Sky & Telescope - July 2024 - 59

NEW PRODUCT SHOWCASE
SOLAR WEDGE
Starfield Optics announces a solar-observing accessory
for refracting telescopes up to 4 inches in aperture. The
Starfield 1.25″ Solar Wedge (CAN$280.45) uses a prism to
divert a small percentage of sunlight to the eyepiece, while
heat-absorbing materials disperse the diverted solar energy
from the back of the unit. The wedge replaces the star diagonal
in your refractor's 1¼-inch focuser and secures your
eyepieces with a non-marring compression ring. Its antireflection-coated
prism has a clear aperture of 26.5 mm,
which will fully illuminate any 1¼-inch eyepiece. The wedge
incorporates a built-in, circular-polarizing filter positioned
below the eyepiece, with an adjustment arm that lets you
quickly dial in a comfortable brightness level. The focuser
includes M42 threads, allowing users to connect cameras
with T-thread adapters.
Starfield Optics
670 Hardwick Rd., Unit 5, Bolton, Ontario, Canada L7E5R5
store.starfieldoptics.com
CONTROL CENTER
Chinese manufacturer ToupTek introduces a smart Wi-Fi
controller for astrophotographers. The ToupTek AstroStation
Wi-Fi Smartphone Controller for Photography ($399)
lets you power and control your DSLR or astronomy camera,
autoguider, and Go To mount with your smart device.
The AstroStation is a mini-computer with expandable
storage housed in a CNC-machined casing that attaches
directly to your telescope or mount. It includes four female
5.5 × 2.1-mm 12-volt DC outputs, two USB 2.0 and two
USB 3.0 ports as well as an ethernet port to connect and
power all your imaging equipment without the need for a
bulky laptop computer. The unit connects to your smart
device via a dual-network 2.4G and 5G Wi-Fi antenna and
is controlled with the free AstroStation app for Android or
iOS. Images are saved on a user-provided SD card, which
can then be offloaded via a USB-C connection.
ToupTek
touptek-astro.com
 STURDY MOUNT
ZWO now offers a small telescope mount for travelling astrophotographers. The AM3
Harmonic Equatorial Mount (starting at $1,499) features strain-wave gear drives in
both axes, with a periodic error of ±15 arcseconds. The mount weighs just 3.9 kilograms
(8.6 pounds) yet boasts a load capacity of 8 kg without counterweights, and
13 kg after installing an optional counterweight and shaft. The mount operates in both
equatorial and alt-azimuth modes from any latitude. It is controlled with a joystick and
is plug-and-play compatible with the company's ASIair telescope control computers
thanks to its several interfaces including USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The AM3 accepts
standard ST-4 autoguider commands to produce sub-arcsecond guiding, and
its dual-compatibility saddle plate accepts both Vixen- and Losmandy-style dovetails.
Base model includes a joystick controller and a DC power cable, and it requires 12V
DC power at 5 amps.
ZWO
6 Moon Bay Rd., Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu Province, China
Phone: 0-51265923102; zwoastro.com
New Product Showcase is a reader service featuring innovative equipment and software of interest to amateur astronomers. The descriptions are based largely on
information supplied by the manufacturers or distributors. Sky & Telescope assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of vendors' statements. For further information
contact the manufacturer or distributor. Announcements should be sent to nps@skyandtelescope.org. Not all announcements can be listed.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * JULY 2024 59

http://store.starfieldoptics.com http://www.touptek-astro.com http://www.zwoastro.com http://skyandtelescope.org

Sky & Telescope - July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - July 2024