We’ve all learned that you should only clean a telescope mirror when it is absolutely necessary, for fear of harming those delicate coatings. If you’ve got a reflector and you want a clean a telescope mirror, there’s no lack of recommendations for solutions to use – and the techniques are […]
With the Vixen Polarie, Vixen offers this neat little device that looks kind of like a camera. In fact, it’s actually about the same size and weight as an old Leica M9. It even has a flash shoe! Doesn’t look like much, does it? However, if you own a basic […]
Astronomy Light Pollution Filters from Chroma Technology solve a big problem – Light pollution – every astronomer’s nightmare. Unless you’re lucky enough to live beneath a nice dark sky or have access to a remote observatory, you’ve had to learn to deal with unwanted light intruding on your pastime. I […]
Reasons to use the Hubble Artificial Star for Collimation? You can do it during the day. You can’t do it at high noon, but early morning and twilight hours are fine, twilight is best. You don’t have to worry about keeping a moving star in the field of view. I […]
I have been involved with astronomy for a number of years and building my own artificial star came naturally. As in so many hobbies, there are countless gadgets and doodads that can make your astronomy setup, alignment, and viewing much more enjoyable. Unfortunately for most of us, without the benefit […]
By Dr. James R. Dire In 2017, I picked up two new William Optics telescopes: a Twentieth Anniversary Edition Fluorostar 132 (132-mm f/7 triplet Apo) and a William Optics Zenithstar 61. In a previous article, I reviewed the Fluorostar 132. Here, I will review the William Optics Zenithstar 61. The […]
By William E. Rison I needed an easily-removable focus motor for my Stellarvue SV80S and came up with the following design that uses a 12-volt DC motor, a wheel for building robots, a 3/4-inch x 3/8-inch x 7-inch section of aluminum bar, and a Vixen/Orion-style dovetail finder shoe. The basic […]
Ah the APM 82-mm 90-degree ED-Apo binoculars. Finding the right set of binoculars is like finding the right car. Or the right fast food hamburger. Or the right spouse. It can take a lot of trial-and-error, some near-misses, and some total junk, but in the end, if you persevere, sometimes, just […]
Astro Imaging Processing – I Want to Image the Skies, But Do I have to Process My Images? I used to think to myself, “Everything we see in the magazines and online (that isn’t sketched) shows processed images, but what is the big deal with all of this processing?” What […]
In understanding my approach towards creating SkyTools 4 Imaging, its worth considering how major professional observatories, such as ESO, use mathematical models of their telescope and instruments to plan their observations. It is useful to know the image scale, what exposure times to use, whether a star will bloom or […]
Barcelona Spain based AstronSCIENTIFIC, in collaboration with Tele Vue Optics and Optique Unterlinden of France, introduced the patented AstronSCIENTIFIC ROTARION SC, a universal motorized wheel for exchanging imaging devices remotely, at the Le Salon de L’astronomie at Rencontres du Ciel et de l’Espace 2018 in Paris France. The Rotarion SC […]
HOBYM Observatory is a South Korean based manufacturer of telescope mounts. It produces the Crux line of equatorial mounts which utilize a harmonic drive system. The latest addition to the mount line is the Crux Mini, an ultra-light -5.5 lbs (2.5kgs) mount that can carry payloads almost 4 times its […]