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Affordable H-alpha solar telescopes from Lunt Solar Systems

June 29 2022, Stefan Taube

The most impressive way to observe the Sun is in H-alpha light. This is red light with a wavelength of 656 nanometres. With a normal solar filter, you will only be able to observe sunspots, whereas with H-alpha telescopes, prominences at the Sun’s edge become visible. Filaments, solar flares and much more can be seen on the solar surface. It is only in H-alpha light that are you able to appreciate the Sun’s dynamics.

The Sun in H-alpha light, photographed with the LS40T Ha solar telescope

Unfortunately, H-alpha filter systems often cost several thousand euro. However, the new LS40T Ha telescopes from Lunt Solar Systems make observing the Sun’s red chromosphere much more affordable: solar observation is accessible to everyone!

Lunt Solar Systems Sonnenteleskop ST 40/400 LS40T Ha B600

Lunt Solar Systems ST 40/400 LS40T Ha B600 solar telescope

LS40T Ha telescopes are available in three versions:

ST 40/400 LS40T Ha B500 now for €939
ST 40/400 LS40T Ha B600 now for €1,049
ST 40/400 LS40T Ha B1200 now for €1,359

The difference between the versions lies in the size of the blocking filter. This filter element is located in the rear erecting lens, which looks like a star diagonal.

All blocking filters are suitable for visually observing the Sun. However, a larger filter is more suitable for photography, as it allows the exposure of a larger camera sensor. The B600 blocking filter is a very good compromise if you want to observe visually as well as photograph with an planetary camera.

The telescopes are supplied with a helical focuser, a Vixen standard prism rail, and a threaded connection for camera tripods. The practical solar finder helps to align the telescope.

An optional carrying case is also available, which makes use of the foam inserts in the original packaging. When you get your telescope, don’t throw away these inserts, instead use them to line the case. In this way, you replace the cardboard outer packaging with a beautiful and stable aluminium case.

Another important recommendation is the very practical sun hat from Lunt Solar Systems – not just for solar observing.

Cool head for solar observers

Tags: Lunt, telescope, solar observation, solar
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Dobsonian telescopes with special Bresser enhancements

June 28 2022, Stefan Taube

Messier-series telescope with add-on sun filter

Bresser’s Messier-series Dobsonian telescopes stand out from the crowd due to their features, which cannot be found on other brands of comparable telescopes:

The telescope tube is held in place using tube clamps. This means the tube can be rotated along its axis to find the perfect eyepiece position. It can be optimally balanced by adjusting the tube within the tube clamps. You can also fully demount the tube and use it with an equatorial mount, for example.
The altitude bearings have a comparatively large radius. This facilitates finer adjustments along the vertical axis. Many Dobsonian telescopes in this price range do not have proper altitude bearings!
The altitude bearings with tube clamps glide along the rockerbox.
The so-called rockerbox, upon which the telescope is placed and which enables rotation in azimuth, is fitted with quick-release fasteners on the Messier Dobsonians, the kind you are familiar with from furniture. This enables the box to be quickly and simply assembled. In this way, the box can be disassembled again and again.
The Hexafoc focuser is superior to focusers on comparable telescopes by other manufacturers.

The large Hexafoc focuser does not cast a shadow on wide-angle eyepieces.

A compatible solar filter is supplied with the product. As the tube is closed, no sunlight can enter the telescope from the side. This makes it possible to safely view the Sun.

In addition to these features, you also receive a Messier Dobsonian with high-quality optics and a parabolic mirror which is fully adjustable. This makes it possible to start a lasting relationship with the night sky. The Messier Dobsonians are available in two sizes. You can find both models here in our shop.

The optics are fully adjustable.

Note: These telescopes are named after Charles Messier (1730-1817), whose “Catalogue of Nebular Objects” contains a number of celestial objects which you can observe using these telescopes. A modern guide to Charles Messier’s objects can be found in Cambridge University Press’ book The Messier Objects.

Tags: dobsonian, Bresser, Dobson, telescope
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The new apos from Skywatcher: Evolux 62ED and Evolux 82ED

May 5 2022, Stefan Taube

The trend towards astrophotography with small but high-quality refractors is continuing. These lightweight apos do not need an expensive mount, are easy to transport and provide fantastic images of wide areas of the night sky.

