Issue 8 jan08

ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment

8-INCH RFT BALL SCOPE • IMAGE PROCESSING-IP4AP CHOOSING A LOW POWER EYEPIECE • BUILDING AN OBSERVING CHAIR

Farah Payan Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes Volume 2 • Issue 1 January 2008 $5.00 US

Contents

Cover Story - 29

29

ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Farah Payan stands in front of her store, Woodland Hills Telescopes, located in Woodland Hills, California, where she has helped astronomy enthusiasts with their equipment choices for over 20 years!

The image of the lunar eclipse superimposed above the store was taken by one of Farah’s customers, Paul Keen. Says Paul of the image, “One of the neatest things to observe during the eclipse, other than the sheer beauty of watching the Moon change from blinding white to a deep red, was the occultation of two stars. From one exposure to the next, you can see as the Moon glides slowly through the night sky, stars appearing from behind the Moon’s surface. This was totally awesome, and a great reason to stay up all night Farah Payan long!”

Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes The image is a 6-second exposure taken at totality on August 28th, 2007.

An unmodified Canon 20D was mounted in prime focus configuration behind a Meade Series 5000 80mm APO telescope. The camera and telescope were mounted on a duplex plate on a Losmandy G11 Gemini mount that was polar aligned. The second telescope was a 5-inch 1180-mm focal length f/9.8 refractor (Meade LX55 AR-5), equipped with a 55-mm Televue Plossl eyepiece for visual observing of the eclipse. A total of over 150 images were taken during this eclipse period, at 2-minute intervals. The camera had a Canon TC-80N3 programmable remote shutter to activate the shutter every 2 minutes (this is a “must-have” option, in his opinion). The camera was set at Manual Focus, ISO 200, Aperture Priority, Partial Metering Mode, Auto White Balance, and the exposures ranged from 1/1600th second to approximately 6 seconds during totality.

By using aperture priority, the camera would automatically compensate for the varying degrees of brightness as the Moon darkened.

For this prime focus configuration image, the normal camera lens was removed, and the 80-mm telescope became the lens. Focusing was provided by an STI Stiletto focus aid. The text frame was added in Photoshop CS using Noel Carboni's Astronomy Tools plug-in for PhotoShop. Processing was done completely in Photoshop CS. Processing included slight adjustment of levels before resizing the original image to 6"x9". After this, the text box was added, with Duchess Font used for the lettering.

Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment

PAGE

8-INCH RFT BALL SCOPE • IMAGE PROCESSING-IP4AP CHOOSING A LOW POWER EYEPIECE • BUILDING AN OBSERVING CHAIR

Industry News 11 ASTROMIST Version 2.5 Now Available 11 NEAF Sets Dates for 2008 Event

Volume 2 • Issue 1 January 2008 $5.00 US

In This Issue 8

48

Editor’s Note Taking Breaths Away

By Gary Parkerson

36 Shrouded Thoughts A Lightweight, Removable Accessory for DOBs

By Heather Obringer 39 Heater Meals Feed Your Hunger with A Hot, Tasty Meal Under the Stars

By Penny Distasio 42 Building An Observing Chair A Simple, Fun Project That Will Keep You Firmly Grounded

By David Snay 45 Choosing A Low Power Eyepiece There is Much to Consider and No Simple Answer

By Eric Wilcox

IP4AP Image Processing Instruction for Astro Photographers

By David Snay

52

8-Inch RFT Ball Scope ATM’r Tackles a Unique Scope Project

By Jason Hissong

59

Simple Remote Observatory Operation Individual Needs Set the Tone for a Remote Observatory Design

By John Crilly

67 Astro Tips Tricks, and Other Subjects Craig Stark of Stark Labs Offers a Simple Tip for Making a Collimator for Your Laser Collimator 68 Reader Profile Tracey Haley

12 LUNT SOLAR SYSTEMS New Company to Offer Solar Viewing Products 14 CELESTRON Introduces Clothing Line 15 MAG 1 INSTRUMENTS Announces New Ownership

15 SKYSHED OBSERVATORIES Offers New POD “Dome Only” Option 16 20/20 TELESCOPES AND BINOCULARS Opens New Location 16 ASTROPHOTO INSIGHT MAGAZINE Announces Dates for 2008 Midwest Astro-Imaging Conference Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

5

Contributing Writers John Crilly is currently serving as Vice President of the Astronomy Club of Akron and is a frequent program presenter at their meetings, as well as writing a monthly equipment article for the club newsletter. He also writes equipment reviews for the Reports section of the website, www.cloudynights.com, as well as frequently offering technical support and advice in the Forums section of the site. His astronomical images can be seen on his personal website, www.urbanobservatory.com.

Penny Distasio has worked for Meade Instruments as a dealer support rep, and even did a stint at the McDonald Observatory Visitor's Center in Fort Davis, Texas, but her main connection in the world of astronomy continues to be Oceanside Photo & Telescope, where she has worked for the past twenty years.

Penny also writes articles for the Oceanside Photo & Telescope Astronomical Society's quarterly newsletter, Arc Minutes. She lives with her husband, Tony, and their two cats, Abbey & Pippin, in Vista, California.

Jason Hissong wanted a chemistry set for his 11th birthday, but his parents got him a telescope instead. Ever since, he has been passionate about the heavens.

Currently, Jason serves as an officer of the Columbus Astronomical Society and he regularly volunteers at Perkins Observatory during their public programs. He enjoys building telescopes, writing electronic music, reading, and amateur radio.

He writes software to finance his astronomy habit.

Lorelei Parker Power is the co-owner of SkyShed Observatories with her husband and astronomy partner, Wayne Parker, the creator of SkyShed Roll Off and SkyShed POD. She also writes children's stories and is a sculptor, specializing in art dolls and miniature arts, which can be viewed at www.loreleipower.com.

Contents

New Products

18 SCOPEGUARD The Versatile Multicart is a Multi-function Transporter!

18 PIER-TECH Now Carries Astro Domes 21 DAYSTAR FILTERS Introduces New Design of Quantum Series Solar Filters and Calcium II H line 5.0Å Visual Solar Filter 22 CELESTRON Introductes SkyScout Scope 90 23 CAPE INSTRUMENTS To Offer Wall-Wise Zerochromat

David Snay is a retired software engineer living in central Massachusetts. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and has been an astronomer and astrophotographer for more than 10 years. David currently pursues fine art photography, specializing in traditional black/white images.

Erik Wilcox works for a natural foods distributor in South San Francisco, California, and is a long-time moderator on the popular astronomy forum, “Cloudy Nights.” He enjoys star parties and public outreach and, in addition to amateur astronomy, he spends his time playing in a rock band.

Subscribe Now! Pay Only $18 Per Year and Get 12 Issues Covering the Latest in Technology

www.astronomytechnologytoday.com 6

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

24 RIGEL SYSTEMS Introduces New Focus Motors, EasyFocus Stepper Motor Controller and Stepper Motor Assemblies 25 VIXON OPTICS Introduces Mini-Porta Mount 27 STARIZONA Announces HyperStar 3

ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Volume 2 • Issue 1 January 2008 Publisher Stuart Parkerson

Managing Editor Gary Parkerson

Editor’s

Note

Gary Parkerson, Managing Editor

Taking Breaths Away

Associate Editors Russ Besancon Karol Birchfield Jessica Parkerson

Art Director Lance Palmer

Staff Photographer Jim Osborne

Web Master James Bobbit

3825 Gilbert Drive Shreveport, Louisiana 71104 info@astronomytechnologytoday.com www.astronomytechnologytoday.com Astronomy Technology Today is published monthly by Parkerson Publishing, LLC. Bulk rate postage paid at Dallas, Texas, and additional mailing offices. ©2007 Parkerson Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. No part of this publication or its Web site may be reproduced without written permission of Parkerson Publishing, LLC. Astronomy Technology Today assumes no responsibility for the content of the articles, advertisements, or messages reproduced therein, and makes no representation or warranty whatsoever as to the completeness, accuracy, currency, or adequacy of any facts, views, opinions, statements, and recommendations it reproduces. Reference to any product, process, publication, or service of any third party by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply the endorsement or recommendation of Astronomy Technology Today.

The publication welcomes and encourages contributions; however is not responsible for the return of manuscripts and photographs. The publication, at the sole discretion of the publisher, reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or contributions. For more information contact the publisher at Astronomy Technology Today, 3825 Gilbert Drive, Shreveport, Louisiana 71104, or e-mail at info@astronomytechnologytoday.com.

8

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

We are pleased to report that Lorelei Parker Power's October article received overwhelmingly positive response from a great number of you. Indeed, it generated as much mail as any product coverage we've brought you in previous issues. Many who wrote volunteered that they enjoyed the break from our usual “nothing but astronomy equipment and software” fare.

