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Archive for March 2021

The little one with the turbo: the new and fast Omegon Astrographs

March 26 2021, Marcus Schenk

The new Astrographs from Omegon are special telescopes for full-frame cameras, and offer high light-gathering capabilities. With the dizzyingly fast aperture ratio from f/2.8 to f/3.2, you can take astronomy photos with extremely short exposure times.

Pole position on your mount

This telescope doesn’t need to warm up, it’s ready to go immediately for fast astrophotography. The 6-inch and 8-inch astrographs with f/2.8 and f/3.2 are about three times faster than a normal f/5 Newtonian telescope. This means you can take astronomical photos much quicker, and minimise tracking errors.

Short focal length, large field of view

Wide-field astrophotography is gaining ground and has a very large fan base thanks to mounts such as the MiniTrack. But with this telescope, you can go a step further into the detail and capture wide nebulae and create fantastic wide-field images.

Full speed for full-frame

With a 3-inch focuser, the built-in 3-inch corrector and a 90mm secondary mirror, the Omegon Astrograph illuminates a 44mm image circle, making it perfect for using with a full-frame, high-resolution camera. With a working distance of 55mm, you do not need any additional distance adapters for DSLR cameras. With the Omegon Telescope Pro Astrograph N200/640 OTA, you have a screen diagonal of about 3.8 degrees, with a standard full-frame sensor. This makes the California Nebula in Perseus, the Andromeda Galaxy or the area around the Veil Nebula amazing destinations.

Elegant carbon tube

The new astrograph not only looks elegant and high-quality, it actually is. The carbon tube offers you the additional advantage of stable focus, because the material is particularly thermally-stable.

The models are available in the following variants:
Omegon Telescope Pro Astrograph N150/420OTA
Omegon Telescope Pro Astrograph N 200/640 OTA

Do you want to explore new horizons in astrophotography? Then get to know the Omegon Astrograph.

Astronomik MaxFR: Narrow band line filter for fast scopes

March 25 2021, Stefan Taube

The new filters in the MaxFR range are optimised for astrophotography using very fast telescopes, such as the Celestron RASA scopes or the Takahashi Epsilon astrographs.

Astronomik has made these filters available for the three most important spectral lines, namely OIII, H-alpha and SII, each available in half widths of 12 and 6 nanometres.

Astronomik Filter H-alpha 12nm

An H-alpha clip filter for Canon cameras from the MaxFR range

When you observe beneath brightened skies, astrophotography with line filters provides you with the best opportunties to capture successful images. Generally, an H-alpha filter is the first sensible purchase: Using this filter, you can effortlessly capture detailed images, even during the full Moon or beneath heavily brightened skies! It is also the correct filter for all nebulae which emit red light.

The OIII filter significantly increases your options as it enables all green/blue structures to be captured in detailed and high-contrast images. Planetary nebulae and star formation regions are especially rewarding targets!

The SII filter then completes your filter set, and enables you to create the same colour photographs as the Hubble Space Telescope using the three channels!

Which half width is right? In short, the use of 12 nanometre filters is ideal for DSLR cameras and all dark-current-limited cameras. Further suppressing the sky background using a narrower half width does not create more detail with these cameras. The 6 nanometre filters are the right choice for locations with more light pollution and for cameras with extremely low dark current, for example cameras with very good cooling. Especially in very starry regions of the Milky Way, the 6nm filter can also capture weak objects in high-contrast without them becoming lost in the mass of stars.

You can find an overview of all filters in the range here.

Set your sights on an even wider range of Omegon Pro Apochromats now

March 24 2021, Marcus Schenk

Omegon’s fleet of Pro Apochromats has been strengthened. The range has been supplemented by equally stylish and powerful refractors that perform far better than ordinary refractors.

