Skywatcher Skymax 102T OTA 102 mm Maksutov Cassegrain Telescope

Skywatcher SkyMax Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope MC 102/1300 mm - OTA

The compact Skywatcher Maksutov-Cassegrain is very well suited for daylight observing, nighttime observing and even for photography. The high-resolution, multi-coated optics provide high sharpness and contrast from approximately 30x to 150x.

Astronomy:
Spot finest details on the surface of the Moon, see the famours Cassini Division in the rings of Saturn or resolve close double stars in our Milky Way.

Daytime observation:
But at the same time, the telescope is a light-gathering spotting scope for daytime viewing and animal observation. The long focal length of 1300 mm brings distant objects closer to you. For example, you can exactly identify the plumage of a bird high up in its nest.

Photography:
But also photographers get their money´s worth with the Skymax102T. The telescope has a T2 connector and thus can be converted into a powerful telephoto lens with 1300 mm focal length for your DSLR camera within seconds. You only need the suitable T adapter for your camera mount.

Astrophotographic results obtained with this telescope on Astrobin

Here you can find some astrophotographs made with this telescope model: Link to Astrobin

Multifunctional adapter for easy attaching to photo tripods or mounts:

Attached to its base, the Skymax 102T OTA has a mounting plate with a female 1/4" thread. With this, you can directly connect the telescope to ball heads or pan heads. The EQ5 style plate also fits astronomical mounts or saddle plates

Useful information by Teleskop-Service - the Maksutov-Cassegrain System:

A Maksutov-Cassegrain combines compact design with an image quality that´s close to a classical refractor. Compared with fast refractors of the same aperture, the quality is even better because a Maksutov-Cassegrain has no disturbing chromatic aberration.

The Maksutov-Cassegrain is also an interesting alternative for astronomers and observers who pay attention to a sharp and contrasty image and slso need a short and compact telescope.

A Maksutov is a very good instrument for viewing moon and planets. It will offer good performance when observing star clusters, nebulae and galaxies with a long-focus eyepiece, but it is not a wide-field telescope. Very extended objects like the Pleiades will not be shown in their full dimension.

How a Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope works:
Light passes through the meniscus corrector, is reflected by the spherical primary mirror and is then directed by the spherical secondary mirror to the focal plane behind the primary mirror. The abberations of the spherical mirror system are corrected by the Maksutov lens. This causes a good quality either on the optical axis and also off-axis. A further advantage: The Maksutov corrector keeps the OTA closed and makes it less senstive against tube seeing caused by temperature differences.

The secondary mirror additionaly transforms the main mirror´s focal ratio to the full value of f/10 to f/15 (depending on the individual design) by increasing the effective focal length.

A special advantage, the internal focusing:
The image is focused by moving the primary mirror via a fine thread. This kind of focusing has significant advantages, as a focuser which can flex is not necessary anymore and the focusing range is much larger. Nearly any accessories can be attached to the Maksutov.

Astrophotographic results obtained with this telescope on Astrobin

Here you can find some astrophotographs made with this telescope model: Link to Astrobin

Manual

Link to the manual in English language: BKM90OTA_BKM102OTA_BKM127OTA_en.pdf

Safety informations: PDF Download