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Saturday, May 30, 2015

Tiny Telescope Observatory & Aperture Stretching

TINY TELESCOPE OBSERVATORY & APERTURE STRETCHING


The tiny telescope observatory is a dream for 16 years. The goal is to take a tiny telescope of precision optical quality, about 2 to 6 inches in diameter, and magically stretch it into a 20 to 60-inch telescope using high technology.

This is a fantastic story that's just beginning because a tiny telescope can now make big discoveries, after having aperture stretching. Studying the planets and moons, or deep sky, can lead to profound observational data and breathtaking imagery.
Fake big ETX Source
The core of the stretching technique dates back many years to a time when Humanoido was in Junior High School and needed a method to increase the performance of a high quality 4.25-inch diameter reflector telescope.
Several techniques were invented, some which are additive, to make a small telescope into a large telescope.

Meade ETX-60AT & ETX-70AT Telecopes
The first technique converted the 4.25 inch telescope into a 42.5-inch telescope using non digital means. As an example of this performance, when photographing Jupiter, the moon Ganymede came into view so it was captured too. To unbelievable surprise, Ganymede had surface structure visible in the photos and the stretching technique was etched in stone. 
The second technique uses an electronic invention to double the size of the telescope. This digital technique completely replaces the first non-digital technique which has its roots in chemical film based processing.
The third technique depends on the telescope design. A refractor is generally known to perform like a reflector telescope twice its size, because it has no central obstruction. The reflector telescope will be the base criteria.
The telescope is also found on Amazon.com
In conclusion, a Meade 60AT with a 60mm aperture will perform like a 120mm aperture, or 4.7-inches. Then applying Humanoido's electronic technique, this telescope will become a 47-incher. This is really fantastic.

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If you wanted to buy a 47 inch telescope, it might cost 1.1 million dollars and take up space bigger than a house. You can see the cost effectiveness of this project. The Meade ETX-60AT telescope is currently as low as $65 on Ebay.

Why the Meade ETX-60AT When Larger Scopes Are Available?
The telescope was chosen because it's a high resolution refractor without a central obstruction that can make it perform like a reflector telescope with twice the aperture. It was chosen for its diminutive size, perfect for a tiny observatory, or a tiny car observatory. It was also chosen for its computerized GOTO functions and simplistic ALT-AZ mounting and drive.