With the new Evolux series, Skywatcher offers two new models in this segment:

Compact and proficient: the Skywatcher Apochromatic Refractor AP 62/400 Evolux 62ED

Evolux telescopes are perfect wide-field instruments and are therefore ideal for observing and photographing large areas of the night sky. The doublet lens consists of a combination of optical glass, including a low-dispersion ED glass element, which provides sharp images of stars with high contrast and no visible chromatic aberration.

All lens elements are coated with Skywatcher’s sophisticated metallic high-transmission coating (MHTC™), one of the highest quality multilayer coatings in its class, which allows up to 99.5% light transmission.

Evolux telescopes are supplied in a foam-lined aluminium case and are equipped with a 2.4″ dual-speed rack and pinion focuser, together with a tube clamp with a Vixen-style prism rail. The dew shield can be retracted for easy transportation.

The appropriate field flattener should be used for photography: Flattener 0.9x Evolux-62ED and Flattener 0.9x Evolux-82ED. These optical aids ensure sharp star images even at the edges of the field of view and reduce the focal length, so that the Evolux becomes a fast and corrected telescope for astrophotography.

Tags: Skywatcher, telescope
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Tecnosky OWL – magnificent, sharp focusing apochromats

January 27 2022, Jan Ströher

A few years ago the Italian company, Tecnosky, started producing their new, own-brand triplet apochromats known as “OWL”. The first model in the series was the OWL 80/480 apochromat, which was released in spring 2021. The OWL 90/560 was hot on its heels, with the OWL 130/900 SLD soon following in autumn. Soon the range will be blessed with new 70mm and 125mm aperture models. All OWL telescopes are based on a triplet lens design with FPL53 fluoride glass. However, the soon-to-arrive 125mm OWL will be an ED doublet.

The OWL 90/560 triplet

These features, combined with fully multi-coated lenses, blackened lens edges and a lens hood on the tube guarantee Strehl ratios upwards of 0.95! An optical interferometric certificate is attached to every single OWL telescope. Every specimen, therefore, undergoes a detailed quality check before distribution.

Optical test report (certificate) for OWL devices

These compact apochromats are great devices for astrophotography and also offer first-class, pure-colour image quality and joy for observing. Tecnosky also supplies reducer-flatteners calculated to suit the optics for each model. This means that OWLs, with their aperture ratios of f/6 – f/7, are ideally suited to photography.

Aesthetically, these “owls” also make an impression – they are all manufactured from high quality materials, are multi-coated, elegantly manufactured and have a white, black and red colour scheme to complete their look.

OWL 80/480 with FPL53 fluoride glass

All OWL models come with compatible prism rails, pipe clamps, Vixen viewfinder shoe, carry handle and retractable dew shield. These are this apochromat’s main features alongside the rotatable focuser with 1:10 reduction and locking mechanism, as well as a sturdy carry case. All in all, you get a first-class telescope with numerous great features for a reasonable price for this size category. The OWL 70 and 125 models will be available in our shop from spring 2022.

Discover the Tecnosky OWL series and sharpen your view of the night sky – elegant design included!

Tags: Deep-Sky, planets, refractor, Triplet, Tecnosky, Apochromat, FPL 53, OTA, Astroshop, telescope, Astrophotography
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The new RedCat 71 from William Optics

December 15 2021, Jan Ströher

The time-proven and much loved RedCat 51 by William Optics has a new big brother – the RedCat 71. The same Petzval design with corresponding high-quality optics using FPL53 and FPL51 optics. With its 71mm aperture, the new “Cat” is a lot more powerful than the RedCat 51. The result is a pure-colour, corrected image field with a diameter of over 45 millimetres – ideal even for full-frame cameras! The fast f/4.9 aperture ratio facilitates short exposure times. At 3kg, the 335mm-long RedCat 71 weighs only slightly more than its smaller brother.

Once again, focusing is helical, adjusted by turning a ring on the lens tube.

The telescope comes with a protective carry case, as well as a Bahtinov mask specially designed for the RedCat. This mask aids focusing and is permanently and precisely fitted in the lens adapter.

