My first Magazine Sky & Telescope - 01.2019 | Page 30

INNOVATIVE GEAR
by the Editors of Sky & Telescope
HOT
PRODUCTS
2019
28
JA N UA RY 2 019 • SK Y & TELESCOPE
SKY-SWEEPING ASTROGRAPHS
Celestron ♦ celestron.com
Building on the success of its 11-inch Rowe-
Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA for short),
Celestron has introduced 8-inch f/2 and 14-inch f/2.2
RASAs for 2019. These specialized instruments are
strictly for imaging with cameras that mount on the
astrographs’ front corrector plates (see the Celestron
website for detailed specii cations of each instrument).
Their incredibly fast optical speeds allow deep-sky
imaging with short exposures, opening up a new
world of scientii c- and recreational-astrophotography
possibilities.
U.S. price: $1,699 and $13,999
(8- and 14-inch, respectively)
Each year, S&T editors scour the
marketplace searching for what we
consider to be the year’s most inter-
esting new products. To make our
list, a product should introduce new
(or improve upon existing) technolo-
gies, provide a solution to an old
problem, or simply deliver excep-
tional value. Our Hot Products list for
2019 includes a variety of telescopes
and accessories for visual observers
who love being out under a starry
sky, as well as cameras, software,
and gizmos tuned for the expand-
ing hobby of astrophotography. As is
often the case, this year some prod-
ucts caught our eye because of their
extraordinary value — equipment of-
fering features and performance at a
cost well below that of similar items
in the past. We hope you enjoy read-
ing about these innovative products
that piqued our interest.