lunt solar systems - Astronomy Technology Today

INDUSTRYNEWS
ASTROMIST
NEAF
Version 2.5 Now Available
Sets Dates for 2008 Event
The April issue of ATT featured
Cyrille Thieullet's detailed narrative of the
creation and features of his Astromist PDA
software. Constant efforts to improve and
debug the software have culminated in
introduction of version 2.5, which adds
exciting features to the already rich
platform.
NEAF 2008 will take place in the last
weekend in April, the 26th and 27th.
Sponsored by the Rockland Astronomy
Club and Sky & Telescope magazine, the
event will again be
held at the Rockland
Community College
in Suffern, New York.
Hours
are:
Saturday: 8:30 am to
6:00 pm and Sunday:
10:00 am to 6:00
pm. Ticket prices are
$15 for one day or
$25 for both and
those age 16 and under are admitted free
with an adult.
The facility offers free parking for more
than 1,000 vehicles and the event, as always,
will include dozens of valuable door prizes
and fantastic raffle prizes, activities for chil-
Astromist 2.5 highlights include:
1. The database now includes more than
18,000 detailed photos of deep sky
objects. Each photo includes field of view
data.
2. A cross reference feature that identifies
any star or object by its most well known
identifier, regardless of skychart application.
3. New Rise/Set Assistant provides data for
any object from the ObjectChooser or
FinderAssistant functions.
4. Enhanced Earth SatelliteAssistant that
adds Iridium Flare data and lunar transit
simulation.
5. Improved Comet&Asteroid Assitant
identifies best dates to view a specific
comet or asteroid, or identifies the brightest comet available on a particular
date/time.
6. New support for Dobsonian Equatorial
Platforms and SkyScan/EQ6 drives.
Best yet, Astromist is still available for
an embarrassingly low price: $39 US. For
more information, please visit www.astromist.com.
dren, an amateur telescope making display
by the Springfield Telescope Makers and
Starlab planetarium shows. Special hotel
rates are available at the Wellesley Inn,
Suffern (845-3681900), or Holiday
Inn, Suffern (845357-4800).
NEAF
2008
promises to be even
bigger and better
than the 2007
record
breaking
version,
with
more than 100
exhibitors, including ATT. Both Stuart
Parkerson, Publisher, and Gary Parkerson,
Managing Editor, will be on hand and look
forward to meeting you in person.
For more information go to www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.
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ASTRONOMY
TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
11
INDUSTRYNEWS
LUNT SOLAR SYSTEMS
New Company to Offer Solar Viewing Products
There's a new player on the solar
viewing/imaging horizon and it
incorporates some already familiar
industry names. Lunt Solar Systems,
of Tucson, Arizona, has begun manufacturing Solar Filters, Solar
Telescopes, and Accessories.
Lunt Solar Systems' initial offering will be its LS50 Hydrogen-alpha
system, a 50-mm unobstructed aperture, integrally tuned etalon for use
on any customer supplied refractor.
The system incorporates the B600
standard for use on telescopes up to
600-mm focal length.
Because of this systems' <0.75
Angstrom estimated bandpass, it is
capable of providing high contrast
views of both Solar surface and limb
detail. Adding an additional etalon
system will reduce bandpass to
~<0.55 Angstroms, permitting even
higher resolution viewing/imaging.
The new company will be introducing many new products in the
coming months ranging from 50mm etalon filters mentioned above
to 160-mm Solar Systems.
Lunt Solar Systems anticipates
that its new website will be activated
by early January and further details
of its product lines will be available
there. The LS50 is priced at $799.00
US, but for a limited time only, preordered units are offered at $699.00
US.
Lunt Solar Systems currently
has a very active yahoo tech
site where up to the minute
information can be found at
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/
luntsolar.
Key Members of the Lunt Solar Systems’ Team Include
Andrew Lunt: Lunt brings 20 years of optical design, testing, and manufacturing of
ultra precision flats, mirrors, filters, and etalon assemblies, to the venture, including 7
years of direct experience with systems designed specifically for solar viewing/imaging.
Alan Traino: The driving force behind each new edition of NEAF, Traino's unmatched
energy and enthusiasm for all things astronomy has earned the respect of vendors, manufacturers, and astronomy enthusiasts throughout the world.
