Aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes

The Aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain is a derivative of the standard Schmidt-Cassegrain design that substantially reduces coma. This can be highly advantageous when imaging with today's larger format CCD cameras, but the difference is also visibly noticeable. Coma is an optical aberration that results in star images that are less than perfectly round as you move from the center towards the edge of field. In extreme cases stars at the very edge of field look more like small comets, complete with a fanned tail.

Standard Schmidt-Cassegrains feature two spherical mirrors and a weak lens corrector plate. Spherical mirrors are used because they easily mass produced at minimal cost. The aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain features an aspherical secondary mirror. An aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain produces a sharper image across the entire field, with stars that remain as points of light all the way to the edge of field.

Celestron CGEM 800 HD

The Celestron CGEM 800 HD features an eight-inch coma free aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube with built in field flattener mounted atop the CGEM German equatorial mount.

$2,399.00

Celestron CGEM 1100 HD

The Celestron CGEM 1100 HD features Celestron's EdgeHD eleven-inch aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system that produces pinpoint star images all the way to the edge of the field, combined with the capable CGEM German equatorial mount.

$3,499.00

Celestron CGEM 925 HD

The Celestron CGEM 925 HD features a 9-1/4 optical tube with Celestron EdgeHD optics mounted on the CGEM German equatorial mount.

$3,099.00

Celestron CGE Pro 925 HD

The CGE Pro 925 HD features Celestron's Aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system with built in field flattener, producing pinpoint star images all the way to the edge of the field.

$6,299.00

Celestron CGE Pro 1400 HD

The Celestron CGE Pro 1400 HD features an Aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system that reduces coma, producing pinpoint star images all the way to the edge of the field.

$9,999.00

Celestron CGE Pro 1100 HD

The Celestron CGE Pro 1100 HD features an Aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system that reduces coma, producing pinpoint star images all the way to the edge of the field. It also has a built-in field flattener producing true Astrograph quality images.

$7,399.00

Meade 8-inch LX200-ACF

The 8-inch Meade LX200-ACF is an advanced amateur telescope suitable for both imaging and visual observation. The new Advanced Coma-Free optics are a significant improvement standard over Schmidt-Cassegrains, producing tighter star images.

$2,599.00

Meade 12-inch LX200-ACF

The 12-inch Meade LX200-ACF telescope is equipped with the Meade giant field tripod, which tips the scales at 50 pounds vs. 20 pounds for the standard tripod. This is the largest model that should be considered for a one-man setup in the field.

$4,499.00

Meade 10-inch LX200-ACF

The 10-inch Meade LX200-ACF is the most popular telescope within this series. It is 40% larger than the eight-inch model, with the telescope and fork assembly tipping the scales at 68 pounds. Many find this to be the largest telescope they can handle.

$3,599.00

Meade 14-inch LX200-ACF

The 14-inch Meade LX200-ACF is a LARGE telescope that is more suitable for permanent setup in an observatory. Occasionally they are seen in the field; however, we do not recommend a one-man setup due to the size and weight of the instrument. More...

$6,999.00

Meade LS 8

Meade’s revolutionary LS 8 LightSwitch telescopes does what no other consumer telescopes can: take all the hassle out of using a telescope. Simply flip the switch and the LS automatically aligns itself.

From: $1,799.00

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Meade 16" LX200-ACF

The Meade 16" LX200-ACF telescope is an observatory class instrument typically found within university based observatories. The large aperture and long focal length of this instrument make it useful primarily for deep space astrophotography.

From: $13,999.00

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