TrueRC™ Astrographs - Products

Introducing the TrueRC™ astrograph series from Deep Sky Instruments.

Our TrueRC™ astrographs are precisely that, true Ritchey-Chrétiens. The true hyperbolic primary and secondary mirrors are crafted by Star Instruments, maker of fine RC optics for over 30 years. We offer a growing number of sizes in corrected and uncorrected versions.

RC10 - A True Ritchey

The Ritchey-Chrétien design has long been known for its outstanding performance. Its use in most of todays professional observatories is a testament to that. It is arguably the best performing optical design using only reflecting surfaces. AND the RC10 is a True Ritchey. The precision hyperbolic surfaces on both the primary and secondary mirrors produce true Ritchey performance. If you have always wanted to own a quality true RC but couldn't afford one until now, your wait is over.









RC10C - Another True Ritchey... Only Better

The RC10C is also a True Ritchey. We start with the RC10 and then add a corrector to remove off-axis wide-field astigmatism and to flatten the field of curvature. The results are excellent star images across a two inch diameter field at Cassegrain focus. The corrector is a two-element, fully multi-coated design that is recessed into the scope to increase usable back focus. Correction is mild due to the already outstanding performance of the Ritchey-Chrétien design. This eliminates any possibility of chromatic aberration. By starting with the best reflecting optical system and then introducing mild correction close to the focal plane, excellent performance with good tolerancing is achieved.

RC14C - Another True Ritchey... Only Bigger

The RC14C is also a True Ritchey, only bigger. Its larger 14.625" primary mirror deliveres 14.25" of usable aperture, roughly twice that of the RC10C. Back focus is increased to 12" (8.4" usable behind the back plate) for more flexability with rotators and other accessories. A carbon fiber tube with integral dovetail plates increases rigidity and thermal stability. Click on the link above for additional information.









IC101A - Instrument Controller

The model IC101A instrument controller is used to control the RC10 and RC10C's built-in electronic secondary focuser. It provides ASCOM compliant PC control through a standard serial port compatible with programs like MaxIm DL and FocusMax. Manual focusing is always possible using the in/out push buttons on the controller. Dew heater and cooling fan controls are also PC controllable with manual over-ride switches provided on the controller. Cabling to connect the controller to the astrograph and PC are included. The IC101A requires a nominal 12VDC for operation but voltages as high as 14VDC work just fine. A power supply is offered but not included as most astrophotographers already have a 12VDC supply to power the rest of their equipment. A standard miniature power plug (digikey.com part number SC1051-ND) is required for connection to the controller.