Light weight Reflectors how do they do it?

[netwolf]

I was cruising the net and came accross this series of Reflectors on Vixen Mounts. At first i thought thats not going to work very well to much weight for the mount. But reading the fine print the DX250 10" telescope only weighs 8Kg how do they do it? What kind of tube are they using and can we source this material tube here in Australia.

http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/acatalo...eflectors.html

If you click on Larger buttons no larger image appears but there is a link to picutres taken with these scopes. See this link
http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/gallery.htm


Regards

[RAJAH235]

Nettie, you'll prob find they use tin for the tubes....Allsame GS etc. dobs.. L.
ps. Not too good in a breeze tho..

[IanW]

Originally Posted by netwolf

I was cruising the net and came accross this series of Reflectors on Vixen Mounts. At first i thought thats not going to work very well to much weight for the mount. But reading the fine print the DX250 10" telescope only weighs 8Kg how do they do it? What kind of tube are they using and can we source this material tube here in Australia.

http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/acatalo...eflectors.html

If you click on Larger buttons no larger image appears but there is a link to picutres taken with these scopes. See this link
http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/gallery.htm


Regards

Unless Orion UK have changed things recently then their tubes are made from rolled aluminium, which while thin is braced by end rings to make it rigid. Most capital cities in Australia have companies that can fabricate lightweight aluminium tubes, but be prepared to pay through the nose for it.

Orion UK also keep the weight down by using thin mirror technology. Their mirrors are very good though, several rungs up the ladder from GSO when you get in to their premium level optics and higher.

Lightweight doesn't always make for a better telescope by the way. A really heavy scope and massive mount are far less prone to wind induced issues, providing the resonant frequency is reasonably high. Lightweights are better for portability, but give me really heavy scopes for permanent mounting.

[gbeal]

Netwolf.
it isn't that difficult. My 10" has a full thickness primary, and an extremely heavy University Optics cell, plus all the other bells and whistles, and weighs in at 10 kilos. I did make a carbon fibre tube for it though!!!!