I have just returned from a business trip to Arizona, and Arizona can only mean one thing for astro-imagers – Starizona!! Whilst staying in Phoenix, Dean of Starizona shipped me the latest (adjustable!) Hyperstar for the C11 and an electonic microfocuser for the Feathertouch focuser (also supplied by Starizona). Thank you Dean! Sorry I didn’t have time to meet up, maybe next visit, hopefully not during one of your summers (I didn’t see a daytime temperature below 100F and it hit 118F on one day – unbelievable!).
Anyway – returning to business, this new Hyperstar looks absolutely superb, and it addresses two of the earlier problems I had that caused me to move to Sky 90/M25C imaging. The new Hyperstar is adjustable for both collimation and camera angle, and as I have CCDInspector, the collimation procedure should now be a doddle compared to what it was before! The second problem I had was the initial Hyperstar design could only accommodate a small chip like the SXV-H9C and I wanted to do “big chip” imaging. The newest model of Hyperstar is compatible with big chips like the SXV-M25C that I currently use.
Focusing is a very tough problem when your critical focus zone at f#2.0 is only 7 or 8 microns (millionths of a meter) – but Starizona have some hardware to ease that problem as well. They have a computer-controlled stepper motor unit that couples directly to their superb Feathertouch focuser. So not only do I have an “improved performance” Hyperstar unit, I also have a better means of guaranteeing good focus as well.
I am very excited about returning to “fast” CCD imaging once again, especially as I have learned a lot during the past 18 months working with the Sky 90 and SXV-M25C that can now be applied to Hyperstar imaging. Watch this space for a quantum leap in deep-sky imaging coming soon from the New Forest Observatory!
I knew you wouldnt be able to resist it… the Hyperstar was calling your name the moment the V3 C11 version was on it way.
Dean is a really nice guy (along withe everyone else at Starizona), I met him when I was over in the USA in April/May this year. I did a 500 miles trip off the route we should have taken, just so I could pop into Starizona and say “hello”.
Just got myself a C11, but its not Hyperstar compatible. I`m tempted to get it converted, but its a bit too much for me right now, and I still have a perfectly functioning C8 v3 Hyperstar system that does the job pefectly.
The feathertouch + microtouch combination just rocks! Got that on my C8 rig, and will probably get it for the C11 system very shortly (once I stop paying vet bills for one of our cats).
Bad news re the Hyperstar I’m afraid – it doesn’t fit my C11 🙁 🙁 I think it’s a double whammy. I think Dean gave me a C14 Hyperstar, I also think that Celestron have changed the secondary cell layout as it wouldn’t take a threaded screw end (on the Hyperstar) anyway. Does your Hyperstar screw into the secondary cell of your C8, or does it use the same locating screw ring that holds in the secondary mirror?
Greg
On my C8 unit, you remove the lock ring, remove the secondary mirror unit, and use the threaded screw on the Hyperstar to screw it back in again (the thread lock ring holds the secondary unit in the “pot” for safe keeping).
Hi Steve,
Yep – Dean at Starizona just got back to tell me what to do. Moral of the story DO NOT try to do anything even remotely complicated if you’re suffering from jet-lag – the brain simply will not work 🙂
Greg
Been there, done that… took me a good 4 days after my last trip to class myself as any approaching “normal”