Equipment used: TeleVue TV-102, Coronado Solar Max 90 H-alpha
filter, SBIG ST-200XM CCD camera
On February 2, the astronomy web site ICSTARS, based in Warrensburg, Missouri, bought DayStar Filters. DayStar manufactures narrowband Hydrogen-alpha solar filters.
Vic and Jen Winter own ICSTARS. The couple also runs Astronomical Tours, which takes travelers to spots around the globe to observe astronomical phenomena, as well as the StarGarden Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of astronomy education in the Midwest.
DayStar closed in May 2005 when its owner and founder Del Woods fell ill. Vic Winter told Astronomy that “Del is recovering from his illness and doing well.”
DayStar will move from California to a new building on the ICSTARS Ranch. Woods and his wife will remain in California, but he will be a consultant to DayStar for 2 years.
The new production team went through an extensive hands-on training session with Woods to learn his manufacturing process and techniques.
As its first priority, DayStar will fulfill any backorders that accumulated during Woods’ leave. DayStar will then move forward with a more efficient production process and introduce updates to the existing DayStar filter line.
According to Winter, “The new lab will have increased capacity with an onsite machine shop and additional coating capacities.” This will allow the company to handle any repair requests to aging DayStar filters in a timelier manner.
