News

Nov 14, 2011
SBIG Announces New Products and End of Year Special Sales

Pleasanton, CA – November 14, 2011 --  Continuing the long tradition of providing innovative cutting edge products for the astronomy community, the Santa Barbara Instrument Group (SBIG), a division of Aplegen Inc., announced the faster second generation STF-8300 camera that breaks new ground with user-selectable automatic image processing.

To complement owners of the current ST-8300 camera as well as the new STF-8300, SBIG is also introducing a new low profile, wide field OAG-8300 Off Axis Guider that provides approximately 2X the field of view of ordinary OAG’s along with an innovative rotatable guide tube.

Both products contain the technical innovation and high quality customers expect from SBIG.

The STF-8300 is now being offered at an introductory price of $2,495.  The wide field OAG-8300 Off Axis Guider is available at a list price of $995.  Customers can save by purchasing the new STF-8300 camera and widefield OAG-8300 Off Axis Guider bundled together and with other popular options, including SBIG’s ST-i autoguider and planetary imager.

SBIG is also placing the high end STX-16803 and STX-6303 on sale until December 31, 2011.  In addition, prices have been lowered on SBIG’s highly popular ST-8300M and ST-8300C .

For ordering information, please contact one of SBIG’s authorized dealers or:

Yvette Gomez

Aplegen, Inc.

Phone: (925) 225 - 2117

E-mail: yvette.gomez@sbig.com

 

For additional product and technical information please contact:

 

Michael Barber, Vice President, SBIG

Phone: (805) 571-7244

E-mail: webmaster@sbig.com

 

Oct 11, 2011
Letter to SBIG Customers and Dealers: Growth Plans for SBIG Production and Engineering

Despite the recent global economic concerns, SBIG has seen increased demand for its products.  This demand increase has come from the astronomy customer base as well as OEM customers.  At the same time, Aplegen, the parent company of SBIG, is in the process of developing and launching their new lines of life sciences products.

This growth is driving expansion of Aplegen and SBIG’s development and production capabilities.  We continue to add more engineers to drive new product development for the astronomy, scientific camera and life sciences markets.  Production increases are now planned for current astronomy products as well as a variety of new astronomy products soon to be released.

To meet these demands, our current SBIG facility near Santa Barbara will become the engineering and development center for all cameras and astronomy products.  The two co-founders of SBIG, Dr. Alan Holmes and Michael Barber, and the Director of Camera Engineering, Matt Thomas, will lead a growing team as they develop new cameras for all of Aplegen’s businesses as well as new, innovative products for the astronomy community.  We are currently hiring additional engineers at the SBIG Santa Barbara facility.  Customer support for astronomy products and camera repairs will also remain with the Santa Barbara team. 

Therefore, the astronomy community will continue to have their support and repairs needs managed by the same team at SBIG they have relied upon for years.

Production and distribution of life sciences products, cameras, and astronomy products will be done at our expanding Pleasanton, CA headquarters facility near San Francisco.  By bringing production into a single site in the U.S., SBIG will continue to provide innovative and high quality products at competitive prices for our astronomy community.  All accounting and order processing functions will also be done in Pleasanton.

This transition will occur over the next several months and is not expected to have any impact on SBIG’s ability to ship products.   The process will be transparent to our customers and dealers.

SBIG will continue to keep you informed as we grow.  We will also be launching a number of products in the very near future aimed at our astronomy market as part of continuing the great SBIG tradition of giving astronomers the best products to help them in their quest to discover our universe.

Ron Bissinger, CEO

Aplegen/SBIG

Oct 10, 2011
SBIG Upgrades it Social Media Channels to Better Support the Amateur Astronomy Community

SBIG is excited to announce two new social media community initiatives to give amateur astronomers more options for keeping in touch with us and with each other:

 The blog will focus on keeping the community up to date on industry events and trends that might be of interest to amateur astronomers, and on our company activities. We will share new product announcements, for instance, and post great images sent by customers regularly. We view the new blog as a place for us to reach out to our community on a wider range of topics, and give the amateur astronomers of all levels a place to keep in touch with us outside of our product pages. We also look forward to having our community give us feedback (of any sort!) through the blog’s comments sections, which we will strongly encourage on an ongoing basis.

