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High-quality canvas prints with astronomical themes

April 8 2020, Stefan Taube

We are offering you high-quality semi-gloss astronomical photographs printed onto canvas. The canvas is stretched onto a pine wood frame, which is equipped with sawtooth brackets, ready for hanging. Every picture is hand-finished and individually checked!

The Andromeda galaxy on canvas

The pictures are all images created by the astrophotographer Boris Štromar. The following images are currently available:

Each image is available in three sizes.

Secure shipping: The pictures are individually shrink-wrapped and supplied with corner protectors.

The astronomical themes and high-quality prints ensure a pleasant ambience.

You can find more information and ordering options here at Astroshop.

Tags: Oklop, media
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Astronomy shirts: with these the stars look good on you.

April 3 2020, Marcus Schenk

Fashion and astronomy: do they go together? Amateur astronomers have always liked to show other people what excites them. You don’t even have to be inspired by nerds like Sheldon Cooper. Astro fans can do it alone. Do you love the Universe? Show it off with Omegon’s space shirts!

These black T-shirts are made of quality cotton and are comfortable to wear all day long. An elaborately-produced digital print ensures a stable motif and long-lasting fresh colours. Available in sizes M, L, XL, 2XL and 3XL and in regular or unisex fit. The T-shirts are designed and printed in the EU.

Milky-Way

The Milky Way – our home. When you take a look at this shirt, you can immediately visualise where our solar system is located: on the edge of the Orion Arm in our galaxy.

The Milky Way shirt with the position of our solar system.

Star chart

A view of the starry sky: where is the Big Dipper, where is the Summer Triangle? You will find it immediately on this star chart.

Star chart T-shirt: The starry sky all day long.

Solar system

Our planets! How far away are they, how long does it take to orbit the Sun and how many moons does Jupiter have again? This T-shirt not only looks great, it is also very informative. A wearable infographic of the solar system.

The T-shirt with lots of information about the planets.

4. The Dobsonian observer

Go on the look-out again, and enjoy observing galaxies and nebulae with your Dobsonian telescope. All you need is a telescope and the canopy of stars. A really special feeling.

The T-shirt for Dobsonian observers.

Meteor shower

A forest in darkness and shooting stars in the sky. A T-shirt for astronomers and anyone who wants to be a little closer to the stars.

Omegon T-shirt meteor shower

6. Astrophotography

A notebook, power and a telescope: who wouldn’t think that this is about astrophotographers. After all, the most beautiful images of the Universe are thanks to them. For anyone who likes to collect and capture photons with their telescope, this T-shirt is the garment of choice.

Our astrophotography T-shirt.

So which T-shirt will you wear at the next get-together with your astro-friends?

Tags: T-Shirt, Omegon
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Two new ranges of binoculars: BD II XD and SV II

April 1 2020, Betty Lux

This year Kowa have, once again, come up with new ranges of binoculars. With immediate effect you can benefit from the further development of two well-known product families.

Demand a wider angle of view: Kowa BD II XD binoculars

What can simplify birdwatching and the next nature trip? Presumably this is the question the Kowa developers were asking themselves as they put together the BD II XD. The answer is clear: the 6.5×32 model offers an exceptional visual field of 10° with which you will be able to locate birds, animals and other targets much more easily, and observe them effortlessly. On top of that comes greater ease of use – the BD II XD range sits wonderfully in the hand and is compact – as well as special Kowa XD lenses. The advantage: the lens material is enriched with fluorite, a material which yet again hugely increases not just contrast, but also resolving power.

Kowa wide angle binocular BD II XD

However the BD II XD range is not just of interest to ornithologists and outdoor enthusiasts, but also for amateur astronomers. Thanks to the wide field of view and crystal clear imaging performance, you can conveniently and spectacularly enjoy the Moon, the planets and constellations.

Further development of the proven SV range: Kowa SV II binoculars

The Kowa SV range is well-known and tried and tested by birdwatchers. But Kowa is not resting on its laurels, but instead has once again significantly improved their ease of use. The SV II range now has a fresh, green, new look and has improved lens caps which cannot be so easily mislaid. The eyecups are robust, the focusing runs smoothly and is easy to operate.

Kowa bincular SV II

So all in all a real outdoors binocular that offers excellent value for money. This range also includes the KR coating developed by Kowa, which makes the binoculars ready for action in any weather, while ensuring that water or dirt can accumulate on the lenses.

We offer all new products and of course all the well-proven Kowa optics ranges. Click through our selection and you will quickly find the perfect pair of binoculars for you.

Tags: Kowa, binoculars, nature observation, birdwatching
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C/2019 Y4 ATLAS: A bright comet for the naked eye?

