Astro Engineering AC582 IR/UV Blocking Filter

Made in the UK by Astro Engineering this high-quality “hot mirror” infrared and ultraviolet blocking filter is designed for use with modern webcam and CCD imaging cameras. If you use a webcam with almost any telescope except a well-corrected Newtonian, you are likely to encounter halos around stars and a problem often referred to as “fuzzy focus”. This happens because any telescope that employs any form of lens in the light path is unable to bring the whole light spectrum to a single well-defined focus. The UV and IR parts of the spectrum will be brought to different focus points to the rest of the spectrum, hence the loss of resolution and halo effects.

The AE AC582 IR block filter passes 88% average of the visible bandwidth - 400nm to 700nm - whilst blocking 98% average of the bandwidth in the range 750nm to 1150nm. The AC582 also blocks near UV energy.

£22.99 inc. VAT and delivery

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Astro Engineering Gemini Side by Side Bar

Attach two telescopes to one mount!

Allows two standard Sky Watcher type dovetail bars to be fitted to one EQ telescope mount.

Precision machined to the finest tolerances from a single solid block of HE30 aluminium bar, the Astro Engineering AC694 Gemini-Bar allows two standard dovetail bars to be fitted to one telescope mount.

Designed for use with the popular Sky Watcher mounts (EQ5,EQ6 HEQ5, EQ6-Pro and similar) and standard dovetail bars 44mm wide but will work with any dovetail bar from 43mm to 50mm wide.

At its thinnest this chunky mounting bar is 20mm thick and totally solid - it really is a beefy piece of kit and we easily take the weight of two refractors

see variations

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AC421 The Pro-Pier for equatorial wedges (LX200 etc)

As result of direct research AE have a close understanding of the causes of vibration in small observatory installations. This knowledge has been exploited in the design of the MegaWedge Pro Observatory Pier. The Pro pier uses our tried and tested anti-vibration design technology but with the benefit of a specially designed and CNC manufactured top plate for the high specification needs of the MegaWedge Pro. The pier can be bolted directly to a suitable concrete floor. Manufactured from heavy steel for the base and aluminium for the CNC head the Pro-Pier is finished in black stipple-finish resin powder coating. Specification: 1010mm (39.75") high (without wedge).

The AC421 Pier-Pro is available in steel or aluminium (see drop-down box below for prices).

see variations

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AC421 Pro-Pier for Losmandy G11 & GM8

A research grade anti-vibration pier designed for Losmandy GEM mounts

£499.63 inc. VAT and delivery

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AC282 Standard Pier for EQ6 (HEQ5 pro etc)

As result of direct research, Astro Engineering have a close understanding of the causes of vibration in observatory installations. This knowledge has been exploited in the new design of the Standard observatory Pier for H/EQ6 German equatorial mounts. The AC282 EQ6 Standard pier uses AE's tried and tested anti-vibration design technology and features a side aperture or "Owl's nest" that allows all popular Sky Watcher EQ6, HEQ6 etc German equatorial mounts to be attached to the pier. The pier features a high precision CNC machined head that is fully equipped to provide ultra smooth and precise adjustment of the H/EQ6 GEM for precise polar alignment for the most demanding CCD imaging work. The Owl's nest features a support arch to ensure that the pier has the same ultra rigid performance as the advanced AC421 Pier-Pro.

The AC282 EQ6 Standard pier can be bolted directly to a suitable concrete floor or founding block. Manufactured from heavy steel the Standard Pier is finished in black stipple-finish resin powder coating. Specification: 1010mm (39.75") high

A pier fitting kit with all fasteners and full instructions is available seperatly.

Please Note there is a delivery charge for this item which will be quoted at time of purchase

£424.99 inc. VAT and delivery

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AC282 Standard Pier for altaz & wedge (LX200, LX90 etc)

As result of direct research, Astro Engineering have a close understanding of the causes of vibration in observatory installations. This knowledge has been exploited in the new design of the Standard observatory Pier. The Standard pier uses AE's tried and tested anti-vibration design technology and features a side aperture or "Owl's nest" that allows popular Meade and Celestron fork mounted telescopes (like the LX90) to be mounted in basic Alt-azimuth mode as well as equatorial mode (with an additional wedge). The Owl's nest features a support arch to ensure that the pier has the same ultra rigid performance as the advanced AC421 Pier-Pro. An azimuth register (for use with EQ wedges by Meade & AE) is included with the pier.

The Standard pier can be bolted directly to a suitable concrete floor or founding block. Manufactured from heavy steel the Standard Pier is finished in black stipple-finish resin powder coating. Specification: 1010mm (39.75") high

A fitting kit is available seperatly.

Please Note there is a delivery charge for this item which will be quoted at time of purchase

£389.00 inc. VAT and delivery

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AC282 Standard Pier for EQ5 (HEQ5 pro etc)

As result of direct research, Astro Engineering have a close understanding of the causes of vibration in observatory installations. This knowledge has been exploited in the new design of the Standard observatory Pier for H/EQ5 German equatorial mounts. The AC282 EQ5 Standard pier uses AE's tried and tested anti-vibration design technology and features a side aperture or "Owl's nest" that allows all popular Sky Watcher EQ5, HEQ5 etc German equatorial mounts to be attached to the pier. The pier features a high precision CNC machined head that is fully equipped to provide ultra smooth and precise adjustment of the H/EQ5 GEM for precise polar alignment for the most demanding CCD imaging work. The Owl's nest features a support arch to ensure that the pier has the same ultra rigid performance as the advanced AC421 Pier-Pro.