The new SBIG Facebook page represents an extension of, and complement to, our active Yahoo Users Group. The Yahoo Users’Group remains a core community for SBIG, and we will continue to support it. Facebook, however, allows posting and sharing in ways that the Users Group does not. In addition, we need to respond to our community’s preferences, and a lot of our members’ social sharing has moved to Facebook, so we have now moved to join them. On the other hand, sharing on Facebook is more public than sharing through the Users Group, so having both channels of communication open allows community members to interact with other members in the way each finds more comfortable.

We will strive to make both the blog and the Facebook page useful places where practitioners of astronomy can hear from and interact with SBIG and fellow amateur astronomers. Keep in touch! Subscribe to the blog, and “like” us on Facebook. And, as always, let us know how we are doing as we gain experience with these social initiatives.

Sep 8, 2011
New ST-i Autoguiding Kit Converts SBIG’s ST-i into a Compact, Lightweight Guiding Solution

In order to provide even more functionality for the popular ST-i camera, SBIG has developed a Guiding Kit made specifically for the ST-i that turns the small camera into a complete guiding system.  The kit consists of a custom c-mount adapter, a high quality 100mm FL f/2.8 lens with lens hood, rock-solid mounting rings and a universal mounting plate for attachment to virtually any telescope equipped with a piggyback mount or accessory plate that uses a standard 1/4-20 bolt or threaded hole. 

The assembled system is ultra-compact, only 6.5 inches long, and weighs less than 13 ounces (368 grams), including the camera!  Even so, it is capable of guiding to sub-arcsecond accuracy on stars fainter than 7th magnitude using 1-second exposures.  With its 2.7 x 2.0 degree field of view, this means that there will virtually always be a suitable guide star in the field of view no matter where the telescope is pointed in the sky.  The benefits of this are twofold: first, there is no need to hunt for guide stars, and second, since there is no need to adjust the pointing of the guide scope to find suitable guide stars, the guider can be more firmly mounted to avoid differential deflection.  Unlike mounting systems using rings with three point adjustment screws that can move or flex, the oversized rings of this Guiding Kit clamp firmly around the body of the ST-i camera and hold it firmly in place.  Guide scopes that use adjustable mounting systems are almost always plagued with differential deflection.  The ST-i guiding Kit is mechanically rock-solid.

In addition to making guiding a complete and easy task, this kit also makes the ST-i a very capable electronic finder scope.  The ST-i, with its built-in shutter can take dark frames allowing the useful capture of relatively long exposures compared to other guiders.  The lens of our new Guider Kit has a fast focal ratio of F/2.8.  This combined with the sensitivity and dark frame capability of the ST-i means that globular clusters and cores of galaxies are within easy reach of this compact system.  In tests of the ST-i and Guider Kit from a typical backyard observatory with average light pollution, stars dimmer than 10th magnitude were detected in 1-second exposures.  In 10 seconds, stars dimmer than 13th magnitude were recorded and stars as dim as 15th magnitude were captured in 30 seconds.

THe kit is available bundled with the ST-i camera at the special price of $200, or it may be purchased separately for $349.  Customers who have already purchased ST-i cameras or have them on order may add this kit for the special price based on the number of ST-i cameras ordered.  Customers who have already received their ST-i camera can add this kit for the special price for the next 30 days, until October 7th 2011. (Please reference your previous ST-i purchase when ordering).

Sincerely,

Michael Barber, Vice President

SBIG

Aug 22, 2012
Special Promotion to Celebrate our New Website

Click here to learn more about our promotion

Jun 28, 2011
SBIG Announces Shipment of New ST-i Planetary Imaging and Autoguiding Camera with Imaging Software Suite

June 28, 2011, Santa Barbara, CA – The Santa Barbara Instrument Group (SBIG), a pioneer in the field of scientific imaging products for astronomy, today announced the first shipment of their latest product, the ST-i Planetary Imaging Camera and Autoguider, including an extensive imaging software suite, for the low price of US$595.

The innovative, eyepiece-size ST-i camera is aimed at both entry level and advanced amateur astronomers. Unlike other autoguiding cameras, the ST-i includes a mechanical shutter, providing greater sensitivity and more accurate guiding as users can now automatically capture and use dark frames while autoguiding. The camera can take exposures as short as 0.001 seconds and focus at up to 21 frames per second. It will download 16-bit images at up to 12 frames per second, allowing users to extract finer detail with higher dynamic range than 8 bit cameras, especially when doing planetary imaging.

