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APM Professional Telescopes

1m F/8 Ritchey Chrétien with dual Nasmyth Foci, Cape Town (South Africa)

Another large telescope for the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). An 1m F/8 Alt-Az mounted Ritchey Chrétien for robotic use. It has dual Nasmyth Foci. The main telescopes used for research are located at the SAAO observing station (32°22.795’S 20°48,657’E) near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, a 4-hour drive from Cape Town.

Astronomy is our job

Observatory Telescopes

Big prime focus telescopes for private or public observatories including installation and full service.

Robotic / Remote

Robotic instruments for automatic imaging or telescopes for remote observation.

ASA Telescopes

ASA600 with DDM200

ASA600 OTA is the perfect fit for the ASA direct drive mounts with absolute encoders. As all ASA telescopes the ASA600 is equipped with quartz glass optics from ASA.

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SBIG Filterwheels

Still too few filter slots for you? The highlight of the AFW: With a special dual filter wheel adapter, you can couple 2 (identical) filter wheels. This provides a total of 22 free filter slots for the AWF-12 and 18 for the AFW-10.

SBIG AFW Filter Wheels

SBIG AO-X Adaptive Optics

The next-generation of adaptive optics for our SBIG large-format cameras. Requires a SBIG StarChaser SC-4 Off-Axis Guider Camera (or an older self-guiding system).

Download Product Data Sheet

The SBIG AO-X is a large aperture AO designed to be compatible with all large format SBIG cameras. It requires an off-axis guide camera behind the AO; typically the SBIG StarChaser SC-4 is used.

The AO-X is compatible with the Aluma AC4040, Aluma AC2020, and Aluma AC455 cameras, when used with a StarChaser SC-4.

AO-X is also compatible with older STX-16803, STXL-16200, STXL-11000, and STXL-6303 cameras. Guiding can be performed via a StarChaser SC-4, or through older guide systems including STX Guider, FW8G-STXL self-guided filter wheels, the built-in guide sensor on some STX cameras, or a Remote Guide Head with an off-axis guider behind the AO-X.

Note: When using with StarChaser with AO, you will need a StarChaser to AO-X/AO-8T Adapter Cable.

Accessories

Aluma AC, STX, and STXL cameras have a standard mounting bolt pattern (four 6-32 threaded holes on a 4″ diameter). We have a variety of bolt-on adapters available for different telescope interfaces.

Optionen: Aluma AC Adapter Plate

STX 3.5" OD 3x24 threaded
2" eyepiece style
3" eye style

	Power: Supplied through Camera’s I2C Port
	OS Compatibility: Windows 7, 8, 10 x86/x64. Contact us for Linux support.
	Computer Interface: I2C
	Dimensions: 6 x 7 x 1.2 in.
	Weight: 2.2 lbs (1 kg)

User’s Manual

Installation and operation instructions for your AO-X adaptive optics unit.

Download

AO Results

The images below are actual star images showing the effect of image wander corrected at 1 Hz and 10 Hz:

ao mov 1hz ao mov 10hz

1 Hz Corrections 10 Hz Corrections

And the resulting size of the star image in a long exposure:

aox 1hz corrected 250x250 aox 10hz corrected 250x250

1 Hz Corrections 10 Hz Corrections

Other data gathered by Brad Wallis of JPL (Brad Wallis and Benoit Schillings developed the prototype for the original AO-7) show the the effect of rapid corrections on poor seeing. At 1 Hz the larger, slower component is reduced, but the amplitude of the jitter remains about the same:

rowY Data

However, at a 5Hz correction rate, the faster jitter is reduced:

RawY Data1

And at a 10 Hz correction rate, significant improvement is seen:

RawY Data2

The improvement in stellar profiles can also be seen at corrections above 1 Hz. First by looking at the non-AO guided image:

psd

And comparing the non-AO guided image to the AO guided image there is again significant improvement in the FWHM of the star profile:

psd1

elescope mounts cannot correct faster than about once per second. The 10Hz rate of the AO-X will clearly result in improved resolution under the right conditions.

APM Professional Telescopes

1m F/8 Ritchey Chrétien with dual Nasmyth Foci, Cape Town (South Africa)

Another large telescope for the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). An 1m F/8 Alt-Az mounted Ritchey Chrétien for robotic use. It has dual Nasmyth Foci. The main telescopes used for research are located at the SAAO observing station (32°22.795’S 20°48,657’E) near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, a 4-hour drive from Cape Town.