QHY off-axle guide model QHYOAG-M Pro

QHYOAG includes a 1.25-inch precision helical focuser that supports our QHY5II and QHY5III cameras. The focusing process is convenient. After focusing, you can lock the focusing mechanism with thumbscrews.

Unlike external guiding arrangements, when using an OAG, the guiding camera and imaging camera share the field of view of the main optical system. If a user's OTA has a long focal length and the environment is not ideal, there will often be fewer stars suitable for guidance in the FOV.

One way to improve the chances of finding a good guide star is to use a guide camera with a larger sensor. For example, guide cameras such as the QHY5III174M or QHY5III585C have an FOV that is 2 to 4 times larger than that of the smaller cameras typically sold as guide cameras. This larger FOV naturally allows more stars to be captured, essentially solving the problem of no or few stars available to guide the image.

For a large sensor guide camera to perform to its full potential on an OAG, a prism large enough to allow illumination of the larger sensor and avoid severe vignetting is needed. The new OAG-L Pro uses a new wider prism to better accommodate guide cameras with larger sensors. The prism size of the standard QHYOAGL is about 8 x 8 mm. The new QHYOAGL Pro prism is 10 x 14 mm.

When the QHY5III174M is connected to the previous version of QHYOAGL for shooting, severe vignetting occurs (Image 1, below). In contrast, when the QHY5III174M is connected to the new QHYOAGL Pro on the same optical system, only minor darkening occurs at the edges, which will not affect night guiding (Image 2, below).

The QHYOAG series is attached directly to the chamber or filter wheel by means of six screws, ensuring a solid, parallel and reliable mechanical connection. At the same time, a variety of standard and optional QHY accessories can be used to realize a wide range of structural combinations.

The QHYOAGL Pro has the same aperture as the QHYCFW3XL faceplate (62 mm) and can be directly attached. QHY also provides compatible adapters for QHYCFW3L and QHYCFW3M as standard accessories, making the OAG-L Pro compatible with more filter wheels. At the same time, solutions for achieving a 55mm rear focal length are also provided, see below:

The QHYOAGL Pro is designed to support cameras with larger sensors such as the QHY461PH, QHY600, and their corresponding large optical systems. Therefore, it only provides M62 and M54 thread outputs. For smaller systems requiring M48 threads, a new QHYOAGM Pro with a larger pick off prism is being developed and will be available shortly.

QHY OAGM-Pro

Technical specifications

Accessories