ASTRONOMY
TECHNOLOGY TODAY Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment
A NEWBIE’S JOURNEY INTO LIGHT • THE STELLAFANE DONATION SCOPE PROJECT CONFESSIONS OF A MAK-NEWT FAN • THE CATSPERCH SUMMIT OBSERVING CHAIR WILLIAM OPTICS 28MM UWAN EYEPIECE
The Orion StarShoot Deep Space Monochrome Imager II and 6-inch Newtonian Imaging OTA An Imaging Combination that’s Very Good News for Astrophotographers!
Volume 2 • Issue 8 August 2008 $5.00 US
Contents Industry News
Cover Story Images -29 Shown is the Orion StarShoot Deep Space Monochrome Imager II (SS DSMI II), Multiple Filter Wheel, and LRGB Filter Set package used with the pictured Orion 6-inch Imaging Reflector, and other Orion imaging equipment, to capture all images shown in the cover story, including that which serves as the background for the cover of this issue. The background image of Messier 27, The Dumbbell Nebula, combines data sets taken with the SS DSMI II using Orion’s OIII, SII, and Ha narrowband filters, as well as its standard Red, Green and Blue filters that are included in the Orion imager/filter/wheel package, ASTRONOMY TECHNOLOGY TODAY to demonstrate the effectiveness of the SS DSMI II when combined with narrowband filters to capture detail that is otherwise invisible in standard images. The Orion StarShoot Deep Space Monochrome The StarShoot Imager features Sony’s ICX422ALL-7 1/2-inch Imager II and 6-inch Newtonian Imaging OTA format sensor and is thermoelectrically cooled to dramatically reduce electronic noise for higher-quality images. Orion’s 6-inch Imaging Reflector optimizes a dependable Newtonian platform to create an astrograph that rivals some very high-end telescopes, but at a fraction of the price. This optical system is specifically designed to fully illuminate the imaging chip of Orion StarShoot CCD cameras as well as that of most digital SLR cameras.
12 MITTY INDUSTRIES Developing Proline Wedge For Celestron CPC Series 13 OPTICAL WAVE LABORATORIES Announces Customer Education Web Resource
Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment
A NEWBIE’S JOURNEY INTO LIGHT • THE STELLAFANE DONATION SCOPE PROJECT CONFESSIONS OF A MAK-NEWT FAN • THE CATSPERCH SUMMIT OBSERVING CHAIR WILLIAM OPTICS 28MM UWAN EYEPIECE
An Imaging Combination that’s Very Good News for Astrophotographers!
Volume 2 • Issue 8 August 2008 $5.00 US
14 INTERNATIONAL DARK-SKY ASSOCIATION Pennsylvania Cherry Springs State Park Recognized as IDSP 15 WILLIAM OPTICS Announces 2008 Astrophotography Contest
In This Issue 8
Editor’s Note There’s Something About Numbers! By Gary Parkerson
29 The Orion StarShoot Deep SpaceMonochrome Imager II and 6-inch Newtonian Imaging OTA An Imaging Combination that’s Very Good News for Astrophotographers! By Dave Snay 41 Confessions of a Mak-Newt Fan A Tribute to a Unique Telescope Design that Really Does It All! By Jeff Blazey 47 William Optics 28mm UWAN Eyepiece Ultra-wide-angle perfection! By Erik Wilcox 51 The Catsperch Summit Observing Chair Extreme Challenges Call for Extreme Tools! By Gary Parkerson
57 The Stellafane Donation Scope Project Part 3 - Construction Continues By Robert J. Teeter, Jr. 61 A Newbie’s Journey Into Light A Progression of Astro-Experience and Equipment By Kirby Benson 68 Astro Tips, Tricks, and Novel Solutions A Budget Battery Charge Monitor By Gary Parkerson
16 TELE VUE OPTICS Dealers Now Authorized to Ship Worldwide 16 CELESTRON Announces Upgrades to SkyScout
17 FARPOINT ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH Continues New Product Development 18 DENKMEIER OPTICAL Clarification of BIHP Announcement
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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Contributing Writers
Contents New Products
Kirby Benson Benson is an artist and retired Clinical Mental Health Counselor living in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with his wife, Judy. He holds an MFA in Ceramics and Painting from Washington State University and a MA in Counseling from New Mexico State University. He currently serves as Director at Large for the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces. His art work can be seen at www.whitetrout.com.
21 HOTECH CORPORATION Now Shipping Its New SCA Laser Collimator 22 QUANTUM SCIENTIFIC IMAGING, INC. Introduces 4.2 Megapixel QSI 540 and 540c Cooled CCD Cameras
Jeff Blazey is an aerospace engineer for GE’s jet engine division and lives in Labanon, Ohio, with his wife of 30 years. They have one son. At age 10, Jeff caught the astronomy bug on a summer night while scanning the Milky Way with binoculars. He has since graduated to full-blown astronomy illness with current equipment that includes three Mak-Newts, two A-P Apos, and large observatory installed Achromats.
Rob Teeter is a telescope builder and owner of Teeter's Telescopes, where he has produced over 50 custom Truss-Dobsonians since 2002. Rob graduated from Rutgers University in 2005 with a degree in Environmental Policy and from Montclair State University in 2007 with a Master's Degree in Environmental Management. Rob's current day job is as an environmental regulatory compliance consultant for a private New Jersey firm.
David Snay is a retired software engineer living in central Massachusetts. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and has been an astronomer and astrophotographer for more than 10 years. David currently pursues fine art photography, specializing in traditional black/white images.
23 LUMICON INTERNATIONAL Introduces Low-Profile Helical Newtonian Focuser 23 KENDRICK ASTRO INSTRUMENTS New ZapCap and DigiCap Heated Dewcaps 25 ASTRO SKY TELESCOPES Develops “Flip Tailgate” Primary Cell
Erik Wilcox has been observing the sky for more than 20 years. In addition to being a longtime moderator on the popular astronomy forum at www.cloudynights.com, he recently started a new forum at www.starstuffforums.com. When he’s not viewing the sky, he sings and plays guitar in a rock band.
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
25 ADIRONDACK ASTRONOMY Introduces StellaCam Wireless Controller 26 STELLAR TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL Introduces Hybrid Knife-Edge Screen 26 ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS Adds New Mount Option with Orion SkyView AZ Mount
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The Companies And Organizations That Have Made Our Magazine Possible!
We wish to thank our advertisers without whom this magazine would not be possible. When making a decision on your next purchase, we encourage you to consider these advertisers’ commitment to you by underwriting this issue of Astronomy Technology Today.
20/20 Telescopes and Binoculars www.2020telescopes.com page 58
CCD-LABS www.ccd-labs.com page 25
Obsession Telescopes www.obsessiontelescopes.com page 46
Shrouds By Heather www.teeterstelescopes.com/shrouds page 19
Adirondack Astronomy www.astrovid.com page 57
Celestron www.celestron.com page 28
Oceanside Photo and Telescope www.optcorp.com page 42
SkyShed Observatories www.skyshed.com page 46
Alvin Huey Observing Guides www.faintfuzzies.com page 36
DayStar Filters www.daystarfilters.com page 48
Optec www.optecinc.com page 36
Starizona www.starizona.com page 24
Amateur Astronomy Magazine www.amateurastronomy.com page 45
Deep Sky Instruments www.deepskyinstruments.com page 58
Optical Mechanics www.opticalmechanics.com page 33
Stark Labs www.stark-labs.com page 58
APM Telescopes www.apm-telescopes.de page 22
Durango Skies www.durangoskies.com page 39
Optic-Craft Machining www.opticcraft.com page 67
Starlight Instruments www.starlightinstruments.com page 16
Astro Domes www.astrodomes.com page 56
Equatorial Platforms www.equatorialplatforms.com page 47
Orion Telescopes and Bionoculars www.oriontelescopes.com page 62
Stellar Technologies International www.stellar-international.com page 50
Astro Hutech www.hutech.com page 52
Farpoint Astronomical Research www.farpointastro.com page 47
Ostahowski Optics www.ostahowskioptics.com page 61
Stellarvue www.stellarvue.com page 51
AstroPhoto Insight Magazine www.skyinsight.net page 45
Glatter Collimation www.collimator.com page 67
Pacific Design www.casesandcovers.com page 11
Taurus Technologies www.taurus-tech.com page 44
Astro Physics www.astro-physics.com page 9, 61
Great Red Spot Astronomy www.greatredspot.com page 39
ProtoStar www.fpi-protostar.com page 61
Telescope Stability Systems www.telescopestabilitysystems.com page 44
AstroSystems www.astrosystems.biz page 34
Jack’s Astro Accessories www.waningmoonii.com page 13
Quantum Scientific Imaging www.qsimaging.com page 27
Tele Vue Optics www.televue.com page 70, 71
Astrozap www.astrozap.com page 17
JMI Telescopes www.jmitelescopes.com page 18
Rigel Systems www.rigelsys.com page 15
Teton Telescope www.tetontelescope.com page 61
Backyard Observatories www.backyardobservatories.com page 20, 21
Kendrick Astro Instruments www.kendrickastro.com page 44
Round Table Platforms www.roundtableplatforms.com page 57
Thousand Oaks Optical www.thousandoaksoptical.com page 33 Van Slyke Instruments www.observatory.org page 25
The Binoscope Company www.binoscope.com page 72
Lumicon www.lumicon.com page 38
Rubylith www.astro-rubylith.com page 17
Vixen Optics www.vixenoptics.com page 3
Blue Planet Optics www.blueplanetoptics.com page 72
Malco Precision www.malcoprecision.com page 33
ScopeBuggy www.scopebuggy.com page 32 Scope City www.scopecity.com page 14
William Optics www.williamoptics.com page 2
Bobs Knobs www.bobsknobs.com page 44
Meade Instruments www.meade.com page 4, 69
ScopeGuard www.scopeguard.com page 30
Woodland Hills Telescopes www.whtelescopes.com page 12
Catseye Collimation www.catseyecollimation.com page 31
MoonLite Telescope Accessories www.focuser.com page 64
ScopeStuff www.scopestuff.com page 26
Zeke’s Seats www.zekesseats.com page 35
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ASTRONOMY
TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Volume 2 • Issue 8 August 2008 Publisher Stuart Parkerson
Managing Editor Gary Parkerson
Associate Editors Russ Besancon
Editor’s
Note Gary Parkerson, Managing Editor
Karol Birchfield Jessica Parkerson
Art Director Lance Palmer
Staff Photographer Jim Osborne
Web Master Richard Harris
3825 Gilbert Drive Shreveport, Louisiana 71104 info@astronomytechnologytoday.com www.astronomytechnologytoday.com Astronomy Technology Today is published monthly by Parkerson Publishing, LLC. Bulk rate postage paid at Dallas, Texas, and additional mailing offices. ©2008 Parkerson Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. No part of this publication or its Web site may be reproduced without written permission of Parkerson Publishing, LLC. Astronomy Technology Today assumes no responsibility for the content of the articles, advertisements, or messages reproduced therein, and makes no representation or warranty whatsoever as to the completeness, accuracy, currency, or adequacy of any facts, views, opinions, statements, and recommendations it reproduces. Reference to any product, process, publication, or service of any third party by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply the endorsement or recommendation of Astronomy Technology Today. The publication welcomes and encourages contributions; however is not responsible for the return of manuscripts and photographs. The publication, at the sole discretion of the publisher, reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or contributions. For more information contact the publisher at Astronomy Technology Today, 3825 Gilbert Drive, Shreveport, Louisiana 71104, or e-mail at info@astronomytechnologytoday.com.
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
There’s Something About Numbers! A television ad for binoculars caught my eye recently. Perhaps you’ve seen it too. It’s not often that such tools are advertised on television, but these weren’t ordinary binoculars – these were capable of magnifying images of objects by an amazing “1000 percent”! Wow! That really does sound like a lot. Indeed, the claim seemed incredible, at least until my right brain caught up with the left and divided that measure by the 100 percent by which our unaided eyes perceive objects. That’s right; those miracle binoculars were of the common 10x50 variety (perhaps even with “ruby” coated lenses - I failed to note that detail, but given the advertised price, they were doubtless of less than average quality). You’re forgiven if the TV ad reminds you of advertising copy on display boxes enclosing the 60-mm “department store” scopes of yore, complete with unrealistic magnification claims and stellar images the little scopes could never duplicate. I’ve no evidence that this container art is to blame, but have long wondered why the first thing most guests at public events ask of my favorite scope is, “What’s its magnification?” or, “How powerful is it?” They are predictably disappointed when I explain that I do most general viewing at magnifications of only 50x to 150x, and rarely exceed 350x, even though the scope’s highest theoretical magnification
is a much more impressive 600x. But those creative binocular advertisers may have shown me a way around such prosaic admissions, while still retaining credibility. Indeed, marketeers of the much reviled “department store” scopes could have displayed still sensational, but achievable claims, simply by speaking in terms of percentages and focusing on what really matters. Because the primary function of an astronomical telescope is gathering light, an aspect of aperture, we should stress that characteristic instead of far less critical aspects such as image magnification. Factor that 60-mm department store refractor. One thing it did fairly well was to collect 60 mm of light versus the 6 mm of collecting aperture provided by our dark adapted naked eyes (I use an eye pupil of 6 mm only because it makes the math so much easier!). An eye dilated to 6 mm has an aperture of approximately 28.27 mm2, while that 60-mm refractor boasts a significantly larger 2827 mm2. That’s right; the 60-mm refractor collects 100 times as much light as the naked eye. But wait, there’s more! Don’t forget the percentage strategy. That 100x area of aperture is actually a percentage increase of 10,000. How much more impressed would we have been if that display box had correctly boasted, “10,000 percent light gathering ability!” rather than the rela-
tively small, though unrealistic number of “450” for magnification? Apply that to my otherwise unimpressive 10-inch Newtonian, which has an area of aperture of 48,644 mm2 (50,671 mm2, minus the 2027 mm2 of the secondary) and I can now claim that the old Newt collects 1720 times as much light as the eye alone or 172,000 percent more! Instead of mumbled disappointment, I imagine exclamations of, “Holy lunar cheese Scopeman! Will it blind me?” It does tend to take the breath away when you put it like that and I can’t wait to try it on unsuspecting novices. But you know what’s really amazing? That’s exactly what that medium aperture Newtonian does each and every night. It lets me detect objects that are that many times dimmer than I can detect with my naked eye. Of course, being generally of quiet, studious disposition, we practical astronomers tend to understate such amazing facts, using the shorthand of small numbers to communicate big concepts. Thus, we describe stellar distance by such measures as 4.22 light years rather than the far more impressive 24,900,000,000,000 miles or 40,100,000,000,000 kilometers, to use nicely rounded numbers. On an average night, my 10-inch Newt yields a gain of 8 stellar magnitudes versus the naked eye. You and I know that on the logarithmic stellar-magnitude scale, those 8 steps represent a big number, but the digit “8,” without full comprehension of its context, just doesn’t capture the imagination like the product of 2.5 multiplied 8 times, much less multiplied again by 100 to yield an expression of the increase as a percentage. So here’s to ordinary numbers enhanced by the imaginations of marketeers! Imagine if you will a telescope capable of light gathering capacity greater than 1,000,000 percent of the naked eye. There’s a milestone worth pursuing! Although larger scopes are more common with each passing season, a 24-inch Dob is still a big scope to me and big Dobs work real magic no matter how you describe them – as do small refractors and everything else in between.
