Comment on The Pleiades Cluster by insomniaworks
That is what is happening, but --- I also Auto-guide. Which means...A seperate camera and telescope mounted to my imaging scope follow a star, monitored by my lap-top. If the guide star moves my lap-top sends a singnal to the telescope mount to make a correction and keep it centered . The auto-guider corrects for tracking errors in the mounts clock drive.
Hope this helps
Clear Skies---Mark
Hope this helps
Clear Skies---Mark
if I may... How much did this entire setup cost? cause I reallly wanna be able to take pics like yours... theyre absolutely stunning. first camera, first scope (the ones actually taking the picture), second camera and scope, tracking program, etc. and what do you have for each of these?
I hope that I do not scare you off but here it is:
8" F/5 newtonian reflector $600.00--imaging scope
Losmandy G-11 equatorial mount-- used $1900.00
Canon digital rebel XT -- now approx $450.00
Coma corrector $150.00--a must for imaging with a fast newt
Orion Starshoot Autoguider and a 50mm guide scope approx $325.00
A laptop to run the autoguider in the field. Mine was about $850.00 when I got it. I do my post processing of the pictures with it also.
I also have a programable timer to fire the camera and an AC power supply so I do not have to change batteries.
Approx $250.00 for the both of them.
Guiding Software---PHD FREE!!!works great
Total--- About $4500.00
Man---scares me
Seriously though, you can get away cheaper. Variables in scopes and mounts can really vary in price.
But the SKY can also be the limit. It all depends on how deep you pockets are.
8" F/5 newtonian reflector $600.00--imaging scope
Losmandy G-11 equatorial mount-- used $1900.00
Canon digital rebel XT -- now approx $450.00
Coma corrector $150.00--a must for imaging with a fast newt
Orion Starshoot Autoguider and a 50mm guide scope approx $325.00
A laptop to run the autoguider in the field. Mine was about $850.00 when I got it. I do my post processing of the pictures with it also.
I also have a programable timer to fire the camera and an AC power supply so I do not have to change batteries.
Approx $250.00 for the both of them.
Guiding Software---PHD FREE!!!works great
Total--- About $4500.00
Man---scares me
Seriously though, you can get away cheaper. Variables in scopes and mounts can really vary in price.
But the SKY can also be the limit. It all depends on how deep you pockets are.
wow so the tracking mount is really the most expensive thing... so I guess the autoguider is feeding the computer with its pictures and the computer is figuring out how much it needs to move the losmandy equatorial mount to continue tracking your object? Now telescopes are identified both by the mirror size and focal length. I have a canon t2i that I got recently so I know that longer focal length=more magnification... (of course there is more too it than that) but hows that equate to a mirror diam? Hope you dont mind all the questions... I already have a laptop and a small telescope (not quite sure any of the specs bout it (its at home and i'm at college) so I guess what I really need is a good equatorial motor driven mount, larger telescope, and the autoguider. what exactly does the coma corrector do? also have you taken the infrared filter out of your camera? I've heard thats a bit necessary for accurate color representation from deep space. thanks again!
The mount is the most expensive thing in MY set up.
That is not to say that it would be in other more high end systems. Some Apocromatic Refractor telescopes can far exceed $5000.00.
I feel that a good quality mount is the most IMPORTANT thing. Stability and accuracy are what is needed.
I use a refecting scope because they are much cheaper than comparable refractors. Mirrors are cheaper to make than good lenses.
Mirror/lens size = Aperature. In astronomy the more the better. Focal length divided by the aperature gives you your F#, the photographic speed of the telescope.
In astronomy Telescopes range from about F/15---slow, to about F 2.5 or 3 -- very fast. Mine is F/5 --- moderately fast.
Fast telescope mirrors are ground to a parabola, this makes the view very sharp in the middle but creates a lot of COMA ( stars will not look like pin-points but comets instead )on the edges of the field of view. The coma corrector is a lens that screws to the front of you camera to bring the field of view back to flat, and your stars back to pin-points.
Much of the area of deep space is filled with Hydrogen gasses. These areas photogaph RED. Your camera will still pick up some of the reds in space but nothing the way a HUETEC modified (IR removed)camera will. The mod costs about $400-450. voids your warranty and makes your camera relativly usless for day light photography without using more filters to bring the colour back to normal.
My camera is unmodified but if/when I could afford it I will get one.
As I said before. You can do this on a budget. When you start out you can shoot the moon and planets. These objects are bright and need very short exposures. Hence no guiding needed.
I did not start guiding untill I wanted to do exposures of longer than a couple of mins. (Many of the deep space shots in my gallery are more than a couple hrs. total exposure. Taking series of 3-5 min. exposures and combining them to make the finished picture.) That was when I started to need better equipment.
Do not worry about the questions, I am a member of the RASC and we tend to live to talk astronomy. If I can be of further help just ask.
That is not to say that it would be in other more high end systems. Some Apocromatic Refractor telescopes can far exceed $5000.00.
I feel that a good quality mount is the most IMPORTANT thing. Stability and accuracy are what is needed.
I use a refecting scope because they are much cheaper than comparable refractors. Mirrors are cheaper to make than good lenses.
Mirror/lens size = Aperature. In astronomy the more the better. Focal length divided by the aperature gives you your F#, the photographic speed of the telescope.
In astronomy Telescopes range from about F/15---slow, to about F 2.5 or 3 -- very fast. Mine is F/5 --- moderately fast.
Fast telescope mirrors are ground to a parabola, this makes the view very sharp in the middle but creates a lot of COMA ( stars will not look like pin-points but comets instead )on the edges of the field of view. The coma corrector is a lens that screws to the front of you camera to bring the field of view back to flat, and your stars back to pin-points.
Much of the area of deep space is filled with Hydrogen gasses. These areas photogaph RED. Your camera will still pick up some of the reds in space but nothing the way a HUETEC modified (IR removed)camera will. The mod costs about $400-450. voids your warranty and makes your camera relativly usless for day light photography without using more filters to bring the colour back to normal.
My camera is unmodified but if/when I could afford it I will get one.
As I said before. You can do this on a budget. When you start out you can shoot the moon and planets. These objects are bright and need very short exposures. Hence no guiding needed.
I did not start guiding untill I wanted to do exposures of longer than a couple of mins. (Many of the deep space shots in my gallery are more than a couple hrs. total exposure. Taking series of 3-5 min. exposures and combining them to make the finished picture.) That was when I started to need better equipment.
Do not worry about the questions, I am a member of the RASC and we tend to live to talk astronomy. If I can be of further help just ask.