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The Meade 10" f/6.3 LX-200 telescope. This scope is of the "Schmidt-Cassegrain" type, meaning that it has two mirrors - one of which is movable for focusing. For it's focal length, the Schmidt-Cassegrain design results in a "shorter" telescope when compared to a more conventional refractor or reflector type scope. The LX-200 series is known as a "GOTO" scope because it has an internal computer operating the azimuth and declination positioning motors. This computer has a database of over 64,000 targets and once calibrated can be commanded to automatically drive the telescope to the object of interest. It can also be controlled by an external computer. |
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For film photography an
old Nikon FM body is used. This camera is ideal for
astrophotgraphy because unlike more modern cameras, the shutter does not
require battery power to hold it open. This is essential for long
exposures, often an hour or more, which would drain an automatic
camera's battery resulting in aborted exposures.
Also visible here is the Lumicon Giant Easy Guider (known as the "GEG"). This is an "Off-Axis Guider" which utilizes a small prism to pick off light from the edge of the photographic field of view, providing a guide star image with which to make small telescope positional corrections during long exposures. The GEG also contains an optional focal length reducing lens which converts the system from f/6.3 to around f/4 for wider field shots and shorter exposure times. |
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Attached to the GEG via an optical extention tube is the CCD camera head of the SBIG ST-4 auto-guider. This extremely sensitive electronic imager notes the location of a selected guide star on its pixel matrix and issues periodic positional correction commands to the telescope's drive computer. This is necessary because of less than perfect telescope physical alignment and minute machining flaws in any telescope's drive gears. Before such auto-guiders were available, astronomers had to sit hunched over a guiding eyepiece for long periods carefully making these corrections manually. This was back-breaking work! |
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This is the micro-processor controller for the ST-4 autoguider, here shown mounted on the wall near the telescope. While the ST-4 can be controlled from this box, more often a computer program known as "CCDTrack" is used to provide increased functionality and tracking diagnostic information. |
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Shown here is an Orion "Short Tube 80" telescope mounted piggyback on the main scope. It is used for visual wide-field views or as a telescope for the ST-4 auto-guider. It's short 400mm focal length (low magnification) is marginal for guiding, so often a 2X Barlow lens is used to provide increased magification. Since this picture was taken, adjustable three-point mounting rings have replaced the hard mount shown. |
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The heart of any
astrophotography setup is a strong, rigid mount to prevent vibrations or
unwanted movement during long exposures. The vertical pier is an
8" diameter steel pipe set in 2000 pounds of concrete and filled
with concrete as well. Two half-inch thick aluminum plates with
adjusting bolts allow for a level mounting surface for the Meade Super
Wedge. The wedge is required for aligning the telescope's motion
with the earth's axis and holds the scope at an angle equal to the
observatory's latitude.
The wiring shown is for power and computer connections, and for a dew heater system which heats the optics to just above the point where dew would form on humid nights. |
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All the comforts of home! A work table, shelves for accessories, a tool board and a computer. The computer is a 350 MHz Pentium II specially built for the observatory. It has a video capture card for occasional use with a low-light telescope mounted video camera, various telescope control and planetarium programs, and plays from a selection of 1800 MP3 song files for music while we work at the site. It is also networked with Gene's computer and shares an internet connection for checking weather satellite pictures and weather predictions. |