REFRACTORS

General information and tips

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 Contents
Refractor designs............................................................................................ 3
Imaging quality................................................................................................ 4
Checking the optics with a Ronchi eyepiece.................................................. 5
Collimating/adjusting a refractor..................................................................... 7
Storage and transport..................................................................................... 8
Maintenance and cleaning.............................................................................. 8
Highest and lowest useful magnification........................................................ 9
Observing with the telescope........................................................................ 10

WARNING!

Never look at the sun with a telescope or Also, please do not use the telescope for
any other optical device. Permanent and solar projection. The heat generated inside
irreversible damage would be done to may destroy the telescope/eyepiece.
your eyes, which could lead to blindness. Never leave the telescope unattended,
For solar observation, there are special especially when children are around. They
solar filters that are mounted in front of could endanger themselves and others
the front lens of the telescope. Please also through lack of knowledge.
consider the small finder scope, which Only use the telescope for the type of ob-
must also be covered or equipped with a servation described in these instructions.
solar filter.
Do not use eyepiece solar filters, as they
may crack and cause you to lose your
eyesight.

Correctors, reducers or extenders

when observing the sun with a Herschel wedge

If you want to use a Herschel wedge If you own a refractor with an internal, i.e.
on your refractor, you must remove any permanently installed corrector, it may
corrector, reducer or extender that may only be used together with an objective
be present between the telescope and the solar filter for solar observation.
Herschel wedge, otherwise the optical ele-
ments could be irreparably damaged.

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Refractor designs

A distinction is made between achromats, ED To minimize these errors, special types of

apochromats and apochromats. The designa- glass are used and/or systems of three or
tions refer to the construction of the objective (rarely) more lenses are constructed.
of the refractor. Between the simple achromats and the
The achromat consists of two lenses, bet- complex apochromats with very low chro-
ween which there is typically an air gap matic aberration, there are the so-called ED
(Fraunhofer design). Because of its simple apochromats, semi-apochromats or half-apo-
construction, an achromat is inexpensive and chromats, which, thanks to special types of
has the advantage of adapting quickly to the glass, achieve a better imaging quality even
ambient temperature due to the small amount with a two-lens objective.
of glass. The color error correction is not on the level
With achromatic refractors, especially those of apochromats, but it is much better compa-
with a short focal length in relation to the red to achromats.
objective diameter, a color fringe becomes Apochromatic refractors reduce the chroma-
visible on object contours with bright objects tic aberration to a very significant level, often
(= strong contrasts), which can be disturbing. below the perceptibility limit. This is achieved
Every optical lens exhibits color errors to a by using special glass and a setup of three or
greater or lesser extent. These occur be- more lenses.
cause different wavelengths are refracted to
different degrees. In practical observation,
this leads to more or less pronounced color
fringes, depending on the type of glass and
number of lenses.

Achromatic Refractor

Apochromatic Refractor

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Imaging quality

Like every optical system, the objective (lens A simple check is the so-called star test.
system) of a refractor must be correctly In this test, the diffraction pattern just outside
adjusted to achieve the best possible perfor- the focus is compared with the diffraction
mance (imaging quality). pattern just inside the focus (intra- and ext-
It is essential to know the properties of the rafocal) at high magnification.
respective telescope in order to be able to A perfectly adjusted refractor shows an (ap-
judge whether the image still corresponds to proximately) identical and error-free diffrac-
the technical possibilities or whether an aber- tion pattern in both positions.
ration is already present.

Examples
The sample images were taken on an
optical bench. An artificial star was used.

When adjusting on the natural star,

the image is affected by seeing.

Typical error patterns

Zone error Coma

Spherical aberration Astigmatism

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Checking the optics with a Ronchi eyepiece

The Ronchi test also checks the image out-

side the focus.
The resulting fringe pattern is undistorted in
a perfect objective and has sharply defined
light-dark transitions.
Practically every objective will show more or
less pronounced deviations. The type and
strength of these deviations from the ideal
representation indicate the type and strength
of an existing defect.

Typical error patterns

A large number of optical errors can be de- The illustration on the next page shows the
tected by means of the Ronchi test. most important/most frequent errors.

