Aurora Flatfield Panels

The new Aurora Flatfield Panel is an advancement in the well known technology of EF flat field foils. Taking into account the huge demand from all over the world, this new product line was especially designed to match the needs of astrophotography. The Aurora Flatfield Panel is a new light source technology for taking flat field images for use in calibration with digital images. It consists of a thin electroluminescent foil which emits an even, gentle white light after an external voltage is applied to it.  For more technical explanation on electroluminescence.

Some benefits of the Aurora Flatfield Panel over other flat field light devices:

• A perfectly evenly illuminated surface
• A broad, continuous spectrum which may be used with emission line filters 
• Lightweight and easy to handle inverter for 12V and 110/240V available - suited to both stationary and mobile use.   

The Aurora Flatfield Panels are mounted in a rigid frame consisting of virtually unbreakable plastic with an extra protection around the edge so your Aurora is very well protected during transport and travel. The opaque front plate gives you a more uniform brightness than the EL material alone. For very fast optical systems, you will likely need to reduce the brightness by placing some sheets of paper in front of the EL sheet and the frame of the Aurora will keep them secure. 

Sizes: The Aurora"_s are round in shape "_ perfect for telescope tubes and the diameters are matched to fit the popular sizes of amateur telescopes. The following sizes are available:

• D 100mm (for Instruments up to 4")
• D 160mm (for Instruments up to 6")
• D 220mm (for Instruments up to 8")
• D 315mm (for Instruments up to 12")
• D 420mm (for Instruments up to 16")

Larger Aurora Flatfield Panels up to 60cm are possible upon request. Special custom made foils up to 1.1m diameter are possible also. (Upon special request, please send us an email)   

Color. The light emanating from the Aurora Flatfield Panels is slightly blueish-white. Most panels from other suppliers seem to provide pure white light (as perceived by the human eye) but the light is in fact made of discrete emission lines. Due to this, the flat field EL panels from most other suppliers are not suitable for narrowband emission line filters. We have tested the products of all EL sheet manufacturers worldwide and selected these particular EL foils for our Aurora Flatfield Panels because they are the best for astronomical applications. The spectrum of the Aurora Flatfield Panels is not made of some emission lines. Intstead, the EL material used in the Aurora Flatfield Panel has a very broad, continuous emission across the whole spectrum. This fact is what makes our Aurora Flatfield Panels great for narrowband emission line filters. The three spectra below illustrate the difference between our continuous spectrum EL panels and typical EL panels with light generated with discrete emission lines present.