Askar 203APO - 203 mm f/7 Triplet APO Refractor - 203APO

The Askar 203APO has a large aperture of 8" and sports a native focal ratio of f/7.  This big, beautiful triplet refractor has a 20% larger effective aperture area than the 185APO, allowing the limiting magnitude to reach a faint 13.3.

The large aperture also provides an inherent advantage in terms of light-gathering power, resolution, brightness, and contrast, allowing the photographer to gather more light and present more details and brighter objects in the image.

The Askar 203APO adopts a triplet air-spaced APO lens design, including one piece of ED glass. This special optical design, with multiple lens elements,  corrects chromatic aberration, naturally providing higher-quality object details and color accuracy.

Even though the Askar 203APO is no shrinking violet, it was still designed with portability in mind. Due to the innovative retractable design, the shortest overall length is only 1145mm and the net weight is 14.9kg when the accessories are removed.

As mentioned above, the rear lens tube of the Askar 203APO has an integrated retractable design. Askar's design team strengthened the overall stability and ensured that the optical axis would not be affected when the lens tube is extended, thus guaranteeing the quality of the image. The retractable part also features a rudder-type locking ring that makes it easy to loosen or tighten.

When the lens tube is extended, the 203APO can be connected to a diagonal and an eyepiece for observation. When the lens tube is contracted, the Askar 203APO can be used with a binoviewer for visual observation. 

The Askar 203APO is equipped with a dual-speed rack and pinion large 3.5" rigid focuser, which is compatible with most motorized focusers on the market. There is a high-precision scale printed on the focuser, which has 100mm of focus travel. The entire focuser barrel is CNC machined with an anti-reflective internal design and matte paint, providing extra measures to eliminate stray light.

There are two finder bases on both each of the focuser, which not only eliminates the need for disassembling when changing the position of the finder scope but also provides additional mounting positions for other astronomical accessories.

The rear of the focuser features a large 360° high-precision rotator, along with precise scales for convenient adjustment and saving of rotation angles, enabling precise rotation. It is also equipped with an enlarged rotator locking screw that can be easily secured even under high loads.

In terms of visual observation, the focuser interface at the rear comes with a 1.25"/2" adapter so the 203APO can easily achieve focus when connected to 1.25" or 2" diagonals or various eyepieces. Because of the retractable lens tube design, it can also be attached to a binoviewer for visual observation.

The entire Askar 203APO tube is crafted using high-quality CNC machining with anodized and surface spray paint treatments. The orange accents on the ivory-white tube add a bright and eye-catching touch, presenting a stylish and elegant overall appearance.

The Askar 203APO has an extended 402mm handle with a special slot design, making it also a base for installing a finder scope.

The wide Losmandy-style dovetail plate of the Askar 203APO is compatible with most equatorial mounts and bases on the market. The dovetail plate is designed with multiple holes, which makes it easy to adjust the position. The length of the dovetail plate has been extended to 500mm, which is more convenient for balancing on the mount.