Our Picks

New Altair 60mm F5.0 Dual-ED Quad APO astrograph is shipping this week.
Just in time for Xmas!

A recent project of imaging the Dark shark nebula and LDN1250. Using the excellent Altair Astro 70EDQ and 24CFX I was able to capture a nice wide portion of sky and featuring these 2 fascinating targets. In total I captured 10 hrs of 5 min subs over a few nights. Starting out on the target I used Atair's TRI RGB filter and then switched to just using the built in UV/IR cut filter.
Video of the capture here on Youtube
 
 https://www.backyardastro.org/topic/5613-the-dark-shark-altair-astros-70edq-24cfx-tri-rgb-filter/#

Hi there, here's a BBC Sky at Night Magazine review of the Altair Hypercam 585C Fan Cooled camera.
 
Notably, this camera can be used for deepsky long exposures (no amp glow), plus it generates high speed video for solar system imaging. A very versatile camera indeed with the new Sony BSI STARVIS2 sensor.
 
Full Altair Hypercam 585C camera price and specifications are here.
We ship internationally by insured courier. Just add it to your cart, select checkout and your country for a total.
 

A pretty comprehensive review of the Starwave 70ED F6 refractor - 2024 FPL53 version by Simon's Astro
 
 https://www.altairastro.com/altair-starwave-ascent-70ed-telescope---visual-and-astrophotography-bundle-464-p.asp

A great review from Astrobloke of the new Altair Astro 2" TRI RGB Filter
 
https://www.altairastro.com/altair-tri-rgb-light-pollution-filter-2-13392-p.asp

Altair 6nm Dual Band ULTRA filters tested against the moon, streetlamps, and even city lights in a shady part of town! 
 

The popular Altair 6nm Dual Band filters are now available in 1.25" size.
 
Each filter has a unique spectrographic report and matching serial number - so you aren't playing "filter roulette" any more. Every filter is on-band and within tolerance.
 
Just like with Altair refractors, we offer total quality assurance - and now we've pioneered QC with filters too.
 
There are two versions, the Ha/Oii and Sii/Oiii, available either individually, or as a combo. With the combo, you can image with a true Hubble palette, colour camera - and gain twice the amount of Oiii data in only sessions. 
 
Enjoy! 
 

Hi there, the Altair Hypercam 585C Fan Cooled Camera is in stock.
 
This camera really does it all, for a very good price. 
 
- The latest generation Sony IMX585 STARVIS II BSI Sensor makes long exposure deepsky astrophotography, easy with minimal post processing.
- The STARVIS II level sensitivity allows easy video astronomy and the low read noise is ideal planetary imaging.
- The fast frame rate with USB3.0 is a pleasure for lunar and planetary imaging.
- Fan cooling allows for low noise deepsky imaging.
- The Altair 585C will accept C-Mount lenses with the included C-Mount adaptor, making it a great Allsky camera.
- Compatible with NINA, APT, SharpCap and other software through the ASCOM driver.

 

 

 

 
 

Hi there, here's a video tutorial - Dual-Band Filter Processing for colour cameras by Cuiv the Lazy Geek 
 

 

An interesting review of the Altair 4nm Dual Band light pollution filter has appeared - all the way from Tokyo Japan!
 

Altair Hypercam 533M Astronomy Camera get's a five star review in BBC Sky at Night Magazine out this week!
 
 

New Altair 3nm ULTRA Narrowband filters are in stock.
 
Another Altair first - each filter has an individual test report.
 
Very deep OD blocking make these filters able to support deepsky imaging with a full moon, in the city. In fact, the images below were taken in London this summer.
 
I've added some star tests with Altair 80mm F6 Triplet APO running at F4.8 with Planostar 0.8x reducer. They were kindly sent to me by customer Ryan Harris, a Beta tester who has had them for some time, and a member of the Altair Facebook group. You can check out his images in the group.
 

 
 
 

 
Single sub screenshot with Altair Hypercam 26M camera & Altair 80mm Wave Series ED Triplet. 600secs DBE & basic stretch in Pixinsight (elephant's trunk nebula, test images all courtesy Ryan Harris, London): 
 

Here's a link Altair Wave Series 130mm ED Triplet APO review
 

Hi there, Altair 4nm Dual Band CERTIFIED CMOS filters are in stock, and shipping now.
 
Each filter comes with an individual spectrographic test report. Just like our telescopes with optical test reports.
OD blocking, bandwidth and transmission are ideal for "extreme" light pollution, full moon, and imaging in summertime.
Optimized for F4.8 or slower. For example, they're ideal for an F6.0 refractor with 0.8x reducer, or anything slower.