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The forthcoming QUARK is the world's first production Hydrogen-Alpha Filter of its type that is an unprecedentedly successful marriage of Hydrogen-Alpha filter and beam-shaping optics that succeeds in being: Quick, Cheap, Easy and Fun to use. It is compatible with most telescopes or lenses of f/4 to f/9. Just slip the lightweight QUARK assembly into the diagonal or focuser of your telescope, slide an eyepiece (or camera adapter) into the 1.25 inch diameter accessory holder, connect USB power, and you are off and running - and on band year round!
Left: DayStar QUARK filter installed on the diagonal of an optional telescope focuser (42,267 bytes).
This new filter is described at our DayStar QUARK Hydrogen Alpha Filters section. One of the first production QUARK 0.7Å filters will be on hand at Company Seven by April 19 for use at our 'Solar Saturday' sun observing sessions, so you may visit Company Seven to see one in use for yourself.
Company Seven has been accepting orders for the QUARK since 1 February, while this new product was announced to the public later on 1 April 2014. Contact Company Seven, preferably by E-Mail to order yours or to learn more about this interesting and fun accessory.
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1 February 2014: Sean League, Sales Director of DayStar Filter Company visits C7.
 Sean League, Sales Director of DayStar Filter Company and his wife Joann visited Company Seven on 1 February 2014. Sean is one of the few sales representatives that have been welcomed over the recent decades at Company Seven since he brings perspective from the viewpoint of an enthusiast first, with the experience and understanding gained from operating his own telescope store that he previously operated in Oregon. So Sean is not just some marketing puke, typical of what some other manufacturers have attempted to inflict upon us; Sean really brings some experience in the business with an appreciation of the value that only a brick front store can provide. His manner, his understanding of telescopes, and of course especially the DayStar system, made his visit a pleasure for us and for our customers.
Right: Sean (far right) and Joann League with the new DayStar SR-127mm f/8 Hydrogen-Alpha Solar Telescope at Company Seven on 1 Feb. 2014 (69,179 bytes) Sean brought a sample DayStar SR-127mm f/8 Hydrogen-Alpha Solar Telescope, that incorporates a DayStar Quantum series Hydrogen-Alpha filter. Surprisingly enough, the weather Gods smiled upon us and allowed this "Solar Saturday" observing session at Company Seven to actually observe the Sun and not suffer the record cold that our region had been enduring throughout January.
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Above center: DayStar 127mm f/8 Hydrogen-Alpha telescope Quantum filter and focuser (47,811 bytes). Click on images to see enlarged views (241,948 and 153,772 bytes). We look forward to some more announcements of new DayStar products, several which will joint Company Seven's collection of Hydrogen-Alpha and Calcium K-Line filter products that we routinely use on our "Solar Saturday" observing sessions and other public events.
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13 May 2008: Del Woods, Founder of DayStar Filter Company died
Del learned his craft by working at companies who were involved with the making of specialized bandpass filters for aerospace and defense industries. Mr. Doug Martin hired Del to operate a coating machine at the Spectra Helix Laboratory in Sylmar, California. The original idea to employ mica as a material to make an Etalon came from a geologist studying coatings to see steps each only 20 Å thick better. The results of his work demonstrated the interference Etalon effect, and these were then ground flat to eliminate steps. Spectra made specialized filters with air spaced elements of quartz so that this would hold them flat in an industrial oven. The massive San Fernando earthquake of 9 February 1971 (magnitude 6.6) caused major damage to the Spectra Helix facility, and the decision was made not to rebuild the company there. Several former workers of Spectra, including Del, were hired by the Carson Company. Incidentally the Carson-made Hydrogen-Alpha filters were designed to be installed at the forward end of telescopes. Del continued working in the field making filters for the Carson until that company went bankrupt late in 1974. In February 1975 Del established the DayStar Filter Company with its laboratory at 3857 Schaefer Avenue, Chino, California. Del's experiments showed several advantages to using a specialized narrow-bandpass filter at the axial port of the telescope, combined with an energy rejection 'pre filter'. Del lived through exciting decades in our hobby. He thrived as several manufacturers were established and his friends and acquaintances included Tom Johnson co-founder of Celestron, and others of course including Martin Cohen founder of Company Seven. DayStar became synonymous with specialized solar observing and came to be the dominant supplier to the industry of Hydrogen-Alpha and Calcium K-Line filters as well as other custom made specialized filters. DayStar became the filter of choice in use at the most prominent solar observatories around the world including the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) operated by New Jersey Institute of Technology in Big Bear Lake, California high in the San Bernardino Mountains. Del's filters were suggested by many makers as the best solutions for their telescopes and sold direct by Questar Corporation with their telescopes, and later by TeleVue Optics. Many people were introduced to solar observing by a DayStar filter. As manufacturing shifts to overseas we are less and less likely to come to know innovative people like Del Woods. Del is survived by his wife of more than 48 years and daughter.
