Product images of the upcoming EOS Ra have appeared. It's very likely we'll see this camera very shortly.
The EOS-Ra is an EOS R with a sensor modification that allows for h-Alpha wavelengths to pass through unimpeded by the IR cut filter that sits in front of the sensor. Normally a stock IR Cut filter that digital cameras employ has around a 2-3 stop loss at the h-Alpha wavelength of 656.28nm.
Why is this good for astrophotography? Atypically emission nebulae emit this wavelength, and as well, the Sun's atmosphere (take proper precautions if you try this!). Letting more of this light to reach the sensor allows for better contrast and detail when it comes to nebulae and deep sky astrophotography.
Since the EOS Ra is modified to pass more light of the 656nm wavelength, white balance and colors will be a bit off for normal photography. You can, however, use a hot mirror filter that screws on the front of your lens to correct the filtering for normal color photography.
Update:
Preorder the Canon EOS Ra here
It appears like Adorama has launched the EOS Ra. From Adorama we see that it has an enhanced magnification mode that allows up to 30x liveview magnification to allow for more accurate focus when shooting the night sky as well as the filter modification.
Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera dedicated to deep sky and night sky photography
Capture the intricacies of a starry night sky with the new EOS Ra camera — Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera dedicated to deep sky and night sky photography. Building on the success of the EOS R, the EOS Ra offers 30x magnification in both the viewfinder and in Live View shooting for more accurate focus.
Count me it ;)
Is this drop in IR filter something that already exists or are you saying it would be logical to offer it that way? If that’s all you meant, then I totally agree.
"With a 30.3-Megapixel, full-frame CMOS sensor and Digic 8 image processor, the EOS Ra produces stunning image results, day or night."
Which looks like marketing to me. Nothing concrete.
The EOS 60Da was released in 2012, seven years after the 20Da. Seven years & a new mount later, I'm not surprised there's another astronomy model coming out.
My guess is Canon makes good money on a very little investment in those models (probably very little beyond the IR filter, e.g. change model number in ROM), and leaving customers who shoot astronomy without an upgrade path when their camera goes out of maintenance is bound to piss them off and lead to negative PR.
Any recommendations on a suitable telescope with tracking ability? (auto alignment if possible).
For less extreme focal lengths, a more inexpensive tracking mount like a Skywatcher Star Adventurer or something from iOptron are good choices as well. If you really want advice in a telescope, I'm not sure I would seek it in this forum. It's a pretty niche topic and I believe there are more fitting forums for it.