SBIG pioneered autoguiding by introducing their first ST-4 autoguider in 1989. Continuing the SBIG tradition of providing complete high quality solutions, the ST-i comes with fully functional versions of Software Bisque’s The Sky version 5 and CCDSoftV5,. Combined with SBIG’s own CCDOpsTM and PlanetMasterTM software for high-resolution planetary imaging, this imaging software suite provides customers with a powerful and comprehensive set of tools. The imaging software suite not only supports the planetary imaging and autoguiding functionality of the ST-i but also includes a full featured planetarium program with telescope control for most commercial telescopes. These are extremely desirable features for users of DSLR’s and other astronomical imaging cameras.

If purchased separately, customers would pay a significant percentage of the price of the ST-i and imaging software suite just for similar software alone. No other product offers such a comprehensive high performance autoguiding and planetary imaging solution at a comparable price.

“There is no other product on the market like this. The ST-i, combined with the imaging software suite and available accessories is a tremendous value for the astronomical community,” commented Michael Barber, Vice President of SBIG. “We also see the ST-i as the perfect autoguiding solution for our ST-8300 camera users.”

The ST-i and imaging software suite is now available from SBIG’s dealers and distributors worldwide. For more information go to www.sbig.com.

ST-i Planetary Camera and Autoguider. Product includes: Camera with 1.25" threaded front plate (threaded for standard 1.25" filters), 15' (4.6 meter) USB cable, tracking cable, hard case and a CDROM containing manuals and the following fully functional software: CCDOPS with PlanetMasterTM,, The SkyTM V5, and CCDSoftTMV5.

Contact: Michael Barber, Vice President, SBIG (805) 571-7244 (571-SBIG) webmaster@sbig.com www.sbig.com

Jul 15, 2011
A letter from SBIG's new CEO

For over 20 years, the astronomy community has shown great loyalty to SBIG and its products. Recently SBIG was acquired by Aplegen, a U.S. life science imaging company. As the CEO of Aplegen I thought I would share my thoughts on my own background and how it will affect SBIG’s future.

I have been an avid amateur astronomer since the dawn of the space age in the ‘60’s. As a young boy, I ground a 6” mirror and built a wobbly but usable mount. By improvising a crude clock drive, I was able to take my first astroimage of M42 on Kodachrome slide film loaded in a very used Exakta 35mm camera.

After a long hiatus from hands-on astronomy that started with college, in the ‘90’s I discovered that telescopes were now computerized and that CCD cameras were being used for imaging. I just happened to drop in on an astronomy show in the San Francisco bay area, where I first met Alan Holmes, co-founder of SBIG. Learning what Alan’s CCD cameras could do, I immediately purchased a 12” Meade LX200 along with an SBIG ST-7. Quite a quantum leap from my crude 6” reflector and ASA 25 Kodachrome!

It took many postings to the SBIG User Group on Yahoo, and personal replies by both Alan and Michael Barber (the other co-founder of SBIG), to build my imaging proficiency. As an engineer by training I looked for opportunities to do science, and soon I began using my setup for exoplanet detection. I collaborated with professional astronomers at NASA, the University of California Santa Cruz and the Space Telescope Science Institute. By 2005 that effort had lead to building my own backyard observatory and spending countless nights generating light curves of stars that potentially had their own planetary system. The result was my co-authorship of several peer reviewed papers, including one announcing the discovery of exoplanet XO-1b.

Thanks to all of those who helped me in those endeavors, I was honored with the Chambliss Award from the American Astronomical Association in 2007 which recognizes research contributions by amateur astronomers. My work was subsequently featured in Timothy Ferris’s documentary “Seeing in the Dark” and in 2010’s documentary “Hunting the Edge of Space.”

However, in my day job as the head of a life sciences company, I was using the same SBIG CCD cameras to detect protein and DNA fragments that I was using at night to detect exoplanets hundreds of light years away. Our company scientists realized that we could benefit from owning a manufacturer of such cameras since they were the “heart” of our life sciences instruments.

