PlaneWave 1-Meter CDK Telescope

Starting at $600,000

The CDK1000 Observatory System from PlaneWave Instruments is crafted for elite astronomers and astrophotographers who demand the best.

This premium setup combines the massive 1-meter CDK1000 optical tube with a state-of-the-art direct drive mount, creating a powerful platform that excels in sophisticated astronomical research and advanced astrophotography.

PlaneWave 1-Meter CDK Telescope

Starting at $600,000

The CDK1000 Observatory System from PlaneWave Instruments is crafted for elite astronomers and astrophotographers who demand the best.

This premium setup combines the massive 1-meter CDK1000 optical tube with a state-of-the-art direct drive mount, creating a powerful platform that excels in sophisticated astronomical research and advanced astrophotography.

CDK1000 OPTICAL TUBE ASSEMBLY

  • Aperture and Focal Length: Boasts a 1-meter aperture and a 6000 mm focal length at an f/6 ratio, optimized for exceptional depth and clarity in deep-sky imaging.
  • Advanced Optical Design: Features a Corrected Dall-Kirkham optical design, free of off-axis coma, astigmatism, and field curvature, delivering a perfectly flat field across a 100 mm image circle, ensuring critically sharp images throughout the entire viewing area.
  • High-Quality Construction: Constructed with lightweight yet robust materials, including zero-expansion fused silica for the mirrors, ensuring minimal thermal expansion and optimal thermal equilibration, which maintains precise optical alignment under fluctuating temperatures.
  • Superior Mirrors and Coatings: Equipped with high-stability fused silica mirrors paired with high-performance coatings that maximize light throughput while minimizing stray light, enhancing imaging quality under a variety of conditions.
  • Integrated Dual Nasmyth Focus Ports: Supports heavy instrumentation with over 300 lbs capacity on each focus port, facilitated by a controllable tertiary mirror that allows quick switching between instruments or cameras.


INTEGRATED DIRECT DRIVE MOUNT

  • High-Performance Direct Drive System: Utilizes advanced direct-drive motors, ensuring smooth, fast, and silent movement of the telescope with zero backlash and zero periodic error, perfect for precise tracking and swift repositioning of celestial objects.
  • High-Resolution Encoders: Features absolute encoders on each axis, providing exceptional precision in movement and positioning, crucial for top-tier astrophotography and detailed astronomical research.
  • Innovative Alt/Az Design: Offers a compact and inherently stable alt-azimuth design with no cantilevered mass, reducing overall system weight and cost, and increasing ease of use compared to traditional equatorial mounts.
  • Rapid Target Acquisition: Achieves impressive slew speeds up to 50 degrees per second, enabling quick and efficient targeting of celestial bodies and satellites, essential for dynamic observations and responsive astrophotography.


ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

The CDK1000 stands out as a formidable system for astrophotographers, with unmatched tracking accuracy and image stability that facilitate capturing spectacular celestial images with intricate details and vibrant colors.

ASTRONOMY RESEARCH

Researchers will value the CDK1000 for its consistent performance and precision, serving as a robust platform for advanced photometry, spectroscopy, and comprehensive celestial studies, providing a solid foundation for significant scientific discoveries.

VISUAL OBSERVATIONS

For those passionate about visual astronomy, the CDK1000 offers vibrant and detailed views of the universe. Its substantial aperture and high-quality optical components ensure exceptional viewing experiences of planetary, lunar, and deep-sky objects, enriching every observational session.

SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS (SSA) AND SPACE DOMAIN AWARENESS (SDA)

The CDK1000 system, with its precise direct drive motors and high-resolution encoders, is capable of engaging in SSA and SDA applications, such as tracking satellites and space debris. However, while it offers notable capabilities in these areas, it is not the ideal system for dedicated SSA/SDA operations due to its primary design focus on astrophotography and astronomical research.

OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Optical Design: Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK)
Aperture: 1000 mm (39.37 inch)
Focal Length: 6,000 mm
Focal ratio: f/6
Central Obstruction: 47% of the Primary Mirror Diameter
Back Focus: 370 mm (14.5 inches) from Mounting Surface of De-Rotator
Weight: 3,500 lb. (1,587 kg)
Optimal Field of View: 100 mm (1.0 degrees)

MECHANICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Fork Assembly: Space Frame Steel Truss
Fork Base: Welded stainless steel torsion box
Azimuth Bearing: Dual 11.125 inch tapered roller bearings
Altitude Bearing: Three 9.5 inch 4 way loaded ball bearings; two pre-loaded on the motor side and one on the non-motor side
Optical Tube: Dual truss structure with Nasmyth focus
Instrument Payload: 300 lb. (150 ft-lb) mounted on the field de-rotator plate

PRIMARY MIRROR

Radius of Curvature: 6,260 mm (246.46 inches)
Optical Diameter: 1,000 mm (39.4 inch)
Outer Diameter: 1,020 mm (40.157inch)
Core Diameter: 360.7 mm (14.2 inches)
Material: Fused Silica
Thickness: 85 mm (3.3 inches)
Weight: 122 lb. (55.3 kg); 54% light weighted
Cell: 18 point

SECONDARY MIRROR

Radius of curvature: 5,740 mm (226 inches)
Optical Diameter: 450 mm (17.7 inches)
Material: Fused Silica
Weight: 27.2 lb. (12.3 kg)
Cell: 3 point RTV

THIRD MIRROR

Optical Major Diameter: 404 mm (15.9 inches)
Optical Minor Diameter: 286 mm (11.3 inches)
Material: Fused Silica
Thickness: 65 mm (2.6 inches)

MOTION CONTROL

Motor – Azimuth and Altitude: Direct Drive 3 Phase Axial-Flux Torque Motor
Encoder – Azimuth and Altitude: Absolute encoder with a resolution of 0.005 arcseconds (268 million counts per revolution)
Motor Torque: Greater than 200 ft-lbs of peak torque
Drive Electronics: Controls the altitude and azimuth motors and encoders, 2 direct drive de-rotators with absolute encoders, 4 fans zones, 3 dew heater zones, two focusers, an array of temperature sensors, M3 port selector, primary mirror covers and magnetic axis deceleration
Telescope Control Software: PlaneWave Interface 4 (PWI4) Software. Incorporates PointXP mount modeling software and All Sky PlateSolve, both by Dave Rowe. Also includes automatic focusing, dew heater control, primary mirror cover control, dome control and provides HTTP and ASCOM control interfaces. Linux and Windows compatible. MaxIm DL is required for camera control when building a pointing model within the PWI4 software.

SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Pointing Accuracy: Better than 10 arcsecond RMS with PointXP Model
Pointing Precision: 2 arcseconds
Tracking Accuracy: <1 arcsecond error over 10 minute period
System Natural Frequency: 10 Hz or greater

INCLUDED ITEMS

Heating elements for dew prevention: Integrated heating pads on the primary and secondary mirror
Actuator Mirror Shutters: Automated shutters to protect the primary mirror and inside of the optical tube
CDK1000 Focuser: Provides 11.3” of back focus to the image plane when coupled with the rotator and has a 45lb payload capacity
CDK1000 Rotator: Rotator provides rotation and on sky field de-rotation

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