Highlights
- A Premium, Light, Compact and Portable Design - About half the weight of traditional Dobsonian telescopes. Fully assembled the UL14 weighs only at about 48 pounds!
- Outstanding Images - Premium quality, diffraction limited Newtonian optical systems will deliver stunning views of the heavens from dark sky sites
- Exclusive Optical Technology - The UL14 features Hubble lightweight sandwich mirror with an optimized thermal design that cools up to 10 times faster than the regular solid mirrors
- The UL14 f/4.6 optical system delivers bright images and features a short tube keeping the eyepiece conveniently close to the ground
- Enhanced Coating - The 96% Enhanced Coating on both the primary and secondary mirrors.
- A precision-machined all-aluminum construction with 8 rigid double section truss tubes and extremely strong and portable ALT bearing structure. It features a real mirror cell and mirror box for safe mirror protection, convenient storage and easy transportation
- Modular and Compact Design: The Hubble UL14 is delivered in several preassembled modules. The entire systems can be assembled easily and quickly, as little as a few minutes.
- Mirror cover included
Exclusive Sandwich Mirror Technology:
Our sandwich mirror technology has been used to manufacture research-grade optical elements and proven by over a half dozen years of successful applications at research facilities such as NASA, California State Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo, for the US Army, and in amateur telescopes around the world. Hubble sandwich mirror's open core and close back design not only allows air to circulate through the mirror, but also provide the maximum structure strength to allow a simpler mirror cell design. Our sandwich mirror will reach thermal equilibrium up to 10 times faster than a traditional solid 14-inch mirror and means the mirror can deliver great views even as the air around the telescope is changing temperature.
Why is thermal equilibrium so critical? The main issue is "mirror seeing," the turbulence seen through the eyepiece of the telescope when the air above the mirror is different from the mirror itself. Since a sandwich mirror cools far more rapidly than a solid mirror of the same thickness, this major source of distortion is eliminated quickly, giving you sharp and stable views. With ever- changing temperatures during observing or imaging, your thick and solid mirror may never reach equilibrium, and never reach its full optical potential. This is one of the major reasons why our lightweight-sandwich mirror has superior optical performance in real world situations, even without an active cooling system. (Active cooling systems, such as fans, introduce their own problems, such as micro vibration, which may seriously degrade the image quality.) Our sandwich mirrors reach equilibrium extremely fast, and without any external disturbing aid.
Enhanced Optical Coatings:
The Hubble UL14 primary mirror and secondary mirror are both coated with the state of the art 96% Enhanced optical coatings to assure it collects as many (while scattering as little) photons as possible to focus it into a bright and contrast-rich image. The optimal 96% enhanced coating has multiple over-coating of precision controlled dielectric layer to maximize the reflectivity and provide excellent chemical and mechanical protection for the mirror coating.
Engineered Mirror Support:
The UL14 has an extensively modeled and optimized 6-point flotation system that provides more than adequate support for the sandwich mirror. The three-point collimation system is completely independent from the sling lateral support. It will totally eliminate the often- found potato chip astigmatism introduced by sling belt when using the simple 3 pivoted bolts collimation system. In a simple pivoted bolts collimation system, the collimation of the primary mirror may cause the sling belt to pull the mirror axially on the mirror edge, bending the mirror to a potato-chip shape, causing annoying astigmatism.
All Metal Construction:
The UL14 mechanical structures have been extensively modeled via 3D CAD and advanced FEA to provide the optimal structure strength and stability. Machined with Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology and hand fitted to assure proper fit and finish. Super strong T6063-T3 aluminum alloy truss tubes, structure steel mirror cell and aluminum alloy OTA and mount structure. Completed with deluxe and environmentally friendly black powder coating, it is such a pleasure to look at, not to mention the enjoyment to look through.