The RedCat 71 is also perfect for deep sky astrophotography and offers not only impressive optical performance, but also William Optics’ attractive trademark design.

The new RedCat 71

To use the RedCat 71 for astrophotography you need a mount with a load capacity of at least 7kg due to its weight. The new iOptron mounts CEM26 or GEM28 are ideally suited for this.

Reckon you will soon be a “Cat” fan?

Discover the new RedCat 71 and William Optics’ ”Cat” series.

Tags: Astrophotography, Deep-Sky, refractor, William Optics, Apochromat, telescope
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The Skywatcher Heritage FlexTube telescope, now available as GTi

September 22 2021, Stefan Taube

The Heritage FlexTube telescope is a much-loved Dobsonian with a table-top tripod. Its very compact mount is easier to transport due to a collapsible upper part – it doesn’t get more compact!

The manufacturer Skywatcher now offers this handy Dobsonian with computerised controls: the Heritage FlexTube Virtuoso GTi telescope

Skywatcher Dobson Teleskop N 150_750 Heritage FlexTube Virtuoso GTi

Skywatcher Dobson N 150/750 Heritage FlexTube Virtuoso GTi telescope

The Virtuoso GTi’s mount hones in on selected objects and follows their path across the sky, so that they are always visible in the eyepiece.

The mount also has its own WiFi to which your smartphone can connect. Using the free SynScan app for iOS and Android, you can then set up and control your mount. Once the app is installed on your smartphone, you no longer need an internet connection to control the mount.

Manual controls are also not required and are therefore not included.

kywatcher Dobson Teleskop N 150_750 Heritage FlexTube Virtuoso GTi 2

The motorised version of the Dobsonian is also very compact and easy to transport.

As with the non-motorised version, the Virtuoso GTi telescope also uses tried and tested 150/750 Newtonian optics. This 6-incher with a convenient aperture ratio reveals faint nebulae in the night sky, such as the famous Orion Nebula, the Messier 13 globular cluster or the Andromeda Galaxy, 2.5 million light years away.

By the way, you can also mount the Heritage FlexTube Virtuoso GTi on a camera tripod or an astronomical tripod with a photo thread, such as the Skywatcher tripod with 3/8″ mounting bolt.

Tags: Skywatcher, Dobson, telescope
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Omegon Advanced 150mm: now with 2″ focuser

June 16 2021, Marcus Schenk

The Omegon Advanced 150/750 EQ-320 telescope is a popular instrument offering an introduction to the exciting hobby of astronomy. With a new, large focuser, you can now even use 2″ eyepieces. For stunning observing and almost limitless views of the cosmos.

Until now, observers using the Advanced 150/750 EQ-320 have only been able to use 1.25” eyepieces and accessories, but with the new 2″ Crayford focuser (patent pending), you will literally grow your horizons. This gives you the freedom to choose the eyepieces and accessories you want to use.

These are advantages the focuser offers:

With the 2″ eyepieces available in our shop, you can reach a larger area of the sky than is possible with 1.25″ eyepieces. For example, you can capture full-size large nebulae or enjoy seemingly never-ending vast fields full of stars. It also makes it easier for you to find objects. In short, a 2″ focuser is a blessing for deep-sky observers who want to experience the skies as if through a panorama window.

What if you complement the standard 1.25″ eyepiece, as supplied, with a 2″ eyepiece? The Omegon SWA 32mm 2″ eyepiece offers a fantastic image and a real wow-effect for deep sky observing.

Smooth mechanics for precise focusing

Such large focusers are quite unusual for a 150mm Newtonian telescope. However, our development department wanted to ensure that even owners of medium and compact telescopes could benefit from wide-angle eyepieces. In contrast to a normal geared focuser, the new 2″ Crayford focuser with ball bearings runs totally free of play. This allows you to focus your object smoothly and with high precision.

The advantages of the Advanced 150/750 EQ-320:

Experience sharp and clear objects: with the parabolic primary mirror
2″ Crayford focuser (patent pending) for 1.25″ and 2″ eyepieces: you can connect additional accessories at any time – even from other manufacturers
Equatorial mount: so that you can precisely track celestial objects
Trouble-free start in the sky: complete telescope with two eyepieces
Find objects easily and successfully with an illuminated LED finder
Immediately recognise stars, planets and nebulae – even if you’re an absolute beginner

The Advanced 150/750 EQ-320 telescope is available with immediate effect with a 2″ focuser.