March 27 2020, Marcus Schenk

A yawning emptiness. No visitors.

For years, there has not been much going on in the vast expanses of the solar systems, just the planets continued their orbits around the sun.

However, the time for waiting has now passed.

We are being visited by a bright comet which could become a real highlight in April and May – maybe even for the naked eye.

It has the wonderful name of C/2019 Y4 ATLAS. Even now, it can be clearly seen with the telescope. During these times of corona, where we have to stay at home and go without social contact, this makes a welcome change. Keep your telescope at the ready because this could be really exciting!

The C/2019 Y4 ATLAS comet, with its green coma, near the M81 and M82 galaxies on the 19th/20th March 2020. Photographed using a Canon 600Da – Canon EF 200mm f2.8 L – @f3.5 (step-down-ring as a front aperture), 76 x 2min -> 2h32min – ISO800, Vixen GP-DX – MGEN II. Editing and processing in DeepSkyStacker and Photoshop. Image author: Johannes Hildebrandt

The major comet of 2020?

Hawaii is home to the Asteroid Terrestrial impact Last Alert System, abbreviated to ATLAS. It scans the sky for near-earth objects, which could be of danger to the earth, and is designed to predict a possible impact. However, on the 28^th December 2019, the robot-supported system discovered this comet on its way through our solar system. The astronomers observed that it is following a very similar orbit to that of the Great Comet of 1844 which, at that time, achieved a brightness of -1 mag. There has even been speculation that Y4 ATLAS might possibly be a fragment of the then tail-star and could achieve a similar brightness – this fact alone makes following the path of this comet exciting.

Can we expect to see something similar from the C/2019 Y4 ATLAS?

Strong increase in brightness until May

What is certain is that its brightness is rapidly increasing. At the time of its discovery in December, it was still unreachable at 19 mag. In the interim, however, it has been able to increase its brightness to about eight magnitudes. Overall, this is an increase of 25,000 times! However, it will get really interesting from now until the end of May, because it is continuously getting brighter – in fact, it has already exceeded the original expectations in this respect.

It is now entering our region from the outer planets. On the 24^th May, it will race past the earth at a distance of 117 million kilometres away and, on the 31^st May, it will reach its closest point to the sun – and this despite being within Mercury’s orbit. According to the forecasts, it may reach a brightness of 2 mag – this would not just make it visible with all types of binoculars, but also with the naked eye!

Really good for us, as inhabitants of the northern hemisphere, is the fact that the comet is almost ideally positioned.

We have already observed it…

During the last few days, some members of our team have already been able to observe the comet. I, too, used last weekend for observation. I was able to identify it immediately using my 12“ Taurus Dobson telescope The diffuse spot stood out clearly from the surrounding stars. The coma appeared uniformly round with a brighter core area. At the edge of a small-town sky, and after observation with my SWA 32mm eyepiece I used a Nagler 11mm with an approx. 140-times magnification. The comet thereby gained even more contrast and stood out even better from the background of the sky. A fantastic experience! However, the comet could also be seen with the 20+40×100 Nightstar large binoculars.

An image of the C/2019 Y4 ATLAS on the 22nd March 2020 which reflects the visual impression of the 12″ Dobson telescope. Marcus Schenk.

Where can you find the C/2019 Y4 ATLAS comet?

Not at the bottom of the horizon, but high up and circumpolar. This is a dream position for an observer! Our vagabond is currently travelling through the Great Bear which is luckily now high in the sky in spring – this means that you have a good opportunity to observe it using your telescope. If you are planning to acquire a telescope first, then now would be a good time.

In the months of April and May, the comet will be moving through the giraffe constellation and heading for Perseus. It will become significantly brighter but, with time, it will lose altitude. At this time, a rather dark place and a few clouds on the horizon become even more important. In these times of corona and strict curfews, I was happy to be able to observe the comet from my garden at its still high altitude.

But, how can one find the comet now?

You can find an up-to-date search map on skyhound.com, for example.

Or, there is an up-to-date map for the respective day at Theskylive.

Would you like to get an even better view of the comet? The Lumicon Comet Filter can help you to see both the coma and a possible gas-tail contrast-enhanced.

Will we be able to see the comet with the naked eye? Well, despite all the calculations and predictions, this is written in the stars. Let us hope for the best! In the meantime, why not enjoy the comet with your telescope or binoculars. After all, who knows how many years we will have to wait again for such a bright comet?

If you are looking for a telescope, accessories or binoculars, we are here for you (despite the intensified corona crisis in Bavaria) and can be reached by phone and email. Furthermore, our courageous colleagues from the shipping department are holding the fort and will immediately despatch your orders.

