This innovative concept was invented by a Russian amatuer astronomer, Paul Bahtinov, and Kendrick is producing these masks with his permission.

The Bahtinov mask allows digital astrophotographers and visual observers to get razor sharp focus in seconds!

The difference in focuser position between the four pictures shown below is very small, a few tenths of a mm. The method is very fast and incredibly sensitive. There is no guessing when you are focused during times of poor to moderate seeing. Simply put the mask and the status of your focus will become immediately apparent.

The masks have a series of slots that create a unique diffraction pattern that can be used to quickly bring your telescope to focus with an absolute minimum of fuss.

ROLLABLE PLASTIC FILM MASKS

These flexible plastic masks are constructed of an opaque black plastic film that is very tough yet very flexible. When rolled up and released, it will revert back to its natural flat state. This makes for very easy storage as they will fit easily into many accessory cases once rolled up.

They come with three tabs exactly the same as our rigid plastic masks but unlike the rigid masks, we do not provide rubber bumpers with them. The tabs can be used as an aid in connecting the mask to your telescope per a method of your choice. If the tabs are deemed undesirable, they can be trimmed off with a pair of scissors. Also, the flexible masks can be glued into one of our R-60 aluminum rings if you prefer a more rigid, but still lightweight, set up. A list of rings to fit the various plastic masks is provided below in the technical spec section.

First of all, the rigid masks come with three adjustable rubber bumpers. This allows them to fit to a wide variety of tube diameters. Simply push the bumper to the desired location on the slot to ensure that the mask is properly centered over your optic. The plastic masks will require the user to devise a method of attachment. We suggest masking tape.

Then focus. The graphic below describes visually what you will see on either side of being focused. This graphic represents movement of the focuser in very small amounts (fractions of a mm). It is extremely sensitive.

The Bahtinov Mask is probably the easiest product on the market to achieve tight focus for visual use and for digital astrophotographers, regardless of whether you use a DSLR or CCD camera.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE RIGID MASKS:
Material: Plastic
Finished Colour: Black