The CDK500 Telescope System combines the CDK20 (0.51 m) f/6.8 astrograph telescope with the L-500 direct drive mount.

PLANEWAVE CDK20 TELESCOPE

The PlaneWave Instruments CDK20 is a 20 inch (0.51 m) f/6.8 Astrograph telescope with Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK) optics. The telescope has a dual truss design, with 3 cooling fans for the back of the primary mirror. The CDK20 covers a 52 mm field of view without any field curvature, off-axis coma, or astigmatism. The CDK20 now comes standard with low expansion Fused Silica mirrors and built-in dew heaters for both primary and secondary mirrors.

The CDK Optical Design is an innovative solution for unsurpassed astroimaging quality at an affordable price. The CDK telescope design provides excellent imaging with large format CCD cameras while remaining superb for visual use. The CDK design far exceeds the off-axis performance of most commercial telescope designs including the Ritchey-Chretien design.

This no-compromise design is unique in making the optical alignment forgiving and collimation very easy. This guarantees the user the best possible performance from the telescope. The end result at the image plane of the CDK design is no off-axis coma, no off-axis astigmatism, perfectly flat field (no off-axis defocus). The CDK design will give you pinpoint stars from the center to the corner of the field of view.

PLANEWAVE L-500 MOUNT

The PlaneWave L-500 Direct Drive mount combines versatility, simplicity and affordability into a compact stand-alone mount. In its Alt/Az configuration it is considerably more compact than its equatorial counterpart, allowing a larger telescope to fit in a smaller enclosure. The mass it takes to make a rigid Alt/Az mount is substantially less, leading to cost savings. Unlike German Equatorial Mounts, there are no meridian flips to deal with, and no large protruding counterweights to create a dangerous hazard in a public observatory.

This mount is designed with zero backlash and zero periodic error, virtually silent motion and slew speeds of up to 50 degrees per second. It comes standard with high resolution encoders on each axis for precise positioning.