14-inch telescopes offer clarity, contrast, and a flat field of view. They are great for astrophotography as they provide great views of planets and galaxies with details. On average, they have more than 2500x light gathering power, 2463-3916 mm focal lengths, and f/6.7-f/11 focal ratios. They offer exceptional resolutions for their size and can resolve double stars at 0.22 arcsec.
What is a 14-inch telescope?
A 14-inch telescope refers to a telescope having an aperture (the diameter of the objective lens) of 14-inch (355 mm). A 14-inch telescope is considered to be in the category of large telescopes. For example, Meade 14″ LX850-ACF Catadioptric OTA, iOptron 14-Inch f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope, etc. The optical performance of the 14-inch telescopes is satisfying to both amateur and serious astronomers.
What can you see with a 14-inch telescope?
- The Moon and craters with precise details.
- The rings of Saturn.
- The phases of Venus.
- The moons of Jupiter, the Great Red Spot, the Cassini Division, etc.
- The polar ice caps on Mars.
- Uranus and Neptune.
- The galaxies like M33 (the Triangulum Galaxy), M13 (the Great Hercules Cluster), NGC 6946 (spiral· galaxy in Cepheus), etc
- NGC 7380 (nebulous cluster in Cepheus), and IC 5070 (the Pelican Nebula)
Types and Technical Specifications of 14-inch telescopes
Types
Cassegrain: Example: Meade 14″ ACF LX200 Telescope
PlaneWave CDK Design: Example: PlaneWave CDK350 (14-inch) Telescope System
Imaging Dall Kirkham: Example: AG Optical 14.5″ iDK f/6.7 Imaging Dall Kirkham Telescope
Ritchey Chretien: Example: TPO 14″ f/8 Ritchey Chretien Truss Tube Telescope
Schmidt-Cassegrain: Example: Celestron 14″ CGE Schmidt-Cassegrain OTA
Technical Specifications
Aperture: 355-368 mm (14-14.5 inch)
Focal Length: 2463-3916 mm
Focal ratio: f/6.7-f/11
Highest Magnification: 710x-840x
Light Gathering Power: 2572- 2764x
Price: 6,000-15,500$
Images taken with 14-inch telescopes
Examples of 14-inch telescopes
- Meade 14″ LX850-ACF Catadioptric OTA Telescope
- Meade 14″ ACF LX200 Telescope
- PlaneWave CDK350 (14-inch) Telescope System
- AG Optical 14.5″ iDK f/6.7 Imaging Dall Kirkham Telescope
- Celestron CGX-L Equatorial 1400 EdgeHD Telescope Bundle – CE-12077
- Meade LX200 14″ f/10 ACF UHTC OTA
- PlaneWave 14-Inch CDK f/7.2 OTA Telescope with Fused Silica Optics
- TPO 14″ f/8 Ritchey Chretien Truss Tube Telescope
- Celestron 14″ EdgeHD OTA with CGE Mount Plate
- Celestron 14″ CGE Schmidt-Cassegrain OTA
- iOptron 14-Inch f/8 Ritchey Chretien Reflecting OTA Telescope
- Meade 14″ LX850-ACF Catadioptric OTA Telescope
How do 14-inch telescopes compare to other size telescopes
14-inch vs 15-inch telescope
Though the 14-inch telescope has less aperture than the 15-inch scopes, it offers a focal ratio of f/6.7-f/11 whereas the 15-inch telescopes provide f/4.2. Besides, 15-inch telescopes offer a focal length of 1600 mm whereas the 14-inch telescopes vary from 2463-3916 mm in focal lengths.
| 14-inch telescope | 15-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 14-14.5 inch (355-368 mm) | 15-inch (381 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/6.7-f/11 | f/4.2 |
| Focal Length | 2463-3916 mm | 1600 mm |
| Price | 6,000-15,500$ | 7,500$ |
14-inch vs 16-inch telescopes
Though the 14-inch telescope has less aperture than the 16-inch scopes, it offers a focal ratio of f/6.7-f/11 whereas the 16-inch telescopes vary from f/10 to f/4.43. Besides, 14-inch telescopes offer a focal length of 2463-3916 mm whereas the 16-inch telescopes start from 1800mm to 4064 mm in focal lengths. Moreover, 14-inch telescopes provide 2572- 2764x light-gathering power, which increases to 3364x- 4318x in the case of 16- inch telescopes.
| 14-inch telescope | 16-inch telescopes | |
| Aperture | 14-inch (355 mm) | 16-inch (405 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/6.7-f/11 | f/10- f/4.43 |
| Focal Length | 2463-3916 mm | 1800-4064 mm |
| Highest Magnification | 710-840x | 810-960x |
| Light Gathering Power | 2572-2764x | 3364-4318x |
| Price | 6,000-15,500$ | 4,500-11,000$ |
14-inch vs 17-inch telescope
14-inch telescopes provide a focal length of 2463-3916 mm, while 17-inch has a focal length of 2939mm. Besides, 14-inch telescopes cannot remove off-axis astigmatism and field curvature whereas 17-inch telescopes can eliminate them completely.
| 14-inch telescope | 17-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 14-inch (355 mm) | 17-inch (432 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/6.7-f/11 | f/6.8 |
| Focal Length | 2463-3916 mm | 2939 mm |
| Price | 6,000-15,500$ | 22,500$ |
14-inch vs 18-inch telescope
14-inch telescopes provide a focal length of 2463-3916 mm with a focal ratio of f/6.7-f/11. In contrast, an 18-inch telescope is 1900mm in focal length and the focal ratio is f/4.2. However, the price of the 18-inch telescope is three times that of the 14-inch scope.
| 14-inch telescope | 18-inch telescope | |
| Aperture | 14-inch (355 mm) | 18-inch (457.2 mm) |
| Focal Ratio | f/6.7-f/11 | f/4.2 |
| Focal Length | 2463-3916 mm | 1900 mm |
| Price | 6,000-15,500$ | 22,500$ |