NEW StellaMira Refractor Telescopes

[FLO]

Today is a good day 🙂 

After years of watching the market, months of discussion, planning, and preparation, we have today launched our own brand of refractor telescopes!  'StellaMira'. 

Rather than follow the crowd, for these all-important first telescopes we have chosen two triplets and a doublet from LongPerng in Taiwan. Taiwanese-made telescopes cost a little more than most similarly specified Chinese-made models but we are launching a new brand so wanted something special. 

The larger of the two StellaMira triplets, the StellaMira 104mm ED2 Triplet f/6.25 APO, was displayed at the International Astronomy Show last Nov. It is also the telescope we have chosen for our IKI Observatory at the Pixel Skies facility in Castilléjar, Spain. 

 

The smaller StellaMira 85mm ED2 Triplet f/6.6 APO is also now in stock and available to buy. 

 

Both triplet telescopes feature not one but 'two' ED glass elements. One FPL53 and the other FPL51. The third element is pretty impressive too, made from Lanthanum glass. The resulting colour correction is superb! 

The third telescope is a classic 80mm f10 Doublet. The StellaMira 80mm ED f/10. It also features an FPL53 ED element and a Lanthanum glass element which, together with the long focal-ratio, delivers truly outstanding performance for the visual astronomer. 

 

All three telescopes are fitted with sturdy LongPerng Rack & Pinion 'hybrid drive' dual speed focusers with 1:10 fine focusing. 

LongPerng's history making telescopes is impressive but because StellaMira is a FLO brand we are taking extra care to ensure every telescope performs to its full potential. With this in mind every single one, including the ED doublets, are being Es Reid tested here in the UK before dispatch. Indeed I want to say a sincere public THANK-YOU to Es for his help in selecting and testing the telescopes. His input and support at various stages of the project has been invaluable 🤗 

Steve 

[FLO]

Today and tomorrow all three telescopes are on display at Astrofest in London on the Ikarus Imaging stall (Ikarus Imaging is our sister website). 

[Craney]

That red handle sells it for me.......💘

 

[CraigT82]

Wowsers!  😍  Nice work! Looks like the kind of scope ming the merciless would use 😂

StellaMira = StarSight??

[FLO]

7 minutes ago, Craney said:

That red handle sells it for me.......💘

Red is the new black 😁

Actually, I have just had my knuckles rapped for forgetting to fit the red handle to the 80mm f10 Doublet before photographing it!  🙃

Also not shown in the photos: all three include a dovetail and aluminium carry-case. (A nice case, not the flimsy ones normally supplied with telescopes). 

We will update the 80mm f10 Doublet photo soon. 

[WanderingEye]

Any field flatteners available for these....as I would assume they will require one with large sensor cameras...? 

[johninderby]

Hmmmmmm

Would look rather nice on an AZ100 but nooooo must resist. 😬

Edited January 31, 2020 by johninderby

[FLO]

Just now, WanderingEye said:

Any field flatteners available for these....as I would assume they will require one with large sensor cameras...? 

Yes. The 104 ED2 Triplet has an optically-matched screw-on Flattener: 

StellaMira 2" Field Flattener for 104mm ED2 Triplet

The 85mm ED2 Triplet will work with these: 

StellaMira 2" Field Flattener with M48 Adapter

StellaMira 2" 0.8x Reducer / Field Flattener with M48 Adapter

It should also work very nicely with this: 

Tele Vue 0.8x Reducer / Flattener TRF-2008

Probably this too: 

HoTech SCA Field Flattener

HTH

[FLO]

For the visual astronomer we also have a couple of 90-degree Star Diagonals with dielectric mirrors and 99% reflectivity. You have probably seen them before wearing other brand logos. 

StellaMira 1.25" 90º Di-Electric Diagonal

StellaMira 2" 90º Di-Electric Diagonal

 

[Stu]

Nice work chaps! They look lush!! Bet they perform as well too 👍👍

[FLO]

52 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

Wowsers!  😍  Nice work! Looks like the kind of scope ming the merciless would use 😂

StellaMira = StarSight??

Let's see if I remember this correctly... From the Latin Stella does mean 'Star' or star shaped. If you squint a little it is close to Stellar, meaning outstanding or wonderful. Mira in Latin does mean 'wonderful' and in astronomy it is the first long-period pulsating variable star to be discovered and a red giant and component of a binary star in the constellation Cetus (I looked that part up!). Both are girl names. It just feels right 🙂 

I think Grant thought of it. We were batting various names around for ages! 

We have big plans for StellaMira... 

Steve 

[Stu]

16 minutes ago, FLO said:

We have big plans for StellaMira... 

Good stuff.

Steve, if Tak won't make one, how about a 125 or 130mm f8 ish fluorite doublet for us visual bods👍😁😉🙏

[CraigT82]

...And whilst you're at it, a high quality 8" mak would be lovely ta 😉

Edited January 31, 2020 by CraigT82

[johninderby]

As to the meaning Stella is pretty simple but quite a few different meanings for Mira.

STELLA

• Latin: star or star shaped

MIRA

• Latin: wonder & wonderful
• Slavic: peace
• Albanian: goodness or kindness
• Samskrit: ocean, sea, limit or boundary

[CraigT82]

Mira also means sight or see in Spanish.

[Alan White]

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

Hmmmmmm

Would look rather nice on an AZ100 but nooooo must resist. 😬

Funny you should say that John, they did look good on one.

 

[Alan White]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

Good stuff.

Steve, if Tak won't make one, how about a 125 or 130mm f8 ish fluorite doublet for us visual bods👍😁😉🙏

Ohh, now your talking 😁

[DaveS]

Stella Mira, Wonderful Star.

Reminds me of sn Officina Stellare HiPer 'frac.

[johninderby]

Or

StarLimit 🤔

[Saganite]

It would have to be the 80 ED f10 for me......😍

[johninderby]

Is it just me or are others thinking about what to sell to fund one of these? 🤔

[Saganite]

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

Is it just me or are others thinking about what to sell to fund one of these? 🤔

No it isn't just you John..

[Alan White]

It did look rather nice at Astro Fest.
It looked wonderful on the AZ100 as I posted earlier John.
It will not be undermounted on that now, will it.

[Frank the Troll]

Well thats my kidney gone

 

[johninderby]

Hmmmm

Dob and little mak could be going. 🤔