SEE THE UNIVERSE IN HD
Introducing Celestron's New Aplanatic Schmidt Telescope Design!
- Visibly Sharper Images
- Superior Performance
- Enhanced Mechanical Features
- Fastar® Compatible
EdgeHD is an aplanatic Schmidt telescope designed to produce aberration-free images across a wide visual and photographic field of view. The optical system was designed to reduce more than just off-axis star coma, but also to give an astrograph quality flat focal plane all the way to the edge of the field of view.
True Astrograph Quality
Many optical designs that advertise themselves as "astrograph" quality actually only produce pinpoint stars across a curved focal plane. While this may be acceptable for visual observing, stars will appear out of focus at the edge when used with a flat chip sensor of a digital camera. EdgeHD optics produce a focal plane more than three-times flatter than a standard Schmidt Cassegrain telescope and dramatically flatter than other competing coma-free designs. This guarantees you visibly sharp stars across some of the largest CCD chips available today.
Improved Performance
Superior edge performance not only creates rounder, more pleasing stars but actually improves the resolution and limiting magnitude when compared to telescopes of equal aperture. Starbright XLT® Coatings coupled with Celestron's StarBright XLT coating group on every surface, EdgeHD optics gives you maximum light throughput across the widest visual and photographic spectrum.
Mechanical Features
In addition to Celestron’s new optimized optical design, the EdgeHD tube has been redesigned to make sure you get the most from your optics each and every night.
Mirror Clutches - Flexible tension clutches hold the mirror in place and reduce image shift when rotating the tube around the mount. The flexible rods allow the mirror to be held in place without putting any force or pressure on the mirror assembly, keeping the image centered in the eyepiece (or chip).
Tube Vents - Cooling vents located on the rear cell allow hot air to be released from behind the primary mirror. Each vent has an integrated 60 micron micro-mesh filter guaranteed to let warm air out without letting dust in.
Fastar Versatility - The EdgeHD is the most versatile imaging scope available today. At its native f/10 you can achieve the image scale necessary to capture the smallest of deep sky objects. With the optional reducer lens (coming soon) you can increase your field of view without sacrificing optical performance. A barlow gives you the added power for high resolution planetary, lunar and solar imaging. And of course all EdgeHD optical tubes are Fastar® compatible for ultra fast f/2 wide field imaging. Each tube has been fitted with a removable secondary mirror and are opto-mechanically aligned on a laser bench to ensure they are axially symmetric in any configuration.
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Have owned many SCTs ranging from 5 to 14. Several have been of very high quality, but even on these scopes, I became increasinly aware of the shortcomings in off axis performance as compared to most refractors.
The EdgeHD changes that.
The 8 EdgeHD that I received was surprisinly beautiful. Picutures don't do justice to the paint, which is actually more of a metalflake finish than a pearl finish. The paint on my sample was beautifully applied as well. It looked more like a custom automotive finish than a typical telescope finish. I am impressed. It is simply far more handsome in person than pictures can convery.
In my initial tests, the edge of field performance is vastly improved as compared to standard designs. Even using wide field eyepieces, stars remain fairly sharp right to the edge of the field.
I have learned star testing by doing a lot of reading and testing a lot of telescopes. The 8 EdgeHD that I received had the best star test I have ever seen in a commercial SCT, being on par with some expensive European catadioptric scopes I have owned.
I have not had a chance to do prolonged testing, and my exposure has only been under less than great seeing, but my initial impression is that after searcing long and hard for the Perfect SCT, I believe I have found it. |
