PlaneWave DeltaRho f/3 Telescope with Cassegrain Focus

PlaneWave DeltaRho f/3 Telescope with Cassegrain Focus

After successfully introducing the DeltaRho 350, the DeltaRho 500 is now available for transcending the challenges of-ultra wide field imaging. With a primary mirror that is fixed in place, collimation is quickly achieved with a simple adjustment to the tip and tilt of the secondary mirror. With more than twice the light-gathering power of the DeltaRho 350, maximizing the performance of your astrograph has never been easier.

From design to manufacture, PlaneWave Instruments goal, with the DeltaRho 500 was centered around creating a revolutionary wide-field telescope. The DeltaRho 500 is a Cassegrain Optical Design with the imaging train at the back of the telescope to prevent obstruction of the instrument. This offers a real advantage against prime focus designs, which can severely limit users´ ability to operate with filter wheels or large cameras. The DeltaRho 500 operates at f/3 and 1537 mm focal length, which brings the next level of astrophotography with large sensors and without the limitations of prime focus devices.

Last, but not least, the DeltaRho 500 provides a perfectly flat field, which ensures stunning clarity from corner-to-corner images without field curvature degradation. With decades of telescope design experience, the DeltaRho 500 offers the simplicity of single-mirror collimation, stray light control of advanced 3D printed baffles, and structural performance created through finite element analysis (FEA). DeltaRho 500 users can experience pinpoint stars edge-to-edge and a 2-degree field of view when using large 16803/4040 (52 mm) size camera sensors. This field of view is over twice as large as the CDK 20!

Other features:

3D Printed Baffles

PlaneWave´s digital 3D printing technology adds successive layers of material to their baffle systems for lightweight, precision-positioned internal stray light control to minimize vignetting and maximize image contrast.

Collimation software

Along with the included collimation mask, PlaneWave Collimation software allows for quick and easy collimation necessary to maximize the performance of a fast f-ratio optical system.

Delta-T ready

For added dew prevention, the DR500 is internally wired with polyimide film heater pads and a temperature sensor, which is ready to be controlled with the Delta-T via PWI 3 software.

Carbon fiber truss poles and shroud

Carbon fiber is extremely lightweight and helps prevent thermal expansion that can distort an imaging system. This adds up to an extremely stable optical tube for an unsurpassed imaging experience.

To compensate for the different thermal expansion between carbon fiber and aluminum, a dovetail bar expansion joint was inserted. The expansion joint allows the dovetail bar to adapt to the temperature without exerting pressure on the carbon fiber tube.

Fused silica

Fused Silica is a silica glass of the highest purity and one of the most transparent glasses made. The optical and thermal properties of fused silica are superior to other types of glass due to its purity. Its transmission and homogeneity exceed those of crystalline quartz without the problems of temperature instability inherent in the crystalline form. Fused Silica has a coefficient of thermal expansion six times lower than Borosilicate (Pyrex) glass, which means that as fused silica cools down, it preserves its shape to a high degree of accuracy. This translates into consistent optical performance and unchanging focus over temperature changes. With its high melting temperature (~ 1600 degrees Celsius), a very low coefficient of thermal expansion and resistance to thermal shock, fused silica is the material of choice for professional observatories as well as various scientific applications.

Cooling fans

Three Cooling fans have been strategically placed on the backplate and side of the Delta Rho optical tube in order to quickly cool the mirrors to ambient temperatures. Mirrors that are equilibrated to the ambient temperature help the telescope produce the highest quality astroimages possible, due to the reduced number of tubes alone. The fans are controlled by a computer if the optional Electronic Focus Accessory (EFA Kit) is purchased.

Downloads

The manufacturer provides instructions, drawings and software for many of its products. The files can be accessed centrally from his download page.

Safety informations: PDF Download