Celestron Fastar Technology Astronomical Imaging Technology
When photographing celestial bodies, do you prefer to use an aperture of f/10 or f/2?
Celestron developed "Fastar" technology that allows photographers to flexibly switch between aperture f/10 and f/2. Allows you to remove the corrector, allowing photographers to mount their digital cameras or astronomy cameras in front of the optical tube, allowing you to use faster focal length ratios and wider fields of view without having to replace astronomical tubes For astronomical photography, the imaging speed can be increased by up to 28 times. Especially in some cases, "Fastar" technology allows you to perform astrophotography without a guide star system because the required exposure time is shorter.
brief history
In the late 1990s, when film cameras were gradually being phased out and digital cameras were gradually emerging, Celestron worked together with the Santa Barbara Instruments Group (SBIG) to jointly launch the revolutionary technology of Schmidt-Cassegrain optical telescopes: "Fastar" to meet the needs of astronomical photographers. . In early 2000, Celestron discontinued the Fastar series of accessories, but continued to provide Fastar-compatible optical telescopes to meet the needs of CCD astrophotographers, allowing astronomical telescopes to have excellent observation and astrophotography performance at the same time. To this day, Fastar technology is still praised for its ability to significantly shorten the exposure time required for astrophotography, allowing the use of larger photosensitive elements without the need for a secondary wide-angle lens.
How Faster technology works
In the left chart above you will see a standard Schmidt-Cassegrain and EdgeHD optical telescope using f/10 or f/11. By removing the corrector filter as shown in the middle image, you can quickly and easily convert your aperture to f/2, as shown on the right.
Why Fastar technology matters for photographers
"Fastar" technology allows astrophotographers to capture images from the front of the lens barrel. In addition to greatly saving time and improving image quality, it also provides astronomy enthusiasts with the versatility of a single telescope with two different apertures. For astrophotography or long exposures from behind the tube, the telescope must be mounted on an equatorial mount or a theodolite equipped with a weight. While exposing, the telescope also needs to guide the star accurately to avoid image blur. When using "Fastar technology", light will only be reflected once on the main mirror after entering the telescope. Compared with the optical path design that reflects once on the main mirror and correction mirror, it can reduce a lot of brightness degradation, allowing more light to reach the camera's sensor components to provide richer image details. "Fastar" technology allows you to quickly and easily photograph deep-sky objects. Even without a guide star or a theodolite without a weight, you can obtain celestial images.
Connect camera
You can use Fastar to connect two types of cameras, one is an astrophotography camera and the other is a digital camera. Regardless of the type of camera, you will need to purchase a Fastar or Hyperstar device that is used to connect the camera to replace the correction lens on the lens barrel. Please note: When purchasing accessories, please consider the size of the camera body and the transmission cable you plan to use to avoid the camera or transmission cable blocking the light entering the telescope and increasing diffracted light, affecting the imaging effect.
Which Celestron telescopes support "Fastar" technology?
Most of Celestron's Schmidt Cassegrain and EdgeHD optical telescopes support "Fastar" technology. Before purchasing, be sure to confirm whether your astronomical telescope tube is compatible. Please look for the Fastar logo on the corrector mirror or the outer shell of the astronomical telescope tube. Older Celestron models may not have this logo, but you still get support for "Faster" technology with removable correction mirrors. The following is a list of Celestron telescopes that currently support Fastar:
