CFF Telescopes Apo Refractor Telescopes Whether you are a resolute visual observer or dedicated astro-imager, refractor telescopes offer unique advantages. But, the physics of light being what they are, no single refractor is best at both pursuits, and given the understandable recent market focus on refractors for astrophotography, those of […]
CelestialChart is a web-based tool for both amateur and professional astronomers. It specializes in doing one thing and doing it very well: Providing accurate, easy-to-read, real-time or scheduled (past or future), location-specific astronomical charts of celestial bodies and constellations. Enter a location by city or latitude and longitude, as well […]
Sky-Watcher’s new Stargate truss-tube Dobsonian telescopes offer serious aperture for those looking to sail farther into the depths of the cosmos in big – and even bigger! – deep-sky-gobbling apertures of 18 and 20 inches. For those stepping up from the 12-inch instruments, the 18-inch Stargate captures more than twice […]
How An Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector Works Over the past few years, there has been a revolution in planetary imaging among amateur astronomers. CCD sensors with high sensitivity have made it possible to rapidly obtain large numbers of short-exposure images of the planets. This coupled with powerful computers has allowed amateur […]
Gondwana Telescopes Marana 12 Telescope Review I ponder this old chestnut of wisdom as I survey my slowly swelling mouth in the mirror. There are two distinct divots in my fattening, bloodied top lip – courtesy of my front teeth – and while shielded from view by an equally […]
AstroCamp Science & Adventure Summer Camps offer a STEM program for boys and girls ages 8-17 that allows campers to deepen their science understanding by participating in space explorations, learning in state-of-the-art science labs, building and launching rockets, and using a large array of telescopes to explore the night skies. […]
Explore Scientific ES 80 ED Triplet APO Review Explore Scientific is known for refracting telescopes, quality eyepieces, the David H. Levy Comet Hunter , a Maksutov-Newtonian telescope and Twilight I and II alt-azimuth mounts. I own a Twilight II mount and enjoy using it with various small refractors and […]
Sharing the Cost of Remote Observatory Rental Remote imaging promises virtually hundreds of clear nights a year under dark skies and excellent seeing – conditions that allow very deep images. Most of us look into imaging at a remote site, take one look at the costs, and assume it cannot […]
By Dave Snay David Snay is a retired software engineer living in central Massachusetts. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and has been an astronomer and astrophotographer for more than 15 years. David currently pursues fine art photography, specializing in traditional black/white images. He also is involved in solar outreach. […]
Joshua Bury’s latest version of his iOS astronomy observation planning app, Observer Pro 2.1, is available in the Apple App Store. New updates to the app include: – The Featured list is now much more useful: your location, local horizon, and the current lunar phase are now used to provide […]
By Gary Parkerson, Managing Editor Astronomy Technology Today If you live on the mainland U.S., and you are at all like me, you’re already counting the seconds until the August 21, 2017, total eclipse of the Sun … as in, there is literally a countdown timer in the corner of […]
Unihedron SQM-LU-DL: The names Unihedron and have become synonymous with measurement of sky brightness. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a Sky Quality Meter tool that has had greater impact on quantification of local light pollution. Unihedron’s original SQM set the standard and has since evolved into a comprehensive range of […]