Aurel Veil 70 achromatic refractor, tube with alt-az mount

Specifications

Description

The Veil 70 is a 70 mm achromatic doublet refractor with a focal length of 420 mm, which gives it a focal ratio of f/6. At that ratio the field at low power is wide enough for rich-field star clouds in the Milky Way, and the tube still takes moderate magnification on the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. You will see a faint violet fringe around very bright objects, because a two-element achromat brings only two wavelengths to a common focus.

The objective is fully multi-coated and sits in a tube with internal baffles, which keeps the background dark when a bright planet is near the edge of the field. The 1.25 in rack-and-pinion focuser uses a single-speed knob with a short travel range, so it holds a standard eyepiece without tilting. A 6x30 finder scope with a right-angle correct-image bracket mounts on the tube with two thumbscrews, and it helps you locate targets before you move to the eyepiece.

At 1.6 kg for the tube, the Veil 70 rides on a light alt-az mount or a small equatorial mount, and it fits in a soft case for travel. A small refractor reaches outdoor temperature sooner than a reflector of similar aperture, so you can start observing soon after you carry it out. Allow a few minutes for the optics to settle before you judge fine detail.

Typical targets include double stars such as Albireo and Epsilon Lyrae, the phases of Venus, the Moon's craters near the terminator, and open clusters such as the Pleiades and the Double Cluster in Perseus. At this aperture, the Orion Nebula shows its bright core and the surrounding haze, and many star clouds in Sagittarius and Cygnus fill the wide field of a low-power eyepiece.

About this configuration

This listing covers one specific configuration of the Aurel Veil 70 achromatic refractor, defined by its bundle, finish, accessory kit, and edition year. The included alt-az mount moves up and down and side to side, so you point the telescope by hand without polar alignment. An alt-az mount keeps setup short: level the tripod, attach the tube, align the finder, and start finding targets. Carbon fiber saves some weight compared with a metal tube, which eases the load on the mount and on your arms.

No accessory kit is included, which suits observers who already own eyepieces and want to reuse them. The optics in the 2024 edition match the other years; the changes concern hardware details only. Check the specifications table for the optical figures, since they stay the same across every configuration of the Veil line.

What's in the box

• Optical tube with dust cap
• Dovetail mounting bar
• 1.25 in star diagonal
• 6x30 finder scope with bracket
• Front dust cap
• Alt-az mount with aluminum tripod

Compatibility notes

• Accepts 1.25 in eyepieces directly.
• The dovetail bar fits most small alt-az and equatorial mounts that take a standard-width saddle.