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Ronchi test: typical error patterns

intrafocal extrafocal
Perfect optics
Intra- and extrafocal image are identical; no deviations
from the ideal image are visible.

Spherical overcorrection
The focal point changes with the distance to the optical axis.
Diffraction rings become visible, the contrast decreases.

Spherical undercorrection
Like spherical overcorrection; only different error direction.

Lowered edge
Effect similar to spherical overcorrection. Error is particularly
troublesome with bright objects. A ring diaphragm can reduce the
disturbing influence.

Central elevation
Because of the small area fraction, the effects are less severe
than for other errors. For reflecting telescopes with central
obstruction, the error has little to no effect.

Central lowering
Like central elevation, only different error direction.

Astigmatism
There is no clearly defined focal point, but an elliptical distortion
of circular light sources. The axes of the ellipses in front of and
behind the focus are twisted together by 90 °.

Zone error
Annular deviation from the ideal shape. A more or less pronounced
zone error almost always occurs during production.

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Collimating/adjusting a refractor

With the TSCOLLIT adjustment telescope If you cannot get a correct image of the rings
you can collimate a refractor. Note that not all in any position, most likely at least one lens
refractors have an adjustment mechanism. within the objective is out of alignment.
In this case you should ask the supplier or
manufacturer of the telescope for help, be-
cause adjusting lens systems requires special
tools and a lot of experience.
Since the test is very sensitive, overlapping of
the rings is sufficient to achieve good imaging
quality. The more precisely the rings lie inside
each other, the better the image quality.

Procedure
Close the objective with the dust cap and
attach the adjustment telescope to the focu-
ser, connect a power supply for the illumi-
nation and adjust the brightness so that the
reflections on the individual lens surfaces are
clearly visible.
de-aligned refractor sufficient
Each glass surface of a lens group facing adjusted refractor
the eyepiece generates a reflection. When
looking into the eyepiece, these reflections
If the objective of your refractor is adjustab-
can be seen as rings. In a perfectly adjusted
le via pull/push screws, you can determine
objective, all rings are concentric.
which adjustment screw must be adjusted to
If the objective is not correctly adjusted, you eliminate the error by moving the adjustment
should first check whether the position of the eyepiece sideways.
entire objective assembly needs to be adjus-
Be careful not to apply pressure to the lens
ted or whether the individual lenses within
system. If an adjustment screw needs to be
the objective are out of alignment with each
tightened more, the other screws may need
other.
to be loosened slightly.
To do this, detach the adjustment telescope
from the focuser and move it a few millime-
ters perpendicular to the optical axis in front
of the focuser in different directions (hori-
zontal, vertical and diagonal) as shown in the
diagram below. If you find a position where all
rings are imaged concentrically, the objective
assembly must be adjusted as a whole. If you
find a position where all rings are concentri-
cally imaged, the lens assembly as a whole
must be adjusted.

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Storage and transport

For storage, the dust cap should be placed When storing or packing the refractor, be sure
on the objective and the focuser retracted to protect the knurled knobs of the focuser
completely to prevent the buildup of dirt and from shock and pressure.
dust on the optics and moving parts.

Maintenance and cleaning

If the telescope needs to be cleaned, it • To remove fingerprints, pollen or dust that

should always be done with extreme care and cannot be removed with a bellows, you may
the proper cleaning materials. ONLY use special cleaning agents, such as
Some important rules: so-called „Lenspens“ (for eyepieces) or spe-
cial microfiber cloths (for telescope optics).
• Clean the telescope as infrequently as However, since this type of cleaning cannot
possible. After too frequent cleaning, the ima- be done without contact, it should be done as
ging quality of the telescope will increasingly infrequently as possible.
suffer. Some dust or similar minor dirt on the
optics does not negatively affect the imaging • If you do not feel confident to clean the op-
quality. Only when the optics are really heavi- tics, you can contact our customer service.
ly soiled should they be cleaned. It is recom-
mended not to clean a telescope more often
than once a year.
• The only exception to this rule: finger-
prints and pollen from flowers can attack the
coating of the mirror or lens. In this case, the
optics should be cleaned.
• Store the telescope only with the dust co-
vers attached. This is the best way to prevent
dust from accumulating on the optics.
• It is best to remove dust on the optics wit-
hout touching it using a bellows (available in
our online store).