Tags: Comet, observations
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Now available: the new MGEN autoguider from Lacerta!

March 19 2020, Stefan Taube

An autoguider is a very important accessory when taking astronomy photos involving long exposure times. The autoguider is a tracking control device that ensures that the mount always keeps the telescope pointing as precisely as possible at the astronomical object desired. The autoguider images a bright star on a separate camera in order to achieve this. The autoguider then uses the apparent movement of this star to calculate the appropriate control movements for the mount.

Lacerta Stand Alone Autoguider MGEN Version 3

Lacerta MGEN Version 3 stand-alone autoguider

It is possible to use a simple planetary camera, a laptop and free software from the Internet for this type of tracking control. The MGEN autoguider from Lacerta has also proven itself to be excellent. But the great advantage of using the MGEN autoguider is that you don’t even need a laptop or PC; hence the term ‘stand-alone’ autoguider. In particular, this type of stand-alone solution makes astrophotography with SLR cameras much easier, as you do not need a laptop when using this type of camera.

The MGEN autoguider also comes supplied with a matching camera and already has all the necessary software – simpler autoguiding is just not possible! Another great advantage is that the MGEN autoguider does not just use a single star for the tracking control, but several. This has the effect of increasing accuracy considerably! The following graphic comes from a test by the manufacturer and illustrates the higher precision you achieve with multi-star guiding:

Durch das Multistar Guiding ist die Nachführkontrolle unabhängig vom Seeing.

Multi-star guiding also means that tracking control is less dependent on the seeing.

The new version MGEN-3 autoguider offers many other improvements:

improved hardware allows the new, self-learning, AI multi-star guiding.
the large colour display makes operation easier.
the new quick-start function allows guiding to commence at the push of a button!
polar alignment using the digital Scheiner method.
power supply via USB (5V), only 1.2 watts.

This is, however, just a small selection. You can find the entire list of advantages on the Lacerta MGEN Version 3 stand-alone autoguider webpage.

Tags: Astro Photography, Lacerta
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Infographic: Spring 2020 astrohighlights

March 4 2020, Marcus Schenk

Once again there is plenty going on in the sky this spring. There the gas giants shake hands, a planet meets a star cluster, star occultations take place, and you may even spot a comet with binoculars.

We hope you enjoy the latest astronomical infographic, “Astronomy Highlights Spring 2020”. You will find explanatory descriptions of the events in the following text.

March

8 March: Venus near Uranus

Bright Venus, faint Uranus: these two planets meet one another today at dusk, as Venus hurries past the gas giant at a separation of around 2°. You can identify them easily using binoculars.

18 March: The Moon near Mars and Jupiter

If you get up early this morning you will be rewarded with a very special sight. Above the south-eastern horizon the waning Moon can be identified in an attractive grouping along with Jupiter and Mars. A little further east Saturn joins in too.

20 March: Jupiter near Mars

Once again Mars pays a visit to the big planets. This morning it meets Jupiter, approaching it at a separation of 40 arcseconds. In the coming days it passes by Jupiter and heads towards Saturn.

24 March: Venus at greatest eastern elongation

Half-illuminated, now Venus presents itself as an interesting object to observe. It gleams with a brightness of magnitude -4.3 and appears as a lovely evening star for almost the entire first half of the night, before finally disappearing below the horizon shortly before 23:00 CET.

29 March: The Moon occults Epsilon Tauri

Slowly winter bids farewell to the night sky. But the constellations Orion and Taurus are still visible in the western sky. This evening you can be witness to an interesting occultation of a star by the Moon. At around 21:30 CET the Moon draws near to the magnitude 3.5 star Epsilon Tauri in the Hyades cluster and at 21:35 CET occults it from its dark side.

April

2 April: Juno in opposition

Juno is a large asteroid in the main asteroid belt, with a diameter of 257 kilometres. On 2 April it reaches opposition to the Sun and shines with a brightness of magnitude 9.5.

3 April: Venus near the Pleiades

An unusual encounter: on 3 April we can see how Venus meets the Pleiades in the night sky. It’s a really rare sight, and all the more beautiful if we observe these objects through a telescope or capture the memory in a photograph.

15 April: The Moon near Jupiter, Saturn and Mars

At the moment the trio made up of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars is visible every morning before sunrise in the southeastern sky. Even if you don’t normally get up this early, try it once. For example this morning. Because today the Moon joins in and (together with the planets) offers a fascinating sight.

