The SBIG AO-X is a large aperture Adaptive Optics (AO) designed to be compatible with all STX and STXL series cameras, including the STX-16803, STXL-16200, STXL-11000 and STXL-6303. The AO-X requies minimal backfocus while offering a large 3" aperture optical element, which is large enough to cover the KAF-16803 CCD sensor.
The AO-X requires an off-axis guide camera behind the device. For STXL cameras, we recommend using the FW8G-STXL filter wheel. For STX cameras, the AO-X stacks on top of the FW7-STX and STX Guider. (Can also be used with FW5-STX.) The AO-X can also be used with a Remote Guide Head if you have a custom Off-Axis Guider setup.
The improvement in stellar profiles can be seen at corrections above 1Hz. The upper picture on the right shows the non-AO guided image. And comparing the non-AO guided image to the AO guided image there is again significant improvement in the FWHM of the star profile (second picture on the right).