Your feedback reminded us that, while we endeavor to bring you the latest on astro-products, our mission also includes covering the people and companies that produce and market those products, and in the cover article of this issue, Lorelei presents one of the more interesting stories we'll have the pleasure of sharing.

I resolved long before my first installment here to resist any temptation to lecture.

Frankly, I'm not smart enough to presume to do so, particularly to this audience. But, I'm reminded by Lorelei’s article of a growing concern and solicit your help in better understanding it.

I exchanged correspondence recently with another lady who enjoys singular skill with the written word. After she learned of my interest in astronomy, she shared her desire to witness a solar eclipse first hand and proceeded to describe that premier event so vividly, the images she inspired decorated my dreams that same night. How had an astronomy event she'd never witnessed so captured her imagination? One of our ranks had shared his experience with her and, as she, had so excelled in the telling, that she was moved to add attending an eclipse to her list of life goals. I've absolutely no doubt she will indeed travel to see a solar eclipse at the earliest opportunity. I'm also reminded that we all have the ability to share an astronomy experience so compelling and with such emotional impact, that lives are enriched.

Fortunately, we needn't possess the poetic skills of Lorelei or my new friend to be able to share memorable astronomical experiences.

Indeed, we can touch lives with nothing more eloquent than a modest telescope, a handful of eyepieces, and our knowledge of and enthusiasm for the heavens. With a literal universe of help, the heavens will do the rest.

Most of us have devoted time at some point to public outreach events and, if you're like me, left the event having gained far more than any of the “public.” Our magazine received a thank you note today from T.L. Fox, which contained one of the greatest lines I can recall, taught him by his father: “It’s not how many breaths you take…it’s how many times your breath gets taken away.” We've all enjoyed the unique privilege of playing a small part in creating a breath-taking experience, whether it’s the young lady at the eyepiece who whispers, “No way!”, or the grandmother stifling tears with, “Oh…thank you so much. I've never seen anything more beautiful!” Your daddy got it just right T.L. T.L.'s “thank you” was for putting him in touch with Jack Huerkamp, U.S. distributor of Rock Mallin’s video CCDs. T.L. had volunteered to record the December 17, 2007, occultation of a 6.7 magnitude star by the small asteroid Thusnelda for Paul Maley, Vice President, International Occultation Timing, and Jack had arranged a MallinCam for the event through Frank Mraz. I first met Jack about three years ago. He’d set up the same 17.5-inch MallinCam, ServoCAT, Argo Navis equipped, TeleKit Dob described in his September article at a star party that I attended with my nephew. Needless to say, my nephew stayed glued to Jack’s scope controls and video display all night and completely ignored my old school Newt. I learned my lesson and have since been increasingly excited about enhanced prospects for public outreach with the intro-

duction of each new device that makes it easier for us to exceed the expectations of a digital savvy audience, delivering “take your breath away” images with far greater efficiency and certainty. From the standpoint of technology, the future of amateur astronomy is bright indeed. What I don’t recall of that star party was the attendance of any young ladies near my nephew’s age; had there been, Jack's video display would have had more competition for my nephew's attention.

I wish I had a clearer understanding of how we might better attract women to our ranks. The sad fact is that more physicians subscribe to this magazine than women. Indeed, I had not realized just how male-dominated amateur astronomy was until thousands of you subscribed and so few of you were women.

What I do know is that we can ill afford to ignore anyone’s potential interest in joining the shrinking ranks of amateur astronomy and that it’s in our selfish interests to share astronomy in ways that have broadest appeal.

Early this year at WSP, I had parked outside of the grounds one night. While I was walking from my van, a young lady approached me in the dark. She was a student from Croatia who’d heard that an astronomy event was taking place, had been researching telescopes, and hoped to see some in person.

She was greeted by two people that night: the armed deputy who politely, but firmly, denied her entrance...and me. I spent several hours with her on the side of highway, discussing the sky, showing her favorite objects through binoculars, and learning about Croatia and her world travel adventures (all while trying to hold my middle-aged stomach in).

But for the accident of my being in the right place/time, her only impression of organized amateur astronomy would have been the armed guard forbidding her participation.

While I understand and agree with our need to limit participation in major events to manageable numbers, I also know that we need to work to make amateur astronomy more accessible to any and all curious minds. I’d like to leave my daughters a more meaningful legacy than memories of their dad having been part of a mostly male endeavor for which there was too little encouragement for their direct participation. I invite you to share your thoughts on this subject at: www.tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/astronomytechnologytoday/. I've no answers at this point; just lots of questions and nagging concern.

The new Astro-Physics 6" Eagle Adjustable Folding Pier is a versatile work-of-art as well as a totally practical tool for the advanced imager.

The one piece assembly sets up quickly in the field and allows adjustment of pier height, leveling of the mount, and eases the process of polar alignment.

www.astro-physics.com • 815-282-1513 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

9

The Supporting

CAST

The Companies And Organizations That Have Made Our Magazine Possible!

We wish to thank our advertisers without whom this magazine would not be possible. When making a decision on your next purchase, we encourage you to consider these advertisers’ commitment to you by underwriting this issue of Astronomy Technology Today.

20/20 Telescopes and Binoculars www.2020telescopes.com page 19

Celestron www.celestron.com page 2, 28, 71

Oceanside Photo and Telescope www.optcorp.com page 58

Sierra Stars Observatory www.sierrastars.com page 40

Adirondack Astronomy www.astrovid.com page 49, 62

Clickodometer www.clickodometer.com page 63

Optec www.optecinc.com page 25

SkyShed Observatories www.skyshed.com page 53

Amateur Astronomy Magazine www.amateurastronomy.com page 30

Cloudy Nights www.cloudynights.com page 62

Optical Mechanics www.opticalmechanics.com page 21

APM Telescopes www.apm-telescopes.de page 26

CNC Supply www.cncsupplyinc.com page 46

Optical Wave Laboratories www.opticwavelabs.com page 27

Astro Domes www.astrodomes.com page 30

DayStar Filters www.daystarfilters.com page 17

Astro Gizmos www.astrogizmos.com page 38

Denkmeier www.denkmeier.com page 65

Astro Hutech www.hutech.com page 10, 64

Durango Skies www.durangoskies.com page 47

AstroPhoto Insight Magazine www.skyinsight.net page 31

FAR Laboratories www.farlaboratories.com page 62

Astro Physics www.astro-physics.com page 9, 34

Farpoint Astronomical Research www.farpointastro.com page 11, 61

AstroShorts www.astroshorts.com page 36

Glatter Collimation www.collimator.com page 54

AstroSky www.astrosky.homestead.com page 25 AstroTrac www.astrotrac.com page 51

Great Red Spot Astronomy www.greatredspot.com page 40 Green Bank Star Quest V www.greenbankstarquest.org page 66

ATS Piers www.AdvancedTelescope.com page 56 Backyard Observatories ww.backyardobservatories.com page 22

HyperTune http://lxd55.com/hypertune page 54

Ostahowski Optics www.ostahowskioptics.com page 25 Peterson Engineering www.petersonengineering.com page 37 Pier-Tech www.pier-tech.com page 41, 55 ProtoStar www.fpi-protostar.com page 46 Rigel Systems www.rigelsys.com page 18 Round Table Platforms www.roundtableplatforms.com page 60 Sattleggers Alpenhof International Star-Party in Austria www.embergeralm.at/stella Page 43 ScopeBuggy www.scopebuggy.com page 34

Jack’s Astro Accessories www.waningmoonii.com page 33, 43

ScopeGuard www.scopeguard.com page 34, 65

Blue Planet Optics www.blueplanetoptics.com page 72

JMI Telescopes www.jmitelescopes.com page 13

Scope Stuff www.scopestuff.com page 36

Bobs Knobs www.bobsknobs.com page 34

Khan Scope Centre www.khanscope.com page 38

Scope Trader - Sites www.scopetrader.com/sites page 31

Catseye Collimation www.catseyecollimation.com page 26, 32

Meade Instruments www.meade.com page 4, 69

Shrouds By Heather www.teeterstelescopes.com/shrouds page 24

Starizona www.starizona.com page 16 Stark Labs www.stark-labs.com page 33 Starlight Instruments www.starlightinstruments.com page 12 Starry Night Lights www.starrynightlights.com page 63 Stellar Technologies International www.stellar-international.com page 37 Stellarvue www.stellarvue.com page 55 Surplus Shed www.surplusshed.com page 20 Tele Vue Optics www.televue.com page 70 Teton Telescope www.tetontelescope.com page 41 Thousand Oaks Optical www.thousandoaksoptical.com page 46 Woodland Hills Telescopes www.whtelescopes.com page 14 William Optics www.williamoptics.com page 3 Zeke’s Seats foxworks@netscape.com page 56

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT advertise@astronomytechnologytoday.com

INDUSTRYNEWS

ASTROMIST

NEAF

Version 2.5 Now Available

Sets Dates for 2008 Event

The April issue of ATT featured Cyrille Thieullet's detailed narrative of the creation and features of his Astromist PDA software. Constant efforts to improve and debug the software have culminated in introduction of version 2.5, which adds exciting features to the already rich platform.

