ASIAIR – Changing the Face of Astrophotography

When it comes to astrophotography, we might well have an image in our mind of a complex mount and telescope, plus computers, cameras and a whole lot more all connected by a great mass of cables.

You may well also then think of the challenges of making all this work together while under cold, dark skies, perhaps in the middle of winter!

For many the technical nature of astrophotography is what attracts them to the hobby, while for others it creates a barrier to their interest.

In addition to the technical challenges of ensuring the myriad of components in a modern astrophotography setup integrate correctly, the astronomer must also be prepared for the evenings shooting and have considered the time/date, imaging location, what target of interest they have in mind and so on.

Due to this complexity, we often need to arrive at the observation site a few hours in advance and set aside setup and debugging time, allowing plenty of preparation before we start to image and it is not always trouble free as many of us can attest to!

In April 2018 ZWO launched the ASIAIR, a product designed to change the landscape of astrophotography and provide easier access to the complex world of astro imaging.

ASIAIR is a smart WiFi device that can wirelessly control mainstream SLR and ASI cameras via ASIAIR APP on a mobile phone or tablet; as described in the image above, AIR was born to make “astronomical photography so simple”. But how? Let’s tell now.

1.WiFi control for safety and comfort

As we mentioned above before, there are too many prerequisites for making a perfect astronomical work, where the shooting environment is very important. In general, we will be in the new moon, cloudless, good viewing of the night, choose to be far away from the light damage of the mountain suburbs to shoot, the hardships of the rush, the precious time and mosquito rat ants bite, presumably many astronomy enthusiasts have experience;

But these worries are not a problem after you choose AIR, and whenever you reach your destination and use AIR to set up equipment, you can shoot in tents, rooms, cars and other comfortable environments; Juste enjoy the thrill of astronomical photography within easy reach of Wifi!

2. Lightweight, low energy consumption

It reduces complexity in the field and promotes imaging from low power sources.

A typical astro imaging setup requires a laptop computer and other power-hungry devices.

But with ASIAIR its lightweight design and low power requirements mean that simple lightweight imaging is now possible even from batteries. As ASIAIR is designed for Android tablets and iPads you are also free to leave that power-hungry laptop at home too.

3. Simple, integrated and smart

Which brings you one step closer to creating stunning images

Experienced astrophotographers know the difficulty of integrating all the components of a modern astro imaging setup. Mounts, cameras, filter wheels and an ever-expanding range of devices all require their own drivers and software to operate. Successful integration becomes a nightmare of managing the configuration of multiple devices but ASIAIR has a smart all-in-one solution to all these issues.

With ASIAIR, you only need to download our ASIAIR from the Apple Store or via the Android Play store to open a door to a range of exciting features such as:

• Assisted polar alignment
• Mount control
• Filter wheel and camera control
• Auto guiding
• Customized image sequencer

And many more great features, with more being added in every new release.

Since ASIAIR’s launch in 2018, it has received tremendous support from astro imagers worldwide and we believe that with the continuing efforts of the ASIAIR research and development teams that these capabilities will continue to develop further.