Dick Locke's Astro-Imaging Setup Fall 2011
Astro-Physics AP 900GTO mount (replaced my Losmandy G11)
SBIG STV autoguider. This doesn't allow "dithering" but otherwise is a great stand-alone (no computer needed) auto-guider.
SBIG ST-8300 Monochrome CCD Camera (early 2011)
Takahashi FSQ-85, the "Baby Q", a small, wide-field APO refractor (March 2011)
Bahtinov masks greatly simplify focusing. The masks set up a pattern of spikes on a bright star, which become symmetrical and sharp when good focus as achieved. I have a GoldFocus mask for my little scope, and a Spike-a mask for the TOA. While it's possible to make these masks yourself, I acquired commercially available models. The GoldFocus mask comes with some software supposedly aids focusing, however I haven't had great success with the software. I'm going to try a different mask on the Baby Q.
I use an EL Panel for flat field imaging, as shown on my "other astro equipment" page.
Various tripods and heads - see bottom of page for listing
TOA 130 Middle, FSQ-85 on right, ST-80 Guide Scope left, AP 900GTO mount holding it all. Note the Robin Casady triad bar and TGADs (Tandem Guidescope Aiming Devices) that allow independent positioning of both the guide scope and FSQ-85 imaging scope. I was a little nervous about whether the TGADs could handle the weight of the FSQ-85 plus SBIG-ST8300 & filter wheel... But no problem at all. That's a Canon 20Da with a 55mm Nikon lens on top, allowing me to run 3 imaging cameras at once with this rig. These shots are from the Fall 2011 trip to the Davis Mountains. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for additional thoughts on the Casady equipment.
That's a SBIG-ST8300 camera with filter wheel on the Takahashi FSQ-85 telescope (left), and the QHY8 camera on the Takahashi TOA 130 (middle).
See above for equipment notes. The QHY8 camera has faded to a gold color where it's been exposed to the sun.
Below are a few images of my "set up" from my Spring 2010 trip to the Davis Mountains.
Looking West, Scope Facing North (Clear Skies!)
Wide Angle of Davis Mountains Setup - Cloudy/Rainy Mode
Facing East, towards Scorpius and all the good stuff in and around the summer Milky Way.
I am able to run two astronomy cameras at the same time. The picture above shows how I do this with my "triad bar" configuration. The guide scope, an ST80 attached via a Losmandy plate and rings, with a SBIG STV autoguiding camera, is on the left. The Takahashi TOA 130 Telescope is the main imaging scope in the middle, with the QHY8 CCD camera and Tak focal reducer attached. The Canon EOS 20Da Digital SLR is attached on the right using a Losmandy plate and DCM 2 camera adapter. During this trip I used an Olympus Zuiko 135mm MC f2.8 lens on the Canon DSLR via use of an small lens adapter ring. Note the camera is out to the extreme right, which allows better balance as well as more clearance from the main scope (so as not to get the scope in the picture). Also note the white gaffers tape, which I use liberally to secure wires so they don't end up ruining exposures by tugging on the equipment, or coming loose in the case of the 3 wires to the QHY8 CCD camera. All this is hooked up to and sitting on the Astro-Physics AP 900GTO mount.
Above: Example Astro-Imaging Equipment & Setup (Davis Mountains, 2008)
Major components are the laptop with the AP 900 hand controller next to it, the ST-V autoguiding control box on the blue plastic tub, the AP pier topped with the AP 900 Mount, TOA 130 attached to the QHY8 CCD camera (for imaging), an ST80 guide scope on top of that, with the STV CCD camera (for guiding) attached to it. There's a USB connection between the imaging camera and the laptop, and a serial connection between the laptop and the mount. Guiding commands are sent via the thin grey cable from the STV to the mount. The mess of wires on the bottom includes the laptop, QHY8, and STV AC to DC converters, another converter that powers the mount (block box on right), and a red/black cable pair providing DC power to the dew heater. The black strap on the top of the scope is what actually warms the scope and objective lens slightly to help prevent dewing.
Takahashi TOA 130 Telescope I'm Using Now
| Buying a Telescope - general information |  Astronomy Photos | Computer Equipment - What I'm using now |
| Processing Astrophotos | Old: Olympus C4040 Zoom | Old: Nikon D100 Images |
Other Astronomy Equipment, | Basic Astrophotography | For Sale |
Astro-Physics AP 900GTO mount (replaced my Losmandy G11)
SBIG STV autoguider.
QHY8 CCD Camera (Note, workflow is similar to DSLR workflow shown below. I'm still working on my technique!)
Early 2011: Getting up to speed on my new SBIG ST-8300 Monochrome CCD Camera
Dedicated digital astronomy cameras (CCDs) are usually cooled to help control digital noise during long exposures. Using "stacking" techniques and the DSLR, it is possible to take a number of shorter exposures, and combine these into one image as a way to reduce noise. See the results yourself! Astronomy Pictures: Dick Locke's Astrophoto Gateway page....
