Your partner for astronomy

New Products

New in the range: thermal cameras from Nocpix

April 20 2025, Stefan Rieger

Nocpix Thermal cameras

Some people may not be familiar with this name. But Nocpix is no less a company than InfiRay, which is already a well-known brand and one of the market leaders. In order to differentiate its business areas a little more, this new brand was created for the target group of nature observers, outdoor enthusiasts and hunters.

But what does the name stand for? Nocpix is the syllabic abbreviation of ‘Nocturnal’ and ‘Pixel’ and is intended to symbolise the combination of the latest technological innovations with a passion for nature and hunting. This has resulted in several new product series:

  • VISTA and VISTA LRF: state-of-the-art thermal cameras with an extremely high-resolution display and a detection range of up to 2600 metres. Particularly noteworthy is the S50R model with a 1280 VOx sensor with a NETD of < 15mK.
  • LUMI and LUMI LRF: Hand-held devices in three vers. Quality levels. 256, 384 and 640 sensor. From the entry-level device P13 to the professional model with 35mm lens, 640 sensor and laser rangefinder up to 800m range.
  • The QUEST series was first presented at this year’s IWA. These are binocular ‘thermal imaging binoculars’ with an integrated rangefinder.
    Particularly interesting for customers who can do without the digital night vision technology of FUSION devices.
  • Finally, Nocpix also offers the M6T25S dome camera. This camera is ideal for scanning large areas from the vehicle for heat sources, whether for hunting or surveillance.

Nocpix Dome-Camera

It’s best to take a look at the range!

New in the Sky: Omegon OGDO Eyepiece Series

April 17 2025, Marcus Schenk

A starry night. You’re standing at your telescope and probably thinking: “If only I could see a little more…”
More field of view, better edge sharpness, simply more detail. Does that sound familiar?

Our Omegon product team has taken this wish to heart with the new OGDO eyepiece series. And the result truly speaks for itself. Even hobby astronomers with fast telescopes will be delighted.

What makes the OGDO series so special?

Wow! That’s usually the first thought when you look through the eyepiece. With a gigantic 80-degree apparent field of view, you’ll feel like you’re diving right into the night sky. The Orion Nebula? Suddenly appears in a whole new dimension and feels almost limitless.

And the best part: the stars stay sharp. The optics are optimized even for systems with a focal ratio down to around f/4.5, when using a coma corrector. Not many eyepieces can handle that. And you’ll immediately notice the difference compared to other products in this price range.

What’s the secret behind the astonishing contrast? It lies in the Lanthanum ED glass used, made by renowned Japanese manufacturer Ohara. Just take a look at Jupiter: its delicate cloud bands and subtle color variations suddenly stand out clearly. Truly impressive. Even faint deep-sky objects become a real experience.

Do you wear glasses? No problem. With a generous 20 mm eye relief, you can finally observe comfortably without removing them. And you still enjoy the full field of view. This also applies to the short focal lengths of 4 mm and 6 mm!

Another detail we love: the waterproof and rubber-armored metal housing. Say goodbye to worries. The eyepieces can be safely stored in the included flannel pouch. The optics stay protected and always ready for action.

The right eyepiece for every observing situation

The OGDO family comes in five different focal lengths:

What more could you want? You’ll have the right eyepiece at your fingertips for any situation.
So how about taking a look into your eyepiece case right now and finding a spot for the OGDO?

Test report: Omegon Advanced X N 152mm Dobson impresses the experts

March 31 2025, Marcus Schenk

News for all visual observers. In the December 2024 issue of the renowned magazine “Astronomy Now“, our Omegon Advanced X N 152mm Dobson was put through its paces. And the result? Passed with flying colours!

Experienced tester Steve Ringwood was particularly impressed by the excellent optical quality. The heart of the telescope – its parabolic primary mirror – delivered razor-sharp images of planets, stars and DeepSky objects. Even at high magnifications the top notch quality of the optics was evident. The expert was also enthusiastic about its easy handling.

The tester’s conclusion speaks for itself:
“This is an outstanding telescope for a rapid set-up, at the outset of a new observer or the onset of a clear evening. It has great potential, belied by a very keen price point.”
Find the full test report in English here.

Are you ready for your own discoveries in the night sky? Then let the Omegon Advanced X N 152mm Dobson inspire you!

New: Heliostar 76 solar telescope from Skywatcher

March 18 2025, Stefan Taube

The Heliostar-76Hα from Skywatcher is a brand new telescope for observing the Sun in the H-alpha line with an exceptionally narrow bandwidth of just 0.5 angstroms!

