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• Low thermal expansion glass mirrors: The primary and secondary mirrors are made of low thermal expansion glass to limit any possible focal length change as the temperature drops. This reduces the possibility of the focus changing during critical through-the-scope CCD imaging.

• Fully-multicoated UHTC (Ultra High Transmission Coatings) optics: The low thermal expansion primary and secondary mirrors are vacuum-coated with aluminum that is enhanced with multiple layers of titanium dioxide and silicon dioxide for increased reflectivity. These multicoatings are then overcoated with a protective layer of silicon monoxide (quartz) for long life.
      A series of anti-reflective coatings of aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, and magnesium fluoride are vacuum-deposited on both sides of the Schmidt corrector plate. These antireflection multicoatings provide a high 99.8% light transmission per surface, versus a per-surface transmission of 98.7% for standard single-layer coatings.
      UHTC multicoatings provide a 15% increase in light throughput (the amount of light collected by the objective that actually reaches your eye or camera), when compared with standard coatings. They effectively add the equivalent of a little more than four-tenths of an inch of extra light-gathering aperture to the performance of the 6” optical system – but with no increase in actual size or weight. The UHTC multicoatings also improve contrast, for lunar and planetary images that appear sharper and more crisply defined.

• Fully baffled optics: A cylindrical baffle around the secondary mirror, in combination with the cylindrical baffle tube projecting from the primary mirror, prevents stray off-axis light from reaching the image plane. In addition, a series of field stops machined into the inner surface of the central baffle tube effectively eliminates undesirable light which might reflect from the inside surface of the baffle tube. The result of these baffle systems is improved contrast in lunar, planetary, and deep space observing alike.

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