Celestron Astro Fi 6" SCT WiFi Telescope

The Astro Fi 6" is a computerized alt-azimuth Schmidt Cassegrain telescope perfect for terrestrial and celestial viewing on the go. The Astro Fi offers dazzling views of craters on the Moon, the rings of Saturn, the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, the Orion Nebula, the Hercules Globular Cluster and so much more at night.

Setting up the telescope is a breeze and will have you observing in no time. Even on your first time out, you can assemble the telescope, its accessories, and download SkyPortal app in just a few minutes. The adjustable tripod legs allow you to customize the telescope’s height to your liking. The telescope kit is lightweight and portable, perfect for impromptu observing sessions or transporting wherever life’s adventures take you.

For even more fun, Astro Fi’s lens cap does double duty as a smartphone adapter. Position your smartphone inside the adapter and then secure it over the Astro Fi’s eyepiece to capture images and video of all your discoveries.

Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical Tube

The Astro Fi comes with a 6” optical tube, a great multi-use telescope with 1500 mm focal length (f/10). The Celestron C6 is equipped with patented StarBright® XLT coatings which visibly increase contrast on subtle lunar, planetary, and nebula details and higher light transmission for brighter deep space images and shorter exposure times. For this application, observers can use the C6 Celestron optical tube to view the night sky or as a terrestrial spotting scope. The Celestron C6 has the best balance of portability, handling ease, light grasp and price ever offered to the amateur astronomer. It is an advanced level instrument that is as easy to use as any intermediate level, and most entry level, telescopes.

StarBright XLT coatings – Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system offers bright, sharp views with StarBright XLT optical coatings—a great choice for visual observers and budding astroimagers alike. StarBright XLT is Celestron’s revolutionary optical coating system that outperforms any other coating in the commercial telescope market. There are three major components that make up our StarBright XLT high-transmission optical system design: Unique enhanced multi-layer mirror coatings, multi-layer anti-reflective coatings, and high-transmission water white glass. These three components of our StarBright XLT coatings result in one of the finest coatings available. For more information about our patented StarBright XLT coatings, visit here.

Computerized Alt-Azimuth telescope

Take in the sky with the computerized alt-azimuth telescope. This straightforward design allows the telescope to move in all directions.

Integrated WiFi & Celestron’s SkyPortal App

Control your telescope using your smart device. The Astro Fi series emits its own wireless connection to Celestron’s SkyPortal app to provide easy remote observing. Celestron’s SkyPortal app replaces the traditional telescope hand control for a 100% wireless experience. Scan the sky for an object you would like to view, tap the object in SkyPortal and watch your Astro Fi telescope automatically slews to the object. While observing, SkyPortal provides information on the object; it’s never been more fun to explore the universe!

NOTE: Due to the amount of information SkyPortal has to offer, we recommend downloading the app before going out to observe.

SkyAlign Technology

Getting ready to observe is quick and painless thanks to Celestron’s award-winning SkyAlign technology. Center any three bright objects in the eyepiece, and your telescope calculates its position. You can even generate a Sky Tour of all the best celestial objects to view based on your exact time and location.

Accessories Included

The Astro Fi 6" comes with two eyepieces (25mm and 10 mm), a star diagonal, an smartphone adapter, and a StarPointer finderscope. The two eyepieces offer different magnifications to view your intended object. The star diagonal provides a right-side-up viewing for a more comfortable viewing angle when looking up at the sky. The StarPointer finderscope will help you quickly center an object in your eyepiece for easier observing.

Smartphone Adapter – Image celestial or terrestrial objects with this smartphone adapter! The Astro Fi has an smartphone adapter to capture great images of the Moon, planets, and terrestrial targets like birds and wildlife. With its light, rigid frame, this accessory allows you to connect any smartphone to any telescope eyepiece with an outside diameter of 45mm or smaller. This smartphone adapter installs easily over the top of an eyepiece while bungee cords securely hold your phone in position so you can snap images or video. While the vast majority of smartphones can be used with the case on, some very large and/or bulky phone cases (such as folio style cases) may need to be removed for the phone to fit in the adapter.

Starry Night Software

Download Celestron’s Starry Night Software and learn about the night sky, celestial objects, and how to plan your next observing session. Celestron Starry Night Software is the premier astronomy software package on the market, providing resources and knowledge to view our solar system and beyond.

GENERAL DETAILS:

6" Schmidt Cassegrain with fully coated glass optics.
Control your computerized telescope via integrated WiFi using Celestron’s free SkyPortal app
Observe in no time with a quick and easy, no-tool setup.
Accessories include: two eyepieces (40mm and 13mm), star diagonal, StarPointer finderscope, and a NEW smartphone adapter.
Adjustable height tripod includes an accessory tray.
SPECIFICATIONS:

Optical Tube Info:
Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
Aperture: 150mm (6")
Focal Length: 1500mm (59")
Focal Ratio: f/10
Focal Length of Eyepiece 1: 25mm (0.98")
Magnification of Eyepiece 1: 38x
Focal Length of Eyepiece 2: 10mm (0.39")
Magnification of Eyepiece 2: 115x
Finderscope: StarPointer
Star Diagonal: 1.25"
Optical Tube: Aluminum
Highest Useful Magnification: 354x
Lowest Useful Magnification: 21x
Limiting Stellar Magnitude: 13.4
Resolution (Rayleigh): .93 arc seconds
Resolution (Dawes): 0.77 arc seconds
Light Gathering Power (Compared to human eye): 459x
Secondary Mirror Obstruction: 55.88mm (2.2")
Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Area: 14%
Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Diameter: 37%
Optical Coatings: StarBright XLT
Optical Tube Length: 406.4mm (16")
Optical Tube Diameter: 155mm (6.1")
Optical Tube Weight: 4.8 lbs (2.17 kg)
Dovetail: Vixen / CG-5 Dovetail bar

Mount Info:
Mount Type: Computerized Altitude-Azimuth Single Fork Arm
Instrument load capacity: 8 lbs (3.6 kg)
Height adjustment range (includes mount and tripod): 863.6mm - 1371.6mm (34" - 54")
Tripod leg diameter: 31.75mm (1.25") Aluminum
Mount Head Weight: 5 lbs (2.3 kg)
Accessory Tray: Yes. Includes rubberized smartphone or tablet holder
Tripod Weight: 5 lbs (2.3 kg)
Slew Speeds: max slew rate is 3°/second
Tracking Rates: Sidereal, Solar, and Lunar
Tracking Modes: Alt-Az, EQ North & EQ South
GPS: N/A
Dovetail Compatibility: Vixen / CG-5 Dovetail
Number of Auxiliary ports: 2x Aux port for optional accessories
Autoguider port: No
USB Port: No (only with optional Nexstar+ remote)
Power Requirements: 12V DC, 1A (Tip positive)
Motor Drive: DC servo motor
Alignment Procedures: SkyAlign, 3-Star Align, Solar System Align
Periodic Error Correction: No
Computerized Hand Control: Hand control not included (optional)
NexStar+ Database: Optional Nexstar+ hand remote provides over 4,000 objects in the computer's database
Software: Celestron's Starry Night Special Edition Software, SkyPortal App. Each provide over 100,00 objects in their database
Total Kit Weight: 14.8 lbs (6.71 kg)

Included Items:
Telescope OTA / Mount / Tripod w/accessory tray / 2x eyepieces / Red dot starpointer / Battery pouch

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!

* Name

Please enter your full name

* Telephone Number

Please input your telephone number here

* Model Number

Please enter the model number which is just above

Additional Information

Please include any information here that will help our staff members assist your query

*

Please add the two numbers

SubmitSubmit