ED102T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

1-800-447-1001
Email Us

Why Buy From Orion

30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Safe & Secure Shopping
Next Day Shipping
Easy Returns
Sale Price Guarantee
Free Technical Support

More Information

Product
Manuals

Free
Lifetime
Tech Support

Orion ED102T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

More Shipping Information

Orion's highest-quality 102mm aperture apochromatic refractor telescope with a beautiful carbon fiber tube is a joy to look at, and to use!
Air-spaced triplet objective lens made using FPL-53 extra-low dispersion glass provides the best color correction possible to deliver superb true-color astrophotographs and sharp, high-contrast visual views
Massive machined, heavy-duty, 3" dual-speed Crayford focuser supports large format imaging cameras without vignetting
Carbon fiber telescope tube construction saves weight and minimizes thermal expansion during long astrophotography sessions so your camera stays focused, even if the temperature changes
Features a extendable carbon fiber dew shield with thumbscrew lock and includes hinged tube rings and a dovetail mounting plate for easy attachment to a telescope mount and tripod

Learn more

Item # 09530

More Info

It's beautiful. That's the first thought you'll have when you see our 102mm triplet apochromatic refractor, even before you look through the telescope! Well, prepare to be further impressed, because the Orion ED102T CF apo refractor telescope yields crystal-clear views and astrophotographs which surpass the glamour of its gorgeous carbon fiber tube design.

Our ED102T CF is a truly beautiful apochromatic refractor telescope capable of providing tack-sharp views of celestial scenes so you can capture spectacular astrophotographs and equally stunning visual displays. Orion's largest aperture carbon fiber triplet apo features a 3-element objective using high-quality FPL-53 extra-low dispersion glass. The ED102T CF telescope optical tube assembly is completely free of false color so your images and views alike will be of the highest quality. Its f/7 focal ratio and 102mm aperture make it a very versatile telescope, able to perform admirably on a wide variety of celestial objects. Whether you're shooting the Moon and planets or going after more challenging cosmic quarry such as nebulas and galaxies, the ED102T CF fits the bill with elegance.

Outfitted with exquisite features, the carbon fiber 102mm triplet refractor telescope is optimized for photographic use with CCD imagers and DSLRs. Astrophotographers will appreciate its massive 3" Crayford focuser which can easily support large format imaging cameras without vignetting, even when using astrophotography cameras with sensors larger than 35mm. The colossal machined focuser is equipped with precision dual-speed (11:1) adjustment knobs, and can be rotated relative to the optical tube for optimal positioning of attached astrophotography gear. Internal knife-edge baffles maximize image contrast, and the strong yet lightweight carbon fiber tube minimizes thermal expansion during long variable-temperature imaging sessions so your camera remains focused. The ED102T CF refractor's carbon fiber dew shield can be retracted for transport and storage, and features a thumbscrew lock. Hinged tube rings and a dovetail mounting plate are included as well as a thread-on objective dust cap. The optical tube accepts the standard Orion dovetail mounting base (sold separately) if you wish to attach a finder scope.

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

Product Support

Visit our product support section for instruction manuals and more

Specs

Best for viewing

Lunar & planetary
Best for imaging

Deep sky
User level

User level

Beginner Level - Suited for a wide range of uses, these products are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required depending on the type of product. Optical instruments with this rating will have very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment and complexity. Beginning level telescopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulae! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Intermediate Level - These products offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1: Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

Advanced Level - These products provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. Optical instruments with this rating have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but might be on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These products will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Advanced
Optical design

Optical design

Reflector telescopes use a pair of large and small mirrors to direct incoming light to the eyepiece. Refractor telescopes refract, or "bend" incoming light to a focus by means of an objective lens. Cassegrain telescopes, such as Maksutov-Cassegrains, "fold" incoming light using two mirrors and a front "corrector" lens.

Refractor
Optical diameter

Optical diameter

For telescopes, the optical diameter (also known as aperture) is the size of a telescope's main light-collecting lens or primary mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. Telescopes with larger optical diameters collect more light, which leads to an increase in brightness and image resolution compared to smaller instruments.

For binoculars, the optical diameter (also known as objective lens diameter) is the size of each of the front-facing objective lenses of a binocular measured in millimeters. Binoculars with larger objective lenses collect more light, which increases image resolution and brightness. Binoculars with larger objective lenses are recommended for low light situations, and binoculars with at least 50mm or larger objective lenses are recommended for pleasing astronomical observations at night.

102mm
Focal length

Focal length

The distance from the center of a curved mirror or lens at which parallel light rays converge to a single point. The focal length is an inherent specification of a mirror or lens and is one of the factors in determining resultant magnification for a telescope (along with the focal length of the eyepiece being used).

