Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,748RedOneAlpha
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RedOneAlpha
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Wow, that one great scope you got there With such a beauty no wonder you miss Scotland.
Well it´s a Meade too but not quite in the LX200 leauge, I think it´s a great little scope to start with and/or travel. I can always use it as a focuser if I grow to a better scope as I learn...
Nice to see some real astronomy fans here in SimHQ!
Red
Win10 Pro(x64), i7 8700k @ 4.7Ghz, 32GB ram DDR4, Sapphire Pulse AMD RX 6700 12GB, M.2 PCIe NVMe (x2) 480GB + 960GB, 447GB SSD´s, Samsung G6 32" , Logitech G13, G502, Warthog HOTAS, CH Pedals, Simagic Alpha Mini, and Formula Extreme FX, DC Simracing DC1 pedals, GT Omega ART cockpit, TrackIR 5.0. AUDIO: Aiyima A07 Max, Topping E50 and L50 stack, Polk Audio Signature Elite ES20 , and Shennheiser HD 560s. DAP: Hiby R3, Hiby Seeds, and iBasso IT01, Sharp MD-MT 80H Minidisc.
Nice telescope, I started out with a Tasco 50mm f12 in the 1970s which I still have, I have used it for guiding the LX200 but really it was too narrow a field of view, I now have an Orion 120mm f5 refractor which I can carry easily and it can take the 1.5" and 2" eyepieces.
The LX200R has been modified with the Petersen "Eyeopener" it is a larger optical back for the telescope that gets rid of the standard Meade 1.25" restriction where the focus assembly attaches to the telescope and allows a fully open light path to the eyepiece or camera.
The Orion I thought about using it for guiding the LX200R but it's too big and heavy, it's bad enough trying to balance out the camera on the telescope never mind the weight and bulk of the Orion, hence you can see the weight on the rail at the front top of the telescope in the above pic, what you cannot see is the weights on the adjustable arm underneath the telescope body
Orion 120mm f5
The JCB (backhoe digger) is on a farm about 2 miles from my house with my Nikon D200 at prime focus on the LX200R
Chlanna nan con thigibh a so's gheibh sibh feoil Sons of the hound come here and get flesh Clan Cameron
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,748RedOneAlpha
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RedOneAlpha
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Nice stuff Alicatt, thanks for sharing
I meant to say guide/spotter scope and not focuser in my post above. The Meade AC80/400 (Adventure Scope) that Iam using, is said to be the same as the older Orion Short Tube (ST80), of which alot of people are using as a guide/spotter scope. Some are mounting 2" GSO x2 speed focusers on it. Orion dosen´t make the ST80 anymore, and the newer equivalent has a plastic focuser, so most pleople are going for this AC80/400. You might want to think on one of those as a guide scope, there very cheap for what you get, although the eyepices and tripod are not worth much, but the backpack and OTA sure are. The OTA is all metal, except the focuser nobs and dew cap.
Worth a thought if so. I do understand that you might already have to much invested and would rather skip that option, but just in case, and for all the rest that might be looking for there first scope, or a good terrestial spotter. Pretty good for bird watching/photography too.
125x optical zoom! I know someone who has one of these and its better than most starter telescopes
Yeah, it´s also 1k! You can get a real nice scope for 1k too, even cheaper... William Optics Red Cat 51
Not just any camara will do for Astrophotography, unless it´s modded. Not cheap either +1k.
Red
Usually the astro cameras have no UV/IR filters on them to let through the full spectrum the sensor can "see" like this, now discontinued, Nikon D810A There are workshops that will remove the IR filter from the sensor in your camera but as Red said it is not cheap.
The CCTV camera I used in the above video had a switchable IR filter which moved out the light path to allow the camera to see full range, that camera's one downside was that it also switched to monochrome at the same time which is fine in security applications but it meant that you then had to use other external filters to get colour back into the image. I do have another colour/mono CCTV camera with a switchable IR cut filter and you can also separately select colour or monochrome but it is mains powered and it is not as sensitive as the JVC in the above video. Sony has the "Nightshot" on their consumer video cameras tho I find their older cameras work a lot better in low light.
The JVC TK-C1360 sold for $1300 to retailers back in 1998 this is the link to the American version of the camera http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/specs.jsp?model_id=MDL100258&feature_id=03, for my work I had special software for the camera and it could do a lot more than JVC has on their spec sheet, it had a memory store and a shutter speed of 32/50second down to 1/120,000second, I was part of JVC's beta test of this camera before it was released on to the market
Chlanna nan con thigibh a so's gheibh sibh feoil Sons of the hound come here and get flesh Clan Cameron
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,748RedOneAlpha
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RedOneAlpha
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Yes, and those filters can be expensive ($300-400).
Some mirrorless camaras are used, thus when modded they remove the mirror and add the filters. Alicatt can add alot more to this I would think, but that´s a basic overview. Mirrorless DSLR with filters, or a dedicated stock one like this...
Thanks Alicatt
Red
Win10 Pro(x64), i7 8700k @ 4.7Ghz, 32GB ram DDR4, Sapphire Pulse AMD RX 6700 12GB, M.2 PCIe NVMe (x2) 480GB + 960GB, 447GB SSD´s, Samsung G6 32" , Logitech G13, G502, Warthog HOTAS, CH Pedals, Simagic Alpha Mini, and Formula Extreme FX, DC Simracing DC1 pedals, GT Omega ART cockpit, TrackIR 5.0. AUDIO: Aiyima A07 Max, Topping E50 and L50 stack, Polk Audio Signature Elite ES20 , and Shennheiser HD 560s. DAP: Hiby R3, Hiby Seeds, and iBasso IT01, Sharp MD-MT 80H Minidisc.
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,383PanzerMeyer
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Originally Posted by malibu43
I thought this thread was going to be about the Ghost With The Most...
That one is spelled very differently!
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
I'm sure he won't care how you spell it if you say it three times
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Wow, that one great scope you got there With such a beauty no wonder you miss Scotland.
Well it´s a Meade too but not quite in the LX200 leauge, I think it´s a great little scope to start with and/or travel. I can always use it as a focuser if I grow to a better scope as I learn...
Nice to see some real astronomy fans here in SimHQ!
Red
I don't like those aperture reducer caps. Exit pupil at the eyepiece is aperture divided by magnification. To say nothing of vignetting...
These things exist because sometimes "the moon is too bright".
Use a filter, or slap on some sunglasses, but never intentionally reduce the exit pupil! (well unless you're doing something crazy - I took my scope well beyond it's 180x max to 250x with a Barlow [10mm EP with Barlow and 1250mm focal length] - very difficult to aim, even just at the moon, and obviously severe vignetting...
With that I was dealing with a .36mm exit pupil. Very challenging. (with a manually aimed telescope anyway)
I could go into some serious "splitting hairs" territory on why an aperture reducer COULD be useful, with cameras, but for direct visual observation I see no case for it...
Last edited by Zamzow; 02/20/2005:05 AM. Reason: expansion of comment