Tags: Eyepiece, 2" eyepieces, telescope, Focuser
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Taurus Dobsonian telescope with PushTo

April 15 2021, Stefan Taube

The Polish telescope manufacturer Taurus is offering digital setting circles (DSCs) for upgrading their Dobsonian telescopes. This accessory provides the telescope with constant information about the position of its axes. If you simply connect your smartphone to the telescope, in a planetarium app you can see which area of the sky your telescope is looking at.

Taurus Dobsonian with DSC system

Of course, its inverse application is more interesting: Find an interesting object in the planetarium app and let your smartphone show you how you should move the telescope in order to observe this object through the eyepiece. This approach is also known as PushTo. You can find all PushTo telescopes here in the shop.

Taurus Bluetooth & WiFi PushTo DSC System

The Bluetooth and WiFi DSC system in detail

Your Taurus telescope can be fitted with a DSC at any time. However, we also offer all models with pre-installed DSC here: Taurus Dobson telescopes with PushTo.

Alongside the DSC encoders, Taurus also offers two other upgrade options:

These accessories can also be delivered pre-installed so that you don’t have to get your hands dirty.

In order not to get lost in the extensive selection of Taurus Dobsonians, you can tell which accessories are pre-installed by the product name:

Telescopes with the abbreviation SMH in their name are equipped with secondary mirror heating (SMH).
Telescopes labelled DSC (short for digital setting circles) are compatible with PushTo.
If the product name includes CF, the primary mirror is fitted with a cooling fan.

For example, the Taurus Dobsonian N 504/2150 T500 Professional SMH DSC CF features secondary mirror heating, digital setting circles and a primary mirror cooling fan.

We will gladly help you to select the right Taurus Dobsonian telescope for you. What you also need is a little patience as your Dobsonian is only manufactured when you place your order – they don’t stock mass-produced telescopes.

Tags: Taurus, telescope
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The little one with the turbo: the new and fast Omegon Astrographs

March 26 2021, Marcus Schenk

The new Astrographs from Omegon are special telescopes for full-frame cameras, and offer high light-gathering capabilities. With the dizzyingly fast aperture ratio from f/2.8 to f/3.2, you can take astronomy photos with extremely short exposure times.

Pole position on your mount

This telescope doesn’t need to warm up, it’s ready to go immediately for fast astrophotography. The 6-inch and 8-inch astrographs with f/2.8 and f/3.2 are about three times faster than a normal f/5 Newtonian telescope. This means you can take astronomical photos much quicker, and minimise tracking errors.

Short focal length, large field of view

Wide-field astrophotography is gaining ground and has a very large fan base thanks to mounts such as the MiniTrack. But with this telescope, you can go a step further into the detail and capture wide nebulae and create fantastic wide-field images.

Full speed for full-frame

With a 3-inch focuser, the built-in 3-inch corrector and a 90mm secondary mirror, the Omegon Astrograph illuminates a 44mm image circle, making it perfect for using with a full-frame, high-resolution camera. With a working distance of 55mm, you do not need any additional distance adapters for DSLR cameras. With the Omegon Telescope Pro Astrograph N200/640 OTA, you have a screen diagonal of about 3.8 degrees, with a standard full-frame sensor. This makes the California Nebula in Perseus, the Andromeda Galaxy or the area around the Veil Nebula amazing destinations.

Elegant carbon tube

The new astrograph not only looks elegant and high-quality, it actually is. The carbon tube offers you the additional advantage of stable focus, because the material is particularly thermally-stable.

The models are available in the following variants:
Omegon Telescope Pro Astrograph N150/420OTA
Omegon Telescope Pro Astrograph N 200/640 OTA

Do you want to explore new horizons in astrophotography? Then get to know the Omegon Astrograph.

