Telescopes

There are presently two scopes I use for astrophotography. The first is a Takahashi FS-102 refractor, distributed by Takahashi America, and the second is a Vixen VC200LDG (Vixen Sixth-Order Aspheric Cassegrain), distributed by Vixen North America.

Takahashi FS-102 refractor on a Losmandy G-8 Equatorial mount

Takahashi FS-102 APO Refractor

The Takahashi FS-102 is my primary astrophotography telescope and it is used to image most of the larger astronomical objects in the night sky including emission nebula, and large galaxies such as M31, the Andromeda galaxy. The FS-102 is a state-of-the-art fluorite apochromatic refractor and delivers ultra sharp high contrast images across the entire field of view with no chromatic abberation. Stars appear as tack-sharp points of light on a jet-black background. The FS-102 has an aperture of 102mm (approx. 4 inches) and a focal length of 820mm giving it a focal ratio of F/8. I also use a Televue 0.8x Reducer / Flattener which converts this telescope into an F/6.4 instrument with an effective focal length of 656mm. This telescope is also an incredible visual instrument providing spectacular views of the planets, double stars, and the Moon.

Vixen VC200LDG catadioptric mounted on a Losmandy GM-8 Equatorial mount

Vixen VC200LDG VISAC

My second telescope is a Vixen VC200LDG VISAC (Vixen Sixth-Order Aspheric Cassegrain). This scope features a unique catadioptric optical system and is one of the most sophisticated optical designs available on the market today. It is often referred to as the "poor man's" Ritchey-Cretien (RC) telescope. This catadioptric telescope, which has been designed almost exclusively for photographic applications, gives a sharp image that is free of chromatic aberration, and is flat and sharp across the entire 35mm equivalent field. This scope is composed of a concave primary mirror (VISAC), a convex secondary mirror, and a three element field corrector. One of the most impressive characteristics of this scope is its sharpness and flatness across the field, especially near the edges. It far exceeds that of Schmidt-Cassegrain systems of the same aperture in this respect and provides a pinpoint star image less than 15 microns, even at the edge of its 42mm image circle. The open tube design virtually eliminates the dew problem which is extremely common with conventional Schmidt-Cassegrain designs.

The Vixen VC200LDG has an aperture of 200mm (approx. 8 inches) and a focal length of 1800mm giving it a focal ratio of F/9. At only 13 lbs, it also weighs much less than similarily sized Schmidt-Cassegrains.

I plan on using this scope exclusively for photographing smaller galaxies and planetary nebulae, as well as the Moon and the planets.