January 2010 Archives

A dealer in astronomical telescopes, cameras and accessories, SCS Astro will have on offer at AstroFest a new CD-ROM book called A Beginner's Guide to DSLR Astrophotography by renowned astrophotographer Jerry Lodriguss, available at a show price of £26 (reduced from £34).

Visit SCS Astro at stand 56-57 and find out more at www.scsastro.co.uk

Cambridge University Press will have a variety of astro-related books on sale, including: Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe by Mitch Begelman and Martin Rees (offer price £15.99, reduced from £19.99), The Scientific Exploration of Mars by Fred Taylor (offer price £24, reduced from £30) and The Cambridge Double Star Atlas by James Mullaney and Wil Tirion (offer price £22, reduced from £27.50).

Visit Cambridge University Press at stand 55 and see more products at www.cambridge.org

A manufacturer of cooled CCDs for almost 20 years, Starlight Xpress will have their new SXVR-H18 CCD on display.

Visit Starlight Xpress at stands 53-54 or find out more at www.starlight-xpress.co.uk

The UK's leading specialists of Pentax astronomical telescopes, eyepieces and spotting scopes, as well as being the UK distributor of Giro Mounts from Tele-Optic in Germany. 

Visit House of Optics at stand 52 and find out more at www.houseofoptics.co.uk

London's astronomy showroom, The Widescreen Centre will have a vast range of quality products on show including special offers on Carina's SkyFi allowing remote telescope control (£149.95), the William Optics two-inch carbon-fibre star diagonal (at a special show price of £75, reduced from £119 - bring the voucher in the AstroFest showguide given out at the event to save even more) and the William Optics swan two-inch eyepieces with 72 degree fields (special show price £69 reduced from £91.99).

Visit The Widescreen Centre on stands 44 & 51 and find out more at www.widescreen-centre.co.uk

Among Springer's many astronomy-related titles on offer will be the Spectroscopic Atlas of Bright Stars by Jack Martin. This user-friendly, pocket-sized field atlas contains spectral diagrams of over 73 bright stars in the Northern Hemisphere, providing an introduction to the fascinating science of stellar spectroscopy. Normally priced £24.99, this will be available at a show price of £17.50, with a blanket 20 percent off all other Springer books.

Visit Springer at stand 49-50 and see more products at www.springer.com 

The UK's official importers of Sky-Watcher telescopes, mounts and accessories. Visit Optical Vision Ltd at stands 45-48 and find out more at www.opticalvision.co.uk

'Study Astronomy' specialises in providing part-time distance learning courses in astronomy and related subjects at university undergraduate level. UCLan's entry point University Certificates are designed for people with little or no prior knowledge of the subject. Come and find out more about their courses at stand 42-43 and try their Astro-quiz to win great prizes! 

For more information visit www.uclan.ac.uk

The innovative AstroTrac TT320X is an ultra-precise and compact equatorial tracking mount - the perfect solution to allow you to spend more time doing astrophotography and less time setting up your DSRL. For serious astrophotography on the move, try the unique, ultra-portable AstroTrac travel system, comprising of the TT320X, the TH3010 compact head, the TW3100 super compact wedge and the TP3065 ultra portable pier, allowing you take your DSLR and a small telescope anywhere you want. There will be a 10 percent AstroFest discount. 

Visit AstroTrac Ltd at stand 58 and find out more at www.astrotrac.com.

Dating back to 1675, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian. It won the gold award at the Visit London Awards in 2009, thanks partly to their £15.2 million Time and Space galleries and the Peter Harrison Planetarium. 

Find out more about the ROG at stand 18 and online at www.nmm.ac.uk/places/royal-observatory.

A UK manufacturer of prestige hydrogen-alpha solar filters, manufactured on the Isle of Man. Visit Solarscope at stand 17 and find out more at www.solarscope.co.uk.

We'll be at AstroFest of course, with a full range of back issues going way back, plus a variety of posters, mission patches, subscription discounts and our famed special editions, including The 3D Universe, Hubble Reborn and the 2010 Yearbook. Look out for special offers on some of these items, or pop by and chat with the editors.

Find us at stand 16 and visit our website at www.astronomynow.com.

Ireland's leading centre for astronomical education, the Armagh Planetarium are back at AstroFest with their usual selection of fun astro-gifts, from books to posters, to globes and the IYA Galileoscope (left) - a 50mm, f/10 refracting telescope plus a 20mm eyepiece (25x) and a 2x Barlow lens for only £30.

Visit Armagh Planetarium at stand 15 and see more at www.armaghplanet.com 

The Open University (OU) is the UK's only university dedicated to distance learning. Visit their stand to find out about their observational astronomy summer school in Mallorca, have some free sweets, and enter a draw for a £100 OU voucher. With most courses, including the Mallorca school, there are no previous qualifications required to study, and staff will happily advise you whether a course is at the right level for you. The OU teach more astronomy undergraduates than the rest of the UK higher education sector put together, and in total teach nearly double the number of undergraduates of the entire US Ivy League.

Visit the OU at stand 14 and learn more about the courses on offer at www.open.ac.uk.

