Our Telescopes

The society's main telescope is a Meade LX90 20 cm (8-inch) Advanced Coma Free (ACF) GOTO Schmidt-Cassegrain instrument. Once it has been set up, it can quickly and easily be pointed to any object in the sky, enabling members to see several different objects in a single observing session.   The telescope also has an optional "guided tour" facility, that automatically lists and goes to the best objects visible on any particular evening.

The society also uses a Vixen VMC200L catadioptric telescope for lunar and planetary viewing and a Televue refractor.

In addition, we own a SkyWatcher 10 cm GOTO telescope which can be loaned to members under specific terms. Please contact the Equipment Officer for more details.

We also have access to the Torquay Boys' Grammar School's Celestron C1400 EdgeHD, a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (SCT). This high definition system is situated on an EQ8 mount with full GOTO facilities and can be used to capture wide field, astrograph quality images. 

Patron Professor Chris Lintott outside the Observatory

Celestron EDGE HD 14" Aplanatic Schmidt Telescope – Sky-Watcher EQ8 GoTo Mount

EdgeHD is an aplanatic, flat field Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that produces aberration-free images across a wide visual and photographic field of view. The optical system was designed to reduce more than just off-axis star coma; it also provides an astrograph-quality flat focal plane all the way to the edge of the field of view.

Vixen VMC200L Maksutov Cassegrain Telescope – Sky-Watcher EQ5 GoTo Mount

Featuring an improved design and optical properties, this compact Field Maksutov-Cassegrain system is the answer to all SC devices. The Meniskus corrector is located directly in front of the secondary mirror. As a result, the Field-Maksutov does not require a correction plate on the telescope aperture, which quickly becomes covered in dew when exposed to humid air. The long focal length allows you to make detailed observations of planets, distant galaxies, individual lunar craters and mountains and many other celestial objects.