Kawasaki Concours Forum
Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: Fretka on November 03, 2011, 11:35:41 AM
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I got my old Celestron Ultima 8 out of the closet and am starting to refurbish her with the aim of doing some visual and astrophotography.
Any sage advice is always welcome!
Fretka
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I'm not into that type photography, but i have a paged bookmarked that may be a valuable resource for you
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/TOC_AP.HTM (http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/TOC_AP.HTM)
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I'm now using a 16" Mead Light Bridge. Without tracking it isn't suited to astrophotography. But I used to have a Celestron 8" Schmidt Cassagrain. I tried using a Mead Deep Ski Imager CCD camera but was never successful. The Celestron I had was an old single arm mount and didn't track well. And the Mead software had tons of problems on Windows XP at the time. My biggest problem was how to find and focus on a deep sky object with the CCD. I would find and focus with an eye piece. But in the process of replacing the eye piece with the CCD I would lose the object and the focus would be out. Since deep sky objects are so dim I couldn't even see it real time on the computer. I tried a few shots of the moon since I could see that real time but they came out lousy.
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I'm a backyard astronomer but I have yet to do any photography using my 'scope.
I've taken a few half way decent pics of the moon though, just using my camera.
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Here are a few of my attempts:
Orion Nebula with my Nikon P100 on a tripod:
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_eCQC4L_q58/TrLojbKq8eI/AAAAAAAAAMA/l8tM-T22ORU/s800/DSCN1335.JPG)
The recent lunar eclipse with the Nikon
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XnbIregsbko/TrLnfwQ797I/AAAAAAAAALo/f4U0j5q-464/s800/DSCN1252.JPG)
Jupiter with just a snap shot through the eye piece of my 16" Light Bridge
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2PvVIHplL2s/TrLn3GfhUeI/AAAAAAAAALw/iz3OjdXJxGA/s640/jupiter%2525202.JPG)
And the one somewhat reasonable shot with the CCD and my old Celestron:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k1G3oGMCI54/TrLoCBIYl7I/AAAAAAAAAL4/Fv1789oeMeA/s648/Moon5.jpg)
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man I miss this. use to have a meade lx10 about 6-7 years ago. everyone thought I was losing my mind cuz I would stay out all night in the winter time. have been thinking about building one, maybe one day.
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Wow steve, that is a great site. Sifting through some of the pages I found one that talks about the exact problem I had focusing my CCD. Wish I had seen that page then.
I'm not into that type photography, but i have a paged bookmarked that may be a valuable resource for you
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/TOC_AP.HTM (http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/TOC_AP.HTM)
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Nice! I love that stuff.
Here are a few of my attempts:
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Has anyone taken a picture of the lunar landing sites?
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Has anyone taken a picture of the lunar landing sites?
Like this?
(http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/111103-SkywatchPhoto-hmed-0825a.grid-6x2.jpg)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45150012/ns/technology_and_science-space (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45150012/ns/technology_and_science-space)
http://www.space.com/13485-moon-skywatching-craters-apollo-landing-sites.html (http://www.space.com/13485-moon-skywatching-craters-apollo-landing-sites.html)
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That's good but this is better...
http://www.space.com/12030-moon-photos-nasa-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter.html (http://www.space.com/12030-moon-photos-nasa-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter.html)
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That's good but this is better...
http://www.space.com/12030-moon-photos-nasa-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter.html (http://www.space.com/12030-moon-photos-nasa-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter.html)
Ooo, das is nice.
cool pics there.
(http://i.space.com/images/i/113/i02/463874main_LRO_lunakhod1.jpg)
Rover LunokhodCredit: NASA's LRO recently discovered the Russian Robotic rover Lunokhod 1 that landed on the moon in 1970 and vanished from detection in September 1971
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Wow!
(http://i.space.com/images/i/8652/i02/far-side-moon-lro.jpg)
LRO view of far side of the moon Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State UniversityThis image, taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, is the most detailed view of the moon's far side to date.