The new Astro-Physics 6" Eagle Adjustable Folding Pier is a versatile work-of-art as well as a totally practical tool for the advanced imager. The one piece assembly sets up quickly in the field and allows adjustment of pier height, leveling of the mount, and eases the process of polar alignment.
www.astro-physics.com • 815-282-1513 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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The Supporting
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The Companies And Organizations That Have Made Our Magazine Possible!
We wish to thank our advertisers without whom this magazine would not be possible. When making a decision on your next purchase, we encourage you to consider these advertisers’ commitment to you by underwriting this issue of Astronomy Technology Today.
20/20 Telescopes and Binoculars www.2020telescopes.com page 58
CCD-LABS www.ccd-labs.com page 25
Obsession Telescopes www.obsessiontelescopes.com page 46
Shrouds By Heather www.teeterstelescopes.com/shrouds page 19
Adirondack Astronomy www.astrovid.com page 57
Celestron www.celestron.com page 28
Oceanside Photo and Telescope www.optcorp.com page 42
SkyShed Observatories www.skyshed.com page 46
Alvin Huey Observing Guides www.faintfuzzies.com page 36
DayStar Filters www.daystarfilters.com page 48
Optec www.optecinc.com page 36
Starizona www.starizona.com page 24
Amateur Astronomy Magazine www.amateurastronomy.com page 45
Deep Sky Instruments www.deepskyinstruments.com page 58
Optical Mechanics www.opticalmechanics.com page 33
Stark Labs www.stark-labs.com page 58
APM Telescopes www.apm-telescopes.de page 22
Durango Skies www.durangoskies.com page 39
Optic-Craft Machining www.opticcraft.com page 67
Starlight Instruments www.starlightinstruments.com page 16
Astro Domes www.astrodomes.com page 56
Equatorial Platforms www.equatorialplatforms.com page 47
Orion Telescopes and Bionoculars www.oriontelescopes.com page 62
Stellar Technologies International www.stellar-international.com page 50
Astro Hutech www.hutech.com page 52
Farpoint Astronomical Research www.farpointastro.com page 47
Ostahowski Optics www.ostahowskioptics.com page 61
Stellarvue www.stellarvue.com page 51
AstroPhoto Insight Magazine www.skyinsight.net page 45
Glatter Collimation www.collimator.com page 67
Pacific Design www.casesandcovers.com page 11
Taurus Technologies www.taurus-tech.com page 44
Astro Physics www.astro-physics.com page 9, 61
Great Red Spot Astronomy www.greatredspot.com page 39
ProtoStar www.fpi-protostar.com page 61
Telescope Stability Systems www.telescopestabilitysystems.com page 44
AstroSystems www.astrosystems.biz page 34
Jack’s Astro Accessories www.waningmoonii.com page 13
Quantum Scientific Imaging www.qsimaging.com page 27
Tele Vue Optics www.televue.com page 70, 71
Astrozap www.astrozap.com page 17
JMI Telescopes www.jmitelescopes.com page 18
Rigel Systems www.rigelsys.com page 15
Teton Telescope www.tetontelescope.com page 61
Backyard Observatories www.backyardobservatories.com page 20, 21
Kendrick Astro Instruments www.kendrickastro.com page 44
Round Table Platforms www.roundtableplatforms.com page 57
Thousand Oaks Optical www.thousandoaksoptical.com page 33 Van Slyke Instruments www.observatory.org page 25
The Binoscope Company www.binoscope.com page 72
Lumicon www.lumicon.com page 38
Rubylith www.astro-rubylith.com page 17
Vixen Optics www.vixenoptics.com page 3
Blue Planet Optics www.blueplanetoptics.com page 72
Malco Precision www.malcoprecision.com page 33
ScopeBuggy www.scopebuggy.com page 32 Scope City www.scopecity.com page 14
William Optics www.williamoptics.com page 2
Bobs Knobs www.bobsknobs.com page 44
Meade Instruments www.meade.com page 4, 69
ScopeGuard www.scopeguard.com page 30
Woodland Hills Telescopes www.whtelescopes.com page 12
Catseye Collimation www.catseyecollimation.com page 31
MoonLite Telescope Accessories www.focuser.com page 64
ScopeStuff www.scopestuff.com page 26
Zeke’s Seats www.zekesseats.com page 35
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INDUSTRYNEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS This month’s column is organized just like the July column, with events listed from the east to west across the U.S. For a complete list, visit www.durangoskies.com and navigate the Events Calendar. To have an event added to the calendar, please send an email to events@durangoskies.com. Astroblast Astroblast takes place September 23-28 and is sponsored by the Oil Region Astronomical Society (ORAS). The event is held in a large field surrounding the ORAS observatory in the Lockwood Campground at Venango County's Two Mile Run Park, near Franklin, Pennsylvania. Located far from the light pollution of large urban areas, the skies at the ORAS observatory are very good for the eastern U.S., with a 6.3 limiting magnitude. For more information, visit www.oras.org/astrblst.htm. Black Forest Star Party Held at Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania’s first IDA recognized Dark Sky Park (see related Industry News item on page 14), the Black Forest Star Party features several astronomy lectures, kids programs and a raffle. Join the Central Pennsylvania Observers September 5-7 for great nighttime observing. For complete details, visit www.bfsp.org/starparty. Peach State Star Gaze The fifteenth annual Peach State Star Gaze takes place September 28–October 5 at the Deerlick Astronomy Village, a dark-sky community located approximately 96 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia. This event is packed with various speakers, workshops and door prizes. For details, visit www.atlantaastronomy.org/PSSG. Great Lakes Star Gaze The Great Lakes Star Gaze takes place September 25-28 at the River Valley RV Park near Gladwin, Michigan. This is a star party for the astronomer who loves to mingle with other astronomers, attend interesting talks
and events during the day, and have spectacular observing at night. For additional information, visit www.greatlakesstargaze.com. AstroFest AstroFest is hosted by the Chicago Astronomical Society and is a “Campout with the Stars” event sponsored by Astronomy magazine and REI. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Amateur Astronomy” and takes place September 5-7 at Vana’s farm, which is located in northeastern Illinois. For more information, visit www.chicagoastro.org/ af/index.html. Prairie Skies Star Party Prairie Skies Star Party is September 2528 at beautiful Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See 4H camp, near Bourbonnais, Illinois. Camp Shaw has a rustic and natural setting, providing a warm and friendly atmosphere for a star party. This is the events fifth year under the new Prairie Skies name and the 27th year at Camp Shaw. And make sure to visit the Prairie Dog Stand and enjoy a tasty Prairie Dog! For details, visit www.prairieskies.org. Okie-Tex The twenty-fifth annual Okie-Tex star party takes place September 28–October 5 at camp Billy Joe, just outside Kenton, Oklahoma. What started as a weekend retreat for members of the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club has grown into one of the top-ten star parties in the country. With an approximate Bortle scale of 1, it’s not at all uncommon for the Milky Way to cast visible shadows and Gegenschein and Zodiacal Lights are routinely visible at the site. For complete details, visit www.okie-tex.com. Enchanted Skies Star Party The Enchanted Skies Star Party takes place September 24-27 in Socorro, New Mexico, the Heart of "Astronomy Country." Socorro hosts the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which operates the worldfamous Very Large Array and Very Long Baseline Array radio telescopes. Located at
over 10,000 feet, this star party offers clear, dark skies, outstanding speakers, astronomical tours and a genuine taste of the great American Southwest. For details, visit www.socorro-nm.com/starparty. CalStar CalStar takes place September 25-28 at Lake San Antonio, which is midway between Los Angeles and the San Francisco bay area. CalStar is intended to accommodate many levels of star party experience and has a unique site layout which groups guests by category. There is a Dark Enforced area (hardcore astronomers), Casual area, and a Late Arrival/Early Departure area which is like a weekend star party. For more information, visit www.sjaa.net/calstar. Astronomy Events is written by Dave Miller. For a complete list, visit www.durangoskies.com and navigate the Events Calendar. To have an event added to the calendar, please contact: events@durangoskies.com.
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INDUSTRYNEWS
MITTY INDUSTRIES Developing Proline Wedge For Celestron CPC Series
Super Blowout on Select Meade Products Limited Time!
SkyScout Personal Planetarium Now Just $299!
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Telescopes
We’ve heard rumblings recently of new product coming from Frank Sperl and Mitty Industries in Trenton, Tennessee, and thought a quick look was in order. Some of you may not know the smiling face in the accompanying photo, but many of you will know the reputation for quality that the more than 400 users who’ve purchased precision wedges from Frank have generated over the years. Rumor has it that he now has his sites set for the Celestron CPC Series as well and we found a CPC800 product test mule setup for development in the Mitty Industries shop, with lots of metal being cut on their new Litz Hi-Tech Machining Center, and managed to score a few views of the goods before their debut. So what’s the big deal about the new ProLine Wedge for the Celestron CPC Series? Well, this promises to be a premium, no holds barred work of art in the BauHaus tradition of simplicity of design that will deliver the stability necessary for imaging with the CPC Series, and any other Celestron product that will fit the bolt pattern. We are planning a full, in depth article soon, reporting in detail how this popular wedge is made. We also hear that a new Mitty Industries Pier will debut before Christmas, dubbed the SAMSON Pier and part of the Excalibur Series. For more information please contact OPT, Mitty Industries’ exclusive distributor, at 800-483-6287, for further details.
INDUSTRYNEWS
OPTICAL WAVE LABORATORIES Announces Customer Education Web Resource When one of our computers died and we set about installing software on its replacement, a program that resided only on that computer and that we used most often, the Woden Optics Diagonal Calculator, was no longer readily available for download (next time we’ll back everything up). Cary Chleborad, owner of Woden Optics, had joined Optical Wave Laboratories (OWL) to create a company of much greater capacity and the Woden Optics web address had been rerouted to the OWL homepage. Sadly, our web-surf trail did not end in a download of the Diagonal Calculator. So we contacted Cary to beg that he send the Diagonal Calculator directly. Instead, he returned the following notice, and has, thankfully, made the freeware calculator again readily available to all. “Optic Wave Labs announces the addition of a customer education section to their website. The section includes information to aid customers in the successful completion of
their telescope and optical projects. Of particular interest to telescope builders and tweakers is the Newtonian Diagonal Size Calculator. This free software utility calculates the correct size diagonal mirror for use in a Newtonian telescope for a given set of parameters. The software is intuitive to use and offers off-axis illuminations calculations and
graphing as well. To access the information page, direct your browser to: www.opticwavelabs.com/ education.html.” If you are not already familiar with the Woden Optics Diagonal Calculator, we strongly recommend that you visit the link to test drive OWL’s version of this very useful freeware.
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INDUSTRYNEWS
INTERNATIONAL DARK-SKY ASSOCIATION Pennsylvania Cherry Springs State Park Recognized as IDSP Pennsylvania’s Cherry Springs State Park has been designated as the second International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). The announcement was made at IDA’s annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona. The certification recognizes the park’s exceptional commitment to dark-sky protection and restoration on public lands. The IDSP program was established in 2006 by IDA, a Tucson based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the nighttime environment. Cherry Springs State Park has become a leader in night-sky protection and appreciation, making it a popular haven for astronomers and other stargazers. The park is located far from cities and among the forested plateaus of North Central Pennsylvania. The park is not only Pennsylvania’s signature dark-sky area, but offers one of the best views of the starry sky in the Eastern United States. The leadership demonstrated by The Pennsylvania Department of
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Conservation and Natural Resources and Cherry Springs shows that protecting the view of the cosmos also makes economic sense, preserves ecosystems, and maintains quality of life. All outdoor lights in the park have been retrofitted to be night sky friendly. Readily available light fixtures that direct all light downward, combined with electricity saving 13-watt compact fluorescent lamps, provide more than enough light for visibility given the surrounding environment. Some areas of the park are even designated as no-light zones to protect owls, bats, and a host of indigenous mammals, and to allow astronomers and casual stargazers eyes to become fully dark-adapted. Experience in remote parks, such as Natural Bridges National Monument, and communities, such as Flagstaff, Arizona, have shown that the night-sky can indeed be restored by using smarter outdoor lighting solutions. This designation by IDA is the culmination of a novel effort that began in the late 1990s by amateur
astronomers ecstatic that starry skies were still accessible in the East. In 2000 the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) declared Cherry Springs a dark-sky site in the Commonwealth. By 2002 the park was providing regular stargazing programs for visitors that proved very popular. In 2003 Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation recognized the importance of the night sky above Cherry Springs and aided in implementing a strategic vision for the park that included telescope pads, observatories for rent, and educational materials all designed to facilitate the enjoyment of the starry sky. The light pollution-free sky is also a tourism draw and benefit to the local economy. Further information on Cherry Springs State Park is available at www.dcnr.state.pa.us /stateparks/parks/cherrysprings.aspx. The IDA is working with several other parks towards IDSP certification; criteria are available on the IDA website at www.darksky.org.
INDUSTRYNEWS
WILLIAM OPTICS Announces 2008 Astrophotography Contest William Optics has scheduled its 2008 imaging contest with winners to be announced on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2008. The contest is open to submissions through 12 p.m. (Pacific), October 31, 2008, and all owners of William Optics telescopes are eligible to participate. Contestants are invited to submit a maximum of three images, all of which should be new, never before appearing on the William Optics website or entered in previous photo contests. All entries will be judged with specific consideration of originality of the image, age and technical expertise of the participant, as well as the equipment used to capture the image. Winners will be announced on both the William Optics website and its Yahoo group. First prize is the recently introduced William Optics Megrez 72 Doublet Apo (pictured), plus a gift certificate of $100 US. The WO Megrez 72 features a fully multi-coated (William Optics proprietary SMC coatings) air-spaced apochromatic doublet with focal ratio of f/6 and focal length of 432 mm, retractable lens shade, and 2-inch (50.8-mm) 360° rotatable Crayford focuser with 1:10 dual-speed micro-focuser and 3.2 inches (81 mm) of travel. The multipurpose Megrez 72 comes complete with backpack carrying case and is compatible with the William
Optics Type II and III 0.8x field flattener reducers, making it an excellent astrophotography tool. Second prize is a William Optics ZenithStar 66 Patriot and a gift certificate of $50 US. The ZS 66 Patriot features an SD glass, air-spaced doublet encased in a CNC machined, high-precision cell. The doublet is fully multi-coated (WO STM coatings) and the tube baffled to block all extraneous, off-axis light. The 1.6-inch (40.6-mm) Crayford focuser features rotatable design and 1:10 fine focus with 2.5 inches (63 mm) of focuser travel. Best yet, the ZS 66 Patriot, sports a custom paint scheme that is sure to please the patriot in all of us.
Third prize is the William Optics 10x50 ED binoculars, plus a $30 US gift certificate. The WO 10x50 ED binoculars feature extra-low dispersion glass objections for exceptional color correction, enhanced full multi-coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces, and 6.6°, sharpto-the-edge field of view. The waterproof, nitrogen filled housing is shock proof and protected by a durable, antislip cover. So, submit your best shots to photo@williamoptics.com to enter this second edition of the William Optics astrophotography prize contest. Additional contest rules and restrictions are available at www.williamoptics.com
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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INDUSTRYNEWS
TELE VUE OPTICS Dealers Now Authorized to Ship Worldwide It is an announcement that is sure to be received as great news indeed by astronomy enthusiasts throughout the world: effective July 1, 2008, Tele Vue dealers were authorized to ship to any location on the globe! This tremendous expansion of Tele Vue dealer reach is made possible by Tele Vue’s new five-year Worldwide Limited Product Warranty. Warranty details are available at Tele Vue’s website, as is a current list of all authorized Tele Vue dealers. The announcement brings the full line of premium Tele Vue products to eager buyers worldwide, including its remarkable Ethos 100°
apparent field of view eyepieces. The Ethos line of eyepieces is simply the most recent in a long list of industry leading innovations first made available to astronomers by Tele Vue. And the announcement also comes at the perfect time for astronomers as the new 8mm Ethos (pictured), which was introduced at NEAF, is now available for immediate purchase. For more information please go to www.televue.com.
