Reviews – Astronomy Now

25 May 2022

The Sky Imaging Edition: Part 2

23 May 2022 Astronomy Now

comNik Szymanek recently spent three consecutive nights testing the capabilities of Software Bisque’s new edition of The Sky, namely The Sky Imaging Edition. On night two, he finds out how well it autofocuses and autoguides his telescope.

StellaLyra 250mm, f/5 Dobsonian: The light-bucket with a touch of class

16 May 2022 Ade Ashford

First Light Optics’ StellaLyra-branded fleet of Dobsonian telescopes combine high-performance with some excellent accessories, writes Ade Ashford.

The Sky Imaging Edition Part 1: TPoint modelling

6 May 2022 Astronomy Now

Software Bisque’s latest edition of The Sky software isn’t just a digital planetarium, but makes for an excellent assistant for imagers, allowing computer control of all facets of the imaging process.

RVO Horizon 72mm ED: The future of refractors is on the Horizon

29 April 2022 Steve Ringwood

Steve Ringwood checks out a new offering from Rother Valley Optics that raises the bar for compact refractors.

Binocular vision: Helios Lightquest HR 28 x 110

22 April 2022 Steve Ringwood

Helios’ new large and extremely powerful binoculars are like twin light-buckets that give wide and deep views of the night sky, but does their design match their optical capability? Steve Ringwood finds out.

Choosing and using a CMOS camera

15 April 2022 Astronomy Now

The CMOS astro-camera revolution is here, and astrophotographer Martin Bradley is on hand to explain what makes these cameras stand out.

Choosing the best eyepiece for you

8 April 2022 Ade Ashford

If the optics of your telescope are well aligned but the views are still lacklustre, maybe it’s time for some new eyepieces. Ade Ashford helps you choose them.

Celestron SkyMaster 25 × 100 binoculars

1 April 2022 Ade Ashford

These behemoth binoculars are the largest in Celestron’s SkyMaster range, but are they the ultimate for astronomical and terrestrial use? Ade Ashford finds out.

APM HDC-XWA 7mm, 100-Degree X-Treme Eyepiece, a real eyeful

25 March 2022 Steve Ringwood

Steve Ringwood got his hands on APM’s new HDC-XWA 7mm, 100-degree X-treme eyepiece, and found out how its large field of view and powers of magnification fill an important gap.

Beating the LED streetlights: IDAS light-pollution suppression LPS-D2 filter

18 March 2022 Ade Ashford

The LPS-D2 filter is the world’s first filter designed specifically to combat LED light pollution. Ade Ashford took a close look at the data to see how effective it will be.