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That IS cool!
Are there telescopes powerful enough to take recognizable photos of anything man- made left on the moon from Earth? Perhaps something American? I realize that big (read: expensive and overloaded with <real> tasks) telescopes have other things to look at but it would be great if there was a photo of a lunar lender or a moon rover left behind.
It would also be fantastic to see any photos of anything man- made on Earth taken from the moon (not Earth orbit) although I would suspect there were no powerful telescopes brought along on moon landings due to the physical weight.
Nice thread!
Brian
Ooo, das is nice.
cool pics there.
<snipped photo>
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I'm glad that you asked that question Brian. See post 11 above and these.
(http://i.space.com/images/i/4427/i02/090717-a11-lro-02.jpg)
In this image, the Apollo 11 lunar lander and it shadow can be seen in a view from NASA's new Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is scouting the moon for new landing sites for future astronauts.
(http://i.space.com/images/i/4531/i02/090821-a14-evanotes-02.jpg)
This annotated figure shows the positions of various landmarks surrounding the Apollo 14 landing site on the moon's Fra Mauro highlands as seen by the LRO spacecraft. The small white arrows highlight locations where the astronaut's path can be clearly seen.
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Thanx Steve and all, the photos are cool, especially Orion's nebula!
Brian, I know we left a retro-reflector on the moon to bounce back a laser pulse (LIDAR) but I don't think we have a scope big enough to image something that small. Possibly radar might do it.
I'm gonna give this web-cam imaging a try tho. Apparently some of the best planetary imaging being done by amateurs is done so with a web-cam!
God I love tinkering with things :D
Fretka
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That IS cool!
Are there telescopes powerful enough to take recognizable photos of anything man- made left on the moon from Earth? Perhaps something American?
Brian
You want to see the made in America emblem? It would have to be a good scope or camera to get that!
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http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/pho/2681779655.html (http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/pho/2681779655.html)
A quality refractor scope, about say 5", is around $4K, can you imagine hanging a video cam off of this thing and showing up at your local star-party!
Steven... think you could adapt your Canon to this?
Fretka
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Wow steve, that is a great site. Sifting through some of the pages I found one that talks about the exact problem I had focusing my CCD. Wish I had seen that page then.
Glad the link helped!
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Yeah, that was a question formed without any thought. After thinking about it for a moment, and given the practical limit of optical telescopes used on Earth, even a magnification of 2,000 X, which is impractical, would still give a view of the moon as the naked eye would see it from approx. 125 miles. Not likely to see anything left by man other than <perhaps> a glint of light reflecting off of something.
I remember when they left that plaque on the moon- rumor had it that it was made locally but I never got any proof of that.
Brian
<snip>
Brian, I know we left a retro-reflector on the moon to bounce back a laser pulse (LIDAR) but I don't think we have a scope big enough to image something that small. Possibly radar might do it.
<snip>
Fretka
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I still have a Celestron G8N from quite a few years back. I think it's been out of the garage maybe three times in the last five years. :'(
It's fun to get out if you ever get a "warmer" winter night. That's when the air is clearest and the sights are best.
I need to do a little more "through the lens" photos with my digital camera. First attempts were promising, but a better mounting system was needed. I guess I just got too busy doing other stuff and forgot to go back to it.
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I'm gonna purchase a Celestron C-14 Scmidt-cassegrain and do some imaging with my Canon 5D and a webcam.
This scope is a monster but ought to do deep space objects pretty well.
Link to scope ad. http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=51039&sort=&cat=11&page=2 (http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=51039&sort=&cat=11&page=2)
The "tinkering factor" is Huge in this hobby!
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That should give you something to do at night. ;D
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I'm gonna purchase a Celestron C-14 Scmidt-cassegrain and do some imaging with my Canon 5D and a webcam.
This scope is a monster but ought to do deep space objects pretty well.
