Alpine Astronomical grouped their both-eyes-open viewer with a 1.25" nosepiece and their 1:1.7x Glass Path Compensator into this Baader MaxBright II Binoviewer Kit to give you the ability to use it in standard holders and visual backs while correcting the chromatic aberration binoviewers tend to suffer from. You have the added benefit of gaining the extra back focus distance you need to achieve tack-sharp views. The 1.7x compensator is especially useful on refractor-style OTAs.
Alpine Astronomical Baader MaxBright II Binoviewer (1.25")
The Alpine Astronomical Baader MaxBright II Binoviewer allows you to enjoy views of the night sky without the strain and aggravation of having to hold an eye closed while looking through your eyepiece. Using two eyes to view reduces eyestrain while letting you comfortably concentrate on objects and discern faint contrasts. It also serves to compensate for floaters and astigmatism and lowers the visual noise in images. The 26mm telescope-side aperture fully illuminates eyepiece focal lengths up to 35mm, and the precise collimation of the seven-layer anti-reflection fully multi-coated prisms provides perfectly aligned light paths through your eyepieces and into your eyes.
For visual observation, the viewer is outfitted with dual 1.25" ClickLock eyepiece holders. This unique eyepiece mounting system is superior to conventional compression ring and set screw holders, using three long roller bearings to hold the eyepiece firmly centered in place without marking or marring it, while eliminating wobble and off-axis tilt. A simple twist locks and unlocks the clamping system for fast eyepiece changes even while wearing gloves. To mount the binoviewer into your optical tube, there are standard M42 T-threads that make it compatible with the entire Baader Astro T-2 modular accessory system, including 1.25" and 2" nosepieces, SCT visual back adapters, spacers, and more. This version of the MaxBright II comes with a Zeiss micro-bayonet dovetail mount adapter ring for those optical tubes and accessories that are outfitted with that connection. To protect your binoviewer, a hard ABS case with a custom cut foam lining is included.
The MaxBright II is compatible with Baader Glass Path Correctors that allow you to achieve the proper backfocus while also compensating for chromatic aberration (color fringing) and spherical aberration common in all binoviewers.
Alpine Astronomical Glasspath Corrector 1.7x for Maxbright/Mark V Binoviewers
The Alpine Astronomical Glasspath Corrector 1.7x is primarily intended to correct chromatic aberration and fringing that occur, especially on refractors, as a result of the additional prisms in binoviewers. The Glasspath Corrector is designed for use in the Maxbright and Mark V binoviewers to extend the telescope's focal point to improve your views and provide the ability to achieve tack-sharp focus.
This focal extending feature is what enables the use of a binocular viewer in most telescopes. When using a binoviewer, the distance incoming light must travel to get to your eye is increased, resulting in a lack of enough focus distance (back focus) to achieve proper focus. By using a compensator, the focal point of the telescope can be extended sufficiently to accommodate the length of the binoviewer.
In addition to providing critical back focus distance, the corrector adds 1.7x magnification in front of the binoviewer eyepieces. This Barlow-type function enables the use of longer focal length eyepieces to achieve high magnifications. These eyepieces tend to have longer eye relief than eyepieces with short focal lengths, so viewing is easier and more comfortable.
Alpine Astronomical Baader 1.25" T-2 Nosepiece
An optional part of their modular Astro T-2 system, the Alpine Astronomical Baader 1.25" T-2 Nosepiece allows an array of accessories and eyepieces to fit into 1.25" drawtubes, focusers, and visual backs.
The nosepiece has M34 threads that accept the Baader VIP Barlow Lens or Glasspath Compensator. It also has male T-2 threads, which allow you to mount your T-2 accessories like the Baader Amici prism as well as a DSLR or imager for afocal and ocular projection photography techniques.
