Saturday October 10th 2009 11 AM to 5 PM
What's it all about?
Skies Unlimited has hosted a fall event at our store every year since our inception in 2004. From a modest beginning with one vendor and about a hundred guests, these events have steadily grown over the years. Kick off the fall observing season with a day of product demonstrations, presentations, and special sale prices. Meet and talk with our vendor representatives. And to top it all off, register to win one of several valuable door prizes - over $4500 in door prizes will be awarded.
Meet the Vendors
Representatives from Celestron, Meade Instruments, TeleVue Optics, Lunt Solar Systems, and Explore Scientific will be on hand to take your questions regarding either your existing equipment or that bit of new gear you may currently have your eye on.
Product Demonstrations
Did we mention the word "new"? Last year our friends from TeleVue Optics debuted the new 6mm and 17mm Ethos eyepieces at this event. So what's new for the fall of 2009?
Meade Instruments will be demonstrating the new ETX-LS, the first consumer oriented go-to telescope to be able to align itself without human intervention. We wouldn't be publishing this here on our website if we hadn't seen this for ourselves a few times. By the way, someone is going to take one of these telescope home absolutely free courtesy of Meade Instruments Corporation.
TeleVue Optics Inc. will be bringing the newly announced 21mm Ethos eyepiece to our event this year. This may be your only chance to see this eyepiece here on the east coast before it is officially launched this December.
Celestron will be featuring their new EdgeHD Optics. This new line of aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes produce coma-free images with a flat field, making them ideal for CCD or DLSR imaging.
Explore Scientific will be demonstrating their new 20mm 100 degree eyepiece, as well as the David Levy Comet Hunter (Mak-Newt) and ED APO triplet refractors.
Scheduled Presentations / Buffet Luncheon
This year we will once again be featuring three noteworthy speakers from the amateur astronomy community. Pull up a chair and enjoy any one or all of the three presentations below. Seating will be provided for 200 persons with additional standing room capacity.
12:00 PM - Commercial Access to Space Exploration by Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer, the Franklin Institute
When many of us hear the words "space exploration" we immediately think of NASA. Today's participants in the field include a whole host of non-governmental players, both here and abroad. Derrick will discuss this brave new world of commercial ventures in space and their implications for the future of space exploration.
1:00 PM - Choosing Your Eyepieces by Al Nagler, founder of Tele Vue Optics, Inc.
2:00 PM - An Introduction to DSLR Astrophotography by Jerry Lodriguss, award winning photographer and author.
Jerry will talk about using your DSLR camera to photograph the most amazing show in the universe – the night sky! He will explain how to get started with very simple shots on a fixed tripod, and then cover longer exposures with longer focal lengths that require tracking to compensate for the Earth’s rotation. Simple and easy techniques are explained that anyone can use, including determining the correct exposure, focusing, and correcting the color balance in the camera.
Back by popular demand, our neighbors at Vittorio's Trattoria will be offering an inexpensive buffet luncheon featuring traditional Italian cuisine. You may elect to dine in the restaurant or carry your meal to the the speaker program. Reservations are recommended either way. Please call the restaurant directly at (610)323-3725 for reservations or menu details.
Door Prizes
Enter our free drawing to win one of these exciting prizes. Over $4500 in prizes will be awarded. One entry per person; you must be present to win. The drawing will be held at 3:30 PM.
Meade ETX-LS 6 Telescope
The innovative Meade ETX-LS telescope with LightSwitch technology literally aligns itself without human intervention. Simply turn it on and the telescope does the rest. This telescope, valued at $1499, was donated by Meade Instruments Corporation of Irvine, California.
TeleVue 8mm Ethos Eyepiece
The 8mm Ethos with its incredible 100 degree apparent field of view will compliment any telescope up to about 2000mm focal length, but we are especially fond of it when used in big Dobsonians with fast focal ratios. This eyepiece, valued at $525, was donated by Tele Vue Optics Inc. of Chester, New York.
Celestron NexStar 4 SE Telescope
The Celestron NexStar 4 SE is a four-inch Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope with Celestron's NexStar computer system for automatically locating and tracking nearly 40,000 celestial objects. The NexStar 4 SE is an ideal beginner telescope for observing the moon, planets, double stars and brighter deep space objects. This telescope, valued at $499, was donated by Celestron, LLC of Torrence, California.
iOptron Cube Pro Mount
The iOptron CubePro GoTo AltAzimuth Mount an ideal portable mount to go with your travel scopes, such as a 60-80mm refractor, a 90-102mm Maksutovs, and Solar telescopes such as the Lunt LS60THa or Coronado PST. We use this same mount here at the store when demonstrating solar telescopes because it is so easy to align in daylight. This computerized go-to altazimuth mount valued at $480 was donated by iOptron Corporation of Woburn, Massachusetts.
Stellavue SV70 ED Refractor
The Stellarvue SV70ED "Travelhawk"70mm ED doublet refractor telescope with 2-inch dual speed focuser and small travel case serves equally well as either a travel scope or a guide scope. This telescope valued at $399 was donated by Stellarvue Telescopes of Auburn, California.
10mm TeleVue Ethos Eyepiece
The new TeleVue 10mm Ethos with its amazing 100 degree apparent field fills the gap between the existing 8mm and 13mm Ethos models. Its 10mm focal length should prove useful in everything from f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrains to ultra-fast f/4 Newtonian systems. This eyepiece values at $558 was donated by Skies Unlimited.
Orion Solitaire Autoguider
Orion has taken user-friendly, affordable autoguiding to the next level with the StarShoot Solitaire! Autoguiding is vital for obtaining clear and crisp long-exposure astrophotos with pinpoint star resolution. Laptop computers have long been a required component for autoguider control, but they can be an inconvenience in the field. This innovative, stand-alone autoguiding camera provides a streamlined solution - a laptop computer is no longer required for autoguider control! The Solitaire Autoguider valued at $599 was donated by Orion Binoculars and Telescopes of Watsonville, California.
14mm 100 Degree Eyepiece
The Explore Scientific 14mm 100 degree nitrogen purged eyepiece represents the second commercial entry into the 100 degree apparent field eyepiece market. This is an ideal medium power eyepiece in a wide variety of telescopes provided they accept its two-inch barrel. The 14mm 100 degree eyepiece valued at $499 was donated by Explore Scientific of Laguna Hills, California.
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