Link to scope ad. http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=51039&sort=&cat=11&page=2 (http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=51039&sort=&cat=11&page=2)
The "tinkering factor" is Huge in this hobby!
That's why I have a MC.... I canna only tinker on one thing at a time.... Got a vintage Zenith Transoceanic radio receiver for the winter months.
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I'm gonna purchase a Celestron C-14 Scmidt-cassegrain and do some imaging with my Canon 5D and a webcam.
This scope is a monster but ought to do deep space objects pretty well.
Link to scope ad. http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=51039&sort=&cat=11&page=2 (http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=51039&sort=&cat=11&page=2)
The "tinkering factor" is Huge in this hobby!
That's one heck of a nice scope. The largest S-C I've seen myself was a 10" and it seemed huge. A 14" is a monster (no porn jokes here, please). I would think you'd need a nice semi-permanent place to house it though. Too big to be hauling to and from a viewing site.
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Hey
I'm on the verge of geting a Meade 8" SC. I am interested in viewing and photos but I am a newbie to say the least. I have never looked through a telescope in my life. Does that qualify as a newbie?
After reading all the propaganda on all the web sites, I want to ask those with more experience.
Just how much can you see through an 8" telescope? Can you see other galaxies, planets in the solar system? Is it spectacular or just little dots of light made bigger. My first guess is that you can't and can only get other galaxies on film with a time exposure.
Also, can someone tell me if a Meade ETX will track objects accurately enough to get a sharp photo?
Thanks for all your help.
JD
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I had a celestron 8" SC for a while and you can definitely see larger galaxies like Andromeda and M51 (Whirlpool galaxie). Plenty clusters and nebula's. Zero detail on mercury and venus. On the close approach of mars 10 years ago or so I was able to see the polar ice cap. That was the only time I could see surface detail on mars with the 8". You can definitely see bands on Jupiter. On a VERY clear night I was just able to make out the Cassini gap in the rings of Saturn.
As for photography I have never been very successful. My Celestron had a single arm mount and didn't track very well even with the most meticulous alignment. If you want to try to hand at photography a quality equatorial mount is the only way to go.
Hey
I'm on the verge of geting a Meade 8" SC. I am interested in viewing and photos but I am a newbie to say the least. I have never looked through a telescope in my life. Does that qualify as a newbie?
After reading all the propaganda on all the web sites, I want to ask those with more experience.
Just how much can you see through an 8" telescope? Can you see other galaxies, planets in the solar system? Is it spectacular or just little dots of light made bigger. My first guess is that you can't and can only get other galaxies on film with a time exposure.
Also, can someone tell me if a Meade ETX will track objects accurately enough to get a sharp photo?
Thanks for all your help.
JD
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Thanks Rhino
I looked at EQ mounts but they are more than I wanted to gamble on my first telescope. So for Venus & Mercury are they too bright or too far away to get detail?
Meade has one now that aligns itself & talks at you. It is about $300 more than one that just tracks or I guess moves to something in the database after it is aligned. That is what I'm considering.
With 30,000 objects, it should keep me occupied for a while. The one that talks has 100,000 objects.
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Thanks Rhino
I looked at EQ mounts but they are more than I wanted to gamble on my first telescope. So for Venus & Mercury are they too bright or too far away to get detail?
Meade has one now that aligns itself & talks at you. It is about $300 more than one that just tracks or I guess moves to something in the database after it is aligned. That is what I'm considering.
With 30,000 objects, it should keep me occupied for a while. The one that talks has 100,000 objects.
:yikes: Tap the breaks a second, jim-d. Especially since you've never even looked through one.
Before you drop a couple of grand on a telescope (and several hundred more on eyepieces, Telrad, books, charts, and many other extras!), PLEASE take some constructive advice from someone that has been there, done that.