That company was successful, but it wasn’t until the new company, Aplegen, was formed that the goal of owning the core camera technology for our new life sciences imaging instruments was achieved.

So while Aplegen is developing new life sciences instruments using SBIG cameras, we also have a great opportunity in the astronomy market to grow that business.

And at the risk of being a bit immodest, who better to lead such a company than an avid amateur awho has also built another successful life sciences company?

Both of SBIG’s founders (and my mentors!) Alan Holmes and Michael Barber remain with us. They, along with their team of experienced engineers at SBIG, now have more resources and flexibility to develop new products for astronomy. Our goal is to continue the history of innovation at SBIG which included the first autoguider, the first self-guiding CCD camera, and the first adaptive optics unit, all designed for amateur astronomers. Aplegen has already added more financial and technical resources to SBIG, and we will continue to invest in the astronomy business.

SBIG will remain a separate brand and will keep its presence in Santa Barbara. At the same time, we are building the technical and sales teams for Aplegen’s life sciences imaging business at our headquarters in Pleasanton, California, near San Francisco.

I already knew many of SBIG’s customers before forming Aplegen, and I have already met with many of our domestic and international dealers. I look forward to seeing more of our customers at the various astronomy shows coming up, and I especially want to hear comments and suggestions from our users.

Personally, I am grateful to both Alan and Michael for helping me with my astronomical passion over all these years. Their generous and patient responses to my inquiries in the SBIG User Group showed that they understand there really are no dumb questions. And I want to offer my thanks to all those SBIG camera users who, over the years, helped me through the SBIG User Group as well.

You’ll be seeing more great products from SBIG in the near future. I also will remain an active amateur astronomer, enjoying our astronomical pursuits alongside all of you.

Sincerely,

Ron Bissinger, CEO

Feb 11, 2011
SBIG becomes part of Aplegen, Inc.

February 11, 2011, Pleasanton and Santa Barbara, CA -- Aplegen Inc., a new life sciences company based in Pleasanton, CA, today announced the acquisition of the Santa Barbara Instrument Group (SBIG), a leading global supplier of high quality CCD cameras and instrumentation for the scientific community.

For over 20 years SBIG has built a track record of innovation and quality by providing highly advanced imaging instruments to some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, including NASA, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Mt. Palomar Observatory, and the German Space Agency. With the introduction in 1989 of an imaging system that allowed computerized telescope tracking, SBIG has been a major contributor to the growth of modern amateur astronomy. SBIG also supplies instruments to the rapidly growing life sciences market.

Recognizing the important role imaging technology plays in the large global life sciences market, the management teams of Aplegen and SBIG have agreed to combine their companies.

“Our plan is to continue to offer the highest performance imaging instruments under the SBIG brand to the astronomy community while becoming a leading global provider of innovative imaging systems for the life sciences market,” stated Ron Bissinger, CEO of Aplegen. He continued, “The current leadership of SBIG will remain in place and business will continue as usual. The acquisition will be transparent to customers, distributors, and partners.”

“I am excited to be able to lead the development of new products for the astronomy market while expanding our technologies and products into the rapidly growing life sciences industry,” remarked Dr. Alan Holmes, President of SBIG. Dr. Holmes and Michael Barber, both co-founders of SBIG, will remain as executives with Aplegen.

Mr. Bissinger is the former CEO of Alpha Innotech Corp., a publicly traded life sciences company where he drove rapid global revenue growth and increasing profitability prior to the company’s sale in late 2009. He is also an accomplished amateur astronomer and a long time user of SBIG products. He was an early contributor in the use of amateur telescopes and cameras to detect planets orbiting other star systems. In 2007 Mr. Bissinger received the Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award by the American Astronomical Society for his contributions to astronomical research. His work has been published by CNN, Reuters, The Economist, The New Scientist, The Christian Science Monitor, Sky & Telescope, and Astronomy, and he was featured in the PBS documentaries “Seeing in the Dark” and “Hunting the Edge of Space.”

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Ron Bissinger, Chief Executive Officer, Aplegen Inc. (800) 889-1905 Email: info@aplegen.net

Dr. Alan Holmes, President, SBIG (805) 571-7244

Mr. Michael Barber, Vice President, SBIG (805) 571-7244



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