Altair Wave Series 152 F8 ED Triplet APO Refractor

Further details

The Altair Wave series 152mm F8 ED Triplet Apochromat refractor uses a 1216mm focal length lens cell with FC100 ED glass specifically chosen to be free of internal stresses and striae which affect optical quality in large size refractors. The result of this class leading design has achieved a 5 star review in the BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

Futhermore, the lens cell uses a new design with CNC machined steel for optimum alignment of the optics relative to each other as well as the best match for thermal compensation. The telescope is guaranteed to arrive in perfect collimation.

Class leading design and performance
Wave Series telescopes have rapidily gained a reputation for performance equivalent to telescope costing up to four times the price or more for imagers and visual observers. This is due to a special optical testing and calibration process at the final stages of production, with an individual test report delivered with every telescope.

Suitable for serious astro imaging or advanced visual use, this is an extremely capable telescope in all areas. Recommended for serious planetary, solar and wide field deepsky viewing, enabling faint and subtle details to be observed in high contrast which only refractors can produce. The recommended mount for the 152mm optical tube assembly is the iOptron CEM120 or Skywatcher EQ8, or larger (please enquire about telescope/mount packages).

The rigid aluminium tube gives the correct thermal properties for any large airspaced triplet refractor, allowing the use of dew control heaters to conduct heat to the optics, as well as quick thermal equalisation and suppression of tube currents. This is unlike some non-metallic synthetic materials, which being insulators, can hinder thermal equalization. CNC machined tube rings give a stable mounting platform for astro photography. Standard hole patterns to fit most hardware mounting systems on the market including the premium Altair TMS Losmandy-format plates and carry handles.A large dewshield delays the onset of dew, and keeps dust and pollen away from the objective. An aluminium push-fit dustcap is included for the front lens.

The dual speed 3.7" Rack and Pinion focuser has a smooth teflon lined rotation system, CNC machined internal knife edge baffles, and a self-centering 2" pushfit end-cap. It can be automated with motor focusers and has enough capacity for smooth focusers with DSLR cameras, CCD cameras, and filter wheels.

A Losmandy dovetail bar and carry handle are included for easier balancing and safer handling.

Optical design and assembly
The 152mm Wave Series triplet APO optics are carefully finished at the final stages of production and repeatedly tested until signed off by the optician in charge of the production run. Before anti-reflection coating, the lenses are placed on a testplate to assess the deviation from the ideal design curvature and sent back for figuring until the correct curvature is achieved. During assembly, the individual lenses are assembled in the lens cell, marked and rotated and re-centred with reference from a double pass autocollimator. Many iterations are required to get the best alignment and centering combination for each lens because there are 6 glass surfaces to deal with in the case of a triplet lens assembly. Each lens cell is tested each time a small change is made in rotation or centering, or re-spacing of the elements relative to each other. Sometimes this can result in small dust particles between the lenses which have no effect on the performance of the telescope whatsoever (because they are at the entrance pupil), but are inevitable during this iterative process. This process is used to achieve the highest quality possible for each lens. At this aperture, it is preferable to have a lens which has been adjusted for optimum performance instead of a lens which is cosmetically perfect but has not been assembled to a high standard. Each lens cell has a serial number, guaranteeing it's originality as a genuine Altair Astro optic set up by our technicians. Once the optimum setup is reached, the lens is signed off, a laser interferogram is recorded to produce a test report showing the lens characteristics, which is included with each telescope. The image is a snapshot in time of the lens performance on the bench after assembly. Altair Astro has been performing this QC process since 2007, and no other UK company to our knowledge is capable, nor even willing to perform this level of quality control, which is the essence of the Wave Series concept. This process is labour intensive, and it can take a day or more to adjust one lens to optimum, therefore Wave Series telescopes cost a little more than other scopes of similar aperture.

Altair Astro 152mm F8 ED Triplet APO Features:
152mm F8 multi coated triplet objective lens with FCD100 ED element. FMC optical coatings for maximum contrast.
Highest practical magnification 300x.
OTA weight with focuser, rings, dovetail, and handle, approx. 15kg. 1.5m length.
Heavy duty 3.7" CNC machined Rack 'n Pinion gear, dual speed focuser with 1:10 ratio coarse and fine control knobs, plus a Self Centering compression ring for 2" accessories.
2" to 1.25" Self-Centering eyepiece adapter with machined brass insert.
CNC machined tube rings included with standard M6 3-hole pattern (30mm between centres of all holes, 60mm between centres of outer holes)
A Standard Losmandy format 3" dovetail bar is included, with carry handle.

Accessories:
We recommend the optional Altair Astro 60mm finder scope or Altair MiniGuider 60 for autoguiding with this telescope. If you want to start observing and try imaging later, you can order the finder first, and the autoguider adapter later on to convert your finder into a Miniguider. (See associated products). Please note that this telescope does not come with a finder shoe bracket as in the picture, however there are two holes on the focuser are compatible with most finder scopes.

Delivery charge £5.95