NEAF 2008 will take place in the last weekend in April, the 26th and 27th.

Sponsored by the Rockland Astronomy Club and Sky & Telescope magazine, the event will again be held at the Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York.

Hours are: Saturday: 8:30 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Ticket prices are $15 for one day or $25 for both and those age 16 and under are admitted free with an adult.

The facility offers free parking for more than 1,000 vehicles and the event, as always, will include dozens of valuable door prizes and fantastic raffle prizes, activities for chil-

Astromist 2.5 highlights include: 1. The database now includes more than 18,000 detailed photos of deep sky objects. Each photo includes field of view data.

2. A cross reference feature that identifies any star or object by its most well known identifier, regardless of skychart application.

3. New Rise/Set Assistant provides data for any object from the ObjectChooser or FinderAssistant functions.

4. Enhanced Earth SatelliteAssistant that adds Iridium Flare data and lunar transit simulation.

5. Improved Comet&Asteroid Assitant identifies best dates to view a specific comet or asteroid, or identifies the brightest comet available on a particular date/time.

6. New support for Dobsonian Equatorial Platforms and SkyScan/EQ6 drives.

Best yet, Astromist is still available for an embarrassingly low price: $39 US. For more information, please visit www.astromist.com.

dren, an amateur telescope making display by the Springfield Telescope Makers and Starlab planetarium shows. Special hotel rates are available at the Wellesley Inn, Suffern (845-3681900), or Holiday Inn, Suffern (845357-4800).

NEAF 2008 promises to be even bigger and better than the 2007 record breaking version, with more than 100 exhibitors, including ATT. Both Stuart Parkerson, Publisher, and Gary Parkerson, Managing Editor, will be on hand and look forward to meeting you in person.

For more information go to www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.

Subscribe Now!!!

12 Issues Only $18!

ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

11

INDUSTRYNEWS

LUNT SOLAR SYSTEMS New Company to Offer Solar Viewing Products There's a new player on the solar viewing/imaging horizon and it incorporates some already familiar industry names. Lunt Solar Systems, of Tucson, Arizona, has begun manufacturing Solar Filters, Solar Telescopes, and Accessories.

Lunt Solar Systems' initial offering will be its LS50 Hydrogen-alpha system, a 50-mm unobstructed aperture, integrally tuned etalon for use on any customer supplied refractor.

The system incorporates the B600 standard for use on telescopes up to 600-mm focal length.

Because of this systems' <0.75 Angstrom estimated bandpass, it is capable of providing high contrast views of both Solar surface and limb detail. Adding an additional etalon system will reduce bandpass to

~<0.55 Angstroms, permitting even higher resolution viewing/imaging.

The new company will be introducing many new products in the coming months ranging from 50mm etalon filters mentioned above to 160-mm Solar Systems.

Lunt Solar Systems anticipates that its new website will be activated by early January and further details of its product lines will be available there. The LS50 is priced at $799.00 US, but for a limited time only, preordered units are offered at $699.00 US. Lunt Solar Systems currently has a very active yahoo tech site where up to the minute information can be found at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ luntsolar.

Key Members of the Lunt Solar Systemsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Team Include Andrew Lunt: Lunt brings 20 years of optical design, testing, and manufacturing of ultra precision flats, mirrors, filters, and etalon assemblies, to the venture, including 7 years of direct experience with systems designed specifically for solar viewing/imaging.

Alan Traino: The driving force behind each new edition of NEAF, Traino's unmatched energy and enthusiasm for all things astronomy has earned the respect of vendors, manufacturers, and astronomy enthusiasts throughout the world.

Markus Ludes: Of APM Telescopes fame, Ludes' unique knowledge of optical systems is a critical key to insuring that Lunt Solar System products are of the highest quality.

His knowledge of lens and telescope design, production, and testing, and worldwide network or vendors and dealers provide critical elements to the future success of the venture.

Russ Tanton: Tanton provides extraordinary experience as a Solar observer and will serve as Lunt Solar Systems' U.S. outside sales manager and will work directly with dealers to provide technical sales support.

Rikki Hocking: Hocking will serve in the role of inside sales, technical sales support, administration, etc. She will also represent Lunt Solar Systems at upcoming star parties, presenting the company's products to new and former solar enthusiasts.

Manny Serrano: Serrano serves as design engineer, overseeing prototype development and testing. He also enjoys 7 years of direct experience in the design of Solar equipment and is working hard to get the company's new products onto paper and to the fabricators.

Brian Stevens: Stevens brings 4 years of experience in working with etalon systems and brings his unique talent for assembling, repairing, and troubleshooting those systems.

12

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

INDUSTRYNEWS

CELESTRON Introduces Clothing Line

Don’t Miss Our Triple Reward Sale Jan 18,19, 20!

Tele Vue-60 2-el. APO 1¼” Focuser $745 OTA

Tele Vue-76 2-el. APO 2” Focuser Starting at $1,190 OTA

Tele Vue-85 2-el. APO, 2” Focuser Starting at $1,575 OTA

14

Limited Time - 10% Off Tele Vueʼs Top-Rated APO Refractors!

Tele Vue-102 2-el. APO, 2” Focuser Starting at $1,995 OTA

Tele Vue-102iis 2-el. APO, 2.4” Focuser $2,685

Tele Vue-60is 2-el. with Flattener APO 2” Focuser $1,525

Tele Vue-NP127is 4-el. Flat-Field APO 2.4” Focuser $6,285

Tele Vue-NP101 4-el. Flat-Field APO, 2” Focuser $3,295

Tele Vue-NP101is 4-el. Flat-Field APO 2.4” Focuser $3,585

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Celestron has long been know for providing affordable astronomical products to view with and now has announced a new line of clothing to view in!

The new line of Celestron clothing includes everything from caps and shirts to cold weather parkas. As would be expected from a high-tech company, Celestron includes in their clothing line such high-tech products as a “PolarTec” fleece jacket, which offers the advantage of being lightweight and comfortable, but with the insulating properties of a much heavier garment.

All of the products in the new line feature the Celestron Logo. While you can find such “dressy” pieces as the Performance Plus Pique Knit Polo, which offers 100% combed cotton pique, relaxed fit, stripped neck tape, and bartacked side vents, you’ll also find comfort tees and sweatshirts.

All of the clothing line is offered in black matched to the Celestron Orange Logo (except for the tee shirts, which are also offered in white) and come in men and women’s sizes.

The new line also features a laptop case made with the highest grade of 600 denier polyester fabric and thick padding for superior protection, as well as a handy heavy nylon sports bag with a u-shaped top opening and three outside pockets for easy access.

For more information go to www.celestron.com and click on the apparel link.

INDUSTRYNEWS

MAG 1 INSTRUMENTS Announces New Ownership

We are excited to report that Mag 1 Instruments, manufacturer of the unique Portaball, is now back in business after a short hiatus earlier this year. Dave Juckem, who operates a machining facility in Chilton, Illinois, recently made the announcement that he has taken over Mag 1 Instruments’ operations.

Peter Smitka started Mag 1 Instruments in 1989. After 15 years Peter decided to close the business to pursue other interests, much to the dismay of the legion of fans of PortaBall Telescopes around the world.

Dave, who has been an astronomy

enthusiast since high school, had been a supplier for Mag 1 and was disappointed to see the manufacturer of such a unique telescope close down. He therefore made arrangements to take over the business.

Said Dave, shown in the photo with a model he built for an aerospace museum, “My background is as follows: I started out in life as an aircraft mechanic, moved into product development for the aerospace and medical fields, and ended up owning a machine shop where we help our customers solve design issues and produce prototypes for them.”

He continued, “We also produce small volume parts for these customers, and just for fun, build models for industry and museums like the one shown in the photo. I was instrumental in many of the design features of the original Portaball and manufactured parts for Peter for many years. Purchasing the Portaball line

was a natural fit for us and we look forward to a long and enjoyable tenure as the new owners.”

This spring Juckem will introduce several design changes to the Portaball. He plans to make the changes backwards compatible for those who already have a Portaball and will provide full support for all existing owners with parts and service.

He will start with production of an 8-inch and 12.5-inch scope, with an 18-inch following later in 2008.

“Besides the redesign and getting back up and in production, we are also rewriting the owner’s manuals,” said Dave. “We are going to be at NEAF and look forward to reintroducing the Portaball along with meeting our customers, both old and new.”

Be sure and check out the ATM article in this issue of ATT by Jason Hissong, who built a ball scope of similar design to the Portaball.

Mag 1 Instruments’ new website is currently under development at www.mag1instruments.com and interested individuals should check back often to see what’s new.