British telescope manufacturer Orion Optics return to AstroFest with several models from their successful range of carbon-fibre telescopes range, including the CT (Ultra Newtonians) sporting ultra optics (1/10 wavefront) with Hi-Lux coatings in 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16-inch apertures sizes; the ODK (Optimised Dall-Kirkham) telescopes perfect for both visual and photographic astronomers, available in 10, 12, 14 and 16-inch apertures; and the Advanced Astrographs (AG), a 'dream machine' for deep sky astrophotographers with remarkably flat fields, cooling fans fitted as standard, 79mm back focus, and available in 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16-inch apertures.

Visit Orion Optics UK at stands 10-13 and find out more at www.orionoptics.co.uk.

As Celestron's official UK importers, David Hinds Ltd will have at AstroFest the brand new 

EdgeHD optical system - their most eagerly anticipated astronomical product since the SkyScout. The EdgeHD optical system takes all the compact power of a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and combines it with an improved high definition optical system for wide-field, astrograph quality images. Prices range from £1,599-£12,999.

Visit David Hinds Ltd at stands 7-9 and find out more at www.celestron.uk.com

The Astronomy and Nature Centre stock every astro-accessory from the smallest filter to research-grade observatory domes. Browse and buy with their special show discounts - they will have tons of special offers on accessories to take away, as well as interactive displays of the latest telescopes from Meade to Sky-Watcher. On display will also be the latest observatory domes from Pulsar Observatories and new observatory hardware from Astro Engineering, made in the UK. Visit The Astronomy and Nature Centre at stands 4-6 and learn more at www.astronomyandnature.com. 

The UK's official importers of Meade telescopes, mounts and accessories. Visit BC&F on stands 1-3 and find out more at: www.meade.uk.com. 

The British Astronomical Association (BAA) has had an international reputation for the quality of its observational and scientific work ever since the society was formed in 1890. Visit stand 40-41 to find out how you can become a member and see online at http://britastro.org.

The Swansea-based astronomy retailers who 'sell almost everything' will be at AstroFest with a big range of Kson and Eklipse telescopes and mounts, plus the Skysurfer dome and a Paramount ME on display.

Visit Telescope Planet on stands 34-39 and find out more at www.telescopeplanet.co.uk. 

Suppliers of quality astro-equipment from North Norfolk, Altair Astro will have on display some ground-breaking new products at special prices for orders placed at the show, including:

• The iOptron Minitower: £40 off the normal price of £699 (shown left)
• The Altair 8-inch Pier: £40 off the normal price of £495
• The SkyShed POD 2.4 metre Personal Observatory Dome: £100 off if ordered with a pier
• The Altair Astro 8-inch F4 Imaging Newtonian: £30 off normal price of £485
• The Altair Astro 102mm F6.5 Triplet APO refractor: £60 off normal price of £999
• Plus 10% off new Altair hardware system

One of the leading European manufacturers of cooled CCD cameras, Atik are bringing to AstroFest their brand new camera, the 8Mb Atik 383L+, shown here. This ground-breaking new CCD, featuring the huge Kodak KAF 8300 sensor, will be available to view and pre-order at AstroFest, and will be available via authorised Atik dealers throughout Europe later in the year.

Visit Atik Cameras at stands 29-31 and find out more at www.Atik-Cameras.com.

The Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), one of the largest amateur societies in the UK, has been bringing the excitement of the sky to astronomers of all ages for more than 50 years. Members benefit from a quarterly magazine Popular Astronomy, regular news circulars, advice, discounts on goods and places to visit, meetings, and much more. Go and see them at AstroFest and join for a special show price of only £12 - a saving of 25 percent on the normal annual fee.

Visit the SPA at stand 24 and find out more at www.popastro.com. 

Surrey's only dedicated astronomy centre will be at AstroFest with a selection of Meade, Celestron, Sky-Watcher, Vixen and William Optics telescopes, plus a range of accessories. 

Visit Astronomia at stands 22-23 and browse their full range of products at www.astronomia.co.uk 

Opticron are Vixen's official UK distributor and will be at AstroFest 2010 for the first time ever! In conjunction with a number of its vixen retailers, Opticron will be showing its range of alt-az and equatorial mounts, Starbook GOTO controllers and optical tubes. A limited number of top-of-the-range Atlux mounts will be available at a discounted price for orders placed at the show, while AstroFest will also see the European debut of the first of a new generation of Vixen mounts with a higher payload capability of up to 30 kilograms, an updated heavy-duty tripod and an all-new version of the Starbook controller.

Visit Opticron at stand 21.

An international society of amateur and professional astronomers specialising in the observation of double star and deep sky objects. Learn how to become a member by visiting stand 20 and find out more at www.webbdeepsky.com. 

Normally an online shop dedicated to astro-imaging, supplying CCDs, telescopes, accessories and mounting, Ian King Imaging will be at AstroFest with many items for sale, including the Lakeside Motorfocus unit (shown here) at a show price of £225, and the IKI 70mm f/6 ED apochromatic refractor and case for the special show price of £225.