Constantly improving technology has opened up so many doors for the Astro world.
Tools that were once nearly impossible to get have become so much more affordable.
Now, we're able to view the endless stars above us and take a peek
into the past life of the universe.
...as long as it's dark that is...
There are filters that cut away moonlight and the light pollution from cities
so that anyone can image space from virtually anywhere.
But, we're limited to a small portion of time within that
24 hours to capture these incredible images.
There are targets above us that we simply can't see because of the sunlight.
So we thought if we can create filters that cut out light pollution, what's stopping us
from creating a filter that could cut out the biggest light pollutant of them all.
So we set out on a new mission create a filter that would enable you
to image every season of targets year round!
Imagine being able to wake up in the morning step outside and image your favorite deep sky target
So OPT called me and said we have a new filter we'd like you to try out,
and I said "okay is it a narrow band filter, is it a light pollution filter?"
And all they said was, "It's the last light pollution filter you'll ever need".
We love shooting deep sky objects, so when OPT came to us and asked
us if we wanted to use a filter to shoot during the daytime - we couldn't say no!
A filter that can block out sunlight?! I mean OPT has created some incredible things in the past,
but this has taken the astroworld to a whole new level!
We thought it was absolutely crazy at first,
but there are filters out there designed to limit the power of the sun before it
hits your sensor. So the technology is there - we just have to build upon it.
At one point in time the thought of being able to fly seemed impossible
until two brothers pulled off the biggest stunt ever.
If the wright brothers could cancel gravity what's stopping us from cancelling daytime.
We took existing technology and brought it back to the drawing board - a formula that limits what
we didn't want to see and captures what we did - a formula that captures the perfect bandpass.
We went through countless manufacturers creating dozens of different filters each with their own
band pass, taking each one through extensive research one after the other - no results.
We would take exposures upwards of 20 minutes long and have nothing. 20 minute exposure got nothing..
It was hard it was getting discouraging we started thinking that there was just
nothing we can do. We started believing that our ambitions were just too high.
We had one more filter to test out and the day we tested that filter was the day everything changed.
After months and months of tests and failures and out, we revolutionized astrophotography.
We are proud to introduce "Icarus" - the world's first daytime deep space filter.
I couldn't believe it until I saw it on my computer screen.
Middle of the day, broad daylight and there it is - the Helix Nebula.
This filter has allowed me to photograph the Orion Nebula
during the daytime. Now normally Orion is already set behind my neighbor's houses and
after sunset I can't image it - it's a no-go for me. But with this filter
I can image it during the day before the sun has set and before Orion has gone below the horizon.
There is a finite amount of times that you can say that you've created
a revolutionary product - this is that product.
We believe that this filter is going to change astrophotography forever. You no
longer have to wait for the right time of year to image your favorite targets,
now we can shoot summer targets in the winter and winter targets in the summer
without ever having to worry about the sun interfering with the process ever again.
And just when we thought we had it all figured out,
there was one more problem that we solved and that was cloud coverage. During our
research we discovered a polarizer that is able to remove any and all clouds from the sky. "Dude,
dude come check this out this is awesome there's no clouds! Clouds, no clouds, clouds, no clouds.
Not only can we shoot during the daytime, but we can now shoot even under full cloud coverage!
Because I live in Scotland and I do astrophotography,
clouds are a really big issue for me here. With this filter
no longer an issue. I shot Orion not only during the daytime but through partial cloud.
I never thought I could just wake up in the morning,
have my cup of coffee and start imaging the Witch Head Nebula.
I no longer have to check my weather apps, I don't have to look at the satellite,
I can just go outside anytime now clouds or not. It's amazing I have no words for this!
We don't have to worry about the sun ruining our images
anymore! Once it's about to be daylight, we just pop on the filter and keep imaging.
And with these cloud sunlight filters the universe becomes so much more accessible.
I cannot wait to see what OPT produces next.
We have completely removed cloud coverage and sunlight as factors for Astro imaging.
OPT has always strived to push the boundaries of this
incredible hobby and improve the quality of life for all astrophotographers.
It's only a matter of time before we push those boundaries even further.