CELESTRON Announces Upgrades to SkyScout Firmware
Celestron has introduced a new version of the SkyScout Personal Planetarium firmware (1.30) which expands the knowledge base of SkyScout beyond 50,000 objects. Upgrading to this latest version is simple and free – just visit www.celestron.com for details. The expanding SkyScout family of features offers many new accessories as
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
well, including high-quality, rechargeable SkyScout Speakers and SkyScout Expansion Cards (All About the Stars and Astronomy for Beginners). Celestron has also announced a permanent price reduction for the SkyScout which is now priced at just $299 US. For more information or a complete list of Celestron dealers visit www.celestron.com.
INDUSTRYNEWS
FARPOINT ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH Continues New Product Development Farpoint Astronomical Research has announced its latest round of product development. Over the past few months it has been working on several new products and plans to release them in the coming months.
2-inch autocollimator
The first of three new products is its 2inch autocollimator to be used in conjunction with its laser and Cheshire collimators. The autocollimator is the final step in precision collimation of Newtonian telescopes. Farpoint’s autocollimator is precision machined from 6061 aluminum on its in-house CNC lathe and then anodized for superior finish and longevity. The second product in the lineup is Farpoint’s 2-inch desiccant cap. This special cap holds a charge of indicating silica gel and is used to cap refracting telescopes during storage. The cap’s o-ring seal keeps
external moisture out, while the desiccant adsorbs moisture from the inside of the telescope. This should be the perfect complementary product to protect your premium refracting telescope investment. As usual, Farpoint machines the desiccant caps on its Farpoint’s new dovetail system in-house, CNC lathe. it then became a one-hand strength contest The final item currently planned for to hold the tube while racing to tighten the release is Farpoint’s revolutionary new locks before the expensive telescope slid dovetail system. The Farpoint team reports, through the mount to the ground. The “For years we have watched our astronomy process is stressful at best; disaster at the friends juggle heavy telescope tubes while worst. While stuck at the Philadelphia trying to align the traditional dovetail airport following NEAF last April, the attachment. Once the dovetail was engaged necessary flash of inspiration came over Jalapeño poppers and several beers. The waitress thought we were nuts as she witnessed us madly sketching away on napkins, but the problem had been solved. Our first prototype has been made and works beautifully. You can see how the system works at our YouTube site at: www.youtube.com/farpointastro.” Please visit Farpoint’s website (www.farpointastro.com) for further develFarpoint’s 2-inch desiccant cap opments.
Rubylith Saves Your Night Vision! Rubylith comes in 15×20 inch sheets and can be used to cover anything that emits light. It’s sturdy enough to be reused and flexible enough to cover flashlights, led lights, etc…and of course it’s ideal for computer monitors. It actually increases contrast on monitors for better seeing in the dark!
www.astro-rubylith.com Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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INDUSTRYNEWS
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TECHNOLOGY TODAY
DENKMEIER OPTICAL Clarification of BIHP Announcement The June 2008 issue of ATT included an Industry News announcement of Denkmeier Optical’s BIHP project that we were first introduced to at NEAF 2008. Unfortunately, our June coverage touched on less than half of the developing BIHP project and therefore left readers with an inaccurate impression of the proposed product. When Denkmeier Optical owner, Russ Lederman, read our report, he asked that we clarify it and we thought you’d enjoy reading his direct and more accurate input. Below is Russ’ update to our original Industry News announcement. “I read the article about BIPH (Binocular Photon Machine) in ATT and wanted to send an amended description of the project as soon as possible in order to avoid confusion. With NEAF approaching in late April, 2008, we had decided to let attendees look through the prototype of a version that we were considering. This was a device that would be added to Denk Binoviewer systems and would utilize our eyepieces. We were also working on a very different version that looked promising, but would not involve using additional eyepieces or even a binoviewer. As NEAF approached, we were still unsure of how the two versions would compare in field tests. We hoped that those
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using both systems at NEAF would offer their opinions, but poor weather made this impossible. After the NEAF show, I, Doug Baum, and several others, carefully assessed both systems once weather conditions presented us with that opportunity. We were able to come to a very definite conclusion based on real observations! That’s what we like, because we believe that actual observation rules when it comes to gauging how good one system or another is. After comparing all of the features of the two systems, one version clearly had an edge in every category including weight, ease of use, resolution, wide fields of view, application of filters, and telescope compatibility (including ability to focus in every telescope tested without incident). The version that will be offered requires no interpupillary adjustment, and produces a very wide field that is equivalent to that of a 42-mm eyepiece. It is a stand-alone, "binocular" system and deep-sky objects are viewed with two eyes. No eyepieces are added. In essence, BIPH is a Generation 3, Thin Film device that is a dual-eye instrument. Focus is achieved in all telescopes and focal reduction is possible, even in Newtonians, when wider fields of view are required for large targets. Using BIPH is
The Home Model is the perfect design of form, function and, of course, pricing with every feature you’ll need for the ultimate in observing! The Home Model is available in sizes from 7'6" x 7'6" to 15'6" x 15'6".
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extremely simple. Slip BIPH in a 2-inch focuser, turn on the power and focus on the object. The views are so easily seen, that even children have had no problem viewing obscure deep-sky objects that would otherwise have been undetectable in conventional instruments. Are the views green? The sky background is a very natural looking charcoal color. Viewing through BIPH is a very different experience as compared to existing astro-devices containing image-intensifier tubes. We hope to make BIPH available to reviewers soon so that this question may be addressed openly. Comments at the Texas Star Party by those using BIPH often pointed to the fact that their dark adaptation was not affected. Views of emission nebulae in even small refractors were truly photographic. BIPH also converts to a hand-held binocular device when a camera lens is attached and super wide-field views of deep space are spectacular. The North American Nebulae, The Crescent and other traditional "photographic" targets become visible and BIPH’s light weight makes it easily used for extended periods of time without the need of mounting it on a tripod. It also gives upright images for night time terrestrial viewing. We will offer camera lenses, or those wishing to use their own camera lenses may buy adapters to convert their lens mounts to BIPH’s 42-mm threaded receptacle. Pricing will start at $3,299 for a com-
plete system and selective filtration will be available from us as an option. We will be making H-a band-pass filters for this purpose. This will produce photo-like, real time views of nebulae that have emissions in the 656nm region, such as M42, The Lagoon, The Swan, and thousands of other gaseous regions. As an example, we all easily observed The Cocoon as a beautiful and easily seen sphere in a 101-mm refractor with BIPH and our H-a Filter. The Lagoon was not only photographic in appearance, but showed the Bear Paw region without problem, again in a 101-mm refractor. We hope to gauge interest as we allow others to view with BIPH using their own telescopes. It is not inexpensive technology, but we guarantee that it will show objects that were formerly considered to be photographic only - and this with very portable telescopes. Viewing through BIPH more closely approximates conventional viewing in terms of creating a natural view as opposed to a green view. This has been one of the most frequently asked questions. We worked on eliminating distortion, bright green images, and magnification that was restricted to high power. BIPH offers very low power views and this makes BIPH really excel when it comes to emission nebulae. We are presently compiling a list of those interested in acquiring BIPH when production is completed. Please contact deepskybinoviewer@mchsi.com to record your interest in this product.”
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We wish to thank our advertisers without whom this magazine would not be possible. When making a decision on your next purchase, we encourage you to consider these advertisers’ commitment to you by underwriting this issue of Astronomy Technology Today.
20/20 Telescopes and Binoculars www.2020telescopes.com page 58
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Shrouds By Heather www.teeterstelescopes.com/shrouds page 19
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Deep Sky Instruments www.deepskyinstruments.com page 58
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NEWPRODUCTS
HOTECH CORPORATION Now Shipping Its New SCA Laser Collimator Hotech Corporation has completed development of its new SCA Laser Collimator and has now begun shipping this novel product. The designation “SCA” stands for “Self-Centering Adapter,” which describes the principal characteristic of the tool that distinguishes it from previous designs. The SCA mechanism allows precise and repeatable installation in all brands of 1.25-inch and 2-inch telescope focusers. Those using all but the highest precision laser collimators have traditionally faced the problem of misalignment due to inexact fit between the collimator housing and the focuser drawtube. Tightening a single drawtube set-screw tends to push or tilt the laser (or eyepiece for that matter) out of alignment. Standard “compression ring” mechanisms have improved things a bit, but even these often do little more than spread set-screw clamping force over a wider area on one side of the collimator or other inserted accessory – it still tends to be tilted ever so slightly to one side, resulting in the potential for off-axis installment that can defeat precision of the collimator. Hotech’s new SCA Adapter Technology eliminates the problem by linearly compressing built-in rubber rings. The diameter of the rings expands to compensate for any gap between the focuser drawtube and the adapter. Because the rings evenly expand in diameter radially,
the adapter is automatically centered in the drawtube. The SCA adapter accommodates various brands of focusers which can have slightly different inside diameters as manufactured. The SCA adapter serves three critical functions: (1) Expansion rings accommodate most varying focuser tolerances, (2) it automatically centers the adapted laser collimator, and (3) it provides at least two evenly distributed circular contacts on the focuser’s inner drawtube surface preventing the adapted laser from pivoting or tilting. You can quickly collimate your telescope with confidence that the collimator is accurately and firmly squared with the focuser axis. All Hoteck SCA Laser Collimator structural components are precision CNC
machined using aero-space grade, lightweight aluminum, then sand blasted and anodized for maximum protection from harsh environments. The collimator includes a 45-degree faceplate viewer with laser engraved targeting grid, which displays the returning laser spot with a clear visual reference during adjustment. This feature allows you to align the primary mirror from the rear of the telescope, eliminating traveling to the front of the scope repeatedly during collimation. The 1.25-inch SCA Laser Collimator is currently priced at just $89.95 US, and the 2-inch version is $120 US. For more information on these and other precision Hotech products, visit www.hotechusa.com.
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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NEWPRODUCTS
QUANTUM SCIENTIFIC IMAGING, INC. Introduces 4.2 Megapixel QSI 540 and 540c Cooled CCD Cameras Breakthrough Quantum Scientific Imaging image quality is now available with a larger 4.2mp sensor. The compact design of the QSI 500 Series allows the QSI 540 to set a new benchmark for size and cost in a high-performance, full-featured scientific CCD camera with this large 2048 x 2048 sensor. QSI designs and manufactures scientific-grade, thermo-electrically cooled CCD cameras designed for applications that require superior image performance such as astronomical, medical, scientific and industrial imaging. QSI's compact, power efficient cameras deliver superior imaging performance with extremely wide dynamic range, excellent linearity and exceptionally low noise. Quantum Scientific Imaging announced the addition of the QSI 540 and
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
single-shot color QSI 540c to the highly regarded QSI 500 Series family of cooled 16-bit scientific CCD cameras. The QSI 540 employs the 4.2 megapixel Kodak KAI04022 interline transfer sensor with microlens technology. A total of five configurations of the monochrome QSI 540 and color 540c are available. The slim body QSI 540i and 540ci utilize the electronic shutter built into the KAI-04022 image sensor to control exposures. The electronic shutter offers very precise exposure times from 100µs up to 240 minutes. The 540si and 540csi incorporate the optional internal mechanical shutter to simplify the creation of calibration frames. The 540wsi adds an internal 5-position color filter wheel designed to hold standard 1.25-inch filters. The large 21.4-mm diagonal sensor in
the QSI 540 has 2048 x 2048 7.4µ pixels with built-in anti-blooming protection. “The wide field of view, wide dynamic range, linear response to light and exceptionally low noise contribute to make the QSI 540 and 540c extremely well suited to a broad range of demanding astronomical, scientific, medical and industrial imaging applications,” says Kevin Nelson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Like all models in the QSI 500 Series, the QSI 540 and 540c are supported by industry standard image acquisition software, including MaxIm DL, CCDSoft, AstroArt and Nebulosity. Development tools are also available for creating custom Windows or Linux imaging applications. The QSI camera control Windows API is an automation component that communicates with the camera device driver and exports a COM automation interface. The QSI COM automation interface allows custom camera control applications to be developed for use with National Instruments LabVIEW, MathWorks, MATLAB, and any other Windows application that can act as an ActiveX automation controller. The QSI 500 Series is a reasonably priced family of cooled CCD cameras offering cooling up to 45°C, extremely wide dynamic range, excellent linearity and exceptionally low noise. The superb imaging performance of 500 Series cameras is wrapped in an attractive and compact design with outstanding power efficiency. The 500 Series features a broad range of Kodak full-frame and interline transfer CCDs from 0.4 megapixels up to 4.2mp. A variety of options and accessories are available making the 500 Series ideal for lowlight applications in astronomy, life sciences, industrial and scientific imaging. The QSI 540 and 540c are available immediately starting at the introductory price of $3,995 US. Retail prices for other models in the QSI 500 Series cameras begin as low as $2,295 US. OEM and custom configurations are available. For more information, please visit www.qsimaging.com or call 888-QSI4CCD.
NEWPRODUCTS
LUMICON INTERNATIONAL Introduces Low-Profile Helical Newtonian Focuser Lumicon International continues its tradition of providing premium ATM components with the introduction of its new high-precision pinand-groove type helical focuser. The 2.75-inch center-to-center hole-spacing of the 3.5-inch base of the focuser is specifically designed for replacement of larger focusers without tube modification. The draw-tube does not rotate during focus and the low-profile of the design facilitates back-focus required by a number of accessories, including the widely used Lumicon Multiple Filter Selector and a variety of imaging systems. The ultra-precise, smooth focus movement of the pin-andgroove helical design makes achievement of exact focus much easier than with conventional drawtube designs. The U-Groove design
of the focuser base accommodates telescope tubes with radius of 4.5 inches and larger. The new Lumicon Low-Profile Newtonian Focuser is priced at just $129.95 US. For more information, visit www.lumicon.com. Specifications Focuser Minimum Height Above Tube (Round Tube) ................1.75" Focuser Minimum Height Above Tube (Flat-base Mounting).......2.0" Turns Ratio......................................................................2 Per Inch Travel ............................................................................................1" Resolution/Backlash .........................................................< 0.0005" Image Shift.......................................................................Negligible Reverse Action .................................................................Negligible Stiction.............................................................................Negligible Footprint........................................................................3.5" Square Mount Hole Pattern ........................Square- 2.75" Center-to-Center Min/Max Focuser Hole Diameter ........................................1.5"/3.3" Maximum Recommended Load .......................................3 Pounds Mounting Hardware..................................................8-32, Included
KENDRICK ASTRO INSTRUMENTS New ZapCap and DigiCap Heated Dewcaps Kendrick Astro Instrumentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; introduction of its new Heated Dewcaps further enhances its line of quality dew removal products offered to the astronomical community. Its new ZapCap Heated Dewcaps are constructed of the same black ABS plastic as its Standard Dewcap line, are all felt-lined, and are attached by being wrapped around the telescope just below the lens or corrector plate ring. The two outside ends are then pressed together using the sewn on hook-and-loop closures. The ZapCaps have a built-in low-wattage heater that makes very good contact with the telescope to keep it free of moisture. This heater is secured inside of a rubberized sleeve and it is this sleeve that provides a friction fit and keeps the ZapCap in place. The dewcap is
notched to accommodate commonly used dovetails and features a detachable, fused power-cord. Each is compatible with any Kendrick controller (except FireLite) and includes a built-in proprietary infrared reflector to direct dew-eliminating warmth into the scope rather than wasting it in the atmosphere. The new DigiCap Heated Dewcaps offer the same features as the ZapCap plus a built-in Kendrick FireLite microcontroller to provide for variable heat settings. Kendrick Astro Instruments offers standard ZapCap and DigiCap Heated Dewcap sizes to fit most popular telescopes, but will also construct custom sizes as well. Prices for the ZapCap start at $47 CAN and for the DigiCap at $121 CAN.
