The CDK Optical Design

The CDK is a revolutionary new telescope optical system that was designed to excel at imaging on large format CCD cameras while remaining an excellent instrument for visual use. Created to meet the demands of both the serious imager and visual observer, the CDK is offered at an unprecedented value for a telescope of this quality and aperture.  One of the unique features of the CDK design is its ease of collimation and achievable centering tolerance for a telescope of its class. This assures the user will get the best possible performance out of the telescope.    The end result is a telescope which is free from off-axis coma, off-axis astigmatism, and curvature of field, yielding a perfectly flat field all the way out to the edge of a 52mm image circle.  This means pinpoint stars from the center out to the corner of the field of view.

Company Background 

PlaneWave Instruments was founded in 2006 by Richard Hedrick and Joseph Haberman, two former telescope engineers at Celestron, the second largest telescope manufacturer worldwide. Richard Hedrick brings over 21 years of experience in telescope design.  Hedrick worked for 11 years as former Chief Technology Officer and previous owner of Celestron where he was responsible for developing Celestron's award winning Schmidt-Cassegrain computerized telescopes.  Joseph Haberman has over 20 years experience in telescope making and has worked for Celestron for 5 years as an optical engineer and master optician.  Getting a product like the CDK into the hands of serious imagers and amateur astronomers has been a shared vision of Hedrick and Haberman for many years. PlaneWave Instruments is committed to providing the highest quality observatory-class products for serious astronomers.