Ed Bianchina's Astronomy

Astrophotography

Equipment Page

My new mount is an Orion Atlas.  It has been hypertuned which means the bearings and some of the gears have been upgraded.  I have everything set up and aligned on my own pier and mounting plate.  What a ton of work.  I also made a Instrument panel.

 

 

 

 

I current own the following equipment

  1. Celestron 9.25 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope from the ASGT line of telescopes.  It is a vintage 2003 model  Works like a charm.  Used for higher magnifications and smaller objects.  I has a larger mirror so is more sensitive but is a larger technical challenge to operate and get high quality images. Targets are small nebula (or parts of nebula), planatary nebula and galaxies.
  2. Megrez 90 Refracter This is my newest scope and I really like it.  Yields wide field of view for larger nebula and galaxy clusters.  I use a 0.8 field reducer/flattener to get a very flat and consistent focal plane.
  3. SkyQuest XT8 Classic vintage 2002.  Works great with clean optics and is a great grab and go scope.
  4. Orion ShortTube 80-T Refractor used as my guide scope and for wide field imaging.
  5. ASGT Mount - My original mount.  Full goto capabilities.  GPS attached.  I use this as a travel mount.  Very easy to carry.
  6. Orion Atlas mount - Main imaging mount.  Can handle my scopes without issue.  Has been hypertuned.  
  7. Q453-HR (QHY8, Q8HR) 6.1 megapixel oneshot color camera from CCD-Labs. Great camera for the price and can take some great pictures in the right hands.  I am still working on that!
  8. Meade DSI mono camera.  Used as the guide cam on the ST80.  It was my main imager when I started.  Great starting camera.
  9. Misc (but important) items:
    1. Telerad finder
    2. 4 Dew heaters (main scope,guidescope, Telrad, Focal reducer when imaging)
    3. EQMOD for controlling the mount
    4. NexRemote for indoor control of scope
    5. 7 - Port powered USB.  I seriously need that many ports.  This all runs to one central USB connection to my computer.
    6. Electricity--I think the whole neighborhood dims when I turn the whole thing on!
    7. 2 JMI Motor Focus with computer control.  This makes life much easier.
    8. Meade 6.6 focal reducer. Really helps getting a little larger field for imaging.  Absolutely required for imaging with the DSI.
    9. Meade 3.3 focal reducer.  Probably required for imaging with the DSI.
    10. Orion Sky glow light pollution filter.
    11. Williams Optics Field Flatner/Focal reducer III
  10. Home built wooden pier mounted to my deck.  Before you shake your head, it actually works.  True, I can't walk on the deck when I am imaging but I never did than when I had the tripod either.  I use a Telegizmo's 365 cover.  Everything is perfect.  I just walk out the back door, uncover the scope, mount the camera, power up and connect the USB connection and I am ready to go.  I can be imaging in 10 to 15 minutes (I still have to wait for the camera to cool off).  I also use a "Dry Rod" heating element from ScopeStuff to keep out dew.