The AC282 EQ5 Standard pier can be bolted directly to a suitable concrete floor or founding block. Manufactured from heavy steel the Standard Pier is finished in black stipple-finish resin powder coating. Specification: 1010mm (39.75") high

A pier fitting kit with all fasteners and full instructions is available seperatly.

Please Note there is a delivery charge for this item which will be quoted at time of purchase

£424.99 inc. VAT and delivery

Technical specs:

AC218 MegaWedge (steel) for Meade SCTs

The AC218 MegaWedge is one of the world's finest wedges for the Meade LX200 (RCX,R,GPS & Classic) and LX90 series of SCTs and is ideally suited for all models when used with observatory piers.

Constructed of high precision CNC machined 20mm thick steel plate the wedge is both extraordinarily rigid and heavy weighing in at over 32kg (5 stone). In its 10th year of manufacture, the AC218 MegaWedge was designed specifically to provide a research standard mounting for observatory based Meade and Celestron SCTs.

Ideal for use with all Meade LX200R GPS and Classic telescopes. The wedge can be field tripod mounted (but is very heavy). as well as mounted on our Pro, Standard, and DIY observatory piers.

Equipped with smooth and precise slow-motion adjuster on both latitude and azimuth registers the MegaWedge is a delight to use and will provide the perfect foundation for advanced astro-imaging projects. The altitude tilt plate features a high precision ball and socket adjuster to make polar alignment adjustment easy - unlike competitor products the polar alignment remains perfect even when all fasteners are full tightened! The AC218 steel MegaWedge,the Pro is fast and easy to set-up in the field when using a tripod. Finished in black resin powder coat paint and supplied with all fastenings and instructions. The MegaWedge is suitable for latitudes between 63 and 35 degrees. (All of the UK to roughly southern Finland and south as far as Gibraltar).

Please Note there is a delivery charge for this item which will be quoted at time of purchase

£368.99 inc. VAT and delivery

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AC400 (aluminium) MegaWedge-Pro for LX200R, GPS etc

The AC400 MegaWedge Pro is the world's finest wedge for the LX200 series telescopes and is ideally suited for the high-performance demands of the larger 12" and 14" models.

Astro Engineering's low-profile wedge design is tailored for use in Western Europe for latitudes bracketed between Finland and Gibraltar. Other designs (Meade, Mitty etc) are severely compromised by trying to accommodate the entire world on one design. This cost saving practise makes the wedge higher than necessary and reduces the engineering authority.

Constructed of high precision CNC machined 20mm thick aluminium plate the wedge is both extraordinarily rigid and lightweight. 10mm steel dowels have been used to strengthen all joints. The AC400 MegaWedge-Pro was designed specifically to provide not just the last word in rigidity but the ultimate in smooth and precise polar alignment adjustment - so vital for the largest Meade and Celestron SCTs when used for high performance imaging.

The Meade products rely on high pressure castings and as such achieve a creditable performance at an very economic production cost. The MegaWedge products employ relatively expensive (compared with casting) flat plate and CNC manufacturing technology but the final result achieves a standard of performance the cast products cannot hope to match'.

Ideal for use with all (especially the larger)Meade LX200R GPS and Classic telescopes. The wedge can be field tripod mounted. as well as mounted on our Pro, Standard, and DIY observatory piers.

Equipped with ultra smooth and precise slow-motion adjuster on both latitude and azimuth registers the MegaWedge-Pro is a delight to use and will provide the perfect foundation for advanced astro-imaging projects. The altitude tilt plate features a high precision ball and socket adjuster to make polar alignment adjustment easy - unlike competitor products the polar alignment remains perfect even when all fasteners are full tightened! Like the standard AC218 steel MegaWedge,the Pro is fast and easy to set-up in the field when using a tripod. Finished in black anodic dye and supplied with all fastenings and instructions. The MegaWedge-Pro is suitable for latitudes between 63 and 35 degrees. (All of the UK to roughly southern Finland and south as far as Gibraltar).

If you wish to use the AC400 Megawedge Pro with an observatory pier we recommend the AC421 Pier-Pro as it has a specially designed marry plate to exploit the high precision construction of the AC400. The AC421 marry plate is available seperatly for DIY construction purposes.

£485.00 inc. VAT and delivery

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AC613 1.25" Supreme 3x photovisual Barlow lens

This stunning photovisual Barlow system delivers a high contrast, high resulution 3x magnification with any eyepiece or camera! This is easily the cleverest design Barlow lens we've ever seen!

Unique British design

The design is British with all the metalwork made in England, and the optics are made in Japan - and clearly that's a great combination.

This is a great-quality 3x Barlow at any price, but at under £80 the beautiful and yet ultra-functional design makes the Astro Engineering Supreme optical amplifier range one of the world's best quality Barlow systems.

£79.98 inc. VAT and delivery

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