Dual-Speed 2-inch Linear Drive Crayford Focuser:
The Hubble UL14 comes with a precision dual-speed, 2-inch diameter focuser. It's a beautiful piece of precision machining that enhances the viewing experience as well as the overall impression of a premium quality instrument you'll have with this telescope. This focuser is robust! It is a zero-backlash "Crayford-style" design further enhanced with modern "linear bearings" meaning you get a rock-solid, super smooth focusing experience that can handle the weight of even the heaviest of modern eyepieces. Its tension, the pressure on the drawtube, is preset to a very reasonable level, but adjustable to lock heavy equipment in place if desired. The smaller stainless steel focus control adjusts focus at a rate 8 times finer than the larger focus wheels. This fine adjustment allows for critical focusing during high power visual observing or for imaging applications. The focuser has 50mm of travel distance.
Why should you select a Hubble UL14?
The UL14 is a perfect balance between a telescope with large light-gathering capability and unbeatable portability. It will be the telescope that gets taken out of the garage or from the back of a car to be used frequently. It will provide stunning views of the heavens and a lifetime of observing enjoyment.
The UL14 collects 36% more light than a 12" and 96% more than 10" optics, allowing you to resolve significantly fainter objects and more subtle details. The UL14 has a parabolic primary with a full 14-inch diameter of optical surface, a generous 14.4" overall diameter; not an 14-inch blank with a beveled and much smaller optical surface like all other 14" telescopes in the market. It translates to 5% more optical surface and light gathering power than any other 14" scopes in the market.
Hubble UL14 has been designed to be as light and compact as possible, making the task of transport to your favorite dark-sky site as easy as possible. The heaviest component of the UL14 is the primary mirror, which weighs in at about 16 pounds, and the entire telescope is only about 48 pounds, which is remarkably light for a 14-inch telescope. In addition, with its f/4.6 focal ratio mirror, the Hubble UL14 telescope has an eyepiece location that can always be reached when you are standing with both feet on the ground (only 60" from the ground when the UL14 is pointed at zenith).
With the Hubble UL14, most NGC objects can be found from a dark sky site - they may not be too obvious, but you can chase them down. The Hubble UL14 will reveal the hints of color in bright emission nebula such as the Orion Nebula and some of the brighter planetary nebulae (The Blue Snowball, The Saturn Nebula and others), incredible detail on Jupiter and, using an H-beta filter, a very distinct Horsehead nebula. Results will vary according to observing conditions and other factors. The Hubble UL14 is a telescope that can provide a lifetime of satisfying observing experiences in a less than 50- pound package!
The Timelapse of UL14 at ITV 2017
Click here for the Timelapse of UL14 at ITV 2017 in Gedern with Astroshop.EU
Instructions Manual
Click here for the instructions manual PDF - the Guide and Setup Process.
Dimensions
Click here for the UL14 dimensions when folded.
Specifications
- Optical design: Reflector
- Optical diameter: 355.6mm
- Focal length: 1635mm
- Focal ratio: f/4.6
- Eyepiece height at zenith: 1525mm (60")
- Optics type: Parabolic
- Eyepieces: Not included
- Optical quality : Diffraction limited++ (Strehl 0.95+ for the primary mirror, 1/10 lambda or better in PV for the secondary mirror)
- Finder scope: Not included
- Focuser: 2" dual-speed linear bearing Crayford
- Secondary mirror obstruction: 70 mm
- Secondary mirror obstruction by diameter: 19.7%
- Secondary mirror obstruction by area: 3.9%
- Mirror coatings/over-coatings : 96% Enhanced coating on both of the primary and secondary mirrors
- Tube material: 6063-T6 Aluminum Alloy tubes with black zinc plated steel knob screws; Aluminum Alloy main structure (OTA and mount) and structure steel mirror cell.
- Length of optical tube: 60.0".
- Weight, Optical tube: 40.0 lbs.
- Weight, fully assembled: 48.0 lbs.
- Additional, optional accessories: Red-dot Finder, 8x50 Finder, Shroud, Wheelbarrow, Vinyl foam Cushioned Grips
- Other features: Sling lateral support and deluxe push-pull brass knob collimation screws