Celestron RASA 8" Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph Imaging Kit

The RASA 8 Imaging Kit makes deep-sky astrophotography fast and easy, allowing you to capture stunning images in minutes—even from a light-polluted backyard. It combines the acclaimed Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) telescope with two essential imaging filters: the Light Pollution Filter and the Hα-Hβ-OIII Filter. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced astrophotographer, this kit provides a convenient way to capture detailed images of even the most challenging deep-sky targets.

RASA: Imaging at f/2.0

At Celestron, we love astroimaging. But we're well aware of the challenges our favorite hobby can sometimes involve: trekking long distances to dark skies, precisely aligning and guiding an equatorial mount, and capturing hours of very long exposures to gather enough photons to see the spiral arms and faint details of our favorite celestial objects. In a quest to solve all those challenges, our engineers joined forces with storied optical designers Dave Rowe and Mark Ackermann to create RASA. While a traditional SCT telescope places the imaging sensor at the Cassegrain focus at the rear of the telescope, RASA places the sensor at the prime focus at the front of the telescope. Instead of imaging at f/10 like you do with an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain (SCT), RASA works at lightning speed, f/2—25 times faster! In 10 minutes with RASA, your image is as bright as it would be in 4+ hours with an SCT (albeit with a wider field of view).

When you image with a RASA 8, you can use much shorter exposure times. Add a sensitive camera and the proper "live stacking" software, and the 8" RASA can provide an almost real-time "observing" experience—even from the city. View images on a computer in seconds that are brighter and more detailed than you'd see through a much bigger telescope with the naked eye. Or capture and stack lots of short exposures and process the data; you'll be stunned at the details you can bring out. What's more, RASA's speed lessens the tracking demands on your mount. You’ll be using shorter sub-exposures so you won't need to track accurately over extended periods. In many cases, you won't even need to use an autoguider. And since RASA 8 weighs just 17 lb, it pairs perfectly with a wide variety of mounts, including the grab-and-go Advanced VX.Although RASA has revolutionized the world of astroimaging, its influence goes far beyond astroimaging. Researchers and government agencies around the world have discovered that RASA is the ideal tool for detecting errant space junk and asteroids. Arrays of RASAs are deployed worldwide, scanning the skies and protecting our satellites in orbit.

Flat-field Performance Perfectly Paired with Today's Cameras

The 8" RASA delivers a flat field without optical aberrations for razor-sharp stars across a wide field of view. It can capture detailed deep-sky astronomical images at a fraction of the cost of other slower and smaller telescope designs, like refractors. The RASA 8" has many of the same thoughtfully designed features as its "big brother" RASA 11, including the integrated air-cooling system, internal filter mount, and sturdy CGE dovetail mounting bar. Purely designed for imaging, the 8" RASA cannot be used visually. The focal plane is located at the front of the optical system, so it cannot accommodate a traditional eyepiece. Unlike the 11" and 14" RASA, which both work with DSLR and large astronomical cameras, we designed the 8" model with color astronomical CMOS cameras, smaller CCD cameras, and mirrorless cameras in mind. (RASA 8 does not work with standard DSLR cameras.) It is optimized for sensors with up to a 22mm diagonal but performs well with sensors up to a 32mm diagonal. The APS-C sized sensors used in many mirrorless cameras are a good choice. Note that 42mm full-frame sensors can also work, but performance diminishes at the edges of the sensor, and field illumination is reduced. We don't recommend pairing RASA 8 with any camera body more than 4" in diameter. See the chart below to determine if your camera is compatible with RASA 8.

Features

• A Winning Astrophotography Kit – Combine the legendary 8" Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph with two must-have filters—the Light Pollution Reduction Filter and the Hα-Hβ-OIII Filter—for a blazing-fast f/2.0 system that can produce stunning images of a wide array of astroimaging targets.
• Ultra-fast Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt f/2.0 Optics – Don't spend hours capturing your images—with RASA 8's f/2.0 optical system, you can gather the same image brightness 25 times faster than an f/10 system. And RASA 8 images aren't just bright and full of detail; they're also free from optical defects like field curvature, coma, astigmatism, and chromatic aberration.
• Patented Technology that Researchers Trust – Beyond imaging, RASA is the perfect tool for detecting errant space junk and asteroids. Scientists and government agencies use RASA arrays to monitor the space environment and protect our satellites.
• Built for Today's Cameras – Designed with color astronomical CMOS cameras, smaller CCD cameras, and mirrorless cameras in mind, RASA 8's flat field provides pinpoint stars and excellent performance across an entire APS-C sensor.
• Ultra-Stable Focus System – A precision linear ball bearing virtually eliminates image shift. RASA performs over a wider spectral range than most telescopes, from 400 nm to 800 nm, so more of the light passing through the astrograph is in sharp focus.
• Includes Two RASA Imaging Filters – When you purchase this kit, your RASA is ready to handle a variety of imaging targets and observing conditions right out of the box. The Light Pollution Reduction Filter and Hα-Hβ-OIII Filter enhance your images of faint targets like nebulae by blocking light pollution, improving image contrast, and darkening the sky background. Celestron engineers designed each filter to fit seamlessly into RASA 8's optical path.