Baader SunDancer II Telecentric System TZ-3S

Telecentric systems are mainly used in H-alpha filters for solar observation, where the 1/100 lambda plane-parallel etalon in the H-alpha filter requires a perfectly parallelised beam of light over the entire image. These telecentrics deliver very sharp images, but are usually only optimised for the H-alpha wavelength.

This achromatic SunDancer 3x telecentric is designed for the entire visible spectrum and can therefore not only be used on H-alpha systems, but also replace a Barlow lens. Due to the parallel beam of light, it is very good-natured with regard to the working distance: While the magnification factor of a Barlow lens changes with the distance to eyepiece or camera (zoom eyepieces are also based on this principle), the magnification factor and image quality of the TZ-3 do not change, even if the new focal point deviates very significantly from the working distance of the optical design (96 mm).

The achromatic SunDancer II TZ-3S illuminates an image circle of 35mm at a distance of 96mm from the base body, ideal for the small sensors of modern, fast planetary cameras that require high magnifications for photographing the moon and planets. The contrast is better than with simple barlows or the eyepiece projection often used for high magnifications. With the 3x telecentric system, the high magnifications which are necessary for visual observations can also be achieved with long focal length orthoscopic eyepieces. The interpupillary distance of the eyepieces used does not change either.

The connection on the telescope side is made via a dual 1.25"/2" nosepiece with safety kerfs (these prevent tilting due to an incorrectly positioned safety groove and at the same time provide a secure hold). On the camera side, the T-2 thread provides a tilt-proof, fixed connection even to heavy cameras or to T-2 eyepiece clamps. For the T-2 thread, adapter rings are available for almost all common connection systems (e.g. M48 / 2"/ M68).

IMPORTANT NOTE
TZ-optical systems are essential for undeteriorated performance of heated SolarSpectrum filters:
Please note that for H-alpha observations below 1 Ang halfbandwidth (FWHM) a telecentric lens system is absolutely mandatory, in order to achieve the recommended focal ratio of f/30 to (preferably) f/40! Because only with a telecentric approach you can create a perfectly parallel optical path which is essential for the unrestricted function of such a complicated etalon.

A TZ-lens-system is an ESSENTIAL prerequisite. One could also optically - or by means of a Barlow lens - bring a telescope to a focal ratio of f/30, but this does not mean at all that a parallel optical path is created. And mind you, a still slightly conical optical path with f/30 sent into an etalon with 0.5 Ang FWHM would only provide the contrast as if the filter had a FWHM of 0.7 Ang or much worse.

It doesn't have to be a TZ-4. The 2" Research Grade TZ-3 Telecentric System (3x focal length) (#2459257, € 420,-) with 46mm clear aperture is much better in terms of optical calculation than the 20 year older TZ-4. So it makes sense for the user to start with a TZ-3 RG and rather stop down the telescope aperture to get to f/30. This will bring out the real contrast of the chosen SolarSpectrum-filter much better than with a poorly matched system where, for example, the older TZ-4 has a smaller clear aperture than the Solar Spectrum-Etalon would require. In the long run, a newly calculated, large RG TZ-4 is in preparation - it is worth to wait for it and to get familiar with H-alpha observation with the TZ-3 first. In the end one will certainly need both systems (RG-TZ-3 and RG-TZ-4) and adjust the telescope aperture individually - as the system would require to enable an f/ratio of f/30 at minimum or f/40 as optimum.

Only AFTER the H-alpha etalon you can extend the field size by reducing the f-ratio with adding the new ResearchGrade telecompressor 0.4 into the optical train.

Basically - a Barlow lens has no place in an H-alpha system!

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

Are you interested in this product but would like to speak to someone with some more information? Simply fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

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