32mm Aperture 128mm Focal Length (f/4) Contains One ED Glass Element Precision Helical Focuser Weighs only 303g Description FAQ Specifications In the Box Downloads Warranty Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope The Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope packs precise optical design into a compact, 303g package ideal for portable astrophotography rigs. Its 32mm objective lens operates at a fast f/4 focal ratio, delivering bright star fields to your guide camera. The 128mm focal length provides an effective image scale for accurate guiding with a wide range of imaging telescopes, from wide-field refractors to larger SCTs. 32mm f/4 ED Optics: Bright Stars for Accurate Guiding Finding a suitable guide star is made simple with the scope's fast f/4 optical system, which gathers ample light to make stars visible even in short exposures. The objective lens includes a piece of Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass, which significantly reduces chromatic aberration. This ensures guide stars are rendered as sharp, tight points of light, allowing your autoguiding software to calculate a more accurate centroid for sub-pixel tracking precision. Compact Mechanics: 303g Body and 20mm Helical Focuser Weighing just 303g, this guidescope adds minimal load to your mount, making it a perfect match for portable setups and star trackers where every gram counts. Focus is achieved via a non-rotating helical focuser that provides 20mm of travel. This mechanism allows for smooth, precise adjustments to achieve critical focus without any image shift, ensuring your guide camera remains perfectly aligned. Flexible Connectivity: 1.25" and M42 Camera Support The Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope is designed for broad compatibility with modern guide cameras. The focuser terminates in a standard 1.25" holder for push-fit cameras and accessories. For a more secure, threaded connection, it also features a male M42x0.75 thread, accommodating nearly all guide cameras from major brands like ZWO and QHY. What makes the Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope's ED glass important for autoguiding? The ED glass element corrects for chromatic aberration, or color fringing. This creates sharper, more focused guide stars. Guiding software works by finding the exact center (centroid) of a star, and a tighter star profile without color bleed allows for more precise calculations and, ultimately, better tracking accuracy. How do I focus the Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope? The scope uses a helical focuser. You simply rotate the knurled ring on the barrel to move the camera forward or backward. This design is very precise and prevents the camera from rotating, maintaining the orientation of your guide field. It offers 20mm of travel to accommodate various cameras. Is the 303g weight of the Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope suitable for a portable setup like a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer? Yes, absolutely. At just 303g, it's one of the lighter guide scopes available. This minimal weight is a significant advantage for payload-limited setups like star trackers, as it leaves more capacity for your main camera and lens while reducing the chance of tracking errors caused by overloading the mount. What types of guide cameras are compatible with the Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope? This guidescope is compatible with almost any standard autoguiding camera. It provides two connection methods: 1.25" Barrel: For cameras that slide in like an eyepiece. M42x0.75 Thread: For cameras that use a T-thread connection, ensuring a rigid, tilt-free attachment. Will the Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope work with my 10" f/8 Ritchey-Chrétien telescope to guide on faint targets like the Triangulum Galaxy (M33)? Yes. The 128mm focal length provides a good image scale for guiding long focal length telescopes like an RC or SCT. More importantly, the fast f/4 focal ratio is a major benefit in these situations, as it helps pull in fainter guide stars from the sparse star fields often found around distant galaxies, increasing your chances of finding a suitable star anywhere you point. What is the main advantage of the f/4 focal ratio on the Askar 32mm F4 Guide Scope? The primary advantage of an f/4 focal ratio is brightness. It concentrates starlight more effectively onto your guide camera's sensor compared to a slower scope (e.g., f/6 or f/7). This allows you to use shorter guide exposures, which leads to more responsive and accurate corrections from your mount. Aperture 32mm Focal Length 128mm Focal Ratio f/4 Objective Lens Air-spaced design with one ED element Focuser Type Helical Focuser Focuser Travel 20mm Camera Connection 1.25" holder and M42x0.75 male thread Weight 303g Available Colors Black, Silver Download Software & Drivers Askar 1-Year Warranty