10 February 2006: ICSTARS buys DayStar Filter Company
Right: Del Woods and to the right is Vic Winters 13 Feb 2006 (150,648 bytes). DayStar owner, Del Woods first began manufacturing narrow-bandpass hydrogen-alpha solar filters over 37 years ago. Those precision filters have been used in amateur, university and flown space applications around the world at hydrogen-alpha and calcium K-line wavelengths. Though it was once the foremost solar filter manufacturer in the world, DayStar's production had all but ended in recent years because of health concerns of owner Del Woods. Under new management and armed with the support and expertise of Mr. Woods, ICSTARS will breath life back into the DayStar filter line. With some additional modernizations and applications, the new DayStar will continue to support existing owners and introduce intermediate and advanced astronomers to the benefits of large aperture, tuned sub-angstrom solar observing. The DayStar facility is being relocated to the ICSTARS Ranch in Missouri, where first priority for management will be to service needs of existing DayStar clients. A small number of new filters will be produced for demonstration and fulfillment of back-orders in March of 2006. New filter orders would be ready for delivery as early as May - 2006. DayStar hydrogen-alpha and Calcium K-line filters are rear-mounted etalon-based filtration systems, which allows for maximum resolution and detail with telescopes of any aperture, limited only by the optical quality of the telescope and Dawes's limit, the empirical resolution limit set by atmospheric seeing. Once filters are in production, DayStar will present updates to the line, allowing more convenient applications and precision filter operation for a broad range of solar observers. We understand Del Woods will be teaching the new owners his tricks of the trade, and will stay on in some consulting capacity at least for the near future. It is too early to tell what changes will be made to the product line, if any. But among the policy changes we have observed is the reduction in the new DayStar filter warranty from the previous ten years, to five. So any new filters sold bearing the DayStar trademark from 2006 on will be covered for five years. Company Seven will continue our work as the most experienced and long lived remaining DayStar distributor while we will pay close attention to the qualities and changes that are likely to come under the new ownership. We are optimistic that the enthusiastic and good hearted people who are going to give it a go will breathe new life into the solar observing community.
In his absence Company Seven will not accept new orders for DayStar filters. We will however continue to provide technical support and complete repair and maintenance services in or out of warranty for any DayStar product sold by Company Seven. Company Seven will as a courtesy to Del Woods offer support and repair of DayStar products no sold by Company Seven on a moderate fee basis ONLY until DayStar can open for business again sometime in the future. Cards or other condolences for Del and his family may be sent to Company Seven, and we in turn will send them on to the family. Please contact Company Seven with any questions or service needs.
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DayStar Filter Company announced what we and our customers who visited Company Seven on 1 February 2014 already knew: QUARK. It was entirely appropriate that this new product should be first revealed at Company Seven, the longest-lived and most enduring DayStar showroom in the world.
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"ICSTARS owners, Vic & Jen Winter, are prominent figures in many areas of amateur astronomy. They are owners of Astronomical Tours, a company specializing in travel specifically for astronomers, operate the popular astronomy website, www.ICSTARS.com, as well as former editors of the national amateur astronomy newsletter, The Reflector. The two direct the Southern Skies Star Party in Bolivia and are founders of the Not-for-Profit StarGarden Foundation. Vic Winter is a JPL NASA Solar System Ambassador and prestigious first awardee of the Astronomical League's Solar Observer Certificate number one, and was the only holder of that award for 10 years. Vic has been observing and photographing the sun in high-resolution hydrogen alpha for decades and has compiled years of extensive filtergram studies.