William Optics + ZWO

Fluorostar 91 with the ASI294MC Pro

Exact
37.4 mmof spacers

between the corrector and the sensor, for 60.4 mm of back focus.

37.4 mm of spacers puts the Fluorostar 91 with the ASI294MC Pro exactly on target.

Assumes the William Optics FLAT6AIII (0.8× reducer) between the two.

The imaging train

Imaging train from sensor to corrector, 60.4 mm total: ASI294MC Pro 6.5 mm, M42 (T2) extension tube 7mm 7.0 mm, M42 fine adjustment ring 0.4mm 0.4 mm, M42 (T2) to M48 Extender 16.5mm 16.5 mm, M48 Extension Spacer Ring 30mm 30.0 mm.sensorFLAT6AIIIASI294MC Pro — 6.5 mm6.5 mmM42 (T2) extension tube 7mm — 7.0 mmM42 (T2) extension tu…7.0 mmM42 fine adjustment ring 0.4mm — 0.4 mm0.4 mmM42 (T2) to M48 Extender 16.5mm — 16.5 mm · M42→M48M42 (T2) to M48 Exten…16.5 mm · M42→M48M48 Extension Spacer Ring 30mm — 30.0 mmM48 Extension Spacer …30.0 mm60.4 mmHover or tap a part for its full spec
Drawn to scale, sensor plane to corrector. Total 60.4 mm — the required back focus for this pairing.

Where this number comes from

The William Optics FLAT6AIII does not have a single back focus figure — it depends on the telescope it is fitted to. On the Fluorostar 91, William Optics specify 60.4 mm. That is the distance from the back of the corrector to your sensor, and it is what everything below is working towards.

The ASI294MC Pro contributes 6.5 mm of that on its own — sensor to front face. Its M42 thread does not meet the corrector's M48 directly, so the ZWO M42 (T2) to M48 Extender 16.5mm bridges them and adds 16.5 mm. Together that is 23.0 mm, leaving 37.4 mm for spacers.

30.0 mm + 7.0 mm + 0.4 mm comes to exactly 37.4 mm, so this combination lands on target with nothing left over.

What to buy

PartLengthThreads
Astro Essentials M42 (T2) extension tube 7mm
BuyFirst Light Optics · UK
7.0 mmM42
Astrodymium M42 fine adjustment ring 0.4mm
BuyAgena Astro · US
0.4 mmM42
ZWO M42 (T2) to M48 Extender 16.5mm
BuyAgena Astro · US · also Teleskop-Express (EU)
16.5 mmM42 → M48
Apertura M48 Extension Spacer Ring 30mm
BuyHigh Point Scientific · US
30.0 mmM48
Corrector to camera53.9 mm60.4 mm − 6.5 mm camera = 53.9 mm needed

Links to retailers are affiliate links. They cost you nothing and they pay for this site. They do not affect which parts are recommended — the stack above is whatever lands closest to target.

What you get

Focal length
432 mm at f/4.7 (from 540 mm native)
Sampling
2.21″/px
Field of view
2.55° × 1.72°
Sensor
19.2 × 13 mm, 4.63 µm pixels

Where to buy this setup

Where to buy the William Optics Fluorostar 91

Affiliate link — they may earn this site a commission and change nothing above. No prices shown: this site is static, and a stale price is worse than none.

Where to buy the ZWO ASI294MC Pro

Affiliate link — they may earn this site a commission and change nothing above. No prices shown: this site is static, and a stale price is worse than none.

Where to buy the William Optics FLAT6AIII

Affiliate link — they may earn this site a commission and change nothing above. No prices shown: this site is static, and a stale price is worse than none.

Read next

Sources and caveats

ZWO publish "Back Focus Distance 6.5mm" for the ASI294MC Pro without stating whether that figure includes the adapter supplied in the box. We use it exactly as published, which is correct for the camera in the configuration it is sold in. If you have removed or added an adapter at the camera end, adjust accordingly.

We have not recorded the thread gender of every part listed above. The lengths are right; check that the faces actually mate before ordering.

Every figure on this page was read from the manufacturer’s own documentation and last checked in September 2026. Manufacturers revise them — ZWO and QHY both have, mid-model — so that date is part of the answer.

Check these figures against your own manuals before buying. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

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