SKYSHED OBSERVATORIES Offers New POD “Dome Only” Option SkyShed Observatories has announced they have added a new POD "dome only" option. The dome only option is meant for those who wish to replace an older existing dome, or may be building a structure of there own and just need a POD dome to top it off.

The dome only option is priced at $795 US plus shipping.

Customers still receive all the bonus items that are included with the complete POD. By shipping the dome only this lowers shipping costs as the size of dome only shipment is only about 60% of the size of a complete POD with dome and wall.

The dome only option is available in all the existing non glow color choices, plus two new colors that have recently been added - Ice Green and Cobalt Blue. In addition, the dome is also available in optional glow-in-the-dark colors at a slightly higher price.

For more information visit the SkyShed POD website at www.skyshedpod.com.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

15

INDUSTRYNEWS

20/20 TELESCOPES AND BINOCULARS Opens New Location Chris Brownewell, owner of 20/20 Telescopes and Binoculars, has announced 20/20's move to a new, larger location.

20/20 has been a leading retailer of telescopes and astronomy in the Midwest for 10 years. Co-located with Molenaar Eye Care in downtown Lansing, Illinois, the store quickly outgrew the space available at that location. That all changed in December as 20/20 moved to a new 2,000 square foot retail location at 1058 Joliet St. (US-30) in Dyer, Indiana.

According to Chris, “The new location is an easily found, high visibility, and high traffic retail sales location with great access to US-30 and plenty of parking. It is less than a mile from the border with Illinois, and travel time for customers coming from Chicago has only been increased a couple of minutes.”

“Dyer is one of the few communities in the Chicago region to have a light pol-

lution ordinance, and the highly visible presence of all these beautiful telescopes in our showroom windows will no doubt spark interest in astronomy and science in this area,” he continued.

The new location also facilitates 20/20’s growing Internet business. The store is open from 11 am to 7 pm Monday through Saturday and will continue to be open six days a week at the new location. 20/20 is a dealer for Meade, Orion, Vixen, Tele Vue, Celestron, and other major brands.

20/20 is also the sponsor of the EPOCH 2008 Star Party, which will be held on July 29 - August 3, 2008. A new website specifically for the event, www.starparty.info, will be in operation soon and registration will begin in January.

For more information, go to www.2020telescopes.com.

ASTROPHOTO INSIGHT MAGAZINE Announces Dates for 2008 Midwest AstroImaging Conference

AstroPhoto Insight has announced the location and dates for the 2008 Midwest Astro-Imaging Conference (MAIC). The conference will take place on June 20-21, 2008, at the NIU Hoffman Estates Meeting Center, conveniently located only 20 minutes away from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

The 2008 Conference will include expert speakers covering the latest in CCD and DSLR image acquisition and processing, with vendor exhibits, door prizes and breakfast, lunch and coffee service on both days. The event will also feature free wireless Internet access throughout the facility.

Speakers already confirmed for the conference include Robert Reeves, author of numerous books on astrophotography; Neil Fleming, narrowband and image processing expert; Jim Burnell, co-author of The Handbook of Astronomical Image Processing and AIP4Win; Mike Unsold, developer of ImagesPlus; and Warren Keller, Photoshop expert and trainer from IP4AP – Image Processing for Astrophotography.

Frequent updates will be posted on the MWAIC Yahoo group. Also, early bird discounts will only be announced on the MWAIC Yahoo group and are only offered for a short period of time.

Join the group to keep up-to-date and for a chance to save on the admission price. For more information on the event and the MWAIC Yahoo Group, please visit www.skyinsight.net/maic.

Subscribe Now!!!

12 Issues Only $18!

ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY

16

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

NEWPRODUCTS

SCOPEGUARD

PIER-TECH

Introduces the Versatile Multicart

Now Carries Astro Domes

ScopeGuard's new Multicart is a stand-up or lay-down wheeled dolly or hand truck that is capable of quick transition into eight useful configurations.

The Multicart offers a tough, corrosion-resistant textured powder coat finish, a non-skid frame bed, cable quick release for fold down and compact storage, spring-loaded wing

bolts that will not loosen from vibration, stair climber rails, strong yet light-weight castors and shock-absorbing pneumatic wheels with roller bearings.

The Multicart is available in 5 models and capable of loads of up to 500 pounds. We were particularly taken with the shelf and deck kit options.

Prices range from $99.00 to $228.00.

For more information, please visit ww.scopeguard.com.

MULTICART SPECIFICATIONS Size

R2

R6

R8

R10

R12

Length

26"

28"

34"

34"

34"

Length Extended

40.50"

45.00"

55.25"

55.25"

55.25"

Width (Bed)

10.75"

12.50"

13.50"

13.50"

13.50"

Width (Rear Wheels) 14.00"

18.00"

19.00"

20.00"

20.00"

Height (Folded)

6.50"

9.25"

9.50"

11.00"

11.00"

Height (Upright)

30.75"

33.25"

38.75"

40.50"

40.50"

Front Wheels

4" Standard

4" Standard

5" Standard

5" Standard

8" Pneumatic

Rear Wheels

6" Standard

8" Pneumatic 8" Pneumatic 10" Pneumatic 10" Pneumatic

Weight

17 lbs.

25 lbs.

29 lbs.

31 lbs.

36 lbs.

Load Capacity

350 lbs.

500 lbs.

500 lbs.

500 lbs.

500 lbs.

Price

$99.00

$131.00

$154.00

$167.00

$228.00

NEW! QuikAdapt

PulsGuide + 12.5 mm Guiding Eyepiece PulsGuide pulses reticle illumination to let eye rest between pulses, for increased contrast between reticle & faint guide stars. The result? Easier guiding. Eyepiece has excellent eye relief & sharp double cross hairs.

$119.95

nFOCUS + focus motor

$79.95

Universal digital camera adapter for Astrophotography. for both eyepiece projection & prime focus. Works with digicams and DSLRs. One handed easy-on & easy-off, easy camera alignment, rigid durable aluminum.

18

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Vito Rotondi, owner of Pier-Tech, has announced its agreement to serve as the official U.S. distributor of Astro Domes, one of the premier dome manufacturers in the world.

All Astro Domes products are precision engineered and meticulously crafted using only the highest quality materials, are light weight, yet sturdy, and are easy to assemble and use. Astro Domes observatories are available in sizes to 6.5 meters and have been installed in astronomical facilities throughout the world.

The Astro Domes revolutionary design enables easy stand-up access through a rollover hatch that provides unobstructed viewing from zenith to horizon. Astro Domes are uniquely leak-proof and rotate smoothly on an innovative system of nylon wheels using either manual or motor driven dome rotation.

The addition of Astro Domes products to its roll-off observatories positions Pier-Tech to meet any observatory needs.

For more information, please visit to www.pier-tech.com.

Skylite & Starlite mini

Our original astro flashlight, much imitated but never duplicated, is back! More compact at only 3.5 inches long. Skylite switchable between white and red, Starlite is red only. Skylite mini $24.95 Starlite mini $20.95

NEW! RS-Spectroscope

Attaches to a eyepiece to spreadlight from stars and nebulae into a rainbow of colors, nFOCUS controller fits in the palm colors that provide a whole new way to of your hand and provides two enjoy astronomy. Works with most directions at low & high speeds with digital cameras. $299.95 only two buttons using advanced logic & high torque 12V pulse.

QuikFinder $39.95 For GSO, Stellarvue, WO &Televue. Compact reflex sight. One tenth the size and nFOCUS alone. $49.95 nFOCUS + DC Motor $129.95 weight of the other "reflex" sight, makes aiming your telescope easy with its wide-open right-side-up view. Projects 1/2 and 2 degree red circles, Pulsed or continuous illumination of reticle. www.rigelsys.com

Rigel Systems

NEWPRODUCTS

DAYSTAR FILTERS Introduces New Design of Quantum Series Solar Filters and Calcium II H line 5.0Å Visual Solar Filter Daystar Filters has announced that it’s newly updated ‘Quantum’ body style is now in production.

This improved heater housing incorporates state of the art, custom electronics. Its electronically controlled heating provides accurate tuning for precise, on-band transmission in any climate from below freezing to 100°F. The Quantum operates on 12VDC, so users can operate directly from a battery or cigarette outlet in the field.

Included is a 100-240VAC wall adapter with a selection of international plugs.

Also, the new LCD digital readout displays the filter’s current wavelength, precise to 0.1Å. Its simple to use red and blue buttons allow the user to shift the filter’s wavelength transmission up to ±1Å in the red or blue wing. A color coded LED light confirms when the Quantum is transmitting at the desired wavelength.

Additional Quantum features include a serial port for remote user interface, button lockout option, tamper-resistant electronics, and embedded serial numbers for theft protection. The Quantum body style

replaces the previous ATM and University models with the designation SE or PE to indicate Standard Edition or Professional Edition.