For more information, www.kendrickastro.com.
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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NEWPRODUCTS
ASTRO SKY TELESCOPES Develops “Flip Tailgate” Primary Cell Astro Sky Telescopes principal, James Grigar, now offers a “Flip Tailgate” option to its standard primary cell. Astro Sky offers the same primary cells that it manufactures for commercial telescope builders to amateur telescope makers as well, including now a version that provides much easier access to the primary. Astro Sky’s Standard and Flip Tailgate primary cells are offered in sizes to accommodate from 10-inch to 20-inch mirrors, and in 9point and 18-point configurations. The new Flip Tailgate Cells are priced from $340 to $515 US. For more information on these and other Astro Sky products, please visit http://astrosky.homestead.com/Astrosky.html.
ADIRONDACK ASTRONOMY Introduces StellaCam Wireless Controller Adirondack Astronomy has augmented its StellaCam camera lines with a new wireless controller that is designed to be the most advanced controller ever developed for an astronomical video camera system. The wireless StellaCam3 Controller has a range of up to 1000 feet and will control the StellaCam3, Watec 120N+, StellaCam II, and Watec 120N cameras. The StellaCam Wireless Controller consists of two components: a transmitter handbox unit and a receiver unit. The receiver unit plugs into the R/C control input of the camera. Power for the receiver is supplied by the camera through the R/C connector. When powered on, the transmitter handbox unit sends commands to the receiver over a wireless RF data link. Each transmitter/receiver pair are matched by a unique ID address, however the receiver unit can be automatically re-programmed to match its ID with any other StellaCam wireless transmitter.
The handbox features include: exposure/expose timer display, gain display, exposure control and timer display switch, gain control and LED intensity adjustment, video frame read display and freeze switch, iris control switch, gamma control switch, RS232 data port, power on/off switch, and an external power port. The transmitter handbox can operate up to 200 hours on 2-AA standard alkaline batteries (depending on LED intensity setting) or indefinitely from its external power input. You can also use 1.5-volt lithium AA batteries for much longer operation. When operating on batteries and the power is left on, a “battery saving” user adjustable timeout feature will automatically turn the handbox off if no settings are changed within a certain timeout period. A “Batt Lo” indication is momentarily displayed at regular intervals when the battery voltage drops down to 2.7v or less. Pricing is currently set at $395 US. For more information, please visit Adirondack Astronomy’s website at www.astrovid.com.
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Q453-HR – Only $1,499! The Q453-HR (QHY-8) is a large format 1.8" 6 mega pixel one shot color camera at world beater prices costing less than many competitors’ medium format cameras!
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Q285-M – Only $1,499! The Q285-M (QHY2-Pro) is a medium format 2/3" 1.4 mega pixel monochrome camera that uses the Sony ICX285AL ExView HAD CCD, the same CCD used in competitors’ cameras that cost as much as $3,000!
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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STELLAR TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL Introduces Hybrid Knife-Edge Screen Stellar Technologies International (STI), best known for its Stiletto knife edge focus tools, continues its tradition of innovation with its new for 2008 Hybrid KnifeEdge Screen. In many ways, this integrated knife-edge and Ronchi screen offers the best of both worlds when it comes to pinpoint focusing. The hybrid screen is made up of two 150 LPI Ronchi screens placed at right angles to each other, along with a clear circular knife-edge area in the center of the screen. Unlike a pure knife-edge design, however, the mesh of Ronchi screens allows the user to easily know when precise focus is approached. The bars on the grid grow larger and fewer in number as the focal plane is reached. At the point where the grid disappears altogether, the circular knife-edge may be used, if desired, to pre-
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
cisely cut the focal plane from any direction. The Hybrid Knife-Edge Screen is manufactured of BK7 glass with black chromium evaporated on the surface to form the pattern. The screen is also interchangeable with other screens from STI. The hybrid screen comes installed in STI’s Series IV Standard model, and is included along with its high resolution 300 LPI screen in the Series IV Pro Edition model. The hybrid screen is also available separately in STI’s online order section for previous Stiletto owners who wish to add it. This new screen outperforms and replaces STI’s earlier True Knife-Edge design and works best at focal ratios above f/5. The
hybrid screen is especially indicated as a one-step focusing solution for use with high-quality refractors. Previous owners can upgrade to the Hybrid Knife-Edge Screen for just $49 US. For more information on this and other Stellar Technologies International products, please visit www.stellar-international.com.
ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS Adds New Mount Option with Orion SkyView AZ Mount Orion Telescope & Binoculars’ new SkyView AZ mount is a heavy-duty altazimuth mount that will support large instruments weighing up to 25 pounds, without the need for counterweights, and is designed to hold a single telescope or two telescopes side by side using its dualdovetail slots. When the mount is carrying two telescopes, they can be positioned parallel to each other or offset in altitude to point to different parts of the sky. The mount also features a large knurled-aluminum adjustment knob on each axis to allow tension to be optimized for smoothest motion. The heavy-duty tripod is constructed with 1.75-inch steel tripod legs that are height adjustable and braced by a combination spreader bar/accessory tray for rigidity. The SkyView AZ mount weighs 19 pounds, 8 ounces and is currently priced at $399.95 US. For more information, please visit www.telescope.com.
SPECIFICATIONS Weight Rating...........................................25 lbs. Dovetail Bar System......................................Yes Bearing Material .....................Teflon™ Bearings Tripod Material ...........................................Steel Height Range of Mount/Tripod...42.25" - 55.00" Weight - Mount/Tripod .........................19.5 lbs. Weight Fully Assembled .......................19.5 lbs. Additional Accessories...............Accessory Tray Other features ...........................Dual-Altazimuth Warranty ...............................................One Year
The Orion StarShoot Deep Space Monochrome Imager II And 6-inch Newtonian Imaging OTA An imaging combination thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very good news for astrophotographers!
By Dave Snay
As long as I have been practicing astrophotography, I have used either a Schmidt Cassegrain (SCT) or a refractor telescope for data capture and, as far as I can tell, refractors are by far the more popular type of telescope for astrophotography. Until recently, high-quality refractors have been too expensive for many astronomers and, even with the recent wave of reduced cost options, truly affordable refractors are still limited to apertures under 4-inches, usually in the 80- to 90-mm range. The expansive field of view of these wide-field refractors
yields some amazing images, but does not easily allow us to go after those faint fuzzies we all fell in love with at our first dark site experience. To address that issue, Orion Telescopes & Binoculars has paired their StarShoot Deep Space Monochrome Imager II with a 6-inch Newtonian reflector that has been optimized for imaging. The secondary mirror is larger than normal and has been mounted deeper inside the optical tube assembly (OTA), which minimizes external light reflecting onto the secondary and sub-
sequently onto the imaging chip of the camera. This also has the effect of moving the secondary mirror closer to the primary mirror, which the folks at Orion tell me accommodates greater in-travel requirements for cameras. There is also a much heavier dual-speed focuser included with this OTA than on smaller versions. This is extremely important when attaching a camera to avoid flexure-induced misalignment. That heavier focuser turns out to be incredibly important, as the imager is relatively heavy due to the hardware required to support Thermo-ElecAstronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM Image 1
Image 2
Dark Frame without TEC (Higher resolution images are available online)
tric Cooling (TEC). The focuser is also a low profile model, allowing the imager to reach focus more easily. The larger secondary and low-profile focuser combine to help illuminate the imaging chip more fully. This combination should provide the ability to go after fainter objects with exposure times similar to the ones I have been using with smaller scopes to date. The possibility to go after deeper, fainter objects, and the opportunity to address my inexperience with reflectors, combined to make this pair an enticing project that I could not resist.
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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s In the Box? My delivery came in two boxes, one for the telescope and one for the camera. The telescope arrived very well packaged. It was double boxed with custom-cut foam supports on each end and the middle of the OTA. Even the focuser is supported by additional formed foam to ensure safe travel. There is little chance of damage in this packaging. Included in this box are the collimation cap (a rudimentary Cheshire), tools for collimation, as well as instructions for collimation and use of the telescope. The second box contained the StarShoot Deep Space Monochrome Imager
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Dark Frame with TEC (Higher resolution images are av
(SSDSMI), the filter wheel, LRGB filters, Ha/SII/OIII narrow band filters and some additional accessories. I should note that these packages are part of an order for much more than these two items, so my packaging may not be typical. Your packages may have somewhat different contents, but the packaging will be completely safe. Each item is securely packed with specifically designed protection and then those boxes were packed up in larger boxes leaving very little room for shifting, and that room was then filled with those large air-filled bubbles weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to expect in better packaging. It looked like a great big puzzle, with each part assigned its own spot in the box. Any variance from that design would require a different box. Whoever is responsible for packaging at Orion should be commended as they took great care to package each item carefully and safely. Both the telescope and camera look and feel well made. The OTA has a dark grey finish that is clean and uniform. The interior of the OTA is painted flat black and does a very nice job of eliminating reflections. Looking into the tube and seeing nothing between the primary mirror and me is a lit-
ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM Image 3
ges are available online)
tle unsettling (remember, my previous experience has primarily been with SCTs and refractors). I still have visions of dropping something down the tube onto that pristine reflection, even after several months of use. The OTA is far lighter than I thought it would be. It certainly looks like it should be heavier. The tube is constructed of steel, but it is thin enough that the entire assembly weighs only 10 pounds. By comparison, the 80-mm refractor I typically use weighs almost two-thirds as much while collecting less than one-third the light! Additionally, that refractor cost nearly twice the price of Orion’s 6-inch reflector. This telescope has
Difference Between Two Successive Dark Frames (Higher resolution images are available online)
the potential to be a real sleeper in the astrophotography arena. As expected, the journey from Orion’s headquarters to my home was not kind to the collimation. Having never dealt with that on anything other than an SCT, I had some learning to do. Fortunately, I ran into Allan Keller of Farpoint Research while at NEAF and he educated me on the best way to accomplish this. Using one of Farpoint’s Laser/Cheshire combinations, I was able to get everything lined up in short order. Since then, collimation has held up pretty well, requiring only modest adjustment of the primary mirror from time to time.
Software Installation Installation of the software was quick and easy. The first package I installed was Maxim DL Essentials, which is used for both data capture and image processing functions. The software installed easily and cleanly with simple directions provided by the installation wizard. If you leave the software disk in the drive when you connect the camera and start Maxim DL Essentials, the drivers for the camera are automatically installed for you. After that, the disk is no longer necessary. I have used this software for several months now and have never had the
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM that installation of the software for that tool went well. It was not quite as automatic as the Maxim DL software (more on this in another article). However, once I completed the installation it has not required any attention.
Image 4
dreaded “New Hardware Found” popup that plagues many other products, both astronomical and non-astronomical, when running Windows. I don’t know why that is so prevalent, but I am very pleased that the engineers at Orion have made sure it does not occur with their software. As a retired
software engineer, I cannot tell you how frustrated I get when I encounter less then excellent software. Congratulations to the Orion engineers on a job well done. I am also using Orion’s Auto-guider for this project. While I will not be including much about it in this article, I will mention
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First Light/Dark While I awaited clear skies, I took the opportunity to do some comparison of dark frames with the TEC enabled versus TEC disabled. I performed the following test on a night when the ambient temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity was approximately 50 percent. Image 1 is a 4-minute exposure with the TEC disabled. It looks remarkably like one from one of my imagers which uses the same chip with no cooling. Notice all the hot spots in the image. If there were no heat in the chip, this image would be completely black. Image 2 is taken with the same camera on the same night using the same exposure duration. However, this time TEC is enabled and has been allowed to cool the camera for four minutes. Notice how much less noise there is in this image. TEC is doing a nice job of eliminating the noise from the data. I immediately took another 4-minute dark frame. I imported both images with TEC to Photoshop and subtracted the second one from the first to measure the difference between them and evaluate the time required for TEC to cool the camera to a steady state. The results, shown in Image 3, show virtually no difference between the two images other than a few random stray hot pixels which could be cosmic ray hits. Happily, clear skies came soon and I was able to start learning about this new imaging platform. My first few nights were spent using the reflector visually so that I could learn the ins and outs of equatorial mount alignment and operation without the added distraction of actually trying to photograph something. The documentation provided with the mount is good enough that it takes only a few minutes to understand how to setup and start enjoying the
ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM Image 5
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views. And what views they are! I am very impressed with the visual images provided by this “little” scope from my light polluted skies. The moon is stunning. I have never seen birds’ shadows cross the moon as clearly as through this scope. I know it’s not supposed to be about the birds, but their clarity had me raving to friends as I have not done in some time. Detail in Saturn’s rings was easily recognized. Considering how close they are to edge-on position, I was pleased to see how easily they are distinguished. Star clusters are sprinkles of gems against nice smooth, dark backgrounds. The Orion nebula (I couldn’t resist using that object in this article) is more dramatic than in my 8-inch SCT where the background has that tell-tale look of electricity flowing throughout. This telescope comes with Orion’s heavy-duty dual-speed Crayford style focuser. Prior to this project, I had always used a single speed focuser. Man was I living in the dark ages! This focuser makes achieving critical focus very simple. The primary ad-
justment knobs are a bit stiff, but once you get close to focus using them and switch to the reduced speed knobs, the world changes. They are very smooth and easy to turn. Stars come to focus in seconds and the focuser never moved after that. The optimizations which enable the full illumination of the imaging chip do increase the tendency for the image to black out on you if you are not perfectly centered over the eyepiece. This is because it is easier to misalign your eye with the large exit pupil of which the system is easily capable. However, I adapted to that quickly and had no trouble keeping the image in view as long as I liked. This effect is much less prevalent with higher powered eye pieces. If this is the view I get with my eye, I can’t wait to see what the images will look like through the camera! Now it is time to get going with the imaging setup. I mounted an Orion 80-mm short-tube refractor on top of the Newtonian to use as a guide scope. I aligned the two scopes optically using distant objects during
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ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM Image 6
the day and mounted a Rigel Quickfinder on top of the guide scope. Next, I had to put the camera together. This amounts to opening up the filter wheel and installing the filters and then attaching the wheel to the camera. The wheel housing disassembles easily with the included Allen wrench to reveal the removable wheel. The openings in the wheel are numbered with a matching number that aligns with the access point you use to rotate the wheel as shown in Image 4. So, if you install the Luminance filter in opening number “1,” you simply spin the wheel until the numeral “1” shows in the ac-
cess point for your thumb and you’ve got the Luminance filter positioned in front of the chip. Using the filter wheel in the dark is pretty straightforward. You simply shine a little light on the wheel so you can find it and then rotate it to the next number. You will need to refocus a little bit, as these filters are nearly, but not quite parfocal. My experience was that the Luminance and Red filters focused at the same point, while the Green filter focused at a point just slightly inward from there and Blue is slightly more inward from there. This could be the result
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of incomplete seating of the filters in the wheel, but when I tried my other filters, which are known to be parfocal, I did not have to change focus between filters. When night came, I fine tuned the alignment of the two telescopes as well as the finder and went in search of my first target. While this article is not about the mount, I have to mention that the Sirius EQ-G is amazingly accurate after a rough polar alignment followed by a careful two star alignment. Each object was nearly dead center of my 20-mm eyepiece, requiring only small adjustments to center it in the view of the camera. My first target was Messier 53, a globular cluster in Coma Berenices. Image 5 shows the results of only 160 minutes of exposure, with 40 minutes each of luminance, red, green, and blue data using 2-minute sub-exposures. The first thing to notice is the nice round stars through most of the image. I expected to encounter a fair amount of coma with a relatively fast Newtonian such as this one. However, it certainly appears to me that the engineers at Orion have done a nice job of controlling the most common optical issue with reflecting telescopes. There is some evidence of coma as you get closer to the edge of the image, but certainly nothing like I expected to find. After aligning and combining each data set in Maxim DL Essentials, processing of the data consisted of only the following steps. 1. Import each data set to Photoshop via FITS Liberator. 2. RGB Merge Red, Green and Blue files. 3. Several iterations of Levels and Curves adjustments. 4. Hue/Saturation adjusted to bring out star colors. 5. Add Luminance data to enhance details. 6. Slight High Pass Sharpening applied. M53 is only one of several star clusters I photographed for this project. They all turned out equally smooth and clean, so I won’t bore you with copies of all of them here.
ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM After proving the camera’s capability on clusters, I decided to move on to a rather difficult galaxy, M101. It is easy enough to find the galaxy and collect data. While M101 overall comes in at a relatively bright Magnitude 7.9, that brightness is spread over a rather large area, making it much more difficult to photograph. Here again I was limited in the amount of time I could spend collecting data by the ever-fickle Spring weather in New England. It took me two weeks to collect the two hours of data I used to produce the version shown in Image 6. I was very pleased with the data produced by the StarShoot Imager for this target and was able to produce the final image with far less processing than I had expected. The noise reduction provided by the camera’s TEC really made a huge difference in the ability to tease out details without the background turning to something resembling beach sand. Based on my comments regarding the visual performance of the Newtonian, I am convinced the quality of the optics played a significant role in the data integrity as well. For a taste of what this rig can accomplish on smaller nebulas, I thought I would try M57. Image 7 shows the result of 2.5 hours of imaging. It is based on 60 minutes of luminance and 30 minutes each of red, green and blue data. All exposures are one minute long and then processed as described above. If you live in a location similar to mine, you know all about light pollution and how it limits your ability to use long exposures. I would really like to have been able to use exposures at least double what I used on the M101 image, but the noise and extraneous light in the background introduced by the brightness of the sky at my location is unacceptable. This is where narrowband filters can be of great assistance. Narrowband filters allow only a narrow portion of the light spectrum to pass, hence the name. They permit the capture of incredible detail even in areas where light pollution is intrusive and otherwise detrimental to satisfactory results. The filters can also allow photography dur-
Image 7
ing those periods when the moon would normally wash out all detail. In addition to fighting light pollution, narrow band filters also reveal detail not shown by traditional
LRGB techniques. Narrowband filters come in various wavelengths, but the three most popular are Hydrogen-alpha (Ha), Oxygen III (OIII)
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ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM when compared to the OSH version. There is no “right” way to combine narrow band data. For example: I prefer Image 9, while some of my family members prefer Image 8.
Image 8
and Sulfur (SII), which center on 656.3-nm, 500.1-nm, and 627.4-nm wavelengths respectively. These wavelengths are particularly useful on emission nebula such as M27 as shown in Images 8 and 9. Narrowband filters from various vendors have a band pass between 3 nm and 13 nm. Narrower band pass translates to less light and longer exposure requirements. Orion’s versions of these filters have a band pass of 7 nm, putting them roughly in the middle. This seems to be a nice position, as they do not increase exposures beyond reasonable expectations of typical mounts. Narrow band imaging provides many
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opportunities for astro-photographers to express their artistic preferences, because these filters will not produce typical RGB colors. Each of the data sets can be combined in any order you choose to emphasize the data from a particular wavelength. Image 8 shows the result of merging OIII, SII and Ha as Red, Green and Blue respectively. I call it OSH as RGB. Image 9 shows the result of merging Ha, OIII and SII as RGB (HOS as RGB). Not only does it produce a completely different color scheme, but it also emphasized the fainter portions of the nebula. There are also a few more stars visible in the HOS version
Maxim DL Essentials Maxim DL Essentials does a very nice job of controlling the imaging camera during image capture. Controls are easy to understand and the documentation provided by Orion does a very nice job of thoroughly describing the process of capturing data. Image 10 shows a screen shot of a single exposure of a globular cluster. All controls required for the current task are present on one screen (no menu hunting required) and are easy to understand. The pull down menu in the Camera Control window can be set to Single, Autosave or Focus with appropriate options becoming available within that window as necessary. The Screen Stretch window presents the histogram of the current exposure with various options for setting the black and white point levels available in the pull down menu seen set to Manual in this shot. I prefer the Manual setting to the other options, but that is purely personal and has no effect on the data saved. It only effects how the image is presented on the screen during capture. One thing I would like to see is some way to identify which camera the software is controlling. In the Camera Control window, there are two radio buttons which tell you which of two cameras the information references. However, it uses “Cam1” and “Cam2”
ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM for camera names. It would be far less confusing if it gave you some indication of the specific device being controlled by the current screen settings. I used Orion’s StarShoot Autoguider and Stark Lab’s PHD software that accompanies it for guide control. PHD provides accurate names for you to choose the camera to control, so it should be possible for Maxim DL Essentials to do the same. Maxim DL Essentials is intended to perform both data capture and image processing tasks. I feel it is a very good product for data capture. Maxim DL Essentials also does a very good job of pre-processing tasks such as dark frame calibration as well as aligning/combining all those exposures for each data set. (By the time this article goes to publication, flat frame calibration will have been added to Maxim DL Essentials’ feature list.) After that, I think one of the many other options available for image processing is a better choice. You can certainly create a color image using Maxim DL Essentials, but the ability to pull out the details is reduced by the fact that this is not the most fully functional version of that software series. I was also unable to find a way to objectively evaluate each of the exposures when deciding which of them to use in the final image without opening every image and recording the FWHM value for each file. It would be very helpful to be able to open all the exposures of a data set and have the software produce a report or graph of the values of all images. Conclusions: After using the Orion SSDSMI II and 6inch Newtonian for several months, I think I can safely say I am qualified to express an educated opinion regarding the performance of both products. The camera and filter wheel definitely lived up to my expectations. The image scale and chip sensitivity are exactly as I anticipated. I own at least one other imager which uses the same chip and compared the results of both imagers through the same telescope and found them to produce very similar size images. The images were also nearly
Image 9
Image 10
identical in brightness and detail at equal exposures. However, that is where the similarity ends. The Orion SSDSMI II produces far superior images thanks to the Thermo-Electric Cooling. The StarShoot occasionally produces dark streaks to the right of bright stars, which I’ve seen referred to as “Van Gogh Ears,” and some very bright stars can bloat a little bit on long exposures. However, these are easily dealt
with during post processing. The extra hardware required for the cooling function makes the camera quite a bit heavier than I expected, so be sure to consider that when choosing your next camera. Your focuser needs to be strong enough to handle the load. When I read the manual for the camera, (can you believe I actually read the manual before using something?) I was surAstronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM prised to see that I need to have a supply of D-cell batteries to power the TEC. I thought that would be cumbersome, but one set of two batteries typically lasted well over 10 hours. The filter wheel functions as you would expect. Installing filters is simple and intuitive, two aspects I greatly appreciate in any product. There is potential for extraneous light to enter the side of the filter wheel where you rotate the wheel with your thumb. However, that is easily remedied by simply draping a cloth over the wheel if there is an uncontrolled light source nearby. Of course, you could just get rid of that light source instead. The Newtonian has been fun to use and produces views that are significantly brighter than my 80-mm apochromatic refractor. The imaging chip in this configuration is illuminated evenly by this telescope. I verified this by taking short exposures of the evening sky and then measuring the values across the field. There is no significant difference from one
38 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
corner to another. There is a small amount of coma near the edge of the field, but that is expected in an f/5 reflector. This telescope is completely capable of carrying the load of the Orion ShortTube 80T Refractor I have been using as the guide scope. I see no reason why it cannot carry something heavier without any trouble. The only issues I found with the telescope center around the focuser. The collet style 1.25-inch adapter that accompanies the focuser does not hold the heavy camera as solidly as I would like. When I was photographing M13, the collet shifted just a small amount as the image passed through zenith. Upon inspection, I was able to wiggle the camera ever so slightly in the focuser. Also, the focuser was not able to lift the camera if forced to carry it directly on top of the tube. This is easily remedied by rotating the tube within the rings so that the focuser is facing to the side. There are adjustment screws on the flat side of the focuser. One in the center will adjust the tension on the drawtube. A very slight tightening
ORION ASTRO IMAGING SYSTEM of this screw lets the focuser lift the camera assembly with no trouble. It also reduced the wiggle within the drawtube. There are two more screws in the 10- and 12-o’clock positions that further reduce the movement within the drawtube. With these two adjustments, the setup works very nicely to hold everything in place for the duration of the imaging session. One of the nicest aspects of this SSDSMI/Newtonian combination is the reduction in the processing required to produce nice images. The background tends to be very smooth. Combine the smooth backgrounds with the increased signal to noise ratio provided by the cooling and you have much cleaner data, enabling you to focus your energy on pulling out the faint details rather than eliminating unwanted noise and clutter. I have always been impressed with the optics of Orion telescopes at star parties. I was simply unaware they had entered the imaging arena with the conviction demonstrated by the StarShoot Deep Space Imager family. At just $899.95 for the camera, filter wheel and LRGB filters, the SSDSMI provides an exceptional value for both entry and mid-level astrophotographers. As I complete this article, Orion has announced the third generation of the StarShoot Deep Space imagers. From the description on their web site, www.telescope.com, it looks like Orion has now set their sights on advanced astrophotographers, and that can only mean good things for all of us.
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CONFESSIONS OF A MAK-NEWT FAN A Tribute to a Unique Telescope Design that Really Does It All! By Jeff Blazey
There it is again, a fairly extended silence followed by “Hmm,” and moments later a step back from the eyepiece and a careful examination of the scope with the beam of a red flash running up and down the tube. Then the usual question: “Wow, that’s nice, what scope is this?” I give the usual answer, “It’s an Intes MN66.” Without fail, that’s the kind of reaction I get when people have their first look thru one of my Intes Micro MaksutovNewtonians (Mak-Newt or MN). With such almost universal reaction to the image quality of these scopes, why aren’t they more popular? Well, I don’t know. But what I do know is that these Intes Micro Mak-Newts remind me very much of quality refractors – Apos in particular. I’ve been around this hobby for 40 years and even had a small part-time business at one point, buying, selling and trading scopes. I’ve owned and used more telescopes than you can shake a Barlow at and can, by now, immediately tell a good set of optics. What I’ve discovered along the way
is that really good scopes all seem to share certain key characteristics and the MakNewts are no exception. First, there’s no ambiguity to focus, just an abruptness or “snap” at focus which is unmistakable. I have never experienced this before with a scope (reflector or refractor) of such a short focal ratio (f/6) and over such a good chunk of the field of view. If you’ve spent some time at the eyepiece of a big, fast Dob, you know exactly what I mean. The next trait involves just how sharp that well-focused image is. To me, what differentiates excellent instruments from the merely good is this characteristic of image sharpness, and the Mak-Newts I’ve used produce that sharpness of detail – an etched, almost chiseled image quality that I’ve come to expect from a highquality refractor. Moon and planetary images are “hard” and sharp with very solid boundaries against the blackness of space. They will readily reveal differences in eyepieces that lesser scopes will, well, quite
literally, smudge over. Thus, the Tele Vue Plossls and University Optics orthos work especially well with these scopes. I’ve also noted that these scopes are very “friendly” to my older Plossl, Konig and Erfle eyepieces in the 20- to 40-mm range (my 28-mm RKE is particularly enjoyable in the Mak-Newts), despite their faster f/6 stop. I notice considerably less image distortion towards the edges of the field than I do when using those eyepieces with a typical f/6 Newtonian. For example, using my 30+ year old 2-inch 40-mm Brandon “boat anchor” Erfle in an uncorrected f/6 Newtonian would just about make you sea sick. The outer twothirds of the 70 degree apparent field is a whirlpool of elongated stars. With the Mak-Newt, however, only about the outer third of the field starts to suffer. This gives me a noticeably wider working field of view, again reminding me very much of a well made refractor. Finally, one characteristic surprised me and it was something that these scopes do not do – there is little obvious vignetting of Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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CONFESSIONS OF A MAK-NEWT FAN the light cone in these long focal-length refractors truly strut their stuff over the wide-field eyepieces. The secondary mirIntes-Micro MN66. The Apos are a bit rors in Mak-Newts are relatively small brighter, with a smidge better contrast and given their fast f/6 design (typically around greater capacity to absorb really high mag20 percent on the diameter), and the nifications, but I gotta tell yah, after a scopes usually have a fair amount of back minute’s use, I’ve forgotten those differfocus. In a traditional Newtonian, that ences and am totally involved in the views small secondary produced by and long back the Makfocus would Newts. Like combine to progood Apos, duce an illumiMak-Newts do nated field of nothing wrong, very small diamnor anything eter and signifithat actively cant vignetting interferes with in eyepieces the viewing with large field experience. stop diameters. Quite the Looking into opposite really the optical path – when using of the Makthem, I’ve no Newt sans eyedesire or urge to piece you’ll rush back to the indeed notice The Intes-Micro MN66/Losmandy G-8 Combination Apo. I just sit that there’s a relatively small fully-illumithere and enjoy the views (and yes, you can nated field and would therefore expect to observe with the smaller ones while seated notice some dimming of the outer edges in comfortably). The Mak-Newts don’t leave a wide-field eyepiece, and yes, it is there, me feeling like I’m missing out on anybut not nearly to the extent I would have thing. expected. I have to actively look for it, a Like any telescope design though, they telling testament to the effectiveness of the do have their own unique quirks and pracunique Mak-Newt design. tical considerations. The collimation proIt’s only in direct, side-by-side comparcedures and tools required to carry them isons, under very steady skies and at very out are basically the same as for any high magnifications, that my two (yes, I Newtonian, with adjustments available for have two) Astro-Physics 152 Starfire Apo both the primary and secondary. One
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
CONFESSIONS OF A MAK-NEWT FAN wrinkle is that you can’t, as in a Newtonians. I can still get a sharp image Newtonian, rotate the secondary holder by with small amounts of miscollimation. reaching in through the front of the tube, Even when collimation is slightly off, in because the meniscus is in the way. Instead, and out of focus stellar images are still you have to use your finger tips to rotate a round, exhibiting only a slight mis-centerknurled ring on the front of the secondary ing of the airy disk inside the first diffracholder. There’s not a lot of space between tion ring – with an f/6 Newtonian, coma your finger tips and creeps in much the meniscus, so it’s more quickly under easy to get finger the same condiprints on its coated tions. surface. Just be Cool down careful. time is not an issue Also, these for me, even in the Mak-Newts are extremes of winter. equipped with bafIn fact, my Makfling under the secNewts cool faster ondary and it is so than my Apos. effective it can be That’s because the difficult to see the meniscus and secoutline of the secondary have no ondary against the “power” associated internal diameter with them; the mirof your sight tube. rors are spherical I guess we should and thin, the tubes all have such probare aluminum with lems! However, the effective ventilacollimation adjusttion, and the bafments and locking fling acts as heat The Intes-Micro MN86 mounted features are straight sinks. All good on a Losmandy G-11 forward and effecstuff! I just point tive so that, once dialed in, it takes a pretty the scope down and open the back plate to good jolt to knock anything out of alignallow the warmer interior air to escape. The ment. only thermal issues I’ve experienced have Interestingly, I’ve also found these been thermal plumes coming off of the secscopes to be considerably less “fussy” and ondary and then only when I’ve done more tolerant of collimation error than f/6 something dumb like leave it exposed to
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CONFESSIONS OF A MAK-NEWT FAN
The Compact and Portable Intes-Micro MN55/Vixen GP Combination
direct sunlight. The scopes’ weights are completely reasonable for each of their aperture sizes and there are dovetail options a-plenty for any mount. I imagine they would also work very well in a Dobsonain configuration, although I’ve never tried that myself.
