Tessaro Corrie 70 Maksutov-Cassegrain, tube only
70 mm aperture · 700 mm focal length · f/10
$639
Catalog preview. Not available for purchase.
- Bundle
- Optical tube only
- Finish
- Gloss white
- Accessory kit
- Deep-sky kit
- Edition
- 2026 edition
Specifications
| Optical design | Maksutov-Cassegrain catadioptric |
|---|---|
| Aperture | 70 mm |
| Focal length | 700 mm |
| Focal ratio | f/10.0 |
| Max useful magnification | 140x |
| Dawes limit | 1.66 arcsec |
| Limiting magnitude | 11.2 |
| Tube weight | 1.4 kg |
| Focuser | 1.25 in rack-and-pinion |
| Finder | 6x30 right-angle finder |
| Bundle | Optical tube only |
| Finish | Gloss white |
| Accessory kit | Deep-sky kit |
| Edition | 2026 edition |
Description
The Corrie 70 is a Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope with 70 mm of aperture and 700 mm of focal length, giving a focal ratio of f/10. A thick meniscus corrector plate sits at the front of the tube, and a central aluminized spot on its rear surface reflects light to the primary mirror. The primary sends the light back through a hole in the corrector to the eyepiece. This folded light path keeps the tube short, so the instrument fits in a small bag for travel.
At f/10 the optics produce a narrow field, which suits the Moon, the planets, and close double stars. Magnification depends on the eyepiece: a 10 mm eyepiece gives 70x, and a 25 mm eyepiece gives 28x. The long focal length keeps the field edge sharp with common eyepieces. Because the front of the tube is closed by the corrector, the optics need less collimation than an open reflector. The secondary mirror should still be checked after transport.
The 1.25 in rack-and-pinion focuser holds a star diagonal and eyepieces with a 1.25 in barrel. The 6x30 right-angle finder helps you center targets before you look through the eyepiece. At 1.4 kg for the tube, the Corrie 70 sits well on a small alt-az mount or a tabletop tripod. The thick corrector takes longer to reach outdoor temperature than a refractor of the same aperture, so allow time for it to cool before critical observing.
Typical targets include lunar craters along the terminator, the phases of Venus, the rings of Saturn, and bright double stars such as Castor. Open clusters such as the Pleiades appear at low power in a wide eyepiece. Fainter deep-sky objects are easier to see from dark sites.
About this configuration
This listing covers one specific configuration of the Tessaro Corrie 70 Maksutov-Cassegrain, defined by its bundle, finish, accessory kit, and edition year. Buying the tube alone makes sense if you already own a suitable mount or plan to choose one separately. Without a mount in the package, check the tube weight against the payload rating of your mount, with some margin to spare. The gloss white tube reflects sunlight, which helps it stay closer to air temperature while you set up before dusk.
The deep-sky kit adds a wide-field eyepiece and a UHC filter for emission nebulae such as the Lagoon and the Orion Nebula. This is the 2026 edition, the most recent version of the Corrie line in the catalog. The optical figures in the specifications table apply to this configuration and to every other version of the Tessaro Corrie 70 Maksutov-Cassegrain.
What's in the box
- Optical tube with front and rear dust caps
- 1.25 in star diagonal
- 6x30 right-angle finder with bracket
- Dovetail mounting bar
- Instruction manual
- 24 mm wide-field eyepiece (1.25 in)
- UHC nebula filter (1.25 in)
Compatibility notes
- Accepts 1.25 in eyepieces directly in the focuser.
- The dovetail bar fits most small alt-az and equatorial mounts.
- The rear cell accepts a T-thread camera adapter once the diagonal is removed.