The Quantum is available on new DayStar H-alpha ($2,850 - $5,200 SE Series or $4625 - $9000 PE Series) and Calcium K line filters ($4,800). The Quantum is also available as an upgrade to older DayStar filters ($525).

DayStar has also introduced a new filter designed for safe visual observing of the Calcium II H line ($4000).

Centered at 3968Å, the higher of the two prominent Calcium lines, the Ca II H is easier for observers to see than the lower wavelength of 3933Å of Ca II K line filters.

Ca II observations offer views of supergranulation and calcium plages when present. The Calcium II K line is still the desired choice for academic studies of the solar atmosphere, but is typically not visible to the human eye. DayStar’s Ca II K line is still available for university applications.

For more information, visit www.DayStarFilters.com

Subscribe Now!!!

12 Issues Only $18!

ASTRO N O MY

TECHNOLOGY

TODAY

Your Complete Guide to Astro nomical

Equipment

8-INCH RFT BALL SCOPE • IMAGE PROCESSING-IP CHOOSING A LOW POWER 4AP EYEPIECE • BUILDING AN OBSERVING CHAIR

Farah Payan

Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes Volume 2 • Issue 1 January 2008 $5.00 US

ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY www.astronomytechnologytoday.com

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

21

NEWPRODUCTS

CELESTRON Introductes SkyScout Scope 90 Since Celestron first introduced its groundbreaking SkyScout personal planetarium, we’ve all wondered a time or two about the utility of mounting one of the things on a telescope. ATT confesses to having actually tried this with several scopes and promising results and will report what we learned in a later issue. Meanwhile, Celestron has now obviated those efforts by designing an alt-az mounted 90-mm f/7 refractor that appears to be the perfect compliment to the SkyScout.

Celestron has engineered a purpose specific adjustable mount for “no tools” attachment and easy alignment to the optical axis of the refractor. The system employs non-magnetic materials to avoid interference with the onboard sensors of the attached SkyScout.

Features include: quick and easy “no tool” setup of the entire system, coated optics and versatile f/7 focal ratio, erect image 6x30 finderscope with quick-release bracket, erect image diagonal for ease of orientation, pan handle control with built-in clutch for easy targeting, smooth motion and solid positioning, stable, rigid pre-assembled tripod with 1.25-inch stainless steel tube legs, and an accessory SkyScout Scope 90 Specifications tray for convenient accessory storage.

Optical Design Refractor For information go to Aperture 90 mm (3.54 in) www.celestron.com.

Focal Length 660 mm (25.98 in) The introductory Eyepieces 40 mm (1.57 in) price of the C e l e s t r o n 10 mm (0.39 in) SkyScout Scope Mount Altazimuth 90 is $319.95.

Optical Coatings Fully Coated Finderscope 6x30 Erect Image Star Diagonal Erect Image diagonal -1.25" CD Rom The Sky L1 Optical Tube Length 25 in (635 mm) Weight 20 lb (9.07 kg)

D O B S E R VAT O R Y

Our newest offering, the Dobservatory is specifically designed for the low pivot point of DOBs allowing you to view near the horizon. The Dobservatory is available in sizes from 7'6" x 7'6" to 15'6" x 15'6".

The Home Model is the perfect design of form, function and, of course, pricing with every feature you’ll need for the ultimate in observing! The Home Model is available in sizes from 7'6" x 7'6" to 15'6" x 15'6".

HOME MODEL

From Maine to California, Montana to Texas, BYO builds the highest quality roll-off roof observatories on the market today. We are now beginning our 6th year of providing turn key observatory solutions throughout the U.S. and have gained experience second to none.

Why Backyard Observatories?

CAPE INSTRUMENTS To Offer Wall-Wise Zerochromat John Wall, inventor of the Crayford focuser, and Peter Wise, of Cape Instruments, Ltd., have partnered in the design and production of a unique version of a dialyte refractor and have named their creation the Zerochromat.

Wall recently completed a 30-inch dialyte (yes, 30-inch!) that is currently housed in England at the Hanwell Observatory, near Banbury, Oxfordshire. The present configuration of that massive scope works well only at low magnifications because optimum corrective elements have yet to be installed. However, its performance potential and ease of construction prompted Wise to explore the design’s possibilities with modern optical design software.

Wall and Wise report that their first resulting version, an 8-inch f/12 dialyte that weighs only 20 pounds, and is less than five feet long, is essentially free of chromatic aberration across a flat 0.6 degree field of view, with a

theoretical Strehl of 0.99. The venture plans to market the 8-inch version for around $12,000 US. The Zerochromat employs a long focal ratio, single element 200-mm aperture plano-convex lens as its objective. Two internal fold mirrors reduce the physical length of the instrument to a highly manageable 53 inches.

According to Wall and Wise, the patented corrector lens assembly reduces chromatic aberration to “vanishingly small levels,” providing the diffraction-limited performance that only an unobstructed optical system can.

The 8-inch Zerochromat features a lightweight, strong and thermally stable carbon-fiber tube, making for an ideal photo-visual platform.

For more information, please visit www.zerochromat.com.

CLUB MODEL

Our Club Model is quite probably the largest home observatory available and more bang for the buck than anything else out there! The Club Model is available in sizes from 16' x 20' to a whopping 24' x 32'!

WWW.BACKYARDOBSERVATORIES.COM • 330-667-3214 WWW.M1OASYS.COM

More options, Most roll-off roof experience, 25 years construction experience, Turn-key installation, Ever customizable designs, Highest quality residential specs (not shed type construction), Heavy duty industrial capacity roller system design, Exclusive m1 OASYS roof automation, Standard and Heavy Duty roof motor designs, Big Bear Piers, Warm/Control room options, Plans available created by an experienced builder/astronomer with DIYers in mind, Our observatories have been chosen 10 to 1 over other commercially built observatories at Deerlick Astronomy Village.

BYO EXCLUSIVE

m1 OASYS A Backyard Observatories Exclusive! The m1 OASYS system is the ultimate Roll-OffRoof Observatory Automation/Security System. This very flexible and robust system is a must-have tool for anyone wishing to secure, monitor, and remotely control their telescope observatory and best of all, you can install it yourself! Go to www.m1oasys.com for more info.

We are happy to build your Custom Design, just let us know what you want and we’ll build it! The sky is the limit!

CUSTOM DESIGNS

BACKYARD

OBSERVATORIES

NEWPRODUCTS

RIGEL SYSTEMS Introduces New Focus Motors, EasyFocus Stepper Motor Controller and Stepper Motor Assemblies

Rigel Systems now offers a 12 volt DC motor drive for Stellarvue, William Optics and GSO Crayford focusers as well as Tele Vue focusers, all of which are controlled by the Rigel Systems' nFOCUS DC Focus Motor Controller.

The nFOCUS controller employs a pulse width modulated (PWM) drive, providing full voltage torque for reliable low speed operation. Press a second button and the nFOCUS digital logic control switches to high speed drive, to get you to near focus quickly. This avoids the problems of focus motor controllers that adjust voltage to adjust speed, sacrificing low-speed torque in the bargain. nFOCUS produces a full 12 volt, short duration pulse to overcome "stiction" at

24

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

low speed operation, and is powered by 3 AA batteries (supplied) for long life.

The DC focus motors are packaged in a compact, attractive assembly and engineered for easy installation and reliable, accurate operation. An nFOCUS plus a Focus Motor to fit your Stellarvue, William Optics, GSO or Tele Vue focuser are priced at just $129.95.

Rigel Systems has also introduced the EasyFocus, a James Lacey stepper motor focus controller that will operate almost any 12 volt unipolar stepper motor and is pinfor-pin compatible with the popular Robofocus stepper motors. The controller can be operated with any ASCOM compliant program such as FocusMax and is designed specifically for auto-focusing c a p a b i l i t y.

E a c h EasyFocus Stepper Motor Controller fea-

tures solid-state electronics for increased reliability and robustness. It is an â&#x20AC;&#x153;absoluteâ&#x20AC;? focus controller, insuring precise accuracy. The unit even includes a built-in solid-state temperature sensor and the ability to perform temperature compensated focusing.

Each EasyFocus Controller includes a serial cable and motor cable, as well as an ASCOM driver download and is priced at just $219.95.

Stepper motor assemblies are available bundled with the EasyFocus Controller to fit many popular focusers for only $399.95.

For more information on these and other unique Rigel Systems products, please visit www.rigelsys.com.

NEWPRODUCTS

VIXEN OPTICS Introduces Mini-Porta Mount The new Vixen Mini-Porta Mount offers the same features as its popular Porta Mount, including convenient slow motion controls, stable aluminum, two section tripod, and “ Wo r l d - St a n d a r d ” dovetail attachment system, but in a smaller, lighter package.

The Mini-Porta weighs just 6 pounds, but boasts a load capacity of up to 10 pounds. The dovetail attachment system on PORTA was developed

by Vixen to accept various dovetail mounted optical tubes and binoculars.

