Catadioptric Telescopes
Meade 8" ACF Light Switch Computerized Telescope - 0810-03-10
- Optical Design: Meade ACF
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Meade 8" LX200 ACF Computerized Telescope - 0810-60-03
- Optical Design: Meade ACF
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Meade 8" LX90 ACF Computerized Telescope - 0810-90-03
- Optical Design: Meade ACF
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Celestron CPC Deluxe 800 with Edge HD Optics - 11007
- Optical Design: Celestron EdgeHD
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope - 11069
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203mm (7.99")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Celestron CPC 800 SCT Computerized Telescope with Free 2" Diagonal - 11073-XLT
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Celestron Advanced VX Series 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain Go To Telescope - 12026
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Equatorial
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
- Extra Free Accessories: Celestron Polar Scope for AVX Mount
Celestron Advanced VX Series 8" EdgeHD Go To Telescope - 12031
- Optical Design: Celestron EdgeHD
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Equatorial
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
- Extra Free Accessories: Celestron Polar Scope for AVX Mount
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope - 11069 - Used
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203mm (7.99")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computer Telescope Bundle with Hard Case - 11069-BUN5
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
- Bundle includes an eyepiece & filter kit, custom hard case,, 12V Power Tank, AC Adapter, a light pollution filter & a cleaning tool!
Celestron NexStar 8SE SCT OTA Orange Tube - 11069-OTA
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: No Mount - OTA Only
- Type of Electronics: OTA Only - No Electronics
Celestron C8-A SCT Aluminum Optical Tube with CGE Dovetail - CEL-91024-XLT
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: No Mount - OTA Only
- Type of Electronics: OTA Only - No Electronics
Celestron EdgeHD 8 OTA - 8" f/10 Aplanatic SCT OTA - CGE Dovetail - 91030-XLT
- Optical Design: Celestron EdgeHD
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: No Mount - OTA Only
- Type of Electronics: OTA Only - No Electronics
8" Celestron Edge HD 8 SCT OTA - CG-5 Dovetail - 91031-XLT
- Optical Design: Celestron EdgeHD
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: No Mount - OTA Only
- Type of Electronics: OTA Only - No Electronics
Celestron C8-A SCT Aluminum Optical Tube with CG-5 Dovetail - 91020-XLT
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: No Mount - OTA Only
- Type of Electronics: OTA Only - No Electronics
GSO 8" f/8 Ritchey-Chretien Optical Tube - Carbon Fiber OTA - 8RC
- Optical Design: Ritchey-Chretien
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/8
- Telescope Mount Type: No Mount - OTA Only
- Type of Electronics: OTA Only - No Electronics
Orion SkyView Pro 180 mm GoTo Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope - 24762
- Optical Design: Maksutov-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 180mm (7.09")
- Focal Ratio: f/15
- Telescope Mount Type: Equatorial
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Celestron 8" NexStar Evolution Computerized Telescope - 12091
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Celestron CPC 800 Telescope Bundle - 11073-BUN1
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Meade 8" LX90 Telescope Bundle - 0810-90-03-BUN1
- Optical Design: Meade ACF
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
- Extra Free Accessories: Celestron Eyepiece & Filter Kit with Case, DC Adapter & 7AH Power Tank
Celestron NexStar 8SE Telescope Bundle - 11069-BUN1
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
- Bundle includes an eyepiece & filter kit, 12V Power Tank, an AC Adapter, a light pollution filter & a cleaning tool!
Celestron NexStar 8SE Professional Telescope Bundle - 11069-BUN2
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 Telescope Bundle - 12091-BUN1
- Optical Design: Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 203.2mm (8")
- Focal Ratio: f/10
- Telescope Mount Type: Alt-Azimuth
- Type of Electronics: Computerized GoTo
Skywatcher Skymax 180 mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope OTA - S11540
- Optical Design: Maksutov-Cassegrain
- Telescope Aperture: 180mm (7.09")
- Focal Ratio: f/15
- Telescope Mount Type: No Mount - OTA Only
- Type of Electronics: OTA Only - No Electronics
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The LX600 Catadioptric telescope design uses a combination of mirrors and lenses to gather light and form a sharp image. There is a wide range of popular telescopes for amateur astronomers, such as Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes, that are of the catadioptric design. There are also catadioptric telescopes for sale that are designed primarily for astrophotography or imaging, like the Ritchey-Chretien (RC), Meade ACF, and Celestron EdgeHD.
The Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, or SCT, is the most popular design in the broader catadioptric telescope line-up. The Schmidt-Cassegrain has a folded optical system consisting of a primary mirror and a corrector plate with the secondary mirror right in the center. This design allows the telescope tube to be much more compact than a Newtonian reflector or a Refractor. The most popular Schmidt-Cassegrain has a large 8" diameter mirror and an optical tube that is about 18" long - a perfect combination of good light-gathering and easy-to-carry portability.
The Maksutov-Cassegrain, or Mak-Cass, catadioptric telescope looks very much like an SCT but has a longer focal length due to the way the light travels inside the tube. The Maksutov-Cassegrain really shines when used for terrestrial or astronomical viewing, especially when turned to the Moon or planets, but it isn't the best choice for deep-sky astrophotography due to its long focal length when compared other catadioptric designs.
Catadioptrics optimized for imaging are rising in popularity as more amateur astronomers fall under the spell of astrophotography. These telescopes have a wide, flat field that works nicely with today's larger format DSLR and dedicated astronomy cameras. While many catadioptric telescopes for sale can be used for both visual astronomy and imaging, amateur astronomers who prefer visual observations or have a camera with a smaller sensor don't necessarily require the edge-to-edge flatness that a larger sensor does.