is a Japanese manufacturer of telescopes and related equipment (such as eyepieces and equatorial mounts) founded in 1932 by Kitaro Takahashi in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. Originally started as a foundry, Takahashi began manufacturing optical equipment after WWII in 1946. Often known simply as 'Tak', the brand is especially noted amongst amateur astronomers for its range of

apochromatic An apochromat, or apochromatic lens (apo), is a photographic or other lens that has better correction of chromatic and spherical aberration than the much more common achromat lenses. Explanation Chromatic aberration is the phenomenon of differ ...

refractor A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope design was originally used in spyglasses and a ...

s, but also produces various types of reflectors, and instruments featuring compound optics. All Takahashi telescopes and mounts are made in Japan using traditional manufacturing methods, such as

sand casting Sand casting, also known as sand molded casting, is a metal casting process characterized by using sand as the mold material. The term "sand casting" can also refer to an object produced via the sand casting process. Sand castings are produced i ...

, with nearly all parts made in-house. Takahashi pioneered the use of

fluorite Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It belongs to the halide minerals. It crystallizes in isometric cubic habit, although octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon. The Mohs sca ...

crystal in place of one of the glass elements in the objective lens of an astronomical telescope, although this material had previously been used in other optical devices. The company's name would become synonymous with the use of this type of crystal. In recent years however, Takahashi has produced some telescopes using extra-low dispersion ("ED") FPL-53 glassFPL-53 is a type of glass manufactured by Ohara GmbH.
Optical Glass for Astronomical Applications
. in place of fluorite in the

objective lens In optical engineering, the objective is the optical element that gathers light from the object being observed and focuses the light rays to produce a real image. Objectives can be a single lens or mirror, or combinations of several optical elem ...

. High-performance glass that contains fluorine should not be confused with fluorite crystal, which is not glass. Some other telescope manufacturers use Takahashi refractors as collimating instruments for larger telescopes. Takahashi telescopes of various designs and sizes are installed in major observatories, such as Embry-Riddle Observatory, Hoober Observatory, Mirasteilas Observatory, Vega–Bray Observatory and others.

References

External links

Takahashi Seisakusho website. (Japanese language only.)

Takahashi America

Takahashi Europe. (English and French language.)
Telescope manufacturers Japanese brands {{japan-company-stub