It offers two fine adjustment handles that provide whole circle slow motion

control in both directions via a precision 120 tooth gear drive, very useful in searching and tracking celestial objects.

The dovetail system makes mounting various optical tubes and binoculars quick and sure, and the tripod legs adjust from 90 to 130 cm. The gear drives make it a simple matter to precisely track a planet or a ship on the horizon by simply turning the elevation and or azimuth control handles.

The Vixen Optics Mini-Porta is priced at only $299.00.

For more information, please visit www.vixenoptics.com.

Parabolic & Spherical optics Elliptical Diagonal Flats Complete interferometric data 27 years (full-time) experience

www.ostahowskioptics.com fineoptics@dishmail.net 951-763-5959

Astro Sky Telescopes & Piers

Precision Truss Dobsonian Telescopes and Piers Built by James Grigar

www.astrosky.homestead.com/Astrosky.html

Mount Type Vert. and Horiz. Slow Motion Optical Tube Attachment Maximum Load Weight Weight Tripod Legs

Altazimuth Mount 120 tooth wheel gears whole circle movement Dovetail plate attachment system 10 lbs 6lbs including tripod Aluminum 2 section adjustable tripod Adjustable from 90cm to 130cm

CATSEYE™ Collimation!

"See All You Can See"

MINI-PORTA SPECIFICATIONS

www.catseyecollimation.com

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

25

NEWPRODUCTS

STARIZONA Announces HyperStar 3

HyperStar C8

HyperStar C11

Starizona of Tucson, Arizona, has announced another version of its popular HyperStar imaging system.

HyperStar 3 is Starizona's new large-format lens and is compatible with CCD chips of up to 27-mm diagonal, allowing a field of view of more than 3 degrees at an ultra-fast focal ratio of f/2!

Better yet, the lens is now available for the Celestron 8-inch SCT and select cameras.

All HyperStar systems are made in the U.S.A., feature fully multi-coated optics, a black anodized finish, Tthreads for CCD mounting (optional adapters are available), are collimation adjustable, and provide for independent camera rotation.

HyperStar C8 Specifications include f/2.0 focal ratio, 406-mm focal length, largest usable CCD chip: 27mm diagonal, dimensions are 3.2-inch x 3.0-inch, weight is less than 1 lb., and includes secondary mirror holder and counterweight.

HyperStar C11 Specifications include f/1.8 focal ratio, 504-mm focal length, largest usable CCD Chip: 11-mm diagonal, dimensions are 4.4" x 3.4, weight is approximately 1.5 lbs., and includes secondary mirror holder

HyperStar C14

HyperStar M10

and counterweight.

HyperStar C14 Specifications include f/1.9 focal ratio, 675-mm focal length, largest usable CCD chip: optimized for 27-mm diagonal (up to 42 mm possible with some vignetting), various adapters: T-threads for CCD mounting, bayonet mounts for DSLRs (one user-selected adapter included), dimensions: 6.1" x 4.9", weight is approximately 3.5 lbs., and includes secondary mirror holder.

HyperStar M10 Specifications include f/1.8 focal ratio, 457-mm focal length, largest usable CCD chip: 11mm diagonal, dimensions: 4.2" x 3.5", weight is approximately 1.5 lbs., and

HyperStar M14

includes secondary mirror holder and counterweight.

HyperStar M14 Specifications include f/2.0 focal ratio, 700-mm focal length, largest usable CCD chip: optimized for 27-mm diagonal (up to 42 mm possible with some vignetting), various adapters: T-threads for CCD mounting, bayonet mounts for DSLRs (one user-selected adapter included), dimensions: 6.6" x 4.1", weight is approximately 3.5 lbs., and includes secondary mirror holder and counterweight.

For more information on Starizonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HyperStar imaging system please go to www.starizona.com.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

27

Woodland Hills Telescopes Farah Payan

“When you speak with Farah, you can feel the positive energy that attracts good business.

And astro hobbyists are sure to find affinity with her passion for astronomy.”

By Lorelei Parker Power

The Sun sits low in the sky; once again, the winter solstice is upon our Northern Hemisphere. Night skies deliver the crisp celestial views reminding us we yet move forward, and even through the coldest day there will be hope for warmer days ahead!

Looking forward to the eventual spring equinox, it’s a good time to raise some spirit and celebrate the “harvest” and the rising of the Sun into a new year. And whether you celebrate Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, something else, or nothing at all, you’ve been seeing Santa pushing custom in full force – equally protected by constitutional rights.

Perhaps the greatest liberty we have in North America, hand in hand with the effort for true human equality, is the freedom of religious choice, including the freedom to have none. Politically united in upholding individual liberties, it’s become our shared tradition – more prominently expressed during this season of holidays and great commerce – to be tolerant of each

other’s beliefs and customs.

It was liberty Farah Payan sought when she came to live in the United States in 1980. She landed in Los Angeles on the same day Ronald Reagan was elected to his first term of Presidential Office, promising to “get the government off the backs of American people.” This stood quite the contrast to what Farah had left behind in Iran where, after the fall of the last Shah in 1979, Islamic State was enforced under the Ayatollah Khomeini. Life had become more limited under this new theocracy, especially for women. Dreams of a promised parliamentary democracy had been sufficiently shattered and, in the insecurity of that suffocating atmosphere, Farah took her hard earned bachelor degree and left the country in hope of a better future in America.

When Farah recalls the day she landed she remembers it vividly, with all senses, having thoroughly delighted in the new sights and smells of independence. Of course, everything that made it so exciting

for her also made it somewhat scary. She would be making a new life in the USA! It was a huge opportunity, but there were no guaranteed promises of success – except that Farah Payan was already well achieved in keeping her own promises to herself. And by 1981 she had landed a good job in a camera store, working in the advertising department, whilst attending grad school at night.

She was enjoying the details of freedom, making a fresh start in a new country.

Anything was possible!

Five years later, Farah had the opportunity of opening her own camera business and took over the lease of a 4,000 squarefoot building of an already established business, with very little inventory. Today, 21 years later, Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes is a huge retailer with a sound history, having well-served the same location in Woodland Hills, California, for over 50

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

29

WOODLAND HILLS TELESCOPES FARAH PAYAN years. Farah has also successfully taken her business to the Internet, establishing a substantial online presence, dividing the store into two websites to streamline the great volume of products: Woodland Hills Telescopes www.telescopes.net and Woodland Hills Camera www.whcamera.com. The store’s websites are well maintained and tested daily for “hacker-safety.”

Woodland Hills Telescopes provides a huge catalog with secure online ordering and a toll free tech support.

Farah believes that the success or failure of any business is people-powered, and she attributes her own success with Woodland Hills Camera and Telescopes to the people who connect with the clients on a daily basis. She considers herself most fortunate to be so well supported by employees who have chosen to work with her on a more personal level, making the business a sincere element in their lives; upholding her golden rule, they treat every client with friendship and respect. But it’s no accident; when you

speak with Farah, you can feel the positive energy that attracts good business. And astro hobbyists are sure to find affinity with her passion for astronomy.

One spring in the late eighties, Al and Judy Nagler, of Tele Vue Optics fame, had been attracted to Farah’s store; however, it was still primarily a camera retailer, carrying only a few elementary scopes. The Naglers heartily encouraged Farah in the potential market for an astronomy retailer. It took Farah well into the nineties to recognize and cultivate that market, developing her own astronomical interests along with her clients.

When contemplating her success today, Farah gratefully credits Al and Judy Nagler for acting on their foresight, and for cultivating her astronomical interests, personally and as a retailer. She admires them tremendously for their valuable contributions that helped make the astronomy industry what it is today.

Farah’s own relationship with the astronomy market today bears a tremendous

World Leaders In Observatory Dome Manufacturing Domes from 2.9m - 6.5m in diameter, delivery worldwide direct to you.

Kit Metal Dome Coming Soon ◆ Economical For Shipping

We are excited to announce that Pier-Tech is our new U.S. Distributor!

For more information go to www.pier-tech.com, email sales@pier-tech.com or call 630-841-6848. http://www.astrodomes.com astrodomes@astrodomes.com

Mt Stromlo 4.5 Astro Domes 30

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Kit Metal Dome

interest in exciting new gear, better quality optics, and greater technology that allows younger generations to more easily participate in the hobby. And in Farah’s own words, “Especially intriguing is the marriage of digital photography and astronomy with affordable imaging – as well digital SLR imaging and, of course, the CCD imaging and video imaging. It’s taken a life of its own, giving anyone in any light-polluted city an opportunity to view what was impossible just a few years ago! Now you can view amazingly distant objects with as little as a $400 investment on imaging equipment.”

