The Celestron C6-A Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) serves as a versatile piece of equipment, boasting a focal length of 1500 mm and an f/10 focal ratio. It trumps 5-inch Cassegrains by gathering 40% more light, making it an excellent choice for stargazers. The tube also incorporates Celestron's signature StarBright® XLT optical coatings, enhancing both contrast and light transmission. This means you'll capture more detailed images of celestial objects in less time.

As for mounting options, this OTA comes with a CG-5 dovetail bar, which allows it to be easily attached to a variety of computerized telescope mounts. Of course, it's equally compatible with basic manual altazimuth mounts for traditional night sky observation or daytime terrestrial viewing.

What sets the Celestron C6-A apart is its well-rounded nature; it offers a unique blend of portability, user-friendliness, light-collecting prowess, and affordability. This makes it a telescope that can cater to advanced users while remaining as accessible as intermediate and some beginner scopes.

About StarBright XLT Coatings

StarBright XLT represents Celestron's cutting-edge optical coating technology, outdoing anything else currently available in the commercial telescope market. There are three key elements that elevate StarBright XLT's high-transmission optics:

1. Multi-layer Mirror Coatings: These are meticulously layered from materials such as aluminum, SiO2 (quartz), TiO2 (titanium dioxide), and SiO2 (silicon dioxide). This results in a spectrum-friendly reflectivity ideal for both imaging and visual observation.

2. Anti-Reflective Coatings: Crafted from precise layers of MgF2 (magnesium fluoride) and HfO2 (hafnium dioxide), the latter being a rare and pricey element. These coatings deliver a broader band pass compared to what you'll get with titanium-based coatings.

3. Water White Glass: This type of glass is used for the corrector lens, offering superior light transmission—about 90.5% even without anti-reflective coatings. That's a 3.5% advantage over uncoated soda lime glass. When paired with StarBright XLT's coatings, the average light transmission skyrockets to an impressive 97.4%.

For more details on the proprietary StarBright XLT coatings, you can visit Celestron's dedicated page on the subject.

Specifications

Software and Documentation

6" Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical Tube Assembly Dimensional Drawing