Custom Telescope Cases from Image Alloy Cases Beginning in the mid-to-late 2000s, Celestron supplied its 8-inch SCTs without a case, which was surprising considering that Celestron’s signature scope was marketed as a portable telescope. Indeed, the C8’s impressive portability-to-aperture factor was why I bought it. After exhausting other ideas, I […]
Celestron Windguide Anemometer Review I was cold – frozen-to-my-skinny-old-man-core cold – despite that it was only 42.2° Fahrenheit (5.67° Celsius) out, warmer than many of the days I’d previously pedaled on my national bike tour. I knew it was relatively cold out, because, well, I felt it. I knew precisely […]
Cyclope Seeing Monitor Review What is “seeing” and why do we care? In 2010, I built a remote observatory in the Texas Hill Country. The main telescope is an RC Optical Systems 16-inch carbon truss. The observatory is robotic and can be controlled over the internet, which has expanded my […]
By Gary Parkerson, Executive Editor Astronomy Technology Today I’ve used many white-light solar filters over the years, including examples made with glass ranging from poor to excellent in optical quality. Of course, those with coatings deposited on inexpensive plate glass were, well … inexpensive, but they also delivered poor views. […]
Solar eclipse glasses typically need to meet two constraints: You need something which will block most of the light, and you need something that can provide structural support, so it won’t fall apart while you’re staring at the sun. Thanks to modern chemistry, most of the ‘solar eclipse glasses’ you […]
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 […]
Polar Alignment Tip to Make Polar Alignment a Smooth Process This Astro Tip was snagged as one of many great ideas shared by Astronomy Technology Today reader Paul Chasse. It focuses on helping to make polar alignment a smooth process. Pay attention, because this may save you some time and […]
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 […]
By Greg Marshall, Wa-chur-ed Observatory: Greg Marshall is an amateur astro-photographer and the owner of Wa-chur-ed Observatory, a small business that offers both astro-photo art and tools for astronomy. He has an MS degree in Computer Science and 35 years of experience in electronics engineering, specializing in image processing. The […]
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 […]
Astro Hutech Hinode for Solar Imaging In the realm of astronomy, there are several “first” that are sure to leave people speechless. Being involved in astronomy outreach, I can tell you that one of the most notable ones is the first time a viewer sees the rings of Saturn. Words […]