The impossible becomes possible, making it easier to take that evolution for granted. But Farah is duly excited to see the astronomy hobby becoming more accessible and more family oriented. The number of female amateur astronomers purchasing gear at her store has ever increased. And more people, not necessarily “into” astronomy, are making astro gear gift purchases for

WOODLAND HILLS TELESCOPES FARAH PAYAN old son are both very proud of what she has achieved with her business and of her passion for astronomy.

Faced with the infinite mystery of limitless astronomical questions, Farah feels like a student of the universe and she values her viewing time. She may only have a handful of observing opportunities in a given year; however, as a dealer, and with such diversity of product, Farah is well positioned to observe the industry and help spread the knowledge that connects us to the stars.

Her favorite annual industry events are the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference (RTMC), and the NorthEast Astronomy Forum Farah and her mother during her year (NEAF). With the increasing parof attending college in Paris ticipation of families and youth the astronomers in their lives – a great way groups like the Scouts, Farah is heartened by to make an astronomical impression (and I a new generation of astronomers willing to wonder if jewelry stores are feeling it yet!). strive for the preservation of dark skies, a At a time of year when some consumers brighter future for astronomy. might be tempted to see only the jaded Over the years, Farah has been involved shades of commercialization, it can be easy in many astronomy outreach programs to overlook the daily dedication of committhrough local colleges and has facilitated ment by vendors, like Farah, and all the seminars within her community. Taking her extra hours entailed. It takes substantial outreach to the Internet, Woodland Hills integrity and character (not to mention offers a free web-hosting program to indienduring strength and energy) to make an viduals, clubs, and organizations promoting honest living whilst fostering good business, astronomy and/or any of the educational “healthy” family relations, and a meaningful hobbies her store supports. Presently, they life in it all. Farah’s family is very supportive are grant hosting about fifty astronomy of her efforts. Her husband and her 19-yearrelated sites, creating a diverse astro library

of links.

Woodland Hills was also the first to sponsor Astronomers Without Borders (AWB), a non-profit international organization, founded and presided by Mike Simmons, for the promotion and facilitation of contact and collaboration amongst astronomers on a global level. Farah had been inspired, ironically, by a trip to Iran, in 2003, when she was invited to attend an astronomy conference held at the physics department of a university. Twenty-four years had passed since Farah had last seen her birth country! Expecting the conference to be dominated by middle-aged men, she found instead a very large group of about three hundred young women with an earnest desire to learn about astronomy, but very limited opportunities, if any.

When Farah remembers Iran, it’s the people, who matter most, deeply fueling her desire to build bridges across such borders.

Farah was born in a rural area to a middle class Jewish family. Blessed with dark night skies, she fondly recalls being amazed by the

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

31

WOODLAND HILLS TELESCOPES FARAH PAYAN

Pictured from top left: Steve Sybler, Tom Stamm, Farah Payan, Carlos Salorzano, Wayne Montega, and Daniel Mounsy (on the floor)

At Woodland Hills Telescope you can be assured of the support; you’ll find the staff extremely knowledgeable, experienced and eager to help. They’re known for their thoughtful dexterity at matching needs to budgets without compromising quality. There is sincerity in their aim to get the most for your money; working closely with the full range of manufacturers, they ensure all products offered for purchase meet high standard.

Farah’s employees are expert in astronomy and astrophotography, being very active in the field themselves and on the front lines of the evolution of equipment. They know their stuff! Woodland Hills will skillfully assist you in putting together a suitable package to fit your needs, whether for astronomy, astrophotography, or photography and lighting, even assisting in the creation of photography

32

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

studios. Farah is confident that you won’t find a more knowledgeable staff in the greater Los Angeles area. They also maintain an astro image gallery and contribute Web articles covering a range of instruction, product reviews, helpful hints, and guidelines, in order to help you “choose and use” your astronomy gear.

Farah and her staff appreciate that shopping for equipment can be a “job” in itself, especially with so many new products available, and making it a good experience for the amateur astronomer – new or old hand – is clearly important to them as evidenced in their friendly, helpful manner. You finally get to trade that hard earned dollar for something you need (or want to need!) to advance your astronomy; it should be a fun experience! Being able to trust your retailer makes that difference.

WOODLAND HILLS TELESCOPES FARAH PAYAN sheer number of stars. But it doesn’t take the heart of an astronomer to appreciate the stars; if we are human, and we have seen them, we have surely been impressed and carry our own similar memories.

Say Farah, “I remember at night, sitting in the back seat of my mother’s car, driving home from a party and looking out the back window as we were traveling. You could see the little bright stars escaping you, and it felt as though you could reach out and grab every one of them. It was this vast universe without an end that always intrigued my sense of adventure.”

Farah’s mother was an educator, specialized in mathematics, and especially committed to teaching the girls within her community. She had lost her own mother at the tender age of three, and by the time she was only ten years old had learned the necessity of self-reliance. Translating her hard-earned lessons more softly, she imbued her daughters and sons with the secure expectation to be independently self-sufficient. Farah’s father was a merchant, and he too support-

ed the education of all his children. Higher education was not given as a choice. It was presented as an essential tool for survival. A university education was key in their home; it could open doors to dreams beyond expectation.

In 1969, when Apollo 11 Moon-landed the Eagle and Neil Armstrong took that monumental first step, planting the U.S. flag and devoting credit to all humankind, Farah’s family watched in amazement. They kept their newly bought tube television turned on as the news repeated the historical moment throughout the day.

Eleven-year-old Farah was filled with awe to be living during a time when such a phenomenon was possible. But her family had just relocated to Tehran, the capitol of Iran, where few stars could be seen through the polluted night sky. It was abruptly strange for her to be so blinded from the comfort of the stars. Three years later, she lost her father. With little cause to look up, it was clear to Farah that it was time to be looking forward to her future. She couldn’t

Sole Authorized U.S. Distributor MallinCam Video CCD Observational System

Taking Video Astronomy to the Next Level!

The MallinCam HYPER PLUS

All images are are 14 or 28 second, single, unprocessed frames taken by Tom Osypowski of Equatorial Platforms using SpicaEyes Telescopes.

• B&W or Color • Internal Mild Peltier Cooler • High QE Class 1 CCD Sensor • Reliable Hand Assembled Quality • Upgradeable • Not Disposable • Dual Video Outputs • 1/12,000th to 56 Seconds • Integrated On Screen Menu Containing An Extensive List of Video Output Enhancement Features • In Production • No Long Delays

985-863-2165 • www.WaningMoonII.com Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

33

WOODLAND HILLS TELESCOPES FARAH PAYAN

Get Yours Today!

Let us custom build you the best, strongest, most well constructed scope transport case available!

ScopeBuggy www.scopeguard.com

MAKING VIEWING EASIER!

• • • • • • • • •

For use with most tripods, DOBs and piers Load tested to 600+ pounds Assemble in minutes for use or storage Pneumatic inflated 10” tires for soft ride Gloss Black powder coat paint Optional battery equipment tray Approx.

Adjustable rear axle height, 1 1/2” to 7” Plus S&H, g USA in p $30 Shipeight 36 lbs.

Anodized gold wheels Shipping w PS ground One person can move any size scope shipped U quickly and easily • Ideal for the new Meade RCX Series • Ideal for the Meade LightBridge Series Patent Pending • Ideal for scopes up to 36”

Please visit us at www.scopebuggy.com

SCOPEBUGGY P. O. Box 834 Elephant Butte, NM 87935 Toll Free: 866-312-8449 34

WE ACCEPT: VISA – MASTERCARD – AMERICAN EXPRESS PAYPAL – MONEY ORDERS – CASHIERS CHECKS

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

know it then, but she would see true adulthood before ever really looking up again.

Business school was a natural step for this young woman whose desire to be self-supporting saw wealth as freedom. She had determined a course of action; she would never be financially dependent on anyone, including her future spouse. And Farah enjoyed business school, doing well with her studies. When she was given the opportunity to complete her third year in Paris, it was a “dream-come-true,” and she jumped at the chance. Coincidentally, the Iranian exiled Ayatollah Khomeini was also in Paris, readying his move on the Shah, using the educated youth by falsely courting their desire for democracy. Farah held hope for it too! But the Iran she returned to was surely becoming the Iran she would leave for good. She was not about to let her plans be highjacked into nullification! In America, she could work to earn a living and complete her education at the same time.

Earthlings we are, living under the same sky if not seeing the same constellations.

The Sun’s starlight is meant to shine on us all. But we do not all share the same freedoms beneath it. Today in Iran, to say that life for women isn’t easy is an understatement. Although boys are considered men when they reach 15 years of age, a girl is considered a woman by the age of 9. As such, both are bound by the same adult laws and punishments, which also include death by execution. This violates International Covenants with the United Nations on which Iran has signed agreement. You might not think to find hope in such a place where “strange fruit” hangs; yet, in faith, there is a prevailing grassroots movement of hope uniting people. They have embraced their struggle and want very much to be allowed the time to affect the change from within, at the pace they foot.

