Astro-Tech AT72EDII Refractor OTA FPL-53 and Lanthanum f/6 Doublet

Astronomy magazine called it "a product everyone should own." Years of strong owner reviews — and a following of people who bought a second one when their first proved indispensable — suggest the magazine knew what it was talking about. The AT72EDII is a 72mm f/6 ED doublet with FPL-53 and Lanthanum glass — premium optics that deliver virtually zero chromatic aberration at this aperture and focal ratio. At 430mm focal length, it's fast enough for wide-field deep-sky imaging, compact enough to travel in a backpack, and sharp enough to deliver rewarding views of everything from the Moon and planets to rich star fields and bright deep-sky objects. But the real story is versatility: this scope does imaging, guidescoping, lunar-planetary visual, and grab-and-go observing so competently that it often ends up being the last scope people think they'll sell.

The "II" in the name is important. The AT72EDII uses the EDT-series focuser mechanism — the same dual-speed 2-inch rack-and-pinion with 10:1 fine focusing and camera angle adjuster you'll find in the much larger AT115EDT and AT130EDT. That's a significant step up from the original AT72ED. The CAA lets you rotate your camera for framing without touching focus. The focuser is smooth and precise enough for critical work. And the whole scope comes bundled with a complete package: non-marring compression ring holders, two CNC tube rings, and a Vixen dovetail plate — a more complete mechanical setup than most scopes at this size.

The retractable dew shield extends to protect the objective in humid conditions, then retracts and stores against the tube for travel. At 4.8 pounds, the whole assembly fits on a small equatorial mount for imaging, on a photo tripod for a quick visual session, or piggyback on a larger scope for guided autoguiding. For travelers, observers with limited space, and imaging enthusiasts who want a serious secondary imaging scope without the weight, the AT72EDII solves a real problem.