26 April: The Moon near Venus

The Moon is just three days old and yet lights up the evening sky as a slender, fine crescent. Today it meets Venus, the bright evening star.

28 April: Venus at greatest brightness

A fiery brilliance in the sky. When we take a look at the sky we can see the glistening bright Venus. Many people mistake it for an aircraft with its lights, or even a UFO. But you know it’s Venus which is reflecting more than 75% of the sunlight and so shines so brightly in the sky.

May

3 May: The Moon occults Nu Virginis

The Moon approaches from its dark side and heads towards the star Nu in the constellation Virgo. At 23:48 CET the star disappears behind the Moon and reappears a good 40 minutes later behind the bright side. Before observing check your local occultation times since this can vary slightly according to location.

12 May: The Moon near Jupiter and Saturn

In the last hours of the night, the solar system’s dream team appears over the horizon: bright Jupiter, an even brighter Moon and the somewhat weaker Saturn.

15 May: The Moon near Mars

Shortly before dawn breaks, you can find the Red Planet and the Moon. They approach one another between the constellations Aquarius and Aries at a separation of 3°. Above and to the right at an angular distance of a good 30° you can see the two gas giants Jupiter and Saturn.

15 May: Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)

This comet could be a highlight in May. If the forecasts are correct, comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) could reach a brightness of magnitude 8 and so be easily visible with binoculars. In May it will linger in the circumpolar constellations. In the course of the month it will move from the constellation Camelopardalis (directly next to Ursa Minor), towards Ursa Major. On 23 May it stops close to the galaxies M81 and M82.

22 May: Venus near Mercury

Venus shines like a beacon in the sky. If you didn’t know you could easily mistake it for an aircraft’s lights. This evening Venus meets its direct neighbour, Mercury.

24 May: The Moon near Venus and Mercury

At the end of May everything revolves around Venus and Mercury since both planets are especially well visible at the moment. Today they share the limelight with the slender and only 4% illuminated crescent of the twodayold Moon.

26 May: Mercury visible in the evening

Mercury is so close to the Sun, nimble and very shy. At least this is the impression you can get when you try to observe it. It usually keeps itself close to the horizon. However now it is possible to discover it since it reaches an altitude of around 10° at dusk. It’s best to be on the lookout with binoculars a short time after sunset.

Tags: Infographic, observation, spring highlights, astroghighlights
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Grand Opening: The New Astroshop Showroom in Warsaw

February 27 2020, Marcus Schenk

In Poland, there is not just the culture and landscapes waiting to be admired, but now also telescopes for stargazers! Just very recently, a new subsidiary in Warsaw first saw the light of day – then the showroom grand opening followed.

Astroshop is now ensuring that amateur astronomers in eastern central Europe can gaze into distant skies.

Our new showroom from the outside.

The opening was a complete success and was celebrated with many astro-enthusiasts, ambitious astro-photographers from the Polish astro-scene, as well as representatives of the Astronomia Amatorska astronomy magazine.

Photo: Damian Demendecki

In a showroom of 50 sq.m., you can now not only inspect and compare approx. 15 telescopes of different manufacturers, but also many binoculars and spotting scopes. As an astro-photographer you are in good hands here, too: Michal Bączek can offer you professional advice on your choice and will show you what is possible to do with your equipment.

Photo: Damian Demendecki

Is it to be a Newtonian telescope or perhaps rather a compact and light SC-telescope with Go-to control? When looking at the different telescopes in person, it quickly becomes clear what comes closest to your own wishes. Amongst others, there were exciting instruments to admire, such as the Dobson-Telescopes of the Taurus brand manufactured in Poland, an iOptron CEM25P mount, the Starscope 2,1×42 and the popular mechanical mini travel mount Omegon Minitrack LX3.

Our new showroom from the inside.

It is only in our showrooms that you have the opportunity to experience telescopes live and to talk about your wishes and observations face to face. Please come and pay us a visit, we look forward to seeing you.

The exact address:
Astroshop.pl

Kruszewskiego 2, U1

04-086 Warszawa

Tel.: + 48 22 120 23 43

Email: [email protected]

Tags: Showroom, Poland
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Radiant LED finder: Now with an exclusive bonus to help find objects more easily

February 21 2020, Marcus Schenk

It should be easy, but sometimes it really is exasperating. How am I supposed to find a galaxy, a nebula in the sky, when there are hardly any reference points?

The solution: the Radiant finder. With three circles in divisions of a half, two and four degrees, you use a two-dimensional search device; this offers an invaluable advantage over a simple LED finder with a projected dot. Indeed, astronomers who started with point-finders have often needed years to develop the necessary system or routine so that they could find something easily.

