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About this product
Model: askar_185_apo
Part Number: 185APO
Askar 185 APO
The Askar 185APO is an OTA with a 185mm aperture,1295mm focal length, and f/7 native focal ratio.
The fully multicoated, air-spaced triplet optics with an ED glass lens deliver high contrast and minimal chromatic aberration.
The large 185mm aperture gives the telescope an inherent advantage over smaller apertures in light-gathering power, resolution, brightness, and contrast. It enables the astronomer or astrophotographer to gather more light and capture more detail. The limiting magnitude can reach an impressive 13.1.
ED glass, also known as low-dispersion glass, is an optical glass specifically designed to reduce chromatic aberration.
As a large aperture, long focal ratio telescope, the Askar 185APO was designed with portability in mind. Due to the retractable dew shield design, the shortest overall length is only 1081mm, the net weight is 14.9kg, and the gross weight is 17.2kg (including the handle, tube ring, and dovetail plate).
Each Askar 185APO is equipped with a unique name ring for identification.
The retractable design of the dew shield, along with the enlarged locking screws, provides convenient usage.
The Askar 185APO has an integrated design for the tube rings, with an overall weight of just 2.3 kg. The thumb screws enable easy opening and locking of the tube rings. Meanwhile, the base of the tube rings is heightened, providing more clearance. In addition, it has an extended 400mm handle with a special slot design, making it suitable for installing a finder/guide scope.
The Askar 185APO is equipped with a Losmandy-style dovetail plate for maximum rigidity. The length of the dovetail plate has been extended to 400mm, which is more convenient when balancing the telescope on a mount.
It is worth mentioning that the rear lens tube of the Askar 185APO has an integrated retractable design. Askar have strengthened the overall stability to ensure that the optical axis will not be affected when the lens tube is extended, thus guaranteeing the quality of the image. The retractable part also features a rudder-type locking ring, making it easy to loosen or tighten.
When the lens tube is contracted, the Askar 185APO can be used with a binoviewer for visual observation. When the lens tube is extended, the 185APO can be connected with a specific 0.8x reducer or 1.0x flattener for imaging or a diagonal and eyepiece for visual observation.
Supplied with a sturdy aluminium case for transport and storage.
The Askar 185APO has a dual-speed rack and pinion 3.5-inch rigid focuser, compatible with most motorised focusers. There is a high-precision scale printed on the 100m travel drawtube. The entire focuser barrel is CNC machined with an anti-reflective internal design and matt paint, providing extra measures to eliminate stray light.
The focuser has two finder bases, which eliminates the need for disassembling when changing the position of the finder scope and provides additional mounting positions for other astronomical accessories.
The rear of the focuser features a 360° high-precision big rotator, along with precise scales for convenient adjustment and saving of rotation angles, enabling precise rotation. It is also equipped with an enlarged rotator locking screw that can be easily secured even under high loads.
Regarding visual observation, the focuser interface at the rear comes with a 1.25"/2" adapter, so the 185APO can easily achieve focus when connected to 1.25" or 2" diagonals or various eyepieces. The retractable lens tube design makes it easy to use with a binoviewer.
The Askar 185APO has two optional accessories: a 1x flattener and a 0.8x reducer. Both accessories have a built-in 2" filter thread for direct filter mounting and are equipped with M68/M54/M48 adapters for easy connection.
The 1x flattener does not change the telescope's focal ratio. After connecting to the Askar 185APO, it maintains the focal ratio of f/7. The flattener corrects field curvature and coma, resulting in flatter field edges and finer star points.
The 0.8x reducer can bring the Askar 185APO's focal ratio down to f/5.6. This is a standard reducer with field flattening capabilities as well. A shorter focal ratio allows the OTA to have a wider field of view and faster exposure times, making it suitable for capturing large areas of nebulae, star clusters, and faint, fast-moving celestial objects.
The diagram below shows hole spacings on top of tube-ring for third-party dovetail attachments (instead of the included guide rail/handle).
Specifications
| Aperture size | 185mm |
| Focal length | 1295mm |
| Focal ratio | f/7 |
| Objective lens | Triplet air-spaced APO (including one ED glass) |
| Total length | 1081mm(when the dew shield is contracted)
1222mm(when the dew shield is stretched) |
| The length of the rear retractable lens tube | 95mm |
| OTA weight | 14.9kg |
| Gross weight（including tube ring and dovetail plate） | 17.2kg |
| Rear-end thread type | 2"/1.25" visual adapters |
| Standard package items | 185APO OTA, a pair of tube rings, a handle, an Askar 400mm Losmandy standard Dovetail, an Oxford cloth Case and Manual |
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