Markus Ludes: Of APM Telescopes fame, Ludes' unique knowledge of optical systems
is a critical key to insuring that Lunt Solar System products are of the highest quality.
His knowledge of lens and telescope design, production, and testing, and worldwide
network or vendors and dealers provide critical elements to the future success of the
venture.
Russ Tanton: Tanton provides extraordinary experience as a Solar observer and will
serve as Lunt Solar Systems' U.S. outside sales manager and will work directly with dealers to provide technical sales support.
Rikki Hocking: Hocking will serve in the role of inside sales, technical sales support,
administration, etc. She will also represent Lunt Solar Systems at upcoming star parties,
presenting the company's products to new and former solar enthusiasts.
Manny Serrano: Serrano serves as design engineer, overseeing prototype development
and testing. He also enjoys 7 years of direct experience in the design of Solar equipment and is working hard to get the company's new products onto paper and to the
fabricators.
Brian Stevens: Stevens brings 4 years of experience in working with etalon systems and
brings his unique talent for assembling, repairing, and troubleshooting those systems.
12
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
INDUSTRYNEWS
CELESTRON
Introduces Clothing Line
Don’t Miss Our Triple Reward Sale
Jan 18,19, 20!
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Starting at $1,190 OTA
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Starting at $1,575 OTA
14
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2-el. with Flattener APO
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4-el. Flat-Field APO
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$6,285
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4-el. Flat-Field APO,
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$3,295
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4-el. Flat-Field APO
2.4” Focuser
$3,585
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Celestron has long been know for providing affordable astronomical products to view
with and now has announced a new line of
clothing to view in!
The new line of Celestron clothing
includes everything from caps and shirts to
cold weather parkas. As would be expected
from a high-tech company, Celestron includes
in their clothing line such high-tech products
as a “PolarTec” fleece jacket, which offers the
advantage of being lightweight and comfortable, but with the insulating properties of a
much heavier garment.
All of the products in the new line feature
the Celestron Logo. While you can find such
“dressy” pieces as the Performance Plus Pique
Knit Polo, which offers 100% combed cotton
pique, relaxed fit, stripped neck tape, and bartacked side vents, you’ll also find comfort tees
and sweatshirts.
All of the clothing line is offered in black
matched to the Celestron Orange Logo
(except for the tee shirts, which are also offered
in white) and come in men and women’s sizes.
The new line also features a laptop case
made with the highest grade of 600 denier
polyester fabric and thick padding for superior
protection, as well as a handy heavy nylon
sports bag with a u-shaped top opening and
three outside pockets for easy access.
For more information go to www.celestron.com and click on the apparel link.
INDUSTRYNEWS
MAG 1 INSTRUMENTS
Announces New Ownership
We are excited to report that Mag 1
Instruments, manufacturer of the unique
Portaball, is now back in business after a
short hiatus earlier this year. Dave Juckem,
who operates a machining facility in
Chilton, Illinois, recently made the
announcement that he has taken over
Mag 1 Instruments’ operations.
Peter Smitka started Mag 1
Instruments in 1989. After 15 years Peter
decided to close the business to pursue
other interests, much to the dismay of the
legion of fans of PortaBall Telescopes
around the world.
Dave, who has been an astronomy
enthusiast since high
school, had been a supplier for Mag 1 and was disappointed to see the manufacturer of such a unique
telescope close down. He
therefore made arrangements to take over the
business.
Said Dave, shown in the
photo with a model he
built for an aerospace
museum, “My background is as follows: I
started out in life as an aircraft mechanic,
moved into product development for the
aerospace and medical fields, and ended
up owning a machine shop where we help
our customers solve design issues and produce prototypes for them.”
He continued, “We also produce
small volume parts for these customers,
and just for fun, build models for industry
and museums like the one shown in the
photo. I was instrumental in many of the
design features of the original Portaball
and manufactured parts for Peter for
many years. Purchasing the Portaball line
was a natural fit for us and we look forward to a long and enjoyable tenure as the
new owners.”
This spring Juckem will introduce
several design changes to the Portaball. He
plans to make the changes backwards
compatible for those who already have a
Portaball and will provide full support for
all existing owners with parts and service.
He will start with production of an 8-inch
and 12.5-inch scope, with an 18-inch following later in 2008.
