Corvane Gloam 152 refractor, tube with equatorial mount

Specifications

Description

The Gloam 152 is an achromatic doublet refractor with 152 mm of clear aperture and 1216 mm of focal length, working at f/8. That ratio gives a moderate field at low power and handles high magnification on the Moon, the planets, and close double stars without the tube length of a faster design. The objective is a two-element achromat, so bright planets and the lunar limb show a visible violet fringe, more than an apochromat of the same size would show.

The tube is made from aluminum and has a retractable dew shield and internal baffles behind the objective cell. These reduce stray light from nearby lamps and keep the background darker when a bright planet sits near the edge of the field. The lens is multi-coated on both surfaces, and front and rear dust caps protect the optics between sessions.

The 2.5 in dual-speed rack-and-pinion focuser holds a star diagonal and a heavy eyepiece, and the fine-focus knob gives a 10:1 reduction for critical focus on planetary detail. At 9.5 kg for the tube, the Gloam 152 needs a sturdy equatorial mount or a heavy alt-az mount with a payload rating above 10 kg. Allow the tube to reach the outdoor temperature before observing, since a refractor of this size takes longer to settle than a small one.

Typical targets include the craters and terminator of the Moon, the cloud belts and Galilean moons of Jupiter, the Cassini Division in the rings of Saturn, and close double stars such as Gamma Andromedae. Under dark skies the aperture shows more structure in the brighter galaxies of Virgo and Coma Berenices than a smaller refractor does. A 2.5 in wide-field eyepiece fits large open clusters such as the Pleiades in a single field.

About this configuration

The Corvane Gloam 152 refractor is offered in several configurations, and the notes below describe what this particular combination adds or changes. With the equatorial mount, slow-motion controls let you keep a planet centered at high magnification with one hand. Balancing the tube and the counterweight before each session helps the equatorial mount move smoothly in both axes. The carbon fiber tube expands less as the temperature drops, so the focus point drifts less as the night cools.

The deep-sky kit adds a wide-field eyepiece and a UHC filter for emission nebulae such as the Lagoon and the Orion Nebula. The 2026 edition carries the optics over unchanged and updates small parts such as dust caps and thumbscrews. Check the specifications table for the optical figures, since they stay the same across every configuration of the Gloam line.

What's in the box

• Optical tube with retractable dew shield
• Dovetail mounting bar
• 2.5 in star diagonal with 2 in adapter
• 8x50 right-angle finderscope
• Front and rear dust caps
• Equatorial mount with steel tripod
• Counterweight and counterweight shaft
• 24 mm wide-field eyepiece (1.25 in)
• UHC nebula filter (1.25 in)

Compatibility notes

• Accepts 2.5 in eyepieces directly and 2 in eyepieces through the supplied adapter.
• The dovetail bar fits standard wide saddles on small and medium equatorial mounts.
• The focuser accepts a T-2 camera adapter once the 2.5 in nosepiece is removed.