Observe the active Sun: Eruptions (flares), filaments, spicules, granulation and of course Sunspots!

You can find more information here in the shop. Get your Heliostar now and treat yourself with your own highly demanded telescope!

Vaonis Hestia: Your companion for solar and lunar eclipses

March 12 2025, Stefan Taube

Use the Hestia Solar Pack smart telescope from Vaonis to photograph an eclipse with your smartphone. Thanks to the Gravity app from Vaonis this is particularly easy.

The Hestia Solar Pack includes a solar filter for safe solar observation. If you don’t have a photo tripod yet, get the Hestia Ultimate Pack.

The lightweight Hestia fits in any travel bag and is an ideal companion for your trip to solar eclipses!

The best thing: Hestia enables many other photographic applications for your smartphone.

Get yours now and safe your Hestia Solar Pack smart telescope in time!

Now available: Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory

January 27 2025, Stefan Taube

After months of development and testing, it is now available from stock: The Origin Intelligent Home Observatory from Celestron.

This smart telescope is not only the largest of its kind, but also represents a relatively open system that can grow over time and offers more options than other models.

Get your Origin here: Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory

New binoculars with image stabilizer: VIXEN ATERA II 16×50 ED

December 12 2024, Stefan Rieger

The Japanese optics and telescope specialist Vixen presents the ATERA II 16×50 ED, innovative binoculars that are perfect for Astronomy and nature observations.

Vixen Atera II 16x50 ED WP

With a 16x magnification and an integrated image stabilizer, this device enables razor-sharp observations even at high magnifications.
This allows animals or constellations to be precisely identified – ideal for experienced observers and beginners alike.

Vixen Atera II 16x50 ED

The Newsweek report above presents this exciting new product in detail. You can get even more insights into the traditional company Vixen and its products in this interview.

If you would like to discover the Vixen ATERA II 16×50 ED WP directly, you can find it right here.

Immerse yourself in a new dimension of observation!

Nikon Stabilized S: Probably the most compact image-stabilised binoculars on the market

November 18 2024, Stefan Rieger

Nikon Stabilized S

Ultralight. Ultra-stable. Nikon introduces a new series of super-lightweight STABILIZED S binoculars! With a winning combination of Nikon’s powerful image stabilisation technology and high-resolution optics, these new models offer wonderfully smooth magnification. Lightweight and pocket-friendly, the binoculars have a long battery life and are ideal for travelling: They are ideal for wildlife watching, nature observation, bird watching or scouting the route on a hike and can even be used at concerts and events.

These slim and foldable binoculars in the sizes 10×25 and 12×25 with image stabilisation are among the smallest and lightest in their class. The dimensions are approx. 105 x 89 x 65 mm and the weight is approx. 400 g.

Pre-order now, we expect the first delivery around 12 November 2024

NEW – LEICA GEOVID PRO SE: KNOWING THE DISTANCE INSTEAD OF ESTIMATING IT

November 14 2024, Stefan Rieger

Just in time for the start of the driven hunt season, Leica has introduced a new range of binoculars with a rangefinder. The Geovid Pro SE in the 8×42 and 10×42 versions.

Thanks to the special prism shape, the so-called Perger-Porro prism and the integrated HD optics, these binoculars deliver maximum brightness and brilliance. The rangefinder measures up targets to a distance of approx. 2000 meters and offers a breakpoint correction up to a distance of 800 meters. The Leica Pro Track function allows you to find your target quickly and reliably.

Order your new binoculars with rangefinder today and get the certainty of measuring future distances – and no longer having to estimate them!

The new William Optics “Mini Cat” is here – small but powerful!

September 18 2024, Jan Ströher

The new, ultra-compact MiniCat Astrograph from William Optics is a high-quality photographic machine, consisting of 6 lenses in 2 groups with integrated focuser design (WIFD). The fast focal ratio of f/3.5 allows very short exposure times with the highest image quality and correction – as you would expect from all apochromatic refractors from William Optics. The field of view illuminated by the MiniCat for astrophotography corresponds to that of full-frame cameras.

William Optics MiniCat 51/178 OTA

Due to the very short tube length with the low weight of only 1.67 kg, the MiniCat is a perfect apochromat for traveling and for small photo mounts, such as the iOptron SkyGuider.The Cat series from William Optics has been very popular for many years and rightly so. They are very handy optics for nature and astrophotography. The heart is the optics with Petzval design: Four lenses in three elements ensure a color-corrected and, above all, flat image field. An external flattener is no longer necessary!

The latest “baby” is no exception: With the MiniCat 51 you not only get impressive optical performance, but you can also enjoy the beautiful design and finish from William Optics!