iOptron control programs: Commander and Commander Lite – what’s the difference?
With the release of the free iOptron Lite app for Android (the IOS version has been out for a while), we thought it’s time to explain what this package does,…
Telescope Mounts
Harmonic drives – the new kid on the block
Old types of astro mounts Until recently, most go-to mounts for astronomy have used worm drives. Worm drives are made up of a pair of gears, one at right-angles to…
What are the differences between a tracker, a guider and an equatorial mount?
If you’ve got a camera and you’ve been out at night, chances are you’ve thought about getting photographs of what’s above you. It’s only natural. You can start with a…
Learning about the iOptron CEM40
To learn about the iOptron CEM40EC mount, I took one home and got a test image of the Trifid Nebula.
saxon AZ-EQ6 Pro Mount with Steel Tripod
saxon have released the AZ-EQ6 Pro Mount with Steel Tripod. If you have ever wanted to purchase an AZ-EQ6 Pro then now is the time. The saxon AZ-EQ6 Pro Mount…
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Sky-Watcher HAC150 – a budget deep-sky fast astrograph
A quick look at the new Sky-Watcher Honders Advanced Catadioptric Astrograph, a 125mm f/2 catadioptric “camera-only” telescope. Is this baby RASA the new grab-n-go sensation?
Using Lunt Telescopes to look at the Sun
With the Australian Solar eclipse coming in 2028, it’s time to get familiar with solar telescopes. With Lunt telescopes you can see the surface of the Sun using white light, or Hydrogen alpha and Calcium-K filters. These all show different aspects of what’s happening there. If you want to photograph it as well, there are cameras for that too.
Mars Opposition 2025: what is Retrograde Motion – and what does it mean?
Mars opposition is in mid-January next year. But before that happens, Mars is going to enter retrograde motion, where it stops being overtaken by the background stars and starts overtaking them back. Retrograde motion stumped the ancient astronomers and had a hand in stimulating the rise of modern scientific thought.