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
There has been a lot of carping about the quality of the stock finders and, especially, the focusers. I find both to be completely “serviceable.” But, if you want to upgrade, there’s no shortage of either. I can personally recommend the Starlight Instruments Feather Touch replacement focusers. One last high-performance scope trait I failed to list earlier is that I find Intes-Micro Mak-Newts terribly difficult to part with. I still own three of them (MN55, MN66 and MN86) and only parted with a MN56 because a friend really wanted it. I know of several former MN76 owners who now completely regret selling them. They’re just really nice packages. The
f/6 focal ratio is perfect for most applications; it allows use of 40-mm wide-field eyepieces for really low-power work, or high-power viewing using a Barlow, without having to resort to a peephole 4- or 5-mm eyepiece. I specifically purchased a MN55 to fit on my Vixen GP or Meade LXD75 mounts for portability. Low-power deep-sky views are its forte, but the high power views compare well to my old A-P 130-mm f/6 Apo (the one with the “NASA glass”) and that’s really saying something! The MN86 fits extremely well on my Losmandy G-11 mount and the rotating rings (standard on the MN76 and larger) allow easy access to the eyepiece no matter where the scope is pointed. Despite the MN86 being a bit of a beast weight wise (~45 pounds), the MN86/G-11 combo demonstrates excellent damping times – a poke on the side of the tube causes nothing more than a one-cycle, out-and-back motion, with no “ringing” of
CONFESSIONS OF A MAK-NEWT FAN the image. This scope does it all by providing stunning high-power views of the Moon and planets, while also providing enough aperture to do some serious deep-sky damage. M42 and M13 are exceptional through the MN86. The MN66 was, if the truth be known, an impulse buy as it looked so cool with Parallax rotating rings. But, it’s turned out to be my favorite Mak-Newt for public gatherings and is mounted on a Losmandy G-8 mount. In closing, as the title says, I’m a Mak-Newt fan. They provide a fat slice of the performance you get from a good Apo (exceptional, stable image quality) and the simple layout of a Newtonian, without the disadvantages of tube currents, diffractions spikes and coma). I consider these scopes to be a tremendous value, even at full list price. The MN76 is a particularly compelling package with its large-aperture, sharp optics and reasonable weight and length. Recommended? No…HIGHLY recommended!
This close-up of the meniscus of the MN demonstrates both the relatively small diameter of the central obstruction formed by the secondary and the effectiveness of the meniscus coatings. Note also the internal baffles of the optical tube.
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William Optics 28mm UWAN Ultra-wide angle perfection! By Erik Wilcox
William Optics has been offering well made, competitively priced achromatic and apochromatic refractors and accessories for years. So, it wasn’t much of a shock when they began selling eyepieces with a high performance to price ratio as well. The popular 72 degree SWAN line is a perfect example of a good performing eyepiece at a low price. But the William Optics UWAN series attempts to set the bar higher; offering a full 82-degree apparent field of view (AFOV) and advertised to work well even in telescopes faster than f/5. Based on reviews I’d read online, as well as a few quick looks through the UWANs, I decided to purchase the 28mm version. Upon receiving the eyepiece, I was thoroughly impressed with its sleek look and fine build quality. Like other premium eyepieces, it comes in a nice, custom box with a pre-cut foam interior; no cheap bolt cases here. The eyepiece itself has a look that’s part-modern, part-clas-
sic. The body and barrel are a glossy black and instead of the more conventional safety undercut, the top of the barrel is tapered, which works very well, without the usual problem of compression rings “grabbing” the eyepiece when attempting to remove it from the focuser. Two thick,
rubber grips give the eyepiece a nice feel and a smooth, twist-up eyeguard positions the eye nicely. Even the lens caps have a classy look, with the William Optics logo prominently displayed. The logo and
writing on the barrel is large, bright, and easy to see in the dark. Not that the physically large 28-mm UWAN is going to be confused with other eyepieces very often! However, while it is large in size, it’s smaller and lighter in weight than some of its closest competitors, tipping the scales at just over 2 lbs. The coatings have a subtle purplish-greenish hue and the glass is fully multicoated. The field stop is advertised as being 43.5 mm and that compared to my measurements. The eyepiece uses a 6-lens design, arranged in four groups. The field lens is placed near the bottom of the barrel, but with enough room left over to fully thread on a 2inch filter. There’s a lot of glass in this eyepiece! Eye relief is listed at a comfortable 18 mm and there are no internal reflections. The 28-mm UWAN is advertised as being parfocal with the others in the UWAN line. During daylight, I had the opportunity to compare the 28-mm UWAN with Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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WILLIAM OPTICS 28MM UWAN
The 28-mm UWAN With Standard Eyeguard Fully Retracted.
several other brands of premium 2-inch, 82-degree eyepieces of focal lengths within a few millimeters of that of the featured eyepiece. The UWAN demonstrated less pincushion distortion than two of the others, while showing equally good definition at the edge of the field.
The 28-mm UWAN With Standard Eyeguard Fully Extended.
Two of the comparison eyepieces showed a softer edge of field than the UWAN, albeit with a touch less pincushion distortion in one of them. All the eyepieces showed a bit of false color at the field stop, which I’ve found to be typical in widefield eyepieces. The advertised AFOV of
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82 degrees in the UWAN is about right, as it was comparable to three of the others, and slightly wider than the fourth. Of course, daylight comparisons don’t necessarily translate into good performance at night. Under the stars, I was able to compare it to a couple of the eyepieces that I used for my daylight test, as well as with my inexpensive 30-mm “Widescan” knockoff. Of course, it goes without saying that the 28-mm UWAN blew the 30-mm clone away in terms of edge performance. However, since I’ve been using the 30-mm clone for awhile and am comfortable with it, I wanted to get an idea of how the UWAN would feel in comparison. I also wanted to do a side-by-side comparison of AFOV, true field of view (TFOV), and magnification. At f/4.5 with a Paracorr (netting f/5.1) in my 16-inch Dob, there was no vignetting with the UWAN that I could see. The Widescan knockoff shows it pretty obviously, mostly due to the wider (actually, non-existent) field stop. Light throughput was exceptional in the UWAN and contrast was noticeably better than with the more inexpensive glass. At dark skies in Mount Pinos, California, we compared the UWAN to two other high-end 2-inch eyepieces with focal
WILLIAM OPTICS 28MM UWAN lengths close to that of the UWAN and the UWAN again showed less pincushion distortion, with comparable edge performance and contrast. I would add, however, that a friend mentioned that he could see a touch of field curvature at the extreme edge through the UWAN. I was never able to see it, so I believe my eyes are able to accommodate for it. My observing friend did concede that the field curvature he detected was only visible with a good deal of effort and when looking specifically for it. This could also be due to the telescope, of course. None of us saw any field curvature in the UWAN through the other scopes (80mm f/7 refractor, 8- SCT, 100-mm f/6 achro, etc). Subtle details were obvious through the UWAN and we were able to glimpse the bridge in M51 through my 16-inch Dob, despite the mediocre transparency that night. Open and globular clusters were beautiful pinpoints, and even a tiny Jupiter showed a good amount of detail, with no glare or reflections, de-
spite its brightness. Under my poor magnitude-4 skies in the San Francisco Bay Area, I quickly appreciated the slightly higher magnification the UWAN offered compared to the 30mm clone. It doesn’t sound like much, but in bright skies where the eyes can never fully dark adapt, exit pupil becomes a strong consideration. In my big Dob, the 5.49-mm exit pupil produced by the 28UWAN was noticeably brighter and less washed out than the views through the 30-mm, which provided a larger exit pupil of 5.88 mm. For this reason, the 28-mm UWAN seems tailor made for big Dob owners who have a scope faster than f/5. Because of the higher magnification, the UWAN shows slightly less TFOV, but the difference is so small that it’s a trade I’d make every time. I tried the UWAN briefly without the Paracorr, but coma from my fast f/4.5 mirror overwhelmed the views near the edge, which, of course, is not the fault of the eyepiece. I was still not able to see any
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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WILLIAM OPTICS 28MM UWAN
The 28-mm UWAN With Replacement Eyeguard.
Close-up of Replacement Eyeguard.
field curvature without the Paracorr. While my eyes are able to adapt for any field curvature that the UWAN may show in some scopes, I can see obvious field curvature in many other eyepieces, so it’s apparent that the UWAN shows a very small amount, if any. Additionally, no astigmatism or other edge aberrations are apparent. With a Paracorr-equipped Newtonian, or in refractors or SCT’s, the UWAN is razor sharp right to the field stop. One thing that has been mentioned in some of the reviews I’ve read on the 28mm UWAN is its unusual eyeguard. Having become used to the standard soft style
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of rubber eyeguards that other manufacturers use, the UWAN eyeguard is a bit of an acquired taste. Some have mentioned that the large flat top of the UWAN makes it difficult to take in the entire field of view, or necessitates placing the face at an angle, but I didn’t have those issues at all. In dark skies, I got used to it fairly easily, and it’s really just a different feel, not necessarily an inferior feel. The twist up function helps (and it stays in the position it was twisted to) and taking in the entire field of view without any kidney beaning or image black out is easy. However, in areas with ambient light pollution, I found that I preferred the more common eyeguards for blocking stray light. For me, these also provide a more immersive feel by physically placing the eye against the rubber and preventing potential distraction of outside surroundings. I found an easy, inexpensive solution after being allowed to sift through the used lens cap drawer at Scope City. Eyeguards originally designed for the 2-inch Celestron Axiom fit perfectly. Installing it is easy – the William Optics eyeguard peels right off to expose the metal top of the body. The new eyeguard does place the eye a bit further away from the glass (which is necessary), so eyeglass wearers may not be able to take in the whole field of view. I suspect that may be why William Optics opted to go with the “flat” design and, as I mentioned, the stock eyeguard works very well in most situations. As I’ve used this eyepiece over the last few weeks, I’ve become a big fan of the 28-mm UWAN. At only $398, it’s a tremendous value for those who want an ultra-wide angle, long focal-length eyepiece with excellent edge correction. The fit and finish are first rate and the contrast and edge correction are as good as anything I’ve tried. I’d highly recommend the 28-mm UWAN and I’m looking forward to using the other UWANs more extensively, as well as other future offerings from William Optics.
The Catsperch Summit Observing Chair Extreme Challenges Call for Extreme Tools!
By Gary Parkerson
The Trouble with Ladders Let’s face it: our individual quests for the perfect view or image lead us to do some fairly illogical, even foolish things. Witness the cover of the June 2008 issue of ATT that featured a 48-inch Dobsonian – 2.5 tons of finely engineered and crafted steel, aluminum and exotic glass, with but one purpose: to deliver optimum images of deep sky objects to a sensor no more exotic than the human eye. Logic has nothing to do with it and I envy Jimi Lowrey, its owner, the blessedly illogical nightly experience of viewing through his remarkable scope! But, that cover image also captures Jimi standing on the ninth and tenth rungs of a too-tall, three-legged ladder – a position that places him at eyepiece height only when the scope oriented well below zenith. It tells us that he must climb much higher still when the scope is
pointed nearer zenith. Now, imagine that you’re attempting to balance on the thirteenth rung of that ladder…and higher…in total darkness… while sleep deprived…oblivious to anything more dangerous than the wispy details of some ethereal target centered in the eyepiece. Throw in a thin coating of dew or frost and you’ve the makings of disaster – OSHA would require a safety harness and more if it caught an employer paying you to do it! Well, most of us don’t have to imagine it! Any given night will find more than one of us doing the ladder hug – shins and knees pressed against lower rungs in an effort to keep both hands free to tweak focus, adjust an eyepatch, or simply scratch a nagging itch. While I don’t aspire to own a Dob in
the same class as Jimi’s (it’s so much nicer to let friends make such investments), I’ve still had my share of too-tall telescopes and therefore own a smaller version of Jimi’s three-legged orchard ladder (a mere 10-foot model). I currently use it to reach the eyepiece of a 12.5-inch f/7.1 Newt that is specialized for lunar and planetary viewing and rides on a massive German Equatorial mount. Although its rotating tube generally allows for surprisingly modest eyepiece height at most orientations, when it’s pointed at zenith the eyepiece is still more than 8 feet above Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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THE CATSPERCH SUMMIT OBSERVING CHAIR
The Basic Summit Components.
ground. Fortunately, the moon and planets are rarely closer than 25 degrees to zenith at my latitude. Nevertheless, using the scope has, heretofore, meant climbing a ladder and extended study of lunar and planetary detail meant balancing very uncomfortably on that ladder while trying to keep my head perfectly still. My shins and knees are rarely without scrapes and bruises.
