ATM adaptive optics

[Herminio Perez <74710.3115@compuserve.com>]

 >>  A company by the name of Stellar Products advertised an adaptive
 >> optics system in the March 95 S&T.  I attempted to call them today
 >> but the number has been disconnected.  Does anyone know anything
 >> about this company or have any other info on adaptive optics systems
 >> that are commercialy available? This system was supposed to have sold
 >> for $1290.  Mark Eastern Missouri Dark Sky Observers

Here is a message I culled from the astro newsgroup:

========
Newsgroups: sci.astro.amateur
Subject: Re: TipTilt imaging on 10" scope
From: "Dr. Donald G. Bruns" <dbruns@thermotrex.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 15:07:31 -0700

Jack Schmidling wrote:
>
> Dr. Donald G. Bruns wrote:
> >
> > I agree with your comments, that amateurs will benefit from tip-tilt
> > correction with small telescopes only with planetary images.  Stellar
> > Products makes such an adaptive optics unit, specifically optimized for
> > use with small amateur instruments.  See my images of Jupiter in any
> > current Meade ad or catalog, taken with the AO-2 system on a 10" LX-200.
>
> That's pretty impressive.  I guess I misread it and assumed it was "just
> another ho hum" Don Parker photo.
>
> Who is Stellar Products and what does this thing cost and how does it
> work?  Can it be used with "real photography"?
>
>
> Pardon my late arrival but my reader will not give me reference articles
> and it shows that as the 3rd of an ongoing thread.  Does this have
> anything to do with that cryptic discussion on Wallis and Provan's
> web page?
>
Hi Jack,

I invented, designed, and produce the AO-2 Adaptive Optics system,
starting about 1992.  I now work at ThermoTrex Corp, where we are
designing adaptive optics for 3.5 m to 8.2 m telescopes.

The AO-2 is a tip-tilt system designed to work with film or CCD cameras,
but its use is limited to magnitude +2 objects or brighter, relative to
a 8" scope.  Atmospheric turbulence correction is limited, by
fundamental physics, to about 50 arcsecond diameter.  This pretty much
makes the AO-2 only for planetary work.  The basic AO-2 cost is still
$1290.  Email me directly for more information, or send a letter to P.O.
Box 720879, San Diego, CA 92172 for a brochure.

The SBIG system uses the SBIG CCD and some external optics to correct
tip and tilt.  It is much more sensitive than the self-contained AO-2.
Correction of large fields of view is limited to telescope vibration and
tracking errors.

Dr. Don Bruns
Stellar Products
ThermoTrex

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