The idea of easily finding objects differs fundamentally from actual practice, but why is this?

Well, because at the beginning, you still need some practice to transfer that which you see on the star chart to the sky. For example, how do I find the famous Owl Nebula M97? How can I visualise that in the sky?

Now there is a helpful solution to this: The Radiant Special Lineal
This makes it easier to find objects in the sky. You just place the transparent tool onto your star atlas and you can then find out how far, and in which directions, you need to move the circles in the sky. For example, place the centre of the circle on the lower-right star, Merak in the Big Dipper. Point roughly towards the 3.6 mag bright star, x UMa, and move Merak to the edge of the outer circle – M97 will already be in the centre. You can then do the same with your telescope in the evening.

It is like painting by numbers in the sky!

BONUS: Exclusively for Radiant purchasers
From now on, when you purchase a Radiant finder, you will also be given the special lineal with Radiant circles. This helpful tool is not available separately, you can only get it as a free bonus when you buy a Radiant finder.

Would you like to be able to find objects more easily? You can find the Radiant Finder with an Astro Lineal here!

Tags: Omegon, Telescope Accessories, Radiant, LED finder, red dot finder
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Skywatcher EQ8-R: The new observatory class mount!

February 5 2020, Stefan Taube

Skywatcher’s EQ8 series astronomical mounts are the most capable models from this manufacturer. They can carry telescopes and accessories weighing up to 50 kilograms! This makes EQ8 mounts particularly interesting for observatories – no matter whether garden, school or club observatories.

Skywatcher EQ8-R mount with tripod

Skywatcher has updated its EQ8 mount and now offers it in two versions: the EQ8-R and EQ8-RH mounts. The EQ8-RH version has a high-resolution Renishaw encoder on the right ascension axis. This eliminates the need for tracking control during astrophotography.

Both versions of the EQ8-R mount come supplied with the Skywatcher’s proven SynScan control.

These latest EQ8 models offer the following improvements as compared to the initial version:

Internal cable routing prevents cable clutter and cable damage
More connection options for accessories: 4x USB, 3x 12 volt outputs
Optimized positioning of the drive motors for improved balance
Improved clutches on the axes for a more secure grip
Improved clamping screws on the prism clamp for greater comfort and greater clamping force
Belt drive on the declination axis for smoother running

Skywatcher offers a special tripod for its EQ8 mount. The tripod also allows portable use of the mount, but does require two people for setting it up.

If you want to set up the mount on a fixed pier, you can simply order the EQ8 mount without the tripod. The tripod may also be ordered at a later date. All versions of the EQ8 mount can be found here at Astroshop.

With its EQ8-R, Skywatcher offers a modern mount for large OTAs – which the latest stage of development has made almost perfect!

Tags: Skywatcher, Mount
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Good conditions for observing Venus

January 20 2020, Jan Ströher

In the coming weeks Venus, our “sister planet”, will become a good object for observing. The planet is a bright, easily detectable object in the morning or evening sky, but it is usually located very close to the horizon with corresponding atmospheric disturbance and rather short observing times. This will improve from around the end of January, when Venus will become progressively brighter and visible for longer in the evening sky. Then the planet will be found easily with the naked eye immediately after sunset and can be observed for almost four hours.

Even good binoculars, such as the Omegon Nightstar are suitable for observing. In telescopes with an aperture from around 90mm, Venus can already be identified as a small disc. Just like the Moon, the planet exhibits different phases, although details of the surface remain hidden owing to its very dense atmosphere. The cloud structures can be distinguished very well with telescopes from 130mm aperture. The use of a suitable filter (violet, dark blue, blue) is recommended to improve the contrast.

Credit: EXAME/JAXA/Divulgao, Brazil

Venus is the second innermost planet in our solar system and is a similar size to Earth. Its atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, sulphur dioxide and various noble gases. This composition, combined with its proximity to the Sun, makes our neighbouring planet a hostile and mysterious world. As it orbits the Sun, Venus rotates backwards, that is in exactly the opposite direction to our Earth. Therefore on Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east. After the Moon, the planet is the brightest object, but, just like Mercury it is only visible in the morning or evening sky – hence it is also given the designation “morning-” or “evening star”.

From mid-January, Venus dominates our evening sky immediately after sunset on the southwestern horizon. Between then and the end of March it changes its position from about 25° to 46° and reaches a brightness of -4.7mag by the end of April. During this period it moves towards the western horizon and passes through the constellations Aquarius, Pisces and Aries. In April it reaches Taurus and can even be found close to the Pleiades (M45) at the beginning of April.

From January to May it’s best to track Venus using a star chart.