Tags: Omegon, Astrograph, telescope, new products
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Set your sights on an even wider range of Omegon Pro Apochromats now

March 24 2021, Marcus Schenk

Omegon’s fleet of Pro Apochromats has been strengthened. The range has been supplemented by equally stylish and powerful refractors that perform far better than ordinary refractors.

Omegon’s new apochromats were developed for ambitious astrophotographers who want to take brilliantly-sharp photographs of the universe. These apochromats deliver superb image sharpness and wonderful contrast across the entire field and will help you take the perfect photo. These instruments are equipped with ED lenses, integrated correctors, CNC tubes and large focusers. All for stunning image sharpness.

Whether it’s a compact 61mm instrument for travel or a 140mm flagship model, you can choose from a range of options to suit your specific mount and needs. You can also choose between doublet, triplet, quadruplet and quintuplet apos, models with two, three, four or even five lenses.

Many instruments can also be ordered with an individual optical test report; a seal of quality for your telescope that also permanently increases its value.

The Andromeda Galaxy

And here is the fleet of telescopes at a glance:

Apo 61/335 ED Doublet OTA #65141

A portable and compact apochromat that’s got it going on: The 61mm apo is small, yet it features a high quality 2.5″ focuser with a 1:10 reduction. Even at this size, it’s all premium quality.

Apo 61/274 ED Doublet OTA #69472

Large optics aren’t always crucial, because there’s no substitute for a dark and crystal-clear sky. But this can sometimes be cumbersome to access with large optics. If you like to travel and shoot large-area objects, you will love the 61/274 ED Doublet.

APO 72/400 Quintuplet ED OTA #65156

Perfect, true-colour images of ultra-sharp stars right to the edges: The 72/400 Quintuplet achieves this with ease. With a total of five lenses, two of which are ED lenses, it offers exceptional contrast with a fully-corrected and flat field of view.

APO 76/342 Triplet ED OTA #69473

This apo will accompany you wherever your journey takes you. Weighing in at just 4 kilograms and only 333 millimetres long, this telescope can also be used with travel and mini mounts. This telescope is a true master of its craft when it comes to wide-field images and targets, such as the Andromeda galaxy. The 76mm triplet also makes an excellent telephoto lens for nature photography.

APO 76/418 Triplet ED OTA #65142

Like the previous apo, this one also delivers an impressive image, but with a slightly longer focal length. Both 76mm units have a 3″ rack and pinion focuser with a 1:10 reduction.

APO 80/500 Triplet ED OTA #60856

An apochromat with a clear and true-colour image, even at very high magnifications. The beautifully-crafted focuser is 2.5″, larger than that of most 80mm telescopes. The advantage: so much illumination that even your full-frame camera will have fun with it.

APO 94/517 Triplet ED OTA #65147

The 94mm aperture allows you to quickly and easily photograph astronomical objects and celestial events. The 94/517 Triplet is superbly-crafted and features two ED elements within the triplet design. This produces a clear and true-colour image of bright stars or the lunar limb. This telescope also cuts a perfect figure for visual observation at high magnifications. Definitely a hot tip for apo lovers.

APO 100/580 Quadruplet ED OTA #60854

This quadruplet apochromat has four lens elements. It offers both superb imaging and a corrected flat field of view. This means that you no longer need to adapt any correctors, because the optics already reveal sharp stars right to the edges. The 3.5″ focuser provides plenty of options for connecting other accessories. This apochromat also fully illuminates the field of view of full-frame cameras.

APO 121/678 Quintuplet ED OTA #65143

With five lenses for stunning images, the 121/678 is not only fast, but also offers outstanding optical performance. What does that mean? A triplet apo lens for true-colour images and an additional two-lens flattener for a flat field. With 60mm field illumination, this telescope is also perfectly suited for very large sensors. An immense backfocus of 145mm and a 4″ focuser offer the possibility to connect heavy cameras and various accessories.

APO 140/910 Triplet ED OTA #65144

A triplet apochromat with two ED lenses at the front and rear of the objective. It provides exceptionally-good colour correction. With a 4″ R&P focuser and 44mm image circle, this telescope is also suitable for full-frame cameras. A premium instrument for anyone who cares about luminous intensity.

Are you an astrophotographer looking for the perfect instrument? You might want to take a closer look at these apochromats.