<p>Szymanek says he took some of his <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/36672102@N07/" rel="noreferrer">Flickr images</a> with a <a href="http://www.gs-telescope.com/content.asp?id=151" rel="noreferrer">GSO 10"</a> Ritchey-Chrétien telescope.
At least one <a href="https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/altair-astro-deluxe-10-f8-ritchey-chretien-carbon-fibre-astrograph-telescope.html" rel="noreferrer">third party</a> offers these with Altair Astro branding and says the tube is made of carbon fiber.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritchey%E2%80%93Chr%C3%A9tien_telescope" rel="noreferrer">Ritchey-Chrétien</a> design is a Cassegrain with hyperbolic primary and secondary mirrors.
It minimizes coma and spherical aberration at the expense of field curvature.
The baffle tube forward of the hole in the primary is required to shade the image plane from direct skylight.
Many Cassegrain telescopes also have a short baffle tube aft of the secondary.</p>

<p>The multiple baffle rings inside the main tube just darken the tube more completely than black paint alone.
They are more likely separate rings than a continuous helix.
The alternative would be to roughen the surface e.g. with flocking paper.</p>

<p>The mount looks like an older Software Bisque Paramount, a robotic German equatorial mount.
On current models the declination axis housing is cylindrical rather than rectangular.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-01T07:02:18.453Z
`+1` thanks for the pretty thorough telescope detective work!
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-01T05:16:08.647Z
2019-10-01T05:16:08.647Z
Mike G
<p>The 2011 Sixty Symbols video <a href="https://youtu.be/ETt_l0MiXAo?t=100" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Spy Satellites (from Deep Sky Videos)</a> shows amateur astrophotographer Nik Szymanek and his telescope.</p>

<p><strong>Question:</strong> Can someone identify the model and design of this particular telescope and it's mount, and explain why there are so many baffles inside the tube (isn't this more than typical?) and the structure of the tube? Is it some composite? Why the spiral pattern?</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/boYns.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/boYns.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>click all images for full size</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/bhgaa.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/bhgaam.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/LsxH8.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/LsxH8m.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/eWq0G.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/eWq0Gm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/iDYHs.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/iDYHsm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-30T07:20:29.437Z
Doesn't the primary look a bit dirty?
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-30T10:10:54.713Z
I know one guy who can [Nik Szymanek](http://www.ccdland.net/).  You'll find a contact link on his website that will lget you an email address.
StephenG - Help Ukraine
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-30T11:28:28.210Z
@StephenG it's possible others will find that useful. I'm kinda shy.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-30T12:36:09.693Z
"shy" is not the first expression that I would have used for someone prominent on a public forum. :-)
StephenG - Help Ukraine
<telescope><amateur-observing><optics>
Questions about amateur astrophotographer Nik Szymanek's telescope
uhoh
# Questions about amateur astrophotographer Nik Szymanek's telescope

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-09-30)

The 2011 Sixty Symbols video [Spy Satellites (from Deep Sky Videos)](https://youtu.be/ETt_l0MiXAo?t=100) shows amateur astrophotographer Nik Szymanek and his telescope.

**Question:** Can someone identify the model and design of this particular telescope and it's mount, and explain why there are so many baffles inside the tube (isn't this more than typical?) and the structure of the tube? Is it some composite? Why the spiral pattern?

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/boYns.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/boYns.jpg)

click all images for full size

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/bhgaam.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/bhgaa.jpg) [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/LsxH8m.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/LsxH8.jpg)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/eWq0Gm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/eWq0G.jpg) [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/iDYHsm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/iDYHs.jpg)

**Tags:** telescope, amateur-observing, optics
> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Doesn't the primary look a bit dirty?  
> **username_1**: I know one guy who can [Nik Szymanek](http://www.ccdland.net/).  You'll find a contact link on his website that will lget you an email address.  
> **username_0**: @StephenG it's possible others will find that useful. I'm kinda shy.  
> **username_1**: "shy" is not the first expression that I would have used for someone prominent on a public forum. :-)  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-10-01. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

Szymanek says he took some of his [Flickr images](https://www.flickr.com/photos/36672102@N07/) with a [GSO 10"](http://www.gs-telescope.com/content.asp?id=151) Ritchey-Chrétien telescope.
At least one [third party](https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/altair-astro-deluxe-10-f8-ritchey-chretien-carbon-fibre-astrograph-telescope.html) offers these with Altair Astro branding and says the tube is made of carbon fiber.

The [Ritchey-Chrétien](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritchey%E2%80%93Chr%C3%A9tien_telescope) design is a Cassegrain with hyperbolic primary and secondary mirrors.
It minimizes coma and spherical aberration at the expense of field curvature.
The baffle tube forward of the hole in the primary is required to shade the image plane from direct skylight.
Many Cassegrain telescopes also have a short baffle tube aft of the secondary.

The multiple baffle rings inside the main tube just darken the tube more completely than black paint alone.
They are more likely separate rings than a continuous helix.
The alternative would be to roughen the surface e.g. with flocking paper.

The mount looks like an older Software Bisque Paramount, a robotic German equatorial mount.
On current models the declination axis housing is cylindrical rather than rectangular.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: `+1` thanks for the pretty thorough telescope detective work!  

---