Omegon’s new apochromats were developed for ambitious astrophotographers who want to take brilliantly-sharp photographs of the universe. These apochromats deliver superb image sharpness and wonderful contrast across the entire field and will help you take the perfect photo. These instruments are equipped with ED lenses, integrated correctors, CNC tubes and large focusers. All for stunning image sharpness.

Whether it’s a compact 61mm instrument for travel or a 140mm flagship model, you can choose from a range of options to suit your specific mount and needs. You can also choose between doublet, triplet, quadruplet and quintuplet apos, models with two, three, four or even five lenses.

Many instruments can also be ordered with an individual optical test report;  a seal of quality for your telescope that also permanently increases its value.

The Andromeda Galaxy

And here is the fleet of telescopes at a glance:

  1. Apo 61/335 ED Doublet OTA #65141

A portable and compact apochromat that’s got it going on: The 61mm apo is small, yet it features a high quality 2.5″ focuser with a 1:10 reduction. Even at this size, it’s all premium quality.

  1. Apo 61/274 ED Doublet OTA #69472

Large optics aren’t always crucial, because there’s no substitute for a dark and crystal-clear sky. But this can sometimes be cumbersome to access with large optics. If you like to travel and shoot large-area objects, you will love the 61/274 ED Doublet.

  1. APO 72/400 Quintuplet ED OTA #65156

Perfect, true-colour images of ultra-sharp stars right to the edges: The 72/400 Quintuplet achieves this with ease. With a total of five lenses, two of which are ED lenses, it offers exceptional contrast with a fully-corrected and flat field of view.

  1. APO 76/342 Triplet ED OTA #69473

This apo will accompany you wherever your journey takes you. Weighing in at just 4 kilograms and only 333 millimetres long, this telescope can also be used with travel and mini mounts. This telescope is a true master of its craft when it comes to wide-field images and targets, such as the Andromeda galaxy. The 76mm triplet also makes an excellent telephoto lens for nature photography.

  1. APO 76/418 Triplet ED OTA #65142

Like the previous apo, this one also delivers an impressive image, but with a slightly longer focal length. Both 76mm units have a 3″ rack and pinion focuser with a 1:10 reduction.

  1. APO 80/500 Triplet ED OTA #60856

An apochromat with a clear and true-colour image, even at very high magnifications. The beautifully-crafted focuser is 2.5″, larger than that of most 80mm telescopes. The advantage: so much illumination that even your full-frame camera will have fun with it.

  1. APO 94/517 Triplet ED OTA #65147

The 94mm aperture allows you to quickly and easily photograph astronomical objects and celestial events. The 94/517 Triplet is superbly-crafted and features two ED elements within the triplet design. This produces a clear and true-colour image of bright stars or the lunar limb. This telescope also cuts a perfect figure for visual observation at high magnifications. Definitely a hot tip for apo lovers.

  1. APO 100/580 Quadruplet ED OTA #60854

This quadruplet apochromat has four lens elements. It offers both superb imaging and a corrected flat field of view. This means that you no longer need to adapt any correctors, because the optics already reveal sharp stars right to the edges. The 3.5″ focuser provides plenty of options for connecting other accessories. This apochromat also fully illuminates the field of view of full-frame cameras.

  1. APO 121/678 Quintuplet ED OTA #65143

With five lenses for stunning images, the 121/678 is not only fast, but also offers outstanding optical performance. What does that mean? A triplet apo lens for true-colour images and an additional two-lens flattener for a flat field. With 60mm field illumination, this telescope is also perfectly suited for very large sensors. An immense backfocus of 145mm and a 4″ focuser offer the possibility to connect heavy cameras and various accessories.

  1. APO 140/910 Triplet ED OTA #65144

A triplet apochromat with two ED lenses at the front and rear of the objective.  It provides exceptionally-good colour correction. With a 4″ R&P focuser and 44mm image circle, this telescope is also suitable for full-frame cameras. A premium instrument for anyone who cares about luminous intensity.

Are you an astrophotographer looking for the perfect instrument? You might want to take a closer look at these apochromats.