PrimaLuceLab

Hello #astronomers!

Summer break? For the office, yes (do not worry, we open again on August 24). But not for the sky! Yesterday we packed the telescope and drove up to the #dolomites, to test under the stars some of the new solutions we are working on.

The setup was incredibly fast. No polar alignment, no counterweights to balance. And thanks to the integration of EAGLE computer, the cable management is so simple that we can move with the #telescope already pre-installed and the cables still connected. No need to disassemble everything, so once on the field we only need few minutes to be ready and pointing at the sky. So we had something rare, time. Time to sit down, look up, and simply wait for the darkness.

Astronomical twilight is the last step before the real night. When the Sun goes below the horizon the light fades in three stages. First the civil twilight, when you can still read outside. Then the nautical twilight, when the horizon becomes hard to see and the brightest stars appear. Then the astronomical twilight, when the Sun is around 15 degrees below the horizon. Only then, the sky is completely dark and the astronomical night begins.

And while we were waiting, we noticed something. Moving points of light, crossing the sky in every direction. Satellites, a lot of them. You see them especially in that moment. A satellite does not produce light, it only reflects the light of the Sun. Down here we are already in the shadow of the Earth, but a satellite few hundreds kilometers high is still fully illuminated. Dark sky, bright satellite. Later in the night many of them enter the shadow too, and simply disappear.

We stopped counting. There are so many more than just few years ago, and this is something every astronomer today has to live with.

Then the sky became completely dark, and we started to work.

#astronomy #astrophotography #telescope #dolomites #nightsky #stargazing #satellites

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6 days ago | [YT] | 23

PrimaLuceLab

Under a burning sunset, the universe came a little closer! Last night we joined the ‪@HFARMSpa‬ Summer Academy to share something we love: exploring the cosmos through #telescopes.

We showed the students what's possible with our instruments, including the DUAL-COMPACT Observatory Station installed for ‪@HFARMInternationalSchool‬, walked them through the techniques behind #astrophotography, and revealed how we're making it possible for anyone to explore the sky with instruments that are powerful yet easy to use.

The weather wasn't on our side, but that didn't stop the wonder: we traveled together through planets, galaxies, and nebulae, with pictures captured also with the H-FARM observatory. Watching curiosity light up in a new generation of explorers? That's exactly why we do what we do.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 17

PrimaLuceLab

We're proud to have installed a fully customized ASTRO-RES Observatory Station at ITS Academy G. Caboto in Gaeta (Italy) a leading technical institute for the maritime and logistics sector that is now opening a brand-new chapter: #astronomy.

Now on the roof of their new Campus by the sea, the observatory features a ‪@CelestronDotCom‬ EdgeHD 11" #telescope, an apochromatic refractor, ESATTO focusers, ARCO rotator, GIOTTO smart flat field generators, ALTO telescope cover motors, and our EAGLE computer at the heart of full automation and remote control, housed in a 3 meter diameter clamshell dome. Everything a teaching team needs to bring #astrophotography and observational astronomy into the classroom.


Read the full story here:
www.primalucelab.com/blog/astro-res-observatory-st…

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1 month ago | [YT] | 31

PrimaLuceLab

We installed our OUTPOST 3M dome at the Asiago Astrophysical Observatory, one of the most important and fascinating astronomical sites in Italy, founded in 1942.
The dome will host a #telescope dedicated to the outreach activities that the institute carries out with its visitors, to bring the public closer to #astronomy in a real research site.

Read the full story of the installation, step by step:

www.primalucelab.com/blog/outpost-3m-dome-installe…

1 month ago | [YT] | 30

PrimaLuceLab

Every #telescope is a time machine: light from distant stars and galaxies takes thousands of years or more to reach us, so you look into the past. This one travels there.

PrimaLuceLab and ‪@CelestronDotCom‬ present "Alt-Az: It's About Time". Trailer Wednesday 17th. #AltAzItsAboutTime

1 month ago | [YT] | 11

PrimaLuceLab

Our OUTPOST 3M dome is now at the ASTRI Mini-Array, on the island of Tenerife!

The Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) asked us to protect a Lidar instrument used to calibrate ASTRI, one of the most advanced gamma-ray projects in the world.

Assembled and tested in Italy, shipped pre-assembled in just 2 parts, installed in one of the best observing sites on Earth.

Full story at
www.primalucelab.com/blog/outpost-3m-dome-installe…

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1 month ago | [YT] | 19

PrimaLuceLab

Hello #astronomers! We are proud to announce the ‪@CelestronDotCom‬ CPC Deluxe HD Series, powered by PrimaLuceLab!

The CPC Deluxe HD is one of the most iconic aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain #telescopes ever made. Now with SESTO SENSO or ESATTO motorized focusing solutions, ARCO field rotator, and EAGLE computer with PLAY software to create a fully integrated system, ready for visual observation, high-resolution planetary imaging and deep-sky #astrophotography — without the need for an equatorial wedge!

Easy to use but not limited. Available starting June in 8", 9.25" and 11". Discover the full series on our website: www.primalucelab.com/telescope-kits/

3 months ago | [YT] | 16

PrimaLuceLab

Hello #astronomers! This week we’re in US for an entire week of #telescope and #astrophotography events! Today we’re at the NEAIC - Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference in Suffern NY, showing our latest innovations! We start with this dual rig setup, with Takahashi FSQ-85 and Epsilon 160ED #telescopes completely modded with ESATTO focusers, ARCO rotators and controlled by EAGLE computer. Running smoothly (and quickly) on the brand new SATURN HD-20 mount that made the first appearance just here at the event!

And we also have the Celestron EdgeHD 8” telescope with ESATTO 2” LP focuser, ARCO 2” rotator, GIOTTO flat field generator, ALTO cover motor and EAGLE6 computer!


Next stop, the NEAF astronomy and space expo on Saturday and Sunday day!

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4 months ago | [YT] | 31

PrimaLuceLab

Hello #astronomers! New version 1.9.8 of PLAY 1.9.8 #astrophotography software is here! Download now from our website www.primalucelab.com!

First, we added full support for our brand new SESTO SENSO 3 LS motorized focuser for telephoto lenses. We also added official support for Celestron fork-type mounts. AutoStacking is now faster thanks to better memory management, and we improved Autostacking for more reliable results. We also refined the Deep-Sky enhance, so your preview images look more natural. We made the RGB color correction sliders more precise, the AutoFocus step size is now a parameter you can customize for your specific setup, and you can now personalize the name of each OTA in your #telescopes configuration.

We also fixed bugs that you helped us find. Thank you to everyone, your feedback makes PLAY better for the whole community!

4 months ago | [YT] | 14

PrimaLuceLab

The Third Edition Filippo Bradaschia book "Explore the Universe through astrophotography: capturing pictures with telescopes and PLAY software" is here!

220 pages to take you on a complete journey: from visual observation, to #astrophotography with camera lenses, to planetary, lunar, and deep-sky imaging with #telescopes.

This book is written for astronomers who want to explore the Universe with the instrument they choose, keeping full control of it. We believe in open systems. Automation and control together. This book explain how.

You can download it for free in PDF www.primalucelab.com/info/Explore-the-Universe-thr…

Or you can order the printed hardcover version from our website www.primalucelab.com/books/libro-explore-the-unive…

#astrophotography #telescope #astronomy #astrophoto #space #universe #deepsky #planetaryimaging

4 months ago | [YT] | 13