Mission Statement:


The mission of After-Hours Astronomy Inc (“AHA”) is to make the night sky more accessible, engaging, and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of their background or experience with astronomy equipment. Our strategy for addressing this mission is twofold. The first part of this strategy is to provide late-night technical support during nighttime hours when astronomers are actually using their equipment. This removes the main barrier to service faced by traditional retail astronomy outlets that are only open 9am to 5pm, which in turn means less time wasted troubleshooting and more time enjoying the night sky! The second piece of our mission strategy is the curation of premier night sky tours and events that utilize AHA’s own selection of world-class equipment. These events will include small-group excursions to dark sky sites, private events like weddings or corporate retreats, astronomy skills workshops, pop-up sidewalk astronomy, culinary experiences under the stars, and various creative or educational activities with an astronomy theme or backdrop.

Technical Support:

After-Hours Astronomy was founded by a long-time customer service provider to the retail astronomy industry. After many years of traditional 9-5 technical support, AHA was founded with the specific goal of (finally) providing a late-night option for astronomers and astrophotographers who need technical support while their gear is actually set up under the night sky… as intended.

While all of the traditional retail outlets close at the end of their work day, After-Hours Astronomy offers appointment-only, one-on-one technical support between the hours of 9pm - 12am (Mountain Time). No more waiting around for the skies to clear up just to test some new advice! Now you can work through your issues in real time.

Whether you’re just starting your journey in this hobby or a seasoned hobbyist, After-Hours Astronomy will be happy to help with all your technical support needs. Contact Us today with any questions, or feel free to book an appointment at your convenience.

We look forward to working with you!

Events and Excursions:

In response to the ever-increasing public interest in this hobby, After-Hours Astronomy has expanded to include private event services, curated night-sky tours, and organized excursions to various dark-sky locations around Colorado and the Southwestern United States.

We can provide a wide variety of astronomical gear for any number of personalized experiences, and we provide the knowledgeable staff capable of guiding you and your friends, family, or guests on an incredible tour of the night sky. We have a variety of upgradable options, and we’re happy to work with any venues or event planners that may already be taking the lead on any existing plans.

In addition to our private events, we also offer occasional workshops, public pop-ups, and occasional partnerships with local businesses. Feel free to Contact Us today for more information, or keep an eye out here and on our social media pages for upcoming events!

More about After-Hours Astronomy

Qualifications and experience:

After-Hours Astronomy was founded by Isaac Garfinkle, a passionate astrophotographer with nearly a decade of experience in the retail astronomy industry. His background includes technical support at High Point Scientific, customer service management at Stellarvue Telescopes, and technical writing for Agena Astro. Isaac also served as assistant director for the Grand Mesa Observatory in Whitewater, CO, a nonprofit facility operating under Bortle 1-2 skies that hosted private, academic, and government equipment along with regular public outreach events.

Between countless star parties and client interactions, Isaac has encountered pretty much every technical challenge this hobby can throw at someone, and has a solid track record of solving them.

Away from the telescope, Isaac is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) currently working as a school therapist. That background shapes how he approaches this work: with patience, clarity, and a genuine focus on finding solutions. It's also a big part of why After-Hours Astronomy exists in the first place, because few things are more discouraging than trying to learn a complex hobby without the right support.

The goal of AHA is pretty straightforward: make sure everyone can enjoy this incredible hobby. Whether that means real-time technical support or giving newcomers their first taste of dark skies.

The benefits of troubleshooting After-Hours:

Think of After-Hours Astronomy like an urgent care for your telescope. Sure, there are other ways to get help: the shop where you bought your gear, a forum post, a Facebook group, your local club. Those are all great resources. But when it's 11pm, you've got two hours of clear sky left, and your mount won't talk to your computer, none of those options are picking up the phone.

That's exactly the gap this service fills. Real-time troubleshooting, at night, from someone who has seen just about every flavor of astronomy headache there is. No waiting until morning. No multi-day trial-and-error work with your favorite retail company. And no more tearing your setup apart all alone in the dark. With After-Hours Astronomy you have immediate access to an experienced technician, right when you actually need one.

In cases where the issue is something simple like a faulty cable or an outdated driver, the fix can even be immediate thanks to screen-sharing and video conferencing! And in cases where the problems require more significant services like a repair or warranty claims, once the issue has been identified After-Hours Astronomy will facilitate the coordination of any 3rd party companies that need to be involved.

More than just technical support!

In addition to our late-night technical support services, After-Hours Astronomy also offers a variety of in-person events and services! We have a world-class collection of telescopes and astrophotography equipment, and with all manner of add-ons and customization options we can tailor any experience to suit your needs, preferences, schedules, and locations. If you’re looking to experience truly dark skies we offer small group excursions to dark sites all around the state. And for those looking to plan an event a little closer to home, After-Hours Astronomy can set up anywhere you want with a clear view of the sky! From corporate functions and music festivals to weddings, birthdays, and more… we’d love to help make your next event truly out of this world!

After-Hours Astronomy will also be offering periodic (small group) workshops, as well as pop-up events with local businesses and event partners. Many of our workshops will on various technical aspects of astronomy and astrophotography, but we will also be looking to include creative events, meditation and mental health workshops, and culinary experiences with local chefs, restaurants, distilleries, breweries, and more! If you have a special request for such an event, or if you would like to partner with After-Hours Astronomy for a pop-up event of this nature, please Contact Us today.

Hands-On Troubleshooting Experience Guaranteed with the Following Equipment:

Hardware:

  • Astro-Physics

  • Losmandy

  • Pegasus Astro

  • Sky-Watcher

  • Warp-Astron

  • Celestron

  • Orion + Meade

  • Stellarvue

  • William Optics

  • Takahashi (*Limited support for Takahashi reflectors)

  • Astro-Tech

  • Lunt Solar Scopes

  • GSO (and all the various company-specific rebranded products)

  • ZWO cameras and accessories

  • QHY cameras and accessories

  • PlayOne Astronomy cameras and accessories

  • RisingCam and ToupTek cameras and accessories

  • SBIG Cameras and Accessories

  • Atik + QSI Cameras

  • Starlight Instruments Cameras + Accessories

  • Sony, Canon, Pentax, and Nikon DSLRs and mirrorless cameras

  • Starlight Instruments Feather Touch Focusers, motors, and accessories

  • MoonLite Focusers

  • Roll-off roof observatories

  • SkyShed POD Observatories

  • Technical Innovations observatories

  • Various brands of mini-PCs (NUC, MeLe, Beelink, etc…)

Software:

  • N.I.N.A.

  • PHD2 Autoguiding

  • Sequence Generator Pro

  • Prism v10

  • SharpCap v3.x

  • FireCapture

  • Stellarium

  • SkySafari Pro (and other mobile planetarium apps)

  • ZWO ASIAir

  • ASCOM Drivers (all brands)

  • Native driver installations

  • Windows (7, 10, and 11)

  • Mac OSX (not ideal but we’ll make it work)

  • Basic setup, installation, and first steps with PixInsight

  • Basic setup, installation, and first steps with Photoshop

  • AnyDesk

  • Google Meet (preferred) or Zoom