Celestron Launches Skyris USB 3.0 Planetary Imaging Cameras with The Imaging Source

Powered by The Imaging Source, Skyris turns the solar system into your personal photography studio.

Torrance, CA (July 1, 2013) – Get ready to explore the sky as a new horizon of creativity. For years, The Imaging Source has provided amateur astronomers with high-quality CCD cameras that elevate planetary imaging from a casual hobby into an art form. Now, Celestron, the world’s number one telescope maker, is thrilled to announce not only a landmark partnership with The Imaging Source, but the game-changing result of that collaboration: Skyris, a revolutionary new line of astronomical CCD cameras.

Designed for beginning and advanced imagers alike, each of the six color and monochromatic Skyris models reveals the solar system from a completely new perspective, allowing you to create stunning planetary images in crisp, high resolution. Superior internal components—including Sony® EXview HAD™ imaging sensors and high-speed USB 3.0 connections—result in great camera sensitivity with ultra-fast image capture. Capture more exposures in less time to record moments of the most stable air, resulting in the best image quality. Finally, the dynamic 12-bit image output dramatically outranges the 8-bit output of standard planetary CCDs.

It’s all surrounded by Celestron’s carefully engineered external camera housing, designed for improved heat dissipation to minimize the temperature effect on CCD noise. The included Celestron iCap software and stacking software (for Windows) aid with capturing, filtering, aligning, stacking, and exporting your best images.

Skyris is available in six optimized configurations:

• 618C and 618M are our fastest cameras. Use for color and monochromatic planetary imaging with long focal-length telescopes like Schmidt-Cassegrains and EdgeHDs.
• 445C and 445M feature small pixels to generate exquisitely detailed images. Use for color and monochromatic planetary, lunar, and solar imaging.
• 274C and 274M have the biggest sensors, field of view, and pixel array. Use for color and monochromatic planetary, lunar, and solar imaging.

Skyris is now shipping and is available through Celestron’s vast network of dealers. Please visit Celestron.com for dealer locations or more information.

About Celestron
Celestron is a leading designer, manufacturer, and importer of high-quality optical products including computerized and non-computerized telescopes and related accessories, GPS devices, binoculars, spotting scopes, and microscopes. Since manufacturing its first telescope in 1960, Celestron has grown to become the world's #1 telescope maker, and enjoys brand-name recognition among serious amateur astronomers for superior optics, outstanding design, and innovative technology. Celestron’s extraordinary products continue to receive numerous industry and consumer media accolades, adding to an already impressive list that includes awards for product innovation from Reader's Digest, Popular Science, PC Magazine, Popular Mechanics, the Consumer Electronics Association, and more. Celestron is a privately-held company with corporate offices and manufacturing facilities in Torrance, California.

About The Imaging Source
The Imaging Source is a multi-national enterprise with branches in the US, Taiwan and Germany. They have been manufacturing imaging products for scientific, industrial and medical applications for more than twenty years. The industrial cameras, converters and frame grabbers manufactured by The Imaging Source are highly robust and are designed to run for years with no maintenance. The Imaging Source products are typically deployed in factory automation, quality inspection, medical systems, microscopy systems, life science projects, and, as of 2007, amateur astronomy. All imaging products manufactured by The Imaging Source ship with Microsoft Windows drivers, an SDK, and powerful software for device control, display, and saving of images.