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Useful magnifications and calculation formulas

The magnification in a telescope is calculated With a 2x Barlow lens, the magnification dou-
by dividing the focal length of the telescope bles, in the example to 112x.
by the focal length of the eyepiece. Examples for a telescope with 700 mm
Example: Focal length (eyepiece focal length/magnifica-
Telescope focal length 700 mm tion/magnification with 2x Barlow lens):
Eyepiece focal length 12.5 mm 20 mm 35 x 70 x
700/12.5 = 56x magnification 12.5 mm 56 x 112 x
This means that the smaller the eyepiece 4 mm 175 x 350 x
focal length, the higher the magnification.

Highest and lowest useful magnification

Theoretically, almost any magnification is Depending on the night of observation, the air
possible with a telescope if you use the right may be calmer or less calm. The highest use-
eyepieces. As you can see in the table above, ful magnification can only be achieved when
in the example with the 4 mm eyepiece and a the air is as calm as possible.
2x Barlow lens even a magnification of 350x The lowest useful magnification is limited by
can be achieved. With even smaller eyepiece the so-called exit pupil (EP). The exit pupil is
focal lengths and stronger Barlow lenses (e.g. the diameter of the light beam that is directed
3x, 5x) this could be increased almost arbitra- from the eyepiece into your eye.
rily. However, the useful magnification range
is limited by the laws of optics. Here’s how to calculate the exit pupil:
For the highest useful magnification, the rule Aperture of the telescope / Magnification
of thumb is that you should choose a maxi- = diameter of the exit pupil
mum magnification of twice the diameter of If the exit pupil is larger than the pupil of your
the optics. eye, light is lost and the image becomes dar-
For example, if the telescope has an diameter ker. It is believed that the human pupil dilates
of 76 mm, the highest magnification should to a maximum diameter of 5-7 mm in comple-
the highest magnification should not be more te darkness. Therefore, avoid magnifications
than 76 x 2 = 152x. If you go beyond this that result in an exit pupil that is too large.
range, the image will become dark and the Examples (aperture of the telescope and
sharpness will decrease, so you will see less lowest reaonable magnification):
detail despite the higher magnification.
60 mm 8,5–12x
Magnification is also often limited by what is 70 mm 10–14x
called „seeing“ (air turbulence in the Earth’s 76 mm 11–15x
atmosphere).

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Observing with the telescope

1. Always set up the telescope outdoors. It is 5. During observation, moisture (dew) may
best to place the telescope outdoors about condense on the optics. If this happens, DO
30 minutes before observing so that the NOT clean the optics with a cloth as this will
optics can adjust to the ambient temperature. damage the optical surfaces. Instead, you
Observing from inside a building through should warm the optics slightly, e.g. with a
a window (whether open or closed) is not hair dryer or with optionally available ex-
recommended, as the image quality deterio- change heaters. Slight heating is completely
rates significantly due to air exchange. sufficient! The optical elements must not
2. Choose a location for observation that is as become hot under any circumstances!
dark as possible. This is especially important 6. If you bring the telescope back into a
if you want to observe faint objects such as closed room after observing, dew can form
star clusters, gas nebulae, or even galaxies. on the surface due to the difference in
Spend some time in the dark before obser- temperature and humidity. Short-term dew
ving to give your eyes a chance to adjust to condensation is not a problem. However, the
the dark. Avoid looking directly into bright telescope should not be stored in a damp
light, as this will undo the dark adaptation. condition. Leave it open (without the dust co-
Use a red light lamp that is not too bright for ver) for about 1 hour until the optics have ad-
orientation at night. justed to the room temperature again and the
3. Remove the dust caps from the telescope moisture has disappeared. Only then should
before observing. On some telescopes the you place the dust covers on the telescope
cap is in two parts. Remove the entire cap, aperture and the focuser.
not just the inner part.
4. Always use the eyepiece with the lowest
magnification first. Once you have centered
the observation object in the telescope, you
can slowly increase the magnification.

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