Updates & releases

Product news

Software releases, firmware updates, and product announcements. We ship updates regularly. This is where they all land.

2026
July 2026 Lanternfish Latest

Lanternfish at regular price—early bird period ends

The Lanternfish sky sensor transitions from early bird pricing to its regular retail price. Available now from all Lunatico shops. See the Lanternfish page for full details and specifications.

SOLO software v4.3 released

New version of the SOLO CloudWatcher software with several notable changes. See the SOLO page for the full changelog and download.

April 2026 Lanternfish

Lanternfish launched at early bird price

The Lanternfish goes on sale at an introductory early bird price. The most comprehensive sky quality and atmospheric sensor in the Lunatico range: cloud, rain, sky temperature, ambient conditions and more. See the Lanternfish page.

March 2026 DragonFly

Unified software release: macro execution now requires relay access

New unified DragonFly software published. Important change: macro execution now requires relay access to be configured. Review your setup before updating.

February 2026 CloudWatcher pocketCW2

K-factor optimisation tool now available

New tool released for both CloudWatcher and pocketCW2 to help calibrate and optimise K-factor readings for your local sky conditions.

January 2026 Starling

Starling launched—shared observatory control arrives

The Starling shared observatory controller officially launches. Designed for multi-user observatories where members share control in real time, with full CloudWatcher and DragonFly integration. See the Starling page.

2025
April 2025 Lanternfish

Lanternfish announced at NEAF

Lunaticoastro's most versatile sky quality monitor, offering comprehensive readings, was introduced to the public at the Northeast Astronomy Forum 2025.

April 2025 CloudWatcher

Software and downloads page redesigned

Major redesign of the CloudWatcher software and downloads page, making it easier to find the right driver and firmware version for your device.

March 2025 CloudWatcher pocketCW2 SOLO

Software updates and new ASCOM driver

New software versions published for CloudWatcher, pocketCW2 and SOLO, together with a new ASCOM observing conditions and safety monitor driver for pocketCW2.

2024
October 2024 pocketCW2

Windows configuration application released

New desktop application for pocketCW2 enabling full configuration of K-factor, safety limits, and wind settings directly from Windows.

May 2024 Company

RTI-Zone releases free plugins for our devices

Third-party developer RTI-Zone publishes free plugins adding support for several Lunaticoastro devices.

March 2024 CloudWatcher pocketCW2

New data display software

New data display software released for CloudWatcher and pocketCW2, improving how sensor readings and historical data are presented.

February 2024 DragonFly

Software update for N.I.N.A. beta compatibility

Update addressing compatibility issues with the N.I.N.A. beta release, ensuring DragonFly works correctly with the latest version of the imaging software.

January 2024 Beaver

Software and driver updated to v1.2

Beaver dome controller software and ASCOM driver updated to version 1.2 with stability improvements and bug fixes.

January 2024 Company

Partnership with ASG's Astronomy Picture of the Month contest

Lunaticoastro becomes a partner of the Astronomical Society's monthly astrophotography contest.

2023
December 2023 Company

In Good Company—institutions and customers who trust Lunaticoastro

New page showcasing some of the companies and institutions that trust Lunaticoastro's equipment. See In Good Company.

November 2023 Caterpillar

CaterpillarR released

New relay-focused Caterpillar variant released, designed for retrofitting existing mechanical systems with relay-based control without replacing the full motor driver.

October 2023 DragonFly

Expanded macro capabilities: exhaustive manual published

DragonFly macros now support mount parking and humidifier control. A comprehensive manual covering all macro functionality has been published alongside the update.

October 2023 DragonFly

DragonFly can now park 10Micron mounts

Support added for parking 10Micron mounts and other network-enabled mounts directly from the DragonFly. See the 10Micron mount network utility.

August 2023 Company

The Astropromotion project begins

Lunaticoastro launches Astropromotion, a project supporting outreach and promotion of amateur astronomy.

August 2023 SOLO CloudWatcher

Custom timezone and UTC offset support

SOLO now supports custom timezone selection and UTC offsets, making it straightforward to deploy in any region without time-logging issues.

July 2023 Company

The company expands—half the team now in New Zealand

Lunaticoastro grows its operations, with half of the team now based in New Zealand alongside the original Spain office.

April 2023 CloudWatcher pocketCW2

pocketCW2 launched—CloudWatcher gains sky quality measurement

pocketCW2, the compact cloud and sky quality monitor, officially launched. Simultaneously, the CloudWatcher firmware gains the ability to measure sky quality (SQM) directly.

2022
September 2022 Company

Águeda Alemany takes on a bigger role in the company

Águeda Alemany, who joined to coordinate Project Hive, expands her role within Lunaticoastro.

August 2022 CloudWatcher

New sky-quality capable sensor for the CloudWatcher

A new sensor option for the CloudWatcher adds sky-quality measurement, an early step towards the SQM capability later built into pocketCW2.

August 2022 Company

Miguel Ángel Garcia joined us!

Miguel Ángel Garcia joins the Lunaticoastro team.

February 2022 SOLO CloudWatcher

Video introduction series published

A series of video tutorials covering setup, configuration and use of the SOLO CloudWatcher published on the Lunaticoastro YouTube channel.

2021
December 2021 Company

Lunaticoastro now on Social Media!

Lunaticoastro launches its social media presence to share news and updates more widely.

October 2021 DragonFly

Emergency priority Pushover notifications

DragonFly can now send emergency-priority Pushover notifications, ensuring critical alerts—such as roof failures or weather events—cut through even Do Not Disturb settings on your phone.

October 2021 Company

A new member on the team: Andy Chessum joined us!

Andy Chessum joins the Lunaticoastro team.

August 2021 CloudWatcher

New PCB release

Updated PCB released for the CloudWatcher, bringing hardware improvements to sensor reliability and long-term stability.

July 2021 Beaver

Indigo driver for Beaver dome controllers!

An INDIGO driver is released for Beaver-based dome controllers, adding support alongside the existing ASCOM driver.

June 2021 CloudWatcher

Improved display software for AP and RH sensors

Display software updated with improved handling and visualisation of atmospheric pressure and relative humidity sensor data.

June 2021 Company

Project Hive begins—Águeda Alemany joins to coordinate it

Lunaticoastro launches Project Hive, collecting weather data for a self-learning forecasting algorithm. Águeda Alemany joins the team to coordinate it. See Project Hive.

May 2021 DragonFly

Complete software and firmware update

Major update to DragonFly software and firmware covering stability improvements, new features and driver updates across the full product line.

April 2021 CloudWatcher

Enhanced atmospheric pressure and humidity sensor

CloudWatcher gains an improved relative humidity and atmospheric pressure sensor, adding more environmental data for safety decisions.

April 2021 CloudWatcher SOLO

N.I.N.A. supports the ASCOM safety monitor

N.I.N.A. now supports the ASCOM safety monitor interface and can interface directly with the CloudWatcher and SOLO.

March 2021 Beaver

Partnership with NexDome for dome controller development

Lunaticoastro and NexDome Observatories announce a partnership to develop the Beaver dome controller, bringing Lunaticoastro's automation expertise to the NexDome ecosystem.

2019
January 2019 pocketCW

pocketCW makes Sky & Telescope's Hot Products list

The original pocketCW, predecessor to today's pocketCW2, is named to Sky & Telescope's Hot Products list.

2018
June 2018 pocketCW

pocketCW launched

The original pocketCW, predecessor to today's pocketCW2, is launched.