I'm not sure where you live, but I'd stongly suggest that you find a local astronomy club and attend a few meetings. If you can't find one through Google, call your local science museum and I bet they have a contact for you. Most clubs normally have a viewing site that is out of town and dark(er) and almost always have at least one weekend a month where they'll let visitors come out and look through their scopes. Most of the people in these organizations are more than happy to share their scope with you, especially if you're a newbie. (Plus their experience will be very helpful when first learning to find things.) Many of these clubs also own scopes that are free for the members to use, and the minimal cost to join the club is a much better way to spend your money for the first year or so. You get to try out all kinds and see what you want, or you may decide that using the club's scopes satisfies your curiosity enough to save you a lot of money.
As far as "what can I see?", you'll find that you can see very little if you live in or near a major metropolitan area. The typical neighborhood backyard is bright enough that you are almost guaranteed NOT to see much of the more interesting objects. And under NO circumstance will you see anything like those Hubble photos that are in books and on the net.
I also suggest that you spend $100-150 bucks on a good set of 10x50, fully-multicoated binoculars and a book or two. Two books that I'd suggest are "Turn Left at Orion" and "The Backyard Astonomer's Guide". The first is great for helping you find the "easier to find" objects right from your backyard. Even if you later decide that a scope is the way to go, those binoculars will come in VERY handy when you're in the field. Since everything is "right side up", it's easier to find things than it is through a telescope, too.
Just my two cents worth.
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That's probably very good advice. This was supposed to be a joint b-day present for us but I like the idea of checking things out before I spend $1,400.
It will be used in the Pocono Mountians in PA where the sky by itself is pretty nice. Could be better but very nice, especially the winter sky. The air is clearer and you can actually see the Milky Way.
In Philadelphia you see maybe 4 stars on a good night.
Thanks
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Wally made some excellent points. I should have put my response in perspective. I live at 7500' in a dry climate in Colorado. My house is between Denver and Colorado Springs and has its share of light pollution. But most clear nights here I can easily see the milky way. I am also just a few hours from OUTSTANDING dark skies when the weather is good. When I saw the polar ice cap on Mars I was home. But when I saw the cassini gap with the 8' I was in the mountains at 9500' with zero light pollution.
When I go down to my wife's parents place in NM about 100 miles from Albuquerque and 30 miles from the nearest town at 8000' the skies are AMAZING. And there an 8" with a good eye piece works well but my 16" dob with 17mm Nagler just blows me away. You can count the stars in a cluster like M3.
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That's probably very good advice. This was supposed to be a joint b-day present for us but I like the idea of checking things out before I spend $1,400.
It will be used in the Pocono Mountians in PA where the sky by itself is pretty nice. Could be better but very nice, especially the winter sky. The air is clearer and you can actually see the Milky Way.
In Philadelphia you see maybe 4 stars on a good night.
Thanks
Jim,
Check this out:
http://rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/ (http://rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/)
Found this too:
Philadelphia Astrological Society (PAS) holds monthly lectures and workshops at 7616 City Line Avenue near Haverford Ave. Contact: Amanda Owen (610/623-9575). PASwebsite: bnatural.com/pas/index.html
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Check this out guys, it's free and incredibly powerful.
http://www.stellarium.org/ (http://www.stellarium.org/)
Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go.
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If this is your first purchase, it would be best to stay with visual observing only, that way you get the computerized "go-to" option and can get satisfaction right out of the box.
Astrophotography is quite a few steps up in equipment and degree of difficulty EXCEPT for web-cam planetary imaging which is quite easy and gives some of the best planetary images around!
If you want to see good stuff, aperture or size really does matter!
One of the best deals out there IMHO is this scope http://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?ProdID=78 (http://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?ProdID=78)
used. I've seen them for about $1800. on the market and with the large 11" aperture and the computerized go-to capabilities, you'll get the most bang for the buck by far! It is still portable and would provide tracking accuracy good enough for 1 minute exposures (which is enough to blow your mind).
Try the Cloudynights forum and also Astromart as well a Craigslist. Check this: http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=51482&sort=&cat=11&page=1 (http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=51482&sort=&cat=11&page=1) that's a lot of scope for $1400.
Bruce