A Premium Schmidt-Cassegrain
The EdgeHD is a flat-field, aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that produces aberration-free images across a wide visual and photographic field. The optical system was designed to reduce more than just off-axis star coma; it also provides an astrographic-quality flat focal plane to the edge of the field of view.
TRUE ASTROGRAPH QUALITY
Many optical designs that call themselves "astrographs" actually only produce pinpoint stars on a curved focal plane. Although this may be acceptable for some visual observations, stars will appear out of focus at the edge when used with a digital camera sensor. EdgeHD optics produce a focal plane three times flatter than a standard Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and significantly flatter than competitive coma-free designs. This guarantees you highly visible stars on the largest CCD sensors available today.
ENHANCED PERFORMANCE
Superior field edge performance not only creates rounder, more pleasing stars, but actually improves resolution and limiting magnitude compared to telescopes of equal aperture. With Celestron's StarBright XLT optical coatings on all surfaces, EdgeHD optics will give you maximum light throughput across the visual and photographic spectrum.
MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Along with the optimized EdgeHD optical design, the telescope has been redesigned to ensure you get the best out of your optics with every sighting.
MIRROR CLUTCHES - Soft tension clutches hold the mirror in place and reduce image lag when taking long exposure astro images. Once focused, the flexible rods help hold the mirror in place without putting force or pressure on the mirror assembly, keeping the image centered in the eyepiece (or on the sensor).
- VENTS TUBE - Cooling vents on the rear cell allow hot air to be released behind the primary mirror. Each vent has an integrated 95 micron micromesh filter guaranteed to let hot air out without leaving dust.
- FASTAR VERSATILITY – The EdgeHD is the most versatile imaging telescope available today. With its native F/10, you can achieve the image scale needed to capture the smallest of deep sky objects. Add the optional reducer designed specifically for the EdgeHD tube and you can increase your field of view without sacrificing optical performance. A Barlow will give you extra power for high resolution planetary, lunar and solar imaging. All EdgeHD optical tubes are Fastar compatible, allowing the secondary mirror to be removed and replaced with a third-party lens accessory for ultra-fast f/2 wide-field imaging.
INDIVIDUALLY TESTED
Each EdgeHD has been tested not only for the surface quality of each optical component, but also with a camera and an artificial star to ensure that the imaging system meets our quality assurance. This “Final Acceptance Test” confirms that the EdgeHD will perform well in the field and provide high quality astronomical images.