About this product
Model: askar_120_apo_ota
Part Number: ASKAPO120
Optical Bench Test
At FLO, we check all our Askar telescopes on an optical bench before dispatch.
So you can be confident your telescope will have well-figured optics, negligible false colour and spherical aberration, and no astigmatism (the bane of any optical system!). Star shapes will be round, not triangular, oval or egg-shaped!
Askar 120mm APO Triplet Refractor
Following their Askar 103 APO, Askar have released this new larger 120mm telescope with air-spaced triplet optics and an ED glass lens.
The 36% larger aperture increases light-gathering, resolution, brightness, and contrast. It also has a greater limiting magnitude of 12.2.
The Askar APO series employs special optical designs and multiple lens elements to correct chromatic aberration, naturally providing higher-quality object details and colour accuracy. ED glass, also known as low-dispersion glass, is an optical glass specifically designed to reduce chromatic aberration.
The retractable design of the dew shield and the enlarged locking screws provide convenient usage. The dew shield serves the purpose of protecting the lens from the impact of external and internal light and protecting the lens itself.
For convenience, the Askar 120 APO has two finder bases, one on each side, for mounting accessories such as Finderscopes and Mini Guidescopes.
The handle of the Askar 120 APO has an integral slot design, making it suitable for use as a base for installing a Finder/Guide scope. The handle length has also been extended by 60mm, making it easier to mount the telescope.
The total weight of the tube rings is only 780g.
The thumb screws enable easy opening and locking of the tube rings, and the base of the rings is heightened, providing more clearance.
The standard Vixen dovetail plate is compatible with most equatorial mounts and bases on the market. Askar extended the length and added screw holes, making a plate length of 290mm, facilitating easier balancing.
With the central slot, spacing between the tube rings can be adjusted as desired.
Each Askar 120 APO is equipped with a unique name ring for identification.
Weighs only 6.5kg (including the tube rings).
Currently, the Askar 120 APO has two optional accessories: a 1x flattener and a 0.8x reducer.
Both of them have built-in filter threads which allow direct filter mounting. They are also equipped with M54/M48 adapters for conveniently attaching accessories.
The 1x flattener does not change the telescope's focal ratio itself. After connecting to the Askar 120APO, it still maintains a focal ratio of f/7. The flattener corrects field curvature and coma, resulting in flatter field edges and finer star points.
The 0.8x reducer can bring the Askar 120APO's focal ratio down to f/5.6. This is a standard reducer with field flattening capabilities as well. A shorter focal ratio allows the OTA to have a wider field of view and faster exposure times, making it suitable for capturing large areas of nebulae, star clusters, and faint, fast-moving celestial objects.
For visual astronomy, the Askar 120APO can easily achieve focus when connected to 1.25" or 2" diagonals or various eyepieces. Because of the segmented lens tube design, it is also a good telescope for use with a binoviewer.
The Askar 120 APO has a dual-speed rack and pinion 3.3-inch rigid focuser, compatible with most motorised focusers. There is a high-precision scale and 10cm of focusing travel. The entire focuser barrel is CNC machined with an anti-reflective internal design and matt black paint, providing extra measures to eliminate stray light.
The rear of the focuser features a 360° high-precision rotator, along with precise scales for convenient adjustment and saving of rotation angles, enabling precise rotation. It also has an enlarged rotator locking screw that can easily be secured even under high loads.
The telescope interface at the rear comes complete with a 1.25"/2" adapter.
The entire Askar 120 APO tube is CNC-machined and has an anodised or surface spray paint treatment.
Instruction for Detaching the 120APO Segmented Lens Tube (suitable for the binoviewer)
Specifications
| Aperture size | 120mm |
| Focal length | 840mm |
| Focal ratio | f/7 |
| Objective lens | Triplet air-spaced APO (including one ED glass) |
| Total length | 722mm(when the dew shield is contracted)
804mm(when the dew shield is stretched) |
| OTA weight | 5.7kg |
| Gross weight（including tube ring and dovetail plate） | 6.5kg |
| Rear-end thread type | 2"/1.25" visual adapters |
| Standard package items | an 120APO OTA, a pair of tube rings, a handle, an Askar 290mm Vixen dovetail plate, an Oxford cloth case，a manual |
Customer reviews
| Average Rating (1 Review): | |
Askar 120 APO initial use. 19 February 2024 | Francis
Love it. I've only had two short clear spells since the scope arrived. However I did get it set up on my mount so I was ready when the grey stuff parted (change the box label please FLO). I picked NGC2264 as one of my first night targets because it contained a mix of stars and gases both bright and subtle tonal detail. I shot a mix of subs (I only had the 0.8x reducer as the 1x was out of stock) from 120s to 600s using an OSC - APSC camera (ASI2600MC DUO). Processed in PI without using any RC enhancements the stars were tight to all corners. Details in the gas clouds was also good. Highlighs held and detail in the darker regions. This was at f5.6 with an Astronomik UV-IR Block L-2 filter. Waiting now for the 1x flattener to arrive. Based my short sessions with this scope so far I would recommend this scope. For me I think this is going to remain in my observatory. A little too heavy for me to want to use it as a grab-n-go.
Build wise, it's solid. All moving parts are smooth, locking parts lock. The rotation scale is superb I've actually used it along with the determine camera rotation in NINA to frame images without resorting to the multiple expose-nudge-expose until you get it right routine. Will my mount carry a second one...
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