iOptron Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopes

A favorite among astro-imagers (including the owner at MHA), the Ritchey-Chrétien Astrograph, or RC telescope is the same optical design as the Hubble and many other observatory class instruments. The New Horizons spacecraft that flew by Pluto used a custom designed 8" RC for it's camera. The design of the RC is a folded optic with the secondary held by a spider, producing the distinctive diffraction spikes on bright stars that we see in Hubble images.