Below I have a table showing calculated values important to astrophotography. It lists data about my cameras and the primary configurations I use when imaging. The unlabeled values, x and y, are arc seconds of sky captured with the scope/camera combination. Other columns show arc seconds per pixel for the combination. 2 arc seconds per pixel is a standard rule of thumb for a good match. See the Starzonia calculator page for more info.
| Scope | f | len mm | ST-8300x | ST-8300y | ST-8300 arc sec pix | ST-8300 bin 2x2 | ST-8300 bin 3x3 | QHY8 x | QHY8 y | QHY8 aspp | 20Dax | 20day | 20Da aspp |
| Toa 130 1.6x Extender | 12.3 | 1600 | 29 | 38.7 | 0.70 | 1.40 | 2.10 | 34 | 51 | 1.01 | 32.2 | 48.3 | 0.82 |
| TOA 130 Flat | 7.7 | 1000 | 46 | 62 | 1.11 | 2.23 | 3.34 | 55 | 80 | 1.61 | 52 | 77 | 1.32 |
| TOA 130 Reducer | 5.8 | 754 | 62 | 82 | 1.48 | 2.95 | 4.43 | 72 | 106 | 2.13 | 68 | 102 | 1.75 |
| Baby Q | 5.3 | 450 | 103 | 137 | 2.48 | 4.95 | 7.43 | 119 | 181 | 3.58 | 121 | 182 | 2.93 |
| Baby Q Reducer | 3.86 | 328 | 142 | 189 | 3.40 | 6.79 | 10.19 | 164 | 249 | 4.92 | 157 | 236 | 4.02 |
| x and y sizes are in arc minutes | |||||||||||||
| Cameras | pix w | pix h | img. Cir | pixel size | width mm | height mm | area | Delta QHY8 | |||||
| QHY8 | 3032 | 2030 | 28.4 | 7.8 | 23.7 | 15.6 | 370 | 100% | |||||
| 20Da | 3504 | 2336 | 27.0 | 6.4 | 22.5 | 15.0 | 338 | 91% | |||||
| ST-8300 | 3326 | 2504 | 22.5 | 5.4 | 18.0 | 13.5 | 243 | 66% | |||||
Canon is the best brand for astrophotography (this coming from a Nikon guy). You can start with an un-modified DSLR that will work great for daylight and be somewhat OK on big, bright objects with your widefield scope. You can figure out what software to use, how to guide/focus/acquire/process etc.
If it's not clear already, once you figure out how to hook up your camera to the scope and get focus, guiding and precise focusing will be your biggest problems.
Start by taking pictures in daylight with the scope/camera, then move on to the moon which is your most forgiving target in that it is pretty easy to focus on it and you need very short exposures so guiding isn't a problem.
You will eventually want a way to get the camera to do multiple exposures automatically, for longer than 30 seconds. Others have mentioned computer programs that may assist with this; Nebulosity or ImagesPlus for example, I use both but not to control my DSLR. I still use the "live focus" feature on my Canon 20Da and control exposures with an intervalometer. (This means I can shoot without being connected to a computer.) I have the Canon version (pricey but has survived a lot of dewy nights over the years, ~$140), but I do see a cheaper alternative that I would probably try if I were on a tight budget (make sure it's compatible with your camera).
http://www.amazon.com/Aputure-Powershot-Compatible-Inexpensive-Intervalometer/dp/tags-on-product/B003Y35VJA
Again, big bright objects like M31, M45 and M42 are your best bets with an un-modified DSLR. Dimmer Galaxies like M33 may also work well. However, if you continue and try dimmer H-alpha objects you will eventually get frustrated by the IR filter blocking all the red. At that point you can consider a modded camera, which is your most price-effective ticket to serious deep space object imaging.
Hope this helps!
-Dick Locke
p.s. You might wish to join the Yahoo Group "digital_astro" which is dedicated to astrophotography with a DSLR
I did a lot of
research on guide and small imaging scope pointing options. Finally I decided
to try the Casady TGAD over a couple other options. I liked it, then decided to
go for two to simplify things in the field. (There are also several
configurations of the TGADs and figuring out the best option(s) was a bit of a
challenge.)
After all that, I realized that I couldn't take the Tandem Bar on and off the
mount without also removing one of the TGADs... So I decided to get a Casady
tip-in saddle for the AP.
I am very happy with the quality of the Casady stuff and would recommend it.
Interestingly, between the two TGADs I bought, they no longer were able to get a
part (a motorcycle master chain link, I think) that was linking the movable
plate to the bottom. They substituted another part that's a bit less
attractive, and seemed less sturdy; that kind of freaked me out. After
exchanging emails with Robin I settled down, and in practice the new part works
fine.
-Dick Locke
My heavy rig features Manfrotto 3068 video tripod legs (supports up to 40 lbs) and 501HDV Pro Video head. I will put my small telescopes (e.g., FSQ-85) or 70mm binoculars on this rig.
My mid-weight rig has Manfrotto 3401 Aluminum tripod legs with removable center column; the column can be mounted horizontally for convenient ground-level macro work. The Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared head rides on top. This head allows very precise adjustments of camera position, but is not good for rapid movements.
A mid-weight alternative head is the Manfrotto 488RC4 Midi Ball Head with RC4 System (Quick Release). I keep this head mounted on the extra center column for quick change-outs with the 410 head.
My light-weight rig rides on Slik Pro 713 CF legs and features a min Magic Ball head from Novoflex.
Cloudy days are good for flower photography... Though not what I'm hoping for on my astronomy trips! This shows my Manfrotto 410 head and 3401 legs setup. In this case the center column is mounted in the vertical position. It also mounts horizontally.
Here is an interesting document with canon lens references and test results
Dick's Pix (Dick Locke's Image Page)
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Contact and Image Use Information
What is all this? On the far left is the finder scope, with a illuminator sticking up slightly to the left. Below it you can see an illuminated reticule eyepiece. To the right of that is the Tak FS102 telescope, with a Rigel quickfinder on the top/back. To the right of that is a ST80 that I use to auto-guide the scope for photography.