Sit Down! The larger problem with ladders though is this: you can’t sit on them! I’m seated as I type these words, I’m seated when I read my favorite astronomy magazines – in fact, I’m generally seated whenever I do anything that requires focused concentration. So why would I choose to stand when trying to study the fine detail that a truly excellent planetary scope can re-
veal? Because I didn’t know I had an option – that’s why. So, when I first learned of the Catsperch Summit Observing Chair in the New Product section of the April 2008 issue of this magazine, I called Jim Fly of Catseye Collimation and asked that he send one for evaluation and report in ATT. Catseye Collimation’s observing chairs, tool boxes and field cases are crafted by Ron Burrows of Wood Wonders and the Summit Observing Chair earns its name by being specifically designed to accommodate seated viewing through very tall telescopes. If the market offers a taller observing chair, I’m not aware of it. When the chair arrived at our offices, I delivered the unopened box to one of ATT’s contributing writers because we generally prefer that product reports be authored by those who are more independent and qualified than I. The contributing writer’s analytical skills and engineering experience made him uniquely qualified to report the chair’s qualities. Just How Tall Is that Catsperch Summit Observing Chair? Here’s how tall it is: When the contributing writer received the box, he unpacked the chair, set it up in his living room…and immediatly fired an email to me which I’ll paraphrase as, “It’s just too darned tall! There’s no way I’m going to climb it, much less sit on it!” As it turned out, that is the only time I’ve known him to be wrong. Assembly: Step-By-Step (I Counted Two of Them) So, the repackaged Summit chair came back to ATT and I elected to test it myself. The well traveled, but unused chair went together very easily. No assembly instructions accompanied it and none were needed. Assembly consisted of two steps: (1) attach the front cross-member, and (2) attach the seat and footrests. The chair arrived packaged with the
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THE CATSPERCH SUMMIT OBSERVING CHAIR
Available 3-D Carvings.
same care with which it was made – that is to say with an abundance of care! It’s perfectly finished oak surfaces were flawless. Indeed, that may have been its only flaw. Like many astronomy products I’ve collected over the years, the Summit Observing Chair left me with the impression that it was almost too nice to use, knowing that, no matter how careful, I’d eventually scratch, scrape or ding it with regular use. Indeed, I called Jim Fly to prepare him for just that, although he knew better than to share my concern. The fine finish of the chair proved surprisingly durable. The Summit Observing Chair uses the conventional and popular folding A-frame design – only it’s much taller than typical (my daughter has a very large folding artist’s easel of similar design that is scaled to accommodate unusually large canvases and the Summit chair is almost as tall!). The height of the assembled A-frame is 58 inches (almost 5 feet!) and provides variable seat heights from a low 10 inches to a very tall 54 inches, in 2-inch increments (my measurements differ from those posted on the Catseye Collimation website because mine add the height of the optional padded seat cushion). Its three-point footprint measures 33 inches across the front crossmember and 41 inches from the center of that cross-member to the foot of the rear Aframe member or “leg.” The front crossmember attaches to the front A-frame leg
with two carriage bolts and brass thumb nuts, and a wooden brace completes the triangle and locks the A-frame in its open position. When not in use, the chair folds to a very compact, albeit long, package. The fully assembled chair weighs approximately 21 pounds. The View from the Summit and Other Tall Tales If by now you’re thinking that a 54inch seat height really doesn’t sound like it’s all that tall, think again! You simply can’t get the full effect without trying it and yes, it took some getting used to. Try this for scale – the bottom edge of upper kitchen cabinets are typically 54 inches from the floor. The four-drawer filing cabinets in my office are only 52 inches tall (I’ve never climbed the things to sit on them, but they look pretty tall to me when I try to picture
doing it!). Like our first would-be reporter, I initially viewed the assembled Summit Observing Chair with trepidation and had to think for a moment about how I’d actually climb the thing. The Summit is equipped with two footrests to provide the additional step needed to easily scale its maximum height. The procedure I eventually adopted for mounting the seat in the dark is basically this: Place your right hand on the handle hold at the top of the front A-frame member and left hand on the left side of the seat cushion; place your left foot on the left side of the bottom step and step up while turning toward the left, lifting your right hip over the cushion and moving your left hand to the left side of the cushion; then just sit down while placing both feet on the foot pegs of the upper step. The assembled chair is stable enough to allow you to bounce up and down a bit to snuggle your bum into a comfortable position. To dismount, simply reverse this procedure. Wow! No wonder we generally don’t
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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THE CATSPERCH SUMMIT OBSERVING CHAIR
Doug Dolginow Captures the View from the Summit.
bother to read instructions – that sounds needlessly tedious, even as I write it. But, I assure you, it’s only because I’ve taken the time to actually describe, step-by-step, what I did instinctively when mounting the chair. I didn’t actually think about any individual step until it occurred to me that I should describe them! Climbing the chair and seating myself eventually proved as easy in the dark of a star party field as in my living room. But How’s the Ride? My only real concern in anticipation of using the Summit Observing Chair was its overall stability. However, once the cross-member mounting bolts were fully seated and tightened, I noticed no flexure in the system, even when seated at the highest settings and bouncing around while reaching for scope components. The chair’s broad, tripod footprint provided a stable base even on rocky, uneven ground. Frankly, within a few minutes of using the chair, it was easy to forget that I was seated at such an extraordinary height – far easier than forgetting the past scrapes that still decorate my shins or the many times leg cramps screamed loudly enough to interrupt planetary reverie.
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The design essentially eliminates any possibility of slippage of the seat or footrests, yet permits easy, quick adjustment of the height of those components. The highest seat settings that I regularly used were in the 47- to 50-inch range, which allowed me to comfortably reach the eyepiece when it was positioned from 78 to 80 inches from ground. I don’t recall ever actually using the 54 inch setting in the field. On the rare occasion that I needed to reach an eyepiece at greater height, I was most likely to kneel on the seat cushion with my right knee/shin while my left foot rested on the upper step. This raised my eye by a considerable margin, while remaining very comfortable with little weight supported by my feet. The Summit Observing Chair arrived with the optional padded seat cushion and I strongly recommend it. Its design and construction are first rate and it was very, very comfortable. Life’s short – don’t waste a minute of it trying to find comfort on a hard oak platform when you have the option of such deep, rich, finely appointed padding. The cushion attaches quickly and securely to the seat with snaps. I put it on the seat as soon as I saw it and never took it off.
Other Uses I carried the chair to several astronomy events for my own use and to get other’s reactions to it. All but the most adventurous greeted the Summit Observing Chair with bemused disbelief, but all who actually used it at too-tall scopes ended up wanting it. It took no one long to realize that sitting on the height of the chair rather than standing on the height of a ladder made just as much sense as sitting with feet on the ground rather than standing with feet on the ground. It’s simply far easier to concentrate when comfortable and, for most of us, sitting is far more comfortable than standing. I thought earlier to compare the Summit Observing Chair to my daughter’s artist easel because I actually used the chair as a display easel on more than one occasion to hold one of several posters. It made for a far more interesting stand than the one I normally use for presentations, at least to any audiences that would also bother to read this report. In Conclusion I don’t normally list my likes and dislikes when reporting impressions of astroproducts – those should be clear enough from the general discussion. But, the Catsperch Summit Observing Chair is unusual enough in several respects that I’ll do so here. As for what I liked, first, I was very impressed with the quality of the oak used in construction of the chair. I’ve done enough woodworking and sifted through enough stacks of raw lumber to appreciate the select oak that Ron Burrows used in the chair. Grains were straight and fine and there wasn’t the slightest hint of a knot anywhere. All joinery was consistent with what I associate with fine furniture and critical edges were eased to prevent injury with the inevitable collision with knees, elbows and such. The padded seat cushion looked more like something you’d find in a high-end auto restoration than on a field chair. It, like the rest of the chair, boasted of professional de-
THE CATSPERCH SUMMIT OBSERVING CHAIR sign, components and execution. The seat was sufficiently wide and deep to provide comfortable support for the most ample bottoms and, like the two footrests, was very easy to adjust, yet stayed securely where set. Mostly though, I simply liked that the chair was tall enough to eliminate the ladder! As to that, because the defining characteristic of the Summit Observing Chair is its ability to position the user at the eyepiece of some very tall scopes (while seated!), it’s easy to forget that it is just as functional and comfortable at more common heights. Frankly, I used the chair with the seat at 18 to 24 inches far more than at the dramatic heights for which it is specifically designed. I think the few pounds that the Summit’s design adds to the more standard Catsperch chairs is a fair trade for the option of sitting comfortably while viewing through a big Dob, when and if that’s the scope you’re using at the moment. When it is instead your refractor aimed at zenith and sitting comfortably at
its eyepiece requires a seat height of only 12 inches, the Summit will position you there just as competently. As for dislikes, I started to include that the Summit Observing Chair is not cheap, but, after thinking about that a bit further, decided to list that as yet another aspect of the chair that I like. Frankly, when I shopped for a ladder to safely support me in the dark, I did not choose a cheap one. Practical astronomy is one of those activities of which we eventually learn that we’re best served by investing in the highest quality we can afford. The Summit Observing Chair is a specialty tool and, like most of the highly-specialized tools we use to best enjoy astronomy, it is not cheap. That said, I did take the time to calculate the board feet of select oak used in the chair and concluded that I’d be hard pressed to buy the 21 pounds of raw premium components for significantly less. I’m left to assume that its current pricing is only possible because of economies of scale that a hobbyist woodworker cannot
match. So, it appears that there was nothing I disliked about the Summit Observing Chair. Now I can reserve my 10-foot, three-legged ladder for what it was originally designed for: picking fruit from trees. Unless, of course, I can figure out how to pick fruit while comfortably seated! The base price of the assembled, finished Summit Observing Chair is $363 US ($238 for the unassembled, unfinished kit). The cushion adds $76 and one of three attractive 3D astro-graphics is available for $25.
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The Stellafane Donation Scope Project Construction Continues Part 3
By Robert J. Teeter, Jr.
The build process for this very special donation telescope for the Springfield Telescope Makers is continuing in fine fashion. Components for the Stellafane Donation Scope Project (SDS) are still arriving at my shop and the article below will chronicle the remainder of the integration process of the donated components into my 12.5-inch Truss-Dobsonian design. Secondary Support We’ve mentioned the secondary mirror a number of times in previous articles and I should explain how I intend to support this mirror in the upper tube assembly (UTA) of the SDS. Bryan Greer of ProtoStar has donated a 4-vane spider equipped with their integrated 2.60-inch minor-axis secondary mirror holder and “wireless” dew-heater. We chose to pursue a donation from Bryan because I have used his spiders exclusively in my production scopes for a number of years and have always been satisfied with the great build quality, but even more so with the ease of use and the little touches that go above and beyond simply mounting a mirror.
The ProtoStar design uses exceptionally thin spider vanes, 0.018-inch (0.46mm) stainless steel, to reduce the diffraction created by their thickness. Of the spiders I have worked with over the years, ProtoStar’s seem to offer the thinnest available vanes. ProtoStar also offers something else no other spider manufacturer does, which is their “clutch-plate” design. Many scope users, not just scope builders, are familiar with the spider and secondary holder designs that employ a central mounting bolt and two jam-nuts, which need to be loosened and then retightened during collimation. However, when the nuts are tightened there is always the chance that the entire secondary holder and mirror will rotate along that axis, erasing your painstaking collimation work. ProtoStar’s design isolates the rotation of the secondary holder and mirror from the mechanism to lock the mirror in place. Essentially, a clutch plate is located between the central hub of the spider and the back of the secondary holder. The three collimation screws press against this plate to collimate the secondary mirror, but the secondary holder can be rotated
You Can Own This One of a Kind, Special Edition Telescope With All Proceeds Supporting Stellafane! Astronomy Technology Today and Rob
Teeter
present
the
Teeter’s
Telescopes Special Edition Stellafane Donation Scope (SDS). Design and construction of the 12.5-inch f/5 SDS has been featured in this ongoing series of articles. Past articles are available to subscribers at www.astronomytechnologytoday.com.
Stellafane,
home
of
the
Springfield Telescope Makers, will auction the SDS with all proceeds to be applied to Stellafane’s Flanders Pavilion fund. Information on the auction will be available soon on the Stellafane website at www.stellafane.org. We would like to thank the many companies who have donated their products and services in support of this fundraising effort.
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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THE STELLAFANE DONATION SCOPE PROJECT
An Astro Sky Cell Holds the Ostahowski Optics Primary
independently of the three collimation screws and the central bolt – another simple, yet elegant design. ProtoStar goes even further with the “wireless” dew-heater that Bryan has included on the spider for the SDS. Rather than bringing power to the secondary dew-heater via an RCA cable or
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
even flat “doll-house” wire along one of the spider vanes, ProtoStar puts the steel spider vanes to work. As they are isolated from one another at the central hub and can also be isolated at the ends that meet up with the inside of the UTA, ProtoStar is able to use one vane as a positive conductor and another as a negative conductor. The scope builder can then run a wire from each vane to a single electronics connector of their choice. You now have a secondary dew heater that does not add an ounce of diffraction to the image. Finding your Targets With the optical train of the telescope complete, the future owner of the SDS will need to know what they are looking at with such a high quality instrument. When designing this scope, I wanted to
leave no avenue unvisited in terms of finding objects to view. Therefore, the SDS is coming equipped with a 1x Rigel Systems’ QuickFinder, a Stellarvue 50mm Right-Angle Correct-Image (RACI) optical finderscope, and a JMI SuperMax digital setting circle (DSC) computer. The future owner of the SDS will have no excuse for not knowing what to look for and where to look for it! Different observers have different observing preferences and I tend to use a unity-finder, like the QuickFinder, far more than an optical finder. I prefer to get into the general area of an object in the sky and pan around until I find it. Other observers may not like to hunt around and would prefer to get into a closer proximity to the object, where an optical finderscope, such as the Stellarvue unit, would come in very handy to magnify the sky and even resolve the object right there in the finderscope. Still other observers prefer to skip the hunting aspect altogether and go directly for the object, where a DSC computer, like JMI’s SuperMax, is their favorite accessory. Since the SDS is being designed without knowing the future owner’s observing preferences, the decision was made to cover all the bases and to include all routes of finding objects. The Rigel QuickFinder is a breeze to use, much like its counterpart the Telrad, since it projects bulls-eye rings onto the sky, while not magnifying the sky. By leaving both eyes open as you view behind the QuickFinder, your brain will superimpose the bulls-eye ring on a full view of the sky. Simply point and shoot. The relatively svelte QuickFinder offers a decided weight and size advantage over the Telrad and was therefore the logical choice for the SDS scope. The Stellarvue 50-mm optical finderscope comes equipped with a 1.25-inch helical focuser and a 23-mm (50-degree AFOV) cross-hair eyepiece. Such a unit is great for hunting the faint fuzzies as it gives a 9x magnification with the supplied eyepiece (other 1.25-inch eyepieces can be substituted), while yielding a true field
THE STELLAFANE DONATION SCOPE PROJECT of 5.75 degrees. In addition, the fine folks at Rigel Systems will be supplying their cross-hair illuminator, which Stellarvue has designed to mate-up with their crosshair eyepiece. The JMI SuperMax computer offers a database of 29,000 objects with storage capacity for up to 1,100 more userdefined objects. As of this article’s printing, the encoders have not yet been acquired for the SDS, but we are anticipating a donation of 8000-step encoders, which, when combined with the precise orthogonality of the SDS rockerbox, will allow the JMI SuperMax computer to place objects from across the sky in the center of a medium-to-high power widefield eyepiece. Specialty Millwork When I had first created “Teeter’s Telescopes,” I did much of the woodworking myself, including the cutting, routing, sanding, staining and clear-coating. However, there came a time when the number of scopes I was doing at one time simply outstripped the amount of time I had to devote to the business and still get scopes out to the customers in a respectable time frame. I made the decision that I would contract out the rough cutting and routing of the Baltic Birch plywood through a local cabinet shop,
Schematic of the SDS Cabinetry
Specialty Millwork, as described in a previous article. I would still retain the responsibility of fine-sanding, staining
and clear-coating; all processes which I find to be the most gratifying. Going this route not only allowed me
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THE STELLAFANE DONATION SCOPE PROJECT to push more scopes through my shop, but to also gain a higher degree of precision. Obviously, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a telescope builder first and a cabinet maker second, while my contact at Specialty Millwork is a lifelong cabinet maker with professional grade tools and skills. When I give my telescope making presentations to local astronomy clubs and libraries, I stress this way of building telescopes. The tools that a modern cabinet shop employs will dwarf what most hobbyists have at their disposal and most cabinet shops only charge a modest fee for their time. Furthermore, most cabinet shops already stock Baltic Birch plywood for use in jig-making and in less exotic cabinetry. There is a lot of talk of Appleply plywood versus Baltic Birch plywood in various telescope making forums, but from my own experience I have found that Baltic Birch is more readily available and has always been less expensive per sheet than Appleply of equivalent thickness. Both have exterior faces that finish very smooth after a round of fine-sanding and use of high quality stains and clear-coats. The SDS will employ nailed and glued rabbet joints for the mirrorbox, along with an internal 1/2-inch Baltic Birch baffle that is held in place using a dado cut. This baffle, combined with the 3/4-inch Baltic Birch top of the mirrorbox and the steel AstroSky Company mirror cell, will make the mirrorbox nearly indestructible. The rockerbox will be constructed using butt joints, high strength glue and square-drive screws to create another nearly indestructible component. Stay Tuned The ServoCat Jr. drive system from StellarCat has arrived and an in-depth discussion of its installation is planned for Part 4 of the SDS series. In addition, Charlie Starks of Markless Astronomics (www.marklessastronomics.com) has donated one of his innovative DSC Stalk IIs that will help provide an organized solution for management of the DSC, encoder, ServoCat and drive-motor cables.
