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Telescopes

We utilise multiple telescopes in our club. Here are a few interesting ones that we use.

Meade 12" Lightbridge

  • Dobsonian Telescope
  • Focal Length, \(f = 1524\) mm
  • f-Ratio \(= \frac{f}{5.0}\)
  • Aperture, \(a = 304\) mm

The glorious Lightbridge is a large 2 part Dobsonian telescope, connected by truss struts and attached to a turntable base with a friction lock clamp. As the scope with the greatest aperture in our arsenal, the Lightbridge is suited to providing the brightest images of DSOs.

Things to Note

  • The mount's friction lock requires a lot of strength to tighten, and must be tightened properly to ensure that the Lightbridge does not sag when pointing at an object low in the sky.
  • Prolonged use of the Lightbridge may result in back and neck pain. Please do rest and stretch often while using the Lightbridge.
  • The packing styrofoam has been marked to show the correct direction of placement.

Vixen VMC200L

  • Maksutov-Cassegrain
  • Focal length, \(f = 1950\) mm
  • f-Ratio \(= \frac{f}{9.75}\)
  • Aperture, \(a = 200\) mm

The Vixen is a 8" catadioptric that provides both crisp and clear images as well as a good amount of aperture. The finder scope that comes with the Vixen may be a tad bit harder to align to the main scope than the others, try unscrewing all the screws holding the finder in place, and adjust it before screwing it into position.

Things to Note

  • The Vixen is much heavier than the C5, so take extra care when balancing with weights.
  • Requires at least 3 weights.
  • Do NOT tighten the silver screw if using the CG4 mount.
  • Keep a firm hold on the finder scope when unscrewing its screws.
  • When packing up, do place the finder scope into the box before the Vixen itself.

Bresser AR102s

  • Refractor
  • Focal length, \(f = 460\) mm
  • f-Ratio \(= \frac{f}{4.5}\)
  • Aperture, \(a = 102\) mm

The Bresser is the most portable, and overall user-friendly scope that we have. With a mount that takes literally 10 seconds to setup, and an Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) that slides right into place, you have to try and screw it up. It does suffer from a relatively low aperture and focal length, but is great for looking at bright DSOs and planets.

Thing to Note

  • May suffer from chromatic aberration.
  • Has its own special "Bresser Mount".

  • The Bresser mount can only be used to mount the Celestron William Optics, a more atas refractor that unfortunately sags under its own weight.

  • What do you call meteorites that miss Earth?

  • MeteoWRONGS!