“Besides the redesign and getting back
up and in production, we are also rewriting
the owner’s manuals,” said Dave. “We are
going to be at NEAF and look forward to
reintroducing the Portaball along with
meeting our customers, both old and new.”
Be sure and check out the ATM article in this issue of ATT by Jason Hissong,
who built a ball scope of similar design to
the Portaball.
Mag 1 Instruments’ new website is
currently under development at
www.mag1instruments.com and interested individuals should check back often to
see what’s new.
SKYSHED OBSERVATORIES
Offers New POD “Dome Only” Option
SkyShed Observatories has announced they have added a
new POD "dome only" option. The dome only option is
meant for those who wish to replace an older existing dome, or
may be building a structure of there own and just need a POD
dome to top it off.
The dome only option is priced at $795 US plus shipping.
Customers still receive all the bonus items that are included
with the complete POD. By shipping the dome only this lowers shipping costs as the size of dome only shipment is only
about 60% of the size of a complete POD with dome and wall.
The dome only option is available in all the existing non
glow color choices, plus two new colors that have recently been
added - Ice Green and Cobalt Blue. In addition, the dome is
also available in optional glow-in-the-dark colors at a slightly
higher price.
For more information visit the SkyShed POD website at
www.skyshedpod.com.
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
15
INDUSTRYNEWS
20/20 TELESCOPES AND BINOCULARS
Opens New Location
Chris Brownewell, owner of 20/20
Telescopes and Binoculars, has announced
20/20's move to a new, larger location.
20/20 has been a leading retailer of
telescopes and astronomy in the Midwest
for 10 years. Co-located with Molenaar
Eye Care in downtown Lansing, Illinois,
the store quickly outgrew the space available at that location. That all changed in
December as 20/20 moved to a new
2,000 square foot retail location at 1058
Joliet St. (US-30) in Dyer, Indiana.
According to Chris, “The new location is an easily found, high visibility, and
high traffic retail sales location with great
access to US-30 and plenty of parking. It
is less than a mile from the border with
Illinois, and travel time for customers
coming from Chicago has only been
increased a couple of minutes.”
“Dyer is one of the few communities
in the Chicago region to have a light pol-
lution ordinance, and the highly visible
presence of all these beautiful telescopes in
our showroom windows will no doubt
spark interest in astronomy and science in
this area,” he continued.
The new location also facilitates
20/20’s growing Internet business. The
store is open from 11 am to 7 pm
Monday through Saturday and will continue to be open six days a week at the
new location. 20/20 is a dealer for Meade,
Orion, Vixen, Tele Vue, Celestron, and
other major brands.
20/20 is also the sponsor of the
EPOCH 2008 Star Party, which will be
held on July 29 - August 3, 2008. A new
website specifically for the event,
www.starparty.info, will be in operation
soon and registration will begin in
January.
For more information, go to
www.2020telescopes.com.
ASTROPHOTO INSIGHT
MAGAZINE
Announces Dates for 2008 Midwest AstroImaging Conference
AstroPhoto Insight has announced
the location and dates for the 2008
Midwest Astro-Imaging Conference
(MAIC). The conference will take place
on June 20-21, 2008, at the NIU
Hoffman Estates Meeting Center, conveniently located only 20 minutes away
from Chicago’s O’Hare International
Airport.
The 2008 Conference will include
expert speakers covering the latest in
CCD and DSLR image acquisition and
processing, with vendor exhibits, door
prizes and breakfast, lunch and coffee
service on both days. The event will also
feature free wireless Internet access
throughout the facility.
Speakers already confirmed for the
conference include Robert Reeves,
author of numerous books on astrophotography; Neil Fleming, narrowband
and image processing expert; Jim
Burnell, co-author of The Handbook of
Astronomical Image Processing and
AIP4Win; Mike Unsold, developer of
ImagesPlus; and Warren Keller,
Photoshop expert and trainer from
IP4AP – Image Processing for
Astrophotography.
Frequent updates will be posted on
the MWAIC Yahoo group. Also, early
bird discounts will only be announced
on the MWAIC Yahoo group and are
only offered for a short period of time.
Join the group to keep up-to-date and
for a chance to save on the admission
price. For more information on the
event and the MWAIC Yahoo Group,
please visit www.skyinsight.net/maic.
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