Perseus TCR 150-12

SUPER LIGHT, SUPER STURDY TUBELESS REFRACTOR

NOW IN PRODUCTION!!

Perseus TCR 150-12

UNIQUE

REFRACTOR CONSTRUCTION

FROM

ISTAR OPTICAL

THE NEW

LIGHTWEIGHT

CHAMPION

TCR

IAS 2013

Interview

with

John Timmins

Dear fellow amateur astronomers. We believe after the introduction of the “Krivanek-TCR” style iStar refractor you will never look at another scope the same.

We realized that even though the quality of our refractors outperforms much of the competition, the overall weight had become an issue. Each scope is CNC machined from a solid block of Magnesium Alloy. Only the lightest yet sturdiest material are used. We never cut corners. However, we had to address this weight issue. Instead of switching to thinner tubes, plastic parts, cheaper counter cells or thin sheet metal baffles, we addressed this problem from a whole different point of view. After several months of design and prototype work we are proud to introduce the Truss Constructed Refractor or TCR. This new design offers excellent stability, maximum sturdiness and most importantly, only 50% the weight of a regular tube refractor!

As you may know the weight of the original classic construction Perseus AT 150-12 refractor, excluding mounting rings and dovetail, is 14.47 Kg (31 lbs.). While this is not exactly super heavy for a big F/12 refractor, the weight of the new Perseus TCR 150-12 is unbelievably low at only 8.2 Kg (18 lbs.) including lens in cell and focuser. Now even a relatively small low budget mount can carry this scope. Nearly anyone can hold this long 6” F12 refractor with one hand.

Advantages of this “Krivanek -TCR” Refractor:

1 Substantially reduced weight (nearly 50

percent)

2 Greatly reduced shaking and vibration during

windy nights

3 Reduced lens cooling time (close to 50

percent less time when compared to ordinary

refractors)

4 Easy lens cleaning access

5 Both sides of the Lens can be covered with

metal or plastic caps when not in use (we will

offer these as extra accessory soon)

5 The unique construction offers less flex

during temperature change when compared

to fully enclosed tubes.

6 Plastic or thin aluminum detachable dew

shields will be used.

7 This style refractor does not need typical tube

rings. We are developing a simple clamp

system that will be attached to one of the

main bars. We will produce models that use

both the Vixen and Losmandy style dovetails.

8 This mounting system will save money over

the standard tube ring system.

9 The truss frame construction with additional

baffles at the rear end will allow for a high

resolution image quality.

10 In the future we may offer a Do It Yourself

assembly kit. This would allow the entire

scope, even in 8” and 10" versions to fit into

two compact boxes.

11 These kits could be used for other scope

configurations, like Lego-Style telescope

building. Buying additional parts would allow

you to build a scope of a different F-ratio.

12 For those who want a fully enclosed tube,

a special waterproof lightweight shroud will

be made available. This special cover will not

allow any light to enter the tube. However,

this is needed only in very light polluted areas

so you don’t need this special accessory if

you observe at dark sites.

In summary

After doing much research, we could not find a 6” F12 refractor in this weight category. We believe iStar has developed the lightest refractor available in this aperture class. Due to the great interest in this type of scope we will produce many more models from 150mm F10, F12 and F15, 180mm F8 and F12 and 204mm F9 and F12 and possibly larger.

Up to this point we were limited to 8” refractors and the reason was simple: we could not get tubes in the required diameter and what was available was far too expensive to ship.

Your comments and inquiries are most welcome. Consider joining the iStar Scope Club and posting your thoughts.

So what’s not to like? We can’t think of a thing. Some have made the comment that it doesn’t look like a telescope. It will take time to get used to this unfamiliar look but where would we end up if we produced the same old design over and over?

Best regards,

Ales Patrick Krivanek owner

And the iStar Optical Team