing from flange to sensor is 55mm for both reducer and flattener and the rear thread is M48 male. 

The Wave Series 102mm ED Triplet is a very capable wide field imaging refractor, outperforming DSLR lenses costing many times the price in terms of star quality, contrast and with excellent colour correction. Faint and subtle details are visible thanks to the optics meeting a criteria of 0.95 Strehl or higher.

A rigid aluminium tube with two tube rings allows stable mounting for astrophotography, and the rotating CNC machined 3.6" M92 Rack and Pinion dual speed focuser rotates on Teflon-tipped adjustable screws. CNC machined internal knife edge baffles stop stray light. And a 2" rear adapter is included, with three thumbscrews, and a 2" to 1.25" self-centering adaptor with brass compression ring.

The optional Field flatteners can be attached directly by loosening 3 grub screws, and unscrewing the self centring rear assembly, which is then removed from the focuser, revealing an M92 threaded connection. The CNC focuser is compatible with almost any commercial motor focuser, for perfect PC automated or manual focusing via the hand controller or USB port, and ASCOM compatible software.

The finder shoe dovetail mount is compatible with the matching Altair Astro 60mm Deluxe RACI Finder Scope, the Altair Mini Guider 60, Mini Guider 50 or even the ultra compact Altair MG32 Mini Guider.

Altair Wave Series optics: Wave Series optics are repeatedly tested and re-figured at the final stages of production, until signed off by the optician in charge of the production batch. These lenses are modified in rotation and spacing, and we start off with far superior lenses to the "normal" production quality lenses offered by most manufacturers, from the original test plates. The best quality SFPL-53 Synthetic Fluorite or Super ED glass is used, with an Abbe number of 94.94. Lenses are fully annealed and cooled slowly to relieve internal stresses and striae. Each telescope has a serial number engraved on the front ring and a corresponding optical test report using green light which is approximately 30% more accurate than the usual red light used in testing due to it's shorter wavelength. Altair Astro was the first company to use this approach from 2010 with the Wave Series telescopes, and our optical contractors have a fully bedded in process to deliver what is considered by most to be the best 80mm triplet in the world today. Star tests speak for themselves, and colour correction is essentially perfect, as can be seen from the various observing reports and images taken with Wave Series refractors. Blue stars show negligible bloat in long exposure images, because the blue channel is particularly well controlled. Astigmatism and Coma are included in the report (many manufacturers do not include these factors). Each fringe image is a "snapshot in time" of the lens on the test bench. Vibration, air currents and other environmental factors can influence the image and the outcome of the report slightly, but steps are taken to minimise these during testing. Providing a test report is a useful way for us to assure that production quality is consistent from batch-to-batch. Please be aware this extra QC process adds a few months between production runs and there are often gaps in stock availability. You can click the "Notify when in stock" button to receive updates. This is not a "supermarket" telescope, therefore please always check with your dealer if the product is in stock.

Altair Wave Series Triplet 102mm APO Specifications & Features:

• Optical tube with air-spaced 102mm F7 Triplet ED lens system (715mm focal length)
• Ohara S-FPL53 ED (SD) glass element and mating elements housed in a precision adjustable CNC machined lens cell with temperature compensation interleaving. Strehl 0.95 or better according to our test process.
• Super-high transmission coating (STM Coating) on all air to glass surfaces.
• Resolving Power (Dawes Limit) 1.14 arc seconds (Rayleigh 1.35).
• Visual Limiting Magnitude 11.1 
• Weight approx. 6kg, OTA length with dew shield retracted approx. 36cm. With dew-shield extended, approx. 41cm.
• Precision CNC machined components and tube made from light, tough aluminium alloy with matte powder coat and hard anodising. Tube is hard matte powder coated in Pearl White.
• Retractable lens shade / dew shield.
• M92 (3.6”) Rack 'n Pinion" Geared dual speed focuser with 1:10 micro-focuser.
• Entire focuser rotates relative to the optical tube for easy photographic composition. 
• Brass Teflon tension-adjustment screws and Teflon collet ensure focuser rotates smoothly, user-adjusted with a slot bladed screwdriver.
• Self-Centering 2" to 1.25" reducer with brass compression rings included.
• Front aluminium push-fit lens cap, rear plastic 1.25" dust plug.
• Standard 3" / 75mm dovetail bar with stainless steel M6 cap-head screws included.
• Tube Rings with M6 threaded holes with 30mm spacing, compatible with Altair and most other mounting dovetail plates and bars.
• Hard Carry Case with foam insert, handle and keys. Case Dimensions 24cm Width x 55cm Length x 18cm Depth

Recommended products to use with your Wave Series 102 APO:

• 1.0x Field Flattener PlanoStar M63
• 0.8x Reducer PlanoStar M63
• Altair Sabre mount with Vixen dovetail clamp & Tripod (visual use)
• Altair 60mm deluxe RACI finder scope & bracket
• Altair 2" Premium dielectric diagonal
• Altair ULTRAFLAT eyepiece range, particularly the AAUF-24 24mm
• Altair Lightwave Premium APO Flat Field Barlow lens particularly the 2" x2 version FFTX2-2IN
• Altair Astro Imaging-Ready Solar Hershel Wedge - extremely sharp at high powers.
• DayStar Quark Hydrogen Alpha eyepiece filter (see solar images).
• DSLR or CMOS cameras like Altair GPCAM290, Hypercam 183 or 26C series.
• Altair MG32 Miniguider or MG60 60mm Guide Scopes
• Starwave or Altair TMS mounting system
• Altair Dewzapper 3-4" Dew Heater & Controller
• Clear Skies!

What can I see with my Wave Series 102mm refractor?

The Altair Wave Series 102mm APO will deliver very high contrast images of planets and the Moon. Under steady skies, you will easily be able to see detail and changing weather patterns in the cloud belts of Jupiter, the pastel shades of Saturn's planetary disc, as well as the Cassini Division in Saturn's rings, and the ring shadow on the planet's surface (or rather, clouds!). You'll be able to distinguish the changing weather patterns on Mars, as well the dusky surface features and the ice-white polar caps (seasons permitting). Remember planetary viewing is perfectly possible in the city and that light pollution will not affect your view at all. The Moon will reveal a lifetime's worth of detail - crater walls, Lava plains, impact craters and mountain ranges are all clearly visible in stark relief. For deep sky observing, the 102mm F7 performs best on the brighter Messier Objects. Under dark skies, it will resolve the individual stars in globular clusters like M13 in Hercules, and you will be able to see wisps of nebulosity in objects like the Orion Nebula, as well as the dust lane in the Andromeda galaxy. The Ring nebula in Lyra is also presented a nice target and the high contrast makes it stand out against a dark background. This telescope can be used with nebula and light pollution filters to bring out even more detail.

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