Coronado SolarMax III 90 Double Stack Solar Scope with BF30

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Coronado SolarMax III 90 Double Stack Solar Scope with BF30

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Fully integrated 90mm H-alpha telescope with 800mm focal length and f/8.9 focal ratio
30mm blocking filter and double-stack for <0.5� bandpass
Includes Coronado's patented RichView tuning system
Sol Ranger viewfinder
Black and silver hard carry case included to protect your investment (dimensions: 26.5" x 8.66" x 8.66").

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Item # 57004

Mfg Model # 324014

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This Coronado SolarMax III is a 90mm f/8.9 refractor equipped with double stacked 90mm external hydrogen - alpha (H-α) filters, featuring a <0.5� bandpass and 30mm blocking filter. What makes the SM3 standout? Read on!

Designed and Manufactured in North America. Coronado SolarMax III 90mm lens' blanks manufactured in the USA for Meade.

The SM3 90mm has a new 2" two-speed rack & pinion focuser with both coarse and fine focus controls which provide the user a more precise focus, critical for both solar imaging and visual observing.

Additionally, the SM3 90mm includes only external "True" H-α etalon filters giving higher contrast views and sharper features compared with models using smaller internal H-α etalon designs. Experience darker backgrounds, sharper features, and higher contrast with the new SolarMax III series telescope.

The SM3 90mm also includes Coronado's patented RichView tuning allowing direct tuning of the primary etalon filter. The patented RichView tuning technology provides additional tuning range and an overall better way of adjusting the filter's bandpass. No other commercially available H-α telescope can provide the tuning range and accuracy of the new SolarMax III telescope. Now you can tune for the highest contrast views of your favorite solar features without sacrificing image quality.

Double Stacked model (<0.5� bandpass) which includes two "True" external etalon filters. One etalon filter equipped with our patented RichView tuner and second etalon with tip-tilt tuning using Coronado' T-Max tuner. Whether you are focusing on the solar edge or surface features in the chromosphere, the SolarMax III 90mm is the solar scope for you. Since both etalon filters are now external to the telescope, you can easily remove both filters and rear blocking filter diagonal to use the scope as a normal refractor for night time astronomy. It's like having two scopes in one!

The new Coronado 90mm SolarMax III series telescope with enhanced rack & pinion focuser and large external etalon(s) are now the perfect way to view the Sun! The SM3 90mm comes with an included 12mm, 18mm, 25mm CEMAX eyepieces, CEMAX 2x Barlow, 30mm blocking filter, Sol Ranger Solar Finder, Vixen-style dovetail mounting rail, and an all-new black and silver Aluminum Hard Carry Case (Dimensions: 26.5" x 8.66" x 8.66").

Coronado assures that all solar filters and solar telescopes are tested at specialized labs that are accredited to verify compliance with the ISO 12312-2 safety specifications for solar viewing.

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for five years from date of purchase. This warranty is provided by Meade for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact Meade at 800-626-3233.

Product Support

Visit our product support section for instruction manuals and more

Specs

Best for viewing

Solar
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.

90mm
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).

800mm
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/8.9
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
Eyepieces

Cemax 25.0mm (1.25")
Magnification with included eyepieces

32x, 67x
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.

1.28arc*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.

13x
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.

180x
Highest theoretical magnification

180x
Limiting stellar magnitude

Limiting stellar magnitude

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

12.4
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

Sol Ranger
Focuser

2" dual-speed Rack-and-pinion
Diagonal degrees

1.25" 90° Mirror Star
Mount type

Optical Tube without Mount
Tube material

Aluminum
Additional included accessories

12mm, 18mm, 25mm CEMAX eyepieces, CEMAX 2x Barlow, BF30 blocking filter and 1.25" star diagonal, Vixen-style dovetail bar, carry case
Other features

Double-stacked etalons for 0.5 angstrom bandpass, Dual-speed focuser
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.

Five year
T-max Tuner

Yes

Shipping Info

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.

A per-item shipping charge (in addition to the standard shipping and handling charge) applies to this product due to its size and weight. This charge varies based on the shipping method.

Standard Delivery: $0.00

Standard Delivery to Canada: $95.00
3 Day Delivery: $185.00
2 Day Delivery: $185.00
Next Day Delivery: $220.00

SHIPPING RESTRICTIONS APPLY FOR THIS PRODUCT

This product is available to ship Standard delivery US except for delivery to Alaska and Hawaii. Delivery is not available to US territories/protectorates or APO/DPO/FPO addresses. Delivery is available to Canada.

Returns

The Return Policy & Procedure for this product is different than Orion's standard return policy. Click here to learn more.

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