Apertura CarbonStar 6″ Ritchey-Chretien
Apertura’s CarbonStar treatment comes to one of the premiere imaging optical designs, with the CarbonStar 6″ Ritchey-Chretien! With stylized and functional hardware, a weight-saving yet tough tube, and an astrophotography dedicated focuser, there has never been a better way to experience the excellent RC design — and never a better time than now to put the power the pros use at the heart of your imaging rig!
When it comes to naming optical designs optimized for imaging, it is hard not to pick the design powering such a renowned scope as the Hubble Space Telescope. Indeed the 6″ f/9 optics of this scope provide a 1377mm focal length window into space that does not require the correction of other compound reflector designs, but it isn’t enough to just have an excellent optical design if you’re aiming for a premium astrophotography instrument. That’s why Apertura has housed the RC optical design in a blend of sturdy steel, weight-saving but rigid carbon fiber, and all supporting hardware you need to make a high-end imaging setup. This includes the spacers you need for setting up a dedicated astronomy camera host, a focuser designed for todays autofocus accessory advancements as well as equipment both large and small, and top and bottom Vixen-style dovetails for plenty of extra accessory real-estate and scope mounting.
Ritchey-Chretien Optical Design: Imaging Perfection Without the Correction
You may have heard that the Ritchey-Chretien optical design (RC for short) is used in many popular professional telescopes like the HST, but may be wondering: what makes it so special? Well this design, engineered by George Ritchey, combines the benefits of a compound mirror design like the popular SCT and Mak-Cass with the peace of mind of a corrector-less design like a Newtonian — no long OTAs or prominent glass surfaces to collect dew or stray light! It achieves all of this through the use of two hyperbolic mirrors. The unique shape of these mirrors interact in such a way that RC scopes provide an image that is well illuminated, coma free, spherical and chromatic aberration free, and fairly flat, requiring an extra corrective element with only larger camera sensors!
Designed for Imaging with Every Detail
The Apertura CarbonStar 6″ Ritchey-Chretien telescope is packed full of features that put the needs of the astrophotographer front-and-center. From inherently aberration-free optics and an EAF-ready focuser, to a thermally stable and light build, this is a scope designed to sit at the center of your high-performance imaging setup!
Premium Optics
This Apertura RC telescope has 6″ of aperture and a focal ratio of f/9, providing a 1377mm focal length. The 6″ Ritchey-Chretien’s primary and secondary mirrors have been upgraded from BK7 glass to quartz, which gives improved optical performance as the mirrors cool. Quartz has a coefficient of thermal expansion many times lower than BK7 which helps the optics to hold their precision-manufactured shape far better than other substrates. These changes further add to the already amazing performance of this little powerhouse of a telescope!
Linear Bearing, EAF-Ready, Focuser
Providing solid, smooth, focus travel for even the stoutest imaging trains is a linear bearing focuser. While similar to the Crayford-style focuser in appearance, linear focusers utilize many small ball bearings instead of a few bearing surfaces. This provides more points of contact, resulting in a strong yet incredibly smooth focuser. To make connecting modern imaging equipment simple, this focuser features M56 threading that can be adapted to M54, M48, or M42 with the included adapters. It doesn’t stop there however — as this wouldn’t be a true astrophotography dedicated telescope without automatic focus support! Out-of-the-box the CarbonStar RC focuser provides easy mounting points for most all popular bracket-style electronic focusers like the ZWO EAF, making upgrading your focusing system a breeze.
Not Just for Imaging
While the CarbonStar series, and Ritchey-Chretien telescopes, are primarily geared towards imaging, this by no means makes the CarbonStar 6″ RC a one-trick pony! This compound reflector in a carbon fiber OTA is a perfect for a grab-and-go visual scope with a large aperture, dew fighting design, and portable mount friendly weight. In addition to all the imaging upgrades, the linear-bearing focuser still has 2″ accessory compatibility, as well as a 2″ to 1.25″ adapter in the box to allow for all your favorite visual observing gear. Simply add the Apertura 2″ Carbon Diagonal and your favorite eyepiece, like the Apertura Super-Wide Angle 26mm eyepiece (both sold separately) for a great visual experience!
Carbon Fiber Construction
Bringing the excellent optics and focuser together is the CarbonStar 6″ Ritchey-Chretien’s premium construction! Sturdy steel assemblies for the primary, secondary, and focuser are mounted in a carbon fiber tube, providing a rigid, but lightweight, platform for these critical components. Carbon fiber isn’t just a lightweight steel OTA alternative however, it is also more thermally stable! This is owing to a lower coefficient of thermal expansion, allowing you focus more imaging and less on readjusting focus. Apertura has additionally packed this OTA with knife-edge baffles, increasing the optical performance by helping block stray light from reaching the 6″ optics!
Recommended Accessories (Sold Separately)
Interested in squeezing even more performance out of your CarbonStar 6″ RC? Check out Apertura’s ecosystem of dedicated CarbonStar upgrades, such as the Apertura Focuser Tilt Adapter for 6″ and 8″ RC Telescopes that can help you refine this precision instrument even further, and the Apertura M56 Camera Rotator which helps you find your perfect shot! You also have the ability to widen your RC telescope’s field of view with the Apertura 0.67x Ritchey-Chrétien Focal Reducer. This accessory allows you to capture bigger targets in a single frame while simultaneously lowering your f-ratio to f/6. With the Baader 2″ ClickLock you can add a rock-solid way to quickly swap visual connections in the field, or dial in your focus with the ZWO EAF. This scope is compatible with Apertura’s Bright Focus Mask for 6″ to 9.25″ Telescopes, which makes electronically assisted or manual focusing a breeze. With out-of-the-box compatibility for these excellent accessories, upgrading your imaging rig has never been easier!
Comes with the Apertura Absolute Warranty
The Apertura Absolute Warranty provides two years of coverage against product defects. After the initial two-year warranty expires, this product qualifies for Apertura’s Three-Year Accident Replacement Program. In addition, the Apertura Absolute Warranty is transferable! Download a copy of the Apertura Absolute Warranty for more information on this program, how to make a claim, and why it is important to keep your original receipt and the product’s original boxes and packaging!
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