For prints:





astro imaging equipment

 

 

 


TOA-130F typical imaging setup (old setup).


FS-60C typical imaging setup (old setup).

            Telescopes:

*** NEW *BIG* SCOPE ... currently in testing...   testing.jpg (69719 bytes)

   TOA130NFB.jpg (121643 bytes)   Takahashi TOA-130NFB APO Air-spaced Triplet Refractor (130mm, F/7.7, 1000mm) (Arrived 28 Feb 11)

   FS60C.jpg (202119 bytes)   Takahashi FS-60C APO Fluorite Doublet Refractor (60mm, F/5.9, 355mm) (Arrived 1 Mar 11)

 

            Mount:

*** NEW ADVANCED MOUNT ... currently in testing...

 

            Main Camera:

   QSI_wLodestar_sm.jpg (229749 bytes)   QSI 690wsg CCD camera (3388x2712, 3.7x3.7µm) (Arrived 28 Nov 17)

QSI 690wsg 9.2mp Cooled CCD Camera w/Integrated Guider Port.  Camera Mounting Options: T-mount adapter and 2" nosepiece.  Guider Mounting Options: CS/C-mount.  5-position Filter Wheel for Threaded 1.25" Filters

 

Model 690 CCD Image Sensor Specifications:

CCD Manufacturer & Model     Sony ICX814         
CCD Architecture Interline Transfer
     Microlens Yes
     Anti-blooming Yes - 800x suppression
Imager Size: (WxH) 12.48mm x 9.98mm
Pixel Array (WxH): 3388 x 2712 active (9.19 megapixels)
Pixel Size: 3.69µm x 3.69µm
Pixel Full Well Depth 18,000 electrons
Absolute Quantum Efficiency Peak: 77% at 560nm
Pixel Dark Current <0.002 electrons per second at -10°C
Intrinsic Read Noise 3.1 electrons RMS
Dynamic Range 75db

 

Model 690 Camera Specifications:

Thermoelectric CCD Cooling

Temperature regulation +/- 0.1°C, @ 0°C  to -40°C CCD temperature
In free air,
Fans @ Full Speed
Typically 40°C below ambient air with 85% cooling power
Cooling Fan Control Intelligent, user configurable
Camera Gain User Selectable High Gain 0.16 e-/ADU (default), Low Gain 0.36 e-/ADU
Digital Resolution 16 bits (both High Quality and High Speed mode)
Total System Read Noise 3 electrons RMS typical in High Quality mode
7 electrons RMS typical in High Speed mode
Pixel Dark Current <0.002 electrons per second at -10°C
Weight (wsg model) 1300g

Filters:

  • 1.25" Astrodon LRGB Tru-Balance I-Series Gen 2 Filters  

  • 1.25" Astrodon Ha (656.46nm) filter (3nm FWHM)

 

            Guide Camera:

   Lodestar.jpg (135386 bytes)   Starlight Xpress Lodestar Guide camera  (ICX429AL Sony Exview, 752x580 pixels, 8.2 x 8.4µm) (Arrived 23 Apr 12)

 

            Adapters/Configurations:

  • TOA-130F @ f/7.7 (Tak TOA130FF - TOA-67FL Flattener):

f7.7_config.jpg (120716 bytes)

  • TOA-130F @ f/5.8 (Tak TOA130R Reducer... old/earlier camera setup):

f5.8_config.jpg (101675 bytes)

  • FS-60C @ f/6.2 (Tak TFL0060 Flattener... old/earlier camera setup):

f6.2_config.jpg (96654 bytes)

  • FS-60C @ f/4.2 (Tak TRD0060 - RD-C 0.72x Reducer).

 

           DSLR Camera (ultra-widefield):

   CanonT3i.jpg (82885 bytes)   Canon T3i Digital Rebel w/Canon 18-135mm lens (Arrived 24 Dec 13)

  SamyangLens.jpg (230112 bytes)   Samyang 14mm, F/2.8 lens (Arrived 6 Mar 22)

    
   Point and Shoot Camera (planetary):

            Canon_SX420IS.jpg (111096 bytes)   Canon SX420 IS (Arrived
13 Sep 21)

 

            Light Box:

  • I built this double diffusion-layer light box myself in Dec 2010.  This is used for taking flat frames following imaging sessions in "calibration" steps and is necessary to remove optical system effects and sensor imperfections (common with all modern CCDs) from final images.  It is powered by 9V DC with either a battery or power cable (power controls on opposite side of box in left image, while image on right shows box in use with TOA):

f5.8_config.jpg (101675 bytes)       

 

 

            Previous equipment (most recent first):

                       EM200.jpg (62553 bytes)   Takahashi EM200 Temma II German Equatorial Mount (< +/- 5" PE) (21 Mar 07 - 17 Mar 23 : SOLD to upgrade to advanced AP mount)

                       Orion_150mm_Mak-Cas.jpg (193136 bytes)   Orion 150mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Reflector (150mm, F/12, 1800mm) (1 Jul 21 - 4 Dec 22 : SOLD to help fund upgrade to TPO 12" RC Truss Tube)

   540_wLodestar_sm.jpg (181551 bytes)   QSI 540wsg CCD camera (2048x2048, 7.4x7.4µm) (22 May 12 - 18 Dec 17 : SOLD to upgrade to QSI 690wsg)

   SXV_H9C.jpg (151731 bytes)   Starlight Xpress SXV-H9C CCD camera (1392x1040, 6.45micron pixels) w/SXV guidecam (19 Apr 06  - 28 Jun 12 : SOLD to upgrade to QSI 540wsg)

   WOZS66.jpg (113259 bytes)   William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD Doublet APO (66mm, F/5.9) (19 May 06 - 5 Jul 11 : SOLD to upgrade to Tak  FS-60C)

   C8.jpg (80669 bytes)  C8_imaging.jpg (76620 bytes)   Celestron 8" CF w/XLT (203mm, F/10) (27 Apr 07 - 11 Feb 11 : SOLD to upgrade to Tak TOA-130NFB)

      Earlier tandem imaging setup (C8 and WO66), January 2009

   canon_s1.JPG (143691 bytes)   Canon PowerShot S1 IS, 10x optical zoom (Jun 05 : upgrade from Canon A40 and used for most Planetary captures - camera died Aug 08, replaced with Canon S5 IS, which in turn I later sold and replaced with Canon T3i in Dec 2013)

      Meade LX200GPS 10" SMT w/UHTC SCT (254mm, F/10) (8 Nov 05 - 28 Feb 07 : SOLD to upgrade to EM200 and C8)

   orion_10dob.jpg (45330 bytes)   Orion SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian (254mm) (May 03 - Sep 05 : SOLD to upgrade to Meade LX200GPS 10")

   minolta.jpg (67252 bytes)   Minolta X-370 35mm SLR with 300mm zoom attached (RETIRED, but still have it)

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