6-INCH TRUSS TUBE TELESCOPE
by Stargazer Steve
A Six-inch f/5 Telescope offers the greatest performance available in a small package, whether the objects of interest are star clusters, nebulae and galaxies, or the moon, sun, and planets. Never is this more true than in the case of this Truss-Tube Telescope, which combines extreme portability with the classic performance of a 6 six-inch scope , elegance, and exceptional structural and dynamic stability.
This modest-sized scope has the rock-solid feel of a large truss-tube scope and moves with exceptional smoothness on its Teflon bearings. Like all six-inch scopes it gathers 900 times the light that your unaided eye can.
Truss-tube designs also allow the quickest possible cooling of the optics and “tube air” to the ambient evening temperature, which provides steady detailed images more quickly. (Some solid-tube scopes take two hours or more to cool down and overcome heat-blurring of the images. When the optics are cool, “tube shroud” can be quickly put in place if stray light, dew, and field dust are concerns .
This is the first available 6-inch Truss Tube Telescope. The reason is a conventional Dobsonian mount would put the eyepiece of such a short-tubed telescope much too low for comfort. The ultra-low profile mount of the Stargazer Steve 6-inch Truss Tube Telescope integrates into the top of a widely-triangulated tripod of extreme strength and stability. This places the eyepiece within a very convenient height range (48 inches to 55 inches).
For all its lightweight-looking appearance, this is an extremely strong, steady, and smooth-moving scope.
The design is based on 6- tube folding Trusses, two of them. Instead of the 8 separate tubes in a standard truss, there are two unified structures of 6 short tubes, for a total of 12 in two orderly bundles.
For overseas travel the three Bearing Arcs and trusses can be removed and the to reduce the scope to small, easily packed pieces.
Only a standard Phillips screwdriver and a 7/16″ wrench (or small vice grips) are needed to do this.
A Video Manual explains how to assemble/disassemble and adjust the scope. However, this is not a Kit because I fully assemble and varnish these hand-crafted scopes before shipping.
The Six-inch Telescope comes with an 8 x 50 Optical Finder, a Wide-Field eyepiece of advanced design, a sturdy tripod, and a shroud. The Mount and Tripod Head can also be used on a “table-top“ basis.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Aperture: 6 inches = 152 mm
Focal Length: 30 inches = 762 mm (f/5)
Eyepiece Height: Minimum 48 inches; Maximum 55 inches
Shipping Weight: 29 lbs
Weight in Service: 24 lbs (Scope: 13.5 lbs, Mount + Tripod: 10.5 lbs)
Shipping Container Dimensions: 7 inches x 18 inches x 28 inches
Tube Length: 33″
Truss Length: Upper Truss approx. 8 inches; Lower Truss approx. 7.5 inches
Focuser: 2-inch machined aluminum “virtual helix” with 1 1/4-inch adapter
(This is a very solid and smoothly machined innovative component)
Standard Eyepiece: Speers Waler 31.5 mm 90 Degree Apparent Field Eyepiece
Giving a 4.0 degree True Field at 24 x.
Performance with optional 6 mm Plossl (High Power) Eyepiece:
127 Power, 0.39 degree field (3/4 of the full Moon)
Maximum magnification likely to provide additional detail on nights of rare atmospheric steadiness: 200 to 300 power according to conditions and observer experience.
Maximum Magnification on a night of Average Steadiness (Avg. “Seeing) 180 x
NOTE ON AVAILABILITY and DELIVERY TIME
These instruments are not “Stock Piled“ and do not originate from an Overseas Manufacturer. They are not made in Batches. Each Scope is individually made by Stargazer Steve in Sudbury Ontario, and the hand-crafting of many of the specially-designed components is very time-consuming. Time-line predictions or estimates are not possible.
Requests will be fulfilled in the order they are received. Please email (at stargazer@isys.ca) No deposit is needed. Payment is made when the Telescope is nearly ready for shipping.
NOTE ON OPTICAL EXCELLENCE:
The optical quality of all our instruments is above average.
Many manufacturers like to quote “wave figures” (1/8th wave or 1/10th wave etc) for their optics. However these statements can be misleading. The only reliable, accurate, and truthful way to provide these wave figures is to place the entire optical system in the light path of a large Optical Interferometer . This generally involves considerable expense of capital and time, and no manufacturer is providing this service for telescopes selling for under $5000.00 US.
In the absence of a full-system interferogram, our ethics prompt us to simply state that our telescopes offer above average performance for the price and are diffraction-limited. In addition our reputation for quality is based on a our decade-long history of providing high quality components and standing behind them and correcting any problems if they become apparent. I am personally accessible by phone or email. How many Telescope Designer/Manufacturers can truthfully say that?
FOR PHOTOS AND PRICES: Please see stargazersteve.com. Please email Steve for availability and an exact quote including shipping and any applicable taxes at stargazer@isys.ca. The Price before shipping and any applicable taxes is $895.00 US