ZEROCHROMAT STRIKES GOLD IN GENEVA!
The amazing 80mm Zerochromat spotting scope attracted a huge amount of interest at the Inventions-Geneva exhibition in April 2010, and it was awarded a Gold Medal because of its outstanding performance.
The next steps are to build the production models with a carbon fibre body.
We anticipate these first production models being available
from late Autumn at a special price of only £999, inclusive of VAT. You can
order now, to avoid disappointment. A deposit of £250 secures your
order.
We have been working on an 80mm f6 terrestrial version of the Zerochromat concept, and will be demonstrating a prototype at Inventions Geneva from the 21st to the 25th April this year.
Without the use of expensive and fragile glass types, we have developed an optical system that gives an apochromatic performace, with a Strehl ratio in excess of 0.98. It has a flat field of view that is pin-sharp to the edge of the 2.5 degree field of view. Works well with premium quality zoom eyepieces.
Close focus is approximately 6 metres. With a tough carbon-fibre tube, the weight is only 750g.
In fact the performance is so good that it can be used for astronomy, too. Powers of 20x right up to 160x are usable.
Production version will be available late autumn this year and they will be very competitively priced at under gbp1,000.00 RRP. There are substantial discounts for dealers/distributors, depending on quantity.
We welcome advance orders and further details can be obtained by clicking here.
Cardiff HAlf-metre Newise Telescope (CHANT)
Recently commissioned at Cardiff University, this 20-inch catadioptric Wise-Newtonian on a fully-computerised Paramount German equatorial is shown being used by Hugh Lang, the person responsible for running it. The head of department is Professor Derek Ward-Thompson, an enthusiastic proponent of the Wise-Newtonian telescope design. We hope to have a review of this instrument online soon.
Zerochromat heads west to Arizona
We are happy to announce that we're close to first light on an exciting new development that will see an 8-inch Zerochromat on a fully-computerised Paramount German equatorial mount operating under superb skies near the Arizona Sky Village. You can read more about it by clicking here.
The World's Largest Refractor?
We all know that the Yerkes 40-inch refractor was never a total success, due to the large difference in foci between the blue, green and red wavelengths. It was a tremendous achievement, but 19th Century optics were just not up to the job. The Zerochromat is a different story. It is actually possible to contruct a 50-inch refractor with less than 0.1mm difference between the red, green and blue foci!
With an OG weight of around 32kg, and an estimated telescope weight of 200kg using modern materials, plus a length of 6m, large refractors once again become a real possibility. Amazingly, the spot size on-axis is less than 0.2 arcseconds and less than 0.3 arcseconds at 0.2° diameter off-axis.
What will it cost? We estimate that the telescope tube assembly cost will be in the region of US$1 million — Peter
Horace Dall medal award presentation June 30th, 2007
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At a well attended British Astronomical Association exhibition meeting in the National Science Centre at Leicester on Saturday, June 30th 2007, Peter Wise (pictured right with BAA President Richard Miles) received the Association's prestigious Horace Dall medal. According to the BAA: "The award shall be made to a person, whether or not a member of the Association, who has shown marked ability in the making of astronomical instruments." The exhibition meeting was open to the general public as well as all BAA members. |  |