My primary weapon of choice is my prized Astro-Physics AP160/f7.5 EDF air-spaced triplet refractor with 4" focuser, upgraded with a StarLight
FeatherTouch Microfocuser, and which is used for a wide variety of targets and special events when imaging the daytime or nighttime sky. When
the need arises for a wider angle field of view, a Takahashi FSQ-106 quadruplet fluoride refractor is employed and which is piggybacked onto
the AP160 refractor. A more recent acquisition is my Mewlon 210/f11.5 (Dall-Kirkham design) whose effective focal length of 2415 mm allows for
the pursuit of deep-sky objects with a small apparent diameter and/or the various members of the solar system where aggressive image scale is
required.
A wide variety of Canon FD and EOS series film and digital cameras and associated lenses are used for various multi-exposure time series
including the solar analemma, star trails, occultations, lunar and solar eclipses, and solar photography (photosphere in white light and
chromosphere in H-alpha). A DMK 21BF04 Firewire camera is the preferred means for high-resolution high-power imaging of the remaining members
of the solar system.
Photography of the deep sky is accomplished using SBIG's ST-2000XM (1.92 megapixel array with 7.4 micron pixels) and ST-10XME (3.2 megapixel
array with 6.8 micron pixels) CCD cameras with SBIG CFW-8A and CFW10 color filter wheels using the latest LRGB I/R-rejection dichroic filters
and Baader narrowband filters and which yield image scales ranging from 0.58" to 2.88" per pixel when used in 1x1 binning mode.
An Astro-Physics AP1200GTO german equatorial mount forms the backbone of all guided astrophotography sessions and is a delight to use. With
a peak-to-peak periodic error of just under 5 arc-seconds per worm gear cycle and which is dramatically reduced to well under 1 arc-second
(peak-to-peak) using PEC, subexposures lasting 15 or 20 minutes are commonly pursued so to maximize S/N ratio. One of the most attractive
features of this mount is its ability to advance or delay meridian flips so that an imaging session can be completed without interruption.
The pointing accuracy of this mount is so impressive that any desired target can easily be placed on the CCD imaging chip! A second
Astro-Physics mount (Mach1GTO) received mid-2007 is used, in part, for offsite work involving darker skies and excursions to foreign
countries (ex. solar eclipses) as well as at home for simultaneous imaging involving my second apochromatic refractor.
| Telescopes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
)
)
|
Words do not exist which will do justice to this apochromatic air-spaced triplet refractor and which explains why products from this particular manufacturer involve waiting lists which last MANY (!) years and where some pursue the black market for the acquisition of these fine instruments at prices often 200 to 300% of the original purchase price. The AP160/f7.5 StarFire EDF is the new flagship refractor from Astro-Physics boasting superb colour correction and contrast within the visible portion of the spectrum. Stars snap into focus and appear like little pricks of light across the whole field of view. The four-inch focuser will handle any size camera and the optional StarLight Instruments Feathertouch 10:1 microfocuser makes precise focusing a trivial task. With most CCD cameras, the AP160's 1200 mm focal length translates to approximately a 30 to 40 arc-minute field of view and which can be expanded further by the use of a dedicated 0.75x flattener-reducer.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
)
|
The latest product from Astro-Physics is this astrograph comprised of a Mangin mirror and a secondary mirror with field lens and which is based on the original design conceived by Klass Honders and later modified by Massimo Riccardi. The AP305/f3.8 RHA boasts perfect colour correction from 400 to 1000 nm and provides a perfectly flat field across 3 degrees and a 60mm image circle. The special alloy metal tube ensures stable focus and in spite of fluctuations due to temperature. Designed specifically for astroimaging, the large focuser can accommodate today's largest CCD cameras given its generous image circle. The standard StarLight Instruments Feathertouch 9:1 microfocuser makes precise focusing a trivial task. With most CCD cameras, the AP305's 1159 mm focal length translates to at least approximately a 30 to 40 arc-minute diffraction-limited field of view.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
|
Incredibly sharp optics characterize the Takahashi Mewlon 210 and which is often described as having refractor-like optics but in a reflector with a folded design. It has a limiting visual magnitude of 13.4 while boasting a resolution of 0.55 arc-seconds and a light grasp of 900x. It provides an image circle of 18mm and which can be expanded to 39mm and a 1.2 degree image field when a dedicated 0.8x reducer-corrector is employed, thus turning the native 2415mm focal length and f11.5 optics into a 1961mm focal length and f9.3 instrument.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
)
|
A legendary astrograph with a superb flat field which includes an 88-mm image circle, the FSQ-106/f5 floride quadruplet is a Petzval design and represents the astrograph of choice even for the most demanding imager whose desire is widefield imaging. In addition to sporting a 4" focuser, a rotating collar permits for a mounted camera to be rotated into any position of interest, thus allowing easy portrait or landscape framing as well as intermediate positions for suitable guide stars etc. The latest version (FSQ-106ED) now also includes a dedicated reducer which turns an already fast astrograph into an ultrafast instrument with an effective focal ratio of f3.6!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Equatorial Mounts | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
)
|
It is often said that a premium telescope means very little if one does not have a quality mount onto which to load the telescope and this is especially true for imaging where exposures lasting up to 60 minutes per integration are commonly employed. The AP1200/GTOCP3 german equatorial mount has a peak-to-peak error of five arc-seconds or less when leaving the factory and which can be reduced to less than one arc-second with PEC training. It has a generous official capacity of 150 lbs but users have been successful with their imaging involving payloads approaching 200 lbs (ex. 24" RC's). The tracking is superb and makes astrophotography both joyful and productive, for the mount works with you rather than against you! The GoTo capabilities are impressive and will land any target onto the imaging chip once the mount has been properly aligned. The hand controller is a mini-planetarium with a rich and exhaustive set of targets as well as various options and features not found in any other competitor mount (the meridian flip feature is a godsend and an imager's delight).
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Speak about a KILLER portable mount with a lot of punch! The AP Mach1GTO german equatorial mount is the smaller sibling of the AP 1200GTO/CP3 mount but with the same electronics (ie. CP3 controller) and lower payload capacity (45 to 50 lbs for imaging). The complete equatorial head assembly weighs a mere 29 lbs and is small enough to fit in a small pelican case and be taken onto an airplane cabin as carry-on luggage, thus making it ideal for travel to foreign countries (ex. for solar eclipses), excursions to dark sites at home or as a second mount when multiple scopes are available. The AP Mach1GTO/CP3 mount has a peak-to-peak error of seven arc-seconds or less when leaving the factory and which can be reduced to less than one arc-second following PEC training. As is the case for the AP 1200GTO/CP3 mount, the Mach1 offers superb tracking and makes astrophotography both joyful and productive, for this mount also works with you rather than against you! The counterweight shaft is exchangable to the larger version employed on the AP 1200GTO so that one can interchange counterweights as the need arises. The hand controller is also identical to the one being offered with the AP 1200GTO and offers the same set of rich and exhaustive set of targets and features.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| CCD Cameras | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 
 
 
 
 
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miscellaneous Accessories and Camera Equipment | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
)
)
)
)