StarTools is a new type of image processing engine for astrophotography that tracks your signal and its noise component as you process. After a four-year period and extensive beta testing, the software is now available in version 1.5 offering a tremendous jump in usability from previous versions. StarTools offers extensive […]
One of the most popular annual US star parties, the Okie-Tex Star Party will be held on September 21 – September 29 at Camp Billy Joe near Kenton, OK, which is in the far northwest corner of Oklahoma’s panhandle. Hosted by the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club, the Okie-Tex Star Party […]
By Corky Pickering – This is a great time to be an amateur astronomer. There are lots of good telescopes out there that are relatively inexpensive. Back when I was a teenager, we had no internet, so there was no online shopping, and the telescope stores were few and far […]
Our friends at Lunt Solar Systems are gearing up for the Mercury transit of the Sun that will occur on Monday, November 11th, 2019. We thought we would share what they are saying about the event! Mercury will pass between the Earth and the Sun for the first time since […]
The US Glacier National Park celebrated the opening of its new astronomical observatory on Thursday, August 22, at the park’s St. Mary Visitor Center. The Glacier National Park Conservancy funded the new observatory, which houses a PlaneWave 20-inch CDK Telescope offering a 20-inch (0.51 m) f/6.8 Corrected Dall-Kirkham Astrograph telescope. […]
Axis Squared is a new company established to offer services for the astronomical community including rebuilding, repairing, and upgrading telescope mounts, OTAs and more. The company was founded by Mike Bradshaw who, in addition to a passion for amateur astronomy, is a professional astronomer with degrees in astronomy and research. […]
Tele Vue has announced they are offering Tactical Night Vision TNV/PVS-14 L3 Gen3 Un-Filmed White Phosphor night vision monoculars packaged with complimentary Tele Vue accessories for astronomical observing. Night-vision devices (NVD) like the TNV/PVS-14 are optoelectronic devices that allow images to be viewed in levels of light approaching total darkness […]
Italian telescope manufacturer and retailer Luca Arteskya is now offering a secondary mirror support retrofit kit upgrade for Sky-Watcher 200 Newtonian telescopes. The kit is compatible with both F/5 (200/1000) and F/4 (200/800) systems. The secondary support is manufactured in house by Luca Arteskya out of aluminum 6061 which is […]
The Nyx Tracker is a motorized barn door star-tracking astrophotography mount designed for those who want affordable and accurate widefield tracking. With a signature alignment laser, the Nyx Tracker is intuitive and quick to set up. Once pointed at the earth’s celestial pole, the motorized mount will precisely follow the […]
Analog Sky is a new startup that is developing a rich field binocular telescope. It debuted a beta prototype of its Drifter 200mm binoculars at Oregon Star Party 2019. The telescope offers 30x views with the light gathering ability of a 12”-16” telescope. The company will be conducting a Kickstarter […]
Warren Keller and Ron Brecher with IP4AP are teaming up again to present a two-day PixInsight workshop in the Chicago area on August 3-4, 2019. The workshop will be held at the Cernan Space Center, 2000 North Fifth Avenue, River Grove, Illinois. If you’re new to image processing, PixInsight is […]
The invention of the telescope at the dawn of the 17th century has revolutionized humanity’s understanding of the universe and our place within it. Chronicling the Golden Age of Astronomy: A History of Visual Observing from Harriot to Moore by Dr. Neil English traces the development of the telescope over […]