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A Newbie’s Journey Into Light
A Progression of Astro-Experience and Equipment
By Kirby Benson
Having always been more interested in astrology than astronomy, metaphysics over physics, and art than arc, it was not only surprising to my wife, but also to me, when one day August of 2003 I announced, “I’m going to get a telescope and have a look at Mars.” Thus began my involvement with astronomy. This did indeed seem strange to both of us since most of my adult life has been spent working in the fields of art and psychotherapy, although I was required to take “bonehead” math my senior year of high school in order to graduate. Well, that first 4.5-inch f/5 reflector telescope was not much to rave about - in fact, it was pretty lousy for viewing Mars since it looked more like a slightly large star. However, in February of 2004 I replaced it with a vintage orange-tube, 1970s Celestron C8 that I found on eBay and began the search for star clusters and the occasional nebula. I hauled it on camping trips and into the front yard a few times and then put it away for several months having other commitments that required lots of time and energy, often away from home.
First Came the Webcam Sometime in the late fall of 2005 I ran across a couple of Internet articles discussing the use of webcams and digital cameras for taking pictures of deep-sky objects and the planets. This really caught my interest, since, like most of us, I had always been impressed with those beautiful deep-sky images seen on telescope boxes and in magazines. After some research on the Web, I was ready to tackle this webcam thing. I charged downtown and purchased a Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000, tore it open, removed the IR filter and glued a film can onto the front of it so I could put it into my diagonal. Image 1 is the product of all this industry - my first image, and of Mars no less! It was taken sometime in November of 2005. Then Came the Fixed-Lens Digital Camera Flushed with success and excited over my obvious mastery of webcam imaging, I decided to venture into the world of the digital camera. I owned an Olympus Digital 4000 that I used to take photos of art-
work to put in my portfolio. It would allow up to 15 seconds of exposure and should, in my mind, do pretty well with M42, the Great Orion Nebula. A camera adapter was all I needed to capture Image 2 with my orange-tube C8 in December of 2005. I am sure all my friends enjoyed receiving this in an email and then perhaps wondering, “What is it?” I told my wife, Judy, that we should probably use this image for our Christmas cards and she firmly corrected, “I don’t think so.” Finally, a True Astrophotography CCD Imager Well, finally realizing the limitations of only 15 seconds of exposure, I decided it may be time to move up into the world of dedicated CCD cameras and rub shoulders with the big time Dudes and Dudettes of astrophotography. Having seen the marvelous nebula and galaxy pictures on the Meade website, I figured the Meade DSI would be the camera for me. But, being somewhat frugal by na-
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A NEWBIE’S JOURNEY Image 1
ture, I initially blanched at the price tag, small though it may have been. It wasn’t until somewhat later that it began to percolate down into my tiny brain that this hobby is EXPENSIVE! I summoned up my courage and went in pursuit of the Meade Color DSI Camera I then thought would probably be the last piece of astrophotography equipment I would ever buy or need. Fortunately, a local friend who sells on eBay had a new one for sale and I purchased it for a little less than full retail. I was now ready to
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get really serious about astronomy and imaging. Once again, other responsibilities drew my attention away from astronomy. The Meade DSI went onto the shelf unopened and it wasn’t until the end of 2006 that I pulled the old orange C8 out of hiding, dusted off the DSI and started re-learning the little bit I had forgotten. After about a week of studying the Meade Envision software, I felt confident enough to capture M42, The Great Orion Nebula, in early January 2007. I knew I was on the way to becoming an expert at image processing, having accomplished the difficult task of stacking two 30-second exposures in order to produce Image 3. Then a True CCD Imager with TEC! However, I soon felt that I'd outgrown the Meade DSI as the amp glow from this camera was causing me all kinds of problems. I did not know at that time that this is a common problem with non-cooled cam-
eras (though easily accommodated with a bit more processing experience) and thought perhaps I had a faulty CCD chip. With some web searching and research I found out un-cooled cameras present special challenges and decided that, if I wanted to get really, really good at this, I would need a thermo-electrically cooled (TEC) camera. I was beginning to feel like the frog that is being slowly boiled. I failed to fully realize (or did not want to fully realize) that I was spending what felt like lots of money on astronomy and imaging equipment with no end in sight, although I was somewhat successful in justifying my expenditures as being in the category of medical expenses. You know – good therapy to maintain mental acuity and avoid becoming depressed by being continually distracted through encounters with a never ending set of problems, confusing directions, frustrations, and challenges. So what would a good TEC cooled camera look like? Well, in my case, it looked like an Orion Star Shoot Color with TEC.
A NEWBIE’S JOURNEY It was about this time that Orion stopped producing the camera and, just as I was hot for one, they became scarcer than hen’s teeth. I did eventually run one down through a dealer that had a few left. A More Astrophotography Friendly Mount It was around this time that I figured out that the old fork-mounted C8 just wasn’t the best tool for my astrophotography journey, so I began hunting around for one of the legendary Losmandy GM-8s with the Gemini system (this last item being necessary since I never have been able to understand the little dials and numbers signifying Right Ascension and Declination and how to make them work). Well, I did find a nice used GM-8 and Gemini for sale and it came in about the same time as the Orion Star Shoot in early 2007. I also found a good, slightly used C8 OTA to mount on the German Equatorial and put that on the tab as well. It was also about this time I decided it would be good to join the local astronomical society. I had met Nils Allen sometime earlier and heard his pitch for the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces (ASLC). Since Nils seemed like such a nice guy, I figured it couldn’t be too scary to join the organization. I knew I would feel intimidated by so many experts, but also knew I needed to face my fears and, besides, I could always just nod and look knowledgeable. So far, it seems to be working. After lots of trial runs in the house, I finally got out in January and shot one of my first images with the Orion Star Shoot, C8, Losmandy GM-8 with Gemini. Image 4 captures NGC 2244, the star cluster surrounded by NGC 2237, The Rosette Nebula. What? You don’t recognize it? At this point I had not yet comprehended the concept of mount guiding, although I had seen it mentioned on the Internet, and was somewhat disappointed
Image 2
Image 3
when many of my images turned out with oblong and streaked stars. I learned that I would need to limit my imaging time per frame down to 30 to 45 seconds if I didn’t want stars that looked like those night time pictures of cars on a freeway. Al-
though my mount had a polar scope, I found it difficult to use and understand all the little lines that were marked all over it. So, when and if I could find Polaris, I would put it in the center of the scope and hope for the best. Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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A NEWBIE’S JOURNEY Image 4
Good Astrophotography Means Good Guiding It really was time to attempt guiding, since by now it was obvious I would need to learn to do it if I wanted to get beyond the 45-second limit. I bought a new Stellarvue NightHawk 80-mm refractor and also
64 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
found the necessary items to connect it to the top of my C8 and start guiding. By using the Nebulosity imaging and PhD Guiding software from Stark Labs, I was all set to go. And Practice Makes… I persevered, learned some very basic concepts concerning guiding with the help of Bob Long, who for some strange reason took pity on me, and by the end of February 2007 I was able to produce the images of M101 and M51 shown in Images 5 and 6. The main issue I was now facing was the fact that my two telescopes and cameras (The DSI for guiding and the Orion SS for
imaging) combined to create a weight problem - my mount was rated for 30 pounds and it was carrying about 32 pounds. Steve Barkes suggested I lower the mount as far as it would go and get some anti-vibration pads for the feet. This I did and found it somewhat helpful, but still not completely to my liking. One Great Refractor Justifies Another – and Another! Also at this time, I was finally able to break through my denial and fully realize that I would be spending all the money on astronomy and photography equipment that my wife and I had put aside for our old age and that we would probably need to cut back on food and other necessities in the near future. Feeling much freer and truly existential now that I had accepted my destiny, I ordered a Vixen ED 103-mm refractor, shortly followed by a Vixen 80-mm refractor. This was a spiffy looking setup that lightened my mount load significantly and I knew it would impress everyone at the Texas Star Party in 2007. Well, as everyone knows, the TSP 2007 came and wet, but I did learn some important things while hobnobbing with the ASLC Imaging Masters. One of those things was that it is possible to take stunning images with Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras and specifically a Canon 350D that is modified to capture emission nebula such as the Pelican or North American Nebula. I was skeptical at first, but Dave Dockery and Rich Richens assured me it would work. Jerry Graber, Steve Smith and George Hatfield gave that a second and I was now convinced enough that I began to plan my strategy on how to persuade my wife this was something we could also use to take pictures of her pets. The 350D arrived in early June and by then I had learned enough about guiding that I was able to get my first real picture of a nebula in Image 7. This is the North American Nebula with 15 images at 5 minutes each and 8 dark frames. I was by then experimenting with ImagesPlus software to
A NEWBIEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JOURNEY Image 5
image and stack, and Photoshop to finish the processing. Shortly after this image was taken, Bob Long began to help me understand how astronomy images are processed in Photoshop and as much as I loath doing so, I read parts of a couple of books on the subject. It also
Image 6
must be said that, soon after I joined ASLC earlier in the year, I began to post some of my attempts on the ASLC Imagers Yahoo Group and was given lots of encouragement and suggestions on how to improve. I believe someone even said it would be helpful to take the lens cover off the telescope.
Bob and many others in ASLC also continue to attempt to help me understand arcane things such as image scale, matching the camera to the telescope, proper guiding speeds and so forth. Not having a head for numbers, very little of it sticks, but I do go back to the notes I take (when I can find
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A NEWBIE’S JOURNEY them on a desk piled high with bits and pieces of paper and bills for astronomy equipment) and continue to try and make sense out of all of it from time to time.
Image 7
Things Are Looking Up! Continuing to work with the same equipment, it was in late July that I was able to produce Image 8 of M8 and M20, with 12 frames at 300 seconds each, along with 3 darks from a dark site. Sometimes I would send a finished image to Bob Long for a review before posting it to the ASLC Imagers group on the web. He generally points out things that were not done well and it’s back to the drawing boards for more tedious hours of attempting to learn Photoshop processing techniques. There are often notations at the bottom of his email messages like, “How do you expect to gain a seat on the Galactic
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www.deepskyinstruments.com 66 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Council with a picture like this?” Reveling under harsh criticism, I persevered with my Canon and in early November managed to produce Image 9, a B 33 image of the Horsehead with 28 frames at 180 seconds each and 4 dark frames. What I was being taught was that, to be successful in capturing a good image, it was important to not jump around and try to do several in one evening, but rather image only one thing and, if time allows (before you fall asleep, starve or freeze to death), only then go for one other. In addition, it is best to run the camera as long as possible before noise sets in on each frame in order to gather the most data, unless the target will not allow overly long exposures before flooding out with bright pixels. I have discovered that gaining familiarity with the equipment is very important in order to gain some sense of what its limitations are. And Then It’s Art! By late 2007, I began to feel that I had
A NEWBIE’S JOURNEY gained enough experience that I could then begin to draw somewhat on my background as an artist and start thinking about basic design principles and aesthetic considerations such as cropping out parts that may upset the sense of asymmetrical balance, or by moving the emphasis of the target to a more dramatic position in the composition by eliminating parts of a side, top or bottom. In addition, manipulating the framing of the DSO in the original view from the camera can give some measure of control over the final composition. It is hard to improve on nature, but the human interface creates another dimension as we stand between nature and the experience of our interpretation of it. Some of these things can be performed at the camera and some in processing of the images. There seems to be a fundamental set of expectations in the processing and display of deep sky images and the beginner is encouraged to learn the basic techniques and standards in order for an image to be considered acceptable by the astronomy imaging community. It is critically important to learn these so called rules, but as with any form of art, it is possible and often appropriate to move beyond those bases and bring elements of creativity to the process that transcend the boundaries that have been established. This implies risk and can challenge us to move past our preconceptions of what is right and wrong in astrophotography. And, last of all, here is M42, The Great Orion Nebula Image 10, that was done in early December of 2007. It is 35 frames at 120 seconds each combined with 30 frames of the trapezium at 30 seconds. This image includes some experimental sharpening techniques that Tony Gondola brought to my attention in order to bring out more detail to contribute to the overall clarity of the picture.
Image 8
Image 9
Image 10
Finally… Since I began this journey into astronomy, I have not yet given much consideration to the metaphysical, spiritual, or the mythic of deep-sky and close-sky objects. Perhaps that will change and more of the invisible and spiritual dimensions of space will begin to reveal themselves as time unfolds. I do know that this pursuit is mind expanding in ways I cannot really put into words – experiencing the nature of the universe and the immensity of it all. Considering the dimensions of birth and death at the scale of the Universe and attempting to relate those to a personal experience on Earth, challenges the mind to move beyond the limits of our sensory perceptions. It really is mind-boggling - isn’t it?
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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ASTRO TIPS tips, tricks and novel solutions
or “full,” with one or two steps in between – If you are like most of us, you increasingly hardly what’s needed to know whether you’re rely on 12-volt batteries to power telescope about to discharge the battery below 12.42 volts! drives, dew prevention, laptops, imaging and You could use your beloved digital multiguide cameras, and a growing meter to check battery status list of other power-hungry elec- Voltage Percentage of Charge unwinding and rewinding its 100% leads, and trying to read the LCD tronic accessories. The cheapest 12.6+ 90% display with a red flashlight tucked portable power source is the 12.5 80% under your chin while holding the deep-cycle or “leisure” lead-acid 12.42 70% probes to the battery poles. That’s battery commonly used in 12.32 60% probably not something you’d marine applications, but maxi- 12.2 mum life and performance of 12.06 50% want to do more than once per even deep-cycle batteries 11.9 40% night, much less every hour. But, requires accurate monitoring of 11.75 30% our online search for a dedicated, state-of-charge during the dis- 11.58 20% inexpensive battery voltage monicharge-recharge cycle. Most 11.31 10% tor kept bringing us back to digisources recommend that a bat- 10.5 0% tal multi-meters! Basic models are tery not be regularly discharged now ridiculously inexpensive at beyond 80 to 85 percent of its fully charged state, budget tool sources such as Harbor Freight and while cautioning that a battery never be diswe ended up buying several for just $4 a piece. charged below 40 to 50 percent of full charge. That $4 bought Harbor Freight’s Cen-Tech Measured voltage and corresponding percentage Model 92020 Digital Multi-Meter which is of full charge are typically reported as the values powered by an included 9-volt battery and feain the chart above. tures its own low-battery indicator, auto-off But how are you to know discharge status function and a backlit LCD display. And the when all you have in front of you is a 12-volt hair backlighting is red! dryer alligator-clipped to a deep-cycle battery? We dedicated the multi-meters to battery Dedicated battery voltage meters can be fairly voltage monitoring by replacing their probes expensive and many consist of nothing more with alligator clips and using cable ties to hold than a few LEDs that light to indicate “empty” them to the top of the batteries. To check battery A Budget Battery Charge Monitor
Submit Your Astro Tip! Astronomy Technology Today regularly features tips, tricks, and other novel solutions. To submit your tip, trick, or novel solution, email the following information: • A Microsoft Word document detailing your tip, trick or novel solution. • A hi-resolution digital image in jpeg format (if available). Please send your information to tips@astronomytechnologytoday.com
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Deep-cycle battery with multi-meter attached
Backlit LCD
state-of-charge, simply push the meter and backlight “on” switches. Your hands will soon remember the switch locations and they’ll provide you with an immediate reading with resolution to 1/100th of a volt. You can memorize the percentage of charge chart or simply print one and tape it to the top of your battery. No, it’s not the most elegant solution to the problem, but it gets the job done for little more than $4 and you’ll always have a cheap multi-meter on hand in case you forgot to pack your more beloved “pro” model.
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