714mm
Focal ratio

Focal ratio

The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

f/7.0
Coatings

Coatings

Binocular lenses and prisms are often coated with anti-reflective material to minimize light loss as light travels through the multiple optical surfaces of a typical binocular. Coatings help maximize the amount of light transmitted through each glass surface of a binocular, so as much light as possible reaches the observer's eyes to provide a bright and sharp image.
Good lenses are at least "fully coated," with a single layer of magnesium fluoride coating applied to each air-to-glass lens surface. Multiple layers of coatings are even more effective; the term "multi-coated" means one or more air-to-glass lens surface has multiple coatings. "Fully multi-coated" optics are even better, meaning all lens surfaces have multiple layers of anti-reflective coatings applied for maximum light transmission and optimal image quality.

Fully multi-coated
Optics type

Optics type

Newtonian reflectors will have either a spherical shaped mirror, which is less expensive to produce, or a higher quality parabola, which does not result in spherical aberration. Cassegrain telescopes routinely use spheres in addition to other lenses in the optical path to correct for residual spherical aberration. Refractors use a series of lenses to provide a clear image. Designs range from a standard air-spaced doublet (two lenses in a row) to exotic designs such as oil-spaced triplets and 4-element multi group lenses.

Air-spaced triplet
Glass material

Glass material

Refractors use glass lenses to focus the light, and the glass material plays an important role in the quality of the resulting image. Standard achromatic refractors routinely use Crown and Flint for the two elements, but more expensive apochromatic refractors can use ED (extra low dispersion) glass for one or more of the lenses. Reflector mirrors are made from glass with different levels of thermal expansion. Standard mirrors are made from material such as Soda-Lime Plate glass and BK-7 glass. Glass with Pyrex or other low thermal expansion material will not change shape as dramatically during the cool-down period, resulting in more stable images during this period.

Extra low dispersion FPL-53
Resolving power

Resolving power

The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

1.14arc*sec
Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

14x
Highest useful magnification

Highest useful magnification

The highest practical limit is different from the often used "highest theoretical magnification" specification. The "theoretical" limit generally is 50x the aperture of the scope in inches (2x the aperture in mm). So for example, an 80mm refractor is capable of 160x, and a 10" telescope is theoretically capable of 500x magnification. But after approximately 300x, theory breaks down and real world problems take over. The atmosphere above us is constantly in motion, and it will distort the image seen through the telescope. This effect may not be noticeable at lower powers, but at higher powers the atmosphere will dramatically blur the object, reducing the quality of the image. On a good night (a night where the air above is steady and the stars aren't twinkling), the practical upper limit of a large telescope is 300x, even thought the theoretical limit may be much higher. This doesn't mean the scope will never be able to reach those higher "theoretical" powers - there will be that rare night where the atmosphere is perfectly still and the scope can be pushed past it's practical limit, but those nights will be few and far between.

204x
Highest theoretical magnification

204x
Limiting stellar magnitude

Limiting stellar magnitude

The limiting stellar magnitude is a measure of the faintest star you can see through the telescope.

12.7
Optical quality

Optical quality

"Diffraction Limited" means that the limits of image detail are determined by the physical properties of light, and not by optical defects in the telescope.

Diffraction limited
Finder scope

None
Focuser

3" dual-speed rotatable Crayford
Mount type

Optical Tube without Mount
Astro-imaging capability

Astro-imaging capability

The astro-photographic capability of the telescope is based on the style, stability, and accuracy of the mount and tripod. Telescopes on either very lightweight mounts or non tracking mounts (such as Dobsonians) are capable of only very short exposures such as lunar photographs. If a motor drive is attached to an equatorial mount, even a small lightweight mount is capable of capturing some planetary detail. Larger EQ mounts that utilize very precise tracking and excellent stability are capable of longer exposure deep-sky photography.

Lunar, planetary & long exposure
Tube material

Carbon graphite
Length of optical tube

27.0 in.
Weight, optical tube

11.8 lbs.
Additional included accessories

Deluxe tube rings, Dovetail plate (Vixen format)
Other features

Retractable dew sheild, Interior knife-edge baffled
Warranty

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

One year

In The Box

Orion ED102T CF refractor telescope optical tube assembly (OTA)
Threaded objective dust cap
2" to 1.25" eyepiece adapter�
Dust caps
Deluxe tube rings
Dovetail tube ring mounting plate (Narrow "Vixen-style" format)
Starry Night SE astronomy software

Shipping Info

Orders received by 1pm Eastern Standard Time for in-stock item the same business day. Order received after noon will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

SHIPPING RESTRICTIONS APPLY FOR THIS PRODUCT

This product is available to ship Standard delivery within the 50 US states, APO/DPO/FPO addresses and US territories/protectorates. Delivery is not available to Canada.

Reviews