Takahashi TOA-130 NFB
The first telescope at the observatory was the Takahashi TOA-130 in 2017. After comparing all options and reading endless discussions on the various forums on reflectors vs refractors, a refractor was chosen. The choice for a Takahashi telescope was made based on build quality and optical quality. The 1000mm focal length works well as an all-rounder, good for both nebulae and galaxies. With cradle, focuser and camera, the weight is probably over 15kg.
Specifications
Aperture: 130mm
Focal length: 1000mm
Focal Ratio: f/7.7
Image circle: 90mm (67-FL)
Length: 1022/1155mm
Weight: 12.3kg
Symmetric Cradle
The tube is mounted on a Losmandy plate using an original Takahashi 156S-GT symmetric cradle. This 2.2kg cradle with 156mm inner diameter offers more than sufficient support for the long TOA-130 tube. The 98mm wide bottom part of the cradle makes for a very solid connection to the mounting plate.
Arca Swiss plate
On top of the cradle an arca-swiss compatible plate is mounted. This allows for the connection of equipment on top of the telescope using easy arca-swiss style clamps. Typically a Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox V2 is placed here using a custom designed and 3D printed mounting bracket.
Losmandy plate
A 14” losmandy-style dovetail plate specifically designed for Takahashi cradles, forms the basis for attaching the TOA-130NFB onto the mount. The sleek design makes for easy and comfortable attachment on the mount clamp. The thick plate has zero flex or torsion. These plates are custom designed and produced by European Takahashi importer Optique Unterlinden.
Rotator Focuser
The TOA-130 NFB comes with its own robust 4” focuser and camera-rotator. Unfortunately the rotator has no rotation angle indicator on it. So I made a 360 degree label with indicators. This makes it very easy to rotate to the same angle between targets and/or sessions.
Auto-Focuser
Autofocusing is done using the Pegasus Astro Motor Focus Kit v2. This device only contains a focus motor. The focus controller is built into the Ultimate PowerBox. The benefit of this combination is that only one ethernet-style cable is enough to provide power and data to the focus motor.
67-FL Flattener
The 40 mm image circle of the standard TOA-35 flattener covers APS-C sized sensors or smaller. To accommodate bigger sensors, a 67-FL flattener is applied. It comes with its own TOA-130-specific Takahashi 82 spacer. The image circle is 90mm, more than enough for even a medium format camera.