“People should realize that in 21st century, superstition and religion can do nothing and it is science that can work and build a country and bring a happy life for people. …We are all human beings and we all have lots of things in common with each other,

WOODLAND HILLS TELESCOPES FARAH PAYAN geographical lines are nothing but lines! …Just know that what I write in my blog I would never ever (have) been able to publish them in a magazine or newspaper. ” ~Anonymous Iranian Girl.

Unfortunately, that young woman won’t be able to read her words published and appreciated here, in this science-supporting magazine! It is Farah’s hope that peaceful efforts like Astronomers Without Borders will continue to cross those geographical lines. It is a valiant effort to bring the stars within reach; one which can’t ignore hands too bound to grasp the opportunity. You can’t chew the meat if you don’t have the teeth. And if you do not have a voice, what becomes of your observations?

Science, the pursuit of truth, is not achieved by being ignorant of one entire half of what makes us Human.

Turning our scopes toward our own planet, the Iranian Women’s Campaign, One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws, against women in

Iran, is seeking the signature of world support. It’s a monumental undertaking that we can support from the safety of our computer chairs, through the Internet or by “snail mail” via http://www.weforchange.info/english/ The Internet is restricted in Iran; at least 40 women have been imprisoned for their involvement in bringing this opportunity to us. These are brave women.

Some may not even have the support of their husbands, but there are sympathetic men too. The children are not forgotten and signature support to stop child executions may be given via http://www.petitiononline.com/sce/ Last year, another Iranian-born American woman went far beyond the limits of this world. Anousheh Ansari became the world’s first female private space explorer, after completing a six-month training program, having funded her own “ticket” to launch. She is also the first person of Iranian descent to enter space. When I

found Anousheh’s online blog, I found a kindred spirit quoting Gandhi, “…Be the change!” Her account of the entire experience is written “from the heart,” and if you’ve ever yearned to go to space, your heart may ache reading it, sharing that immense joy, yet being earthbound.

Farah Payan understands the aching desire that drives so many of us to observe the stars, traveling space through optical tube assembly. She’s made her life, not just her living, helping amateur astronomers reach beyond scope to a higher education.

Her mother named her aptly, for “Farah” means “joy.” Imagine the number of astronomers who have achieved it through her store over all her years of business and reaching across borders! Farah’s life could easily have been subdued or even lost under oppression in some nightmare “parallel universe”; it’s no small matter that her proud face should grace the cover of Astronomy Technology Today where her experience is not just shared, but celebrated.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

35

Shrouded Thoughts

by Heather Obringer

Designed for functionality, Truss Dobsonians are lightweight and portable in all their varieties of convenient designs.

However, there is one common weakness among all truss designs: the open “tube.”

Without a solid body, these scopes are susceptible to ambient light, dew and solid particles that can damage the mirror.

While the prominence of these nuisances may vary depending on observing location, observers will encounter at least one of these issues at most sites. A solution for proponents of such telescopes is to accessorize with a lightweight, removable shroud, which can be customized in a variety of ways.

The major benefit of outfitting your telescope with a “light shroud” is exactly as its name suggests: it blocks light from entering the scope from the side. With today’s light buckets, the more light one can get through the main aperture, the more breathtaking M13, M51, M42, or other showpiece objects will be. In particular, for users of binoviewers, it is important to get as much light to the focal plane as possible to yield the most aesthetically pleasing view. A shroud is the perfect tool for this as it allows for higher contrast as less undesirable

Astronomy Video 0n-Line The power is yours!

Watch…Upload…Share www.AstroShorts.com 36 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

ambient light is able to make it to the eyepiece(s).

This is purely a signal to noise ratio issue, where the more noise (ie. street lighting) you can cancel, the better the signal will be. As population is growing and spreading, this is becoming desirable in an increasing number of locations, even those once heralded as true dark sky sites.

Those locations that do not have a problem with light pollution tend to either

Telescope Accessories & Hardware FEATURING ITEMS FROM:

TeleGizmos Covers - Astrozap Dew Shields Dew-Not Dew Heaters - Peterson Engineering Antares - Telrad - Rigel Systems - Sky Spot Starbound Chairs - Smart Astronomy David Chandler - Lightwedge - Baader ScopeStuff Piggyback & Balance Kits Rings, Rails, Dovetails, Cables, ATM, Eyepieces, Filters, Diagonals, Adapters Green Lasers - And MUCH more!

www.scopestuff.com 512-259-9778

be very moist, which comes with dew, or very dry, which comes with scratchy dust.

In the humid Pacific Northwest, the high moisture can make images blurred and fuzzy, even in a dark location. In the dark Southwestern deserts, dust can easily be stirred up and scratch the mirror, causing permanent damage. In both cases, shrouds will help prevent these hindrances from affecting the mirror. In essence, a shroud will act as a dew-cap for the primary mirror keeping moisture from forming on its surface and will act as a shield against air borne particles kicked up on a dusty observing field.

There also may be times when the experienced observer is out viewing with children or others less knowledgeable about the care of telescopes. It should be noted that the average height of a Truss Dobsonian mirrorbox is uncannily similar to the waist level on elementary school children. An unshrouded telescope is therefore literally open to having items dropped inside or even allowing children

to lean over and touch the primary mirror if the telescope owner is not vigilant or is distracted. Some public star parties even offer children sticky candy and soda, both of which are detrimental to fragile optical surfaces. Even experienced observers can accidentally drop a nebula filter, their glasses or other accessory while at their telescope. A shroud is then very valuable in preventing the public, and the telescope ower alike, from accidentally dropping something onto the mirror while next to the telescope, as any object will hit the shroud instead.

Some telescope owners feel that shrouds may be negative in trapping heat, yielding unsharp views. Warm air inside of the telescope can disrupt images by changing the index of refraction as starlight travels through the instrument and makes contact with areas of differing temperature. This is particularly evident as the primary mirror cools to ambient temperature and radiates its heat into the optical pathway. As the telescope is cooling, the user

7 8

2

6 3 4

ARE YOU PETERSON 95 EQUIPPED

1

1

6

1 GET-A-GRIP™ Ergonomic handles make your RCX400 or LX200R/GPS feel many pounds lighter. $71.99/pair, 2 for $129.99 2 ® Get all the 2” eyepiece aperture you paid for! Mount Meade’s Microfocuser to your 10”-14” scope with an unrestricted 2” optical path. Eliminate vignetting while increasing light to your pupil by as much as 65%. $74.99 3 2” TUBE ADAPTER (not shown) Mounts to either Eye Opener or Meade’s 1-1/2” visual back & shortens optical train by eliminating microfocuser. Maintains 2” optical path. Brass compression ring grips 2” diagonals & eye pieces. $49.99 4 EZ FOCUS™ KIT Precision bearing kit virtually eliminates focuser backlash. All 7”-12” R/GPS/90. $29.99 5 MOUNTING ASSISTANT™ Greatly simplifies mounting of an RCX400, LX200R/GPS, or LX90 onto a tripod.

Compact design allows full access to your eyepiece when viewing at the zenith. Stores in a tight space without dis assembly. $79.99 6 BUCK’S GEARS™ Improve tracking performance, replacing plastic RA & DEC gears with precision steel gears. 7”-12” GPS $104.99 RCX400 & 14” GPS $124.99 BUCK’S DRIVE TUNE-UP - tools, parts & directions to achieve the Buck’s Gears precision on newer Meade 7”12” GPS scopes equipped with metal gears. $39.99 7 EZ CLUTCH KIT™ for Meade’s RCX400, LX200R/GPS, and LX90. Lightly tightening the declination clutch knob with 2 fingers is all that’s required to hold the most unbalanced scope firmly in position. $29.99 8 EZ BALANCE™ 3.3 pound on-axis counterweight for noseheavy scopes. Fits under EyeOpener or Meade’s visual back. Fits all 10”-14” R/GPS/90. $41.99 9 TRIPOD SHRINK KIT Shortens Meade’s older 39” giant field tripod by 8” to 11”. $49.99

EZ BINOC MOUNT KIT 5 axis outdoor mount handles all size binoculars.

View standing, sitting or reclining.

10 second setup.

Kit contains all parts requiring machining, welding, drilling & tapping, plus parts that are not readily available elsewhere. Except for the modified pipe fittings, all metal parts are stainless steel. You supply the inexpensive pipe sections & fittings that are readily available locally. Put yourself in the driver’s seat for $99.99.

Peterson Engineering Corp., Sky Division 405 New Meadow Rd., Barrington RI 02806 US/Canada toll free (888) 712-9332 (401) 245-6679 Visit www.petersonengineering.com for product details

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

37

SHROUDED THOUGHTS

Our 20th Year!

Khan Scope Centre The Meade Deep Sky Imager III and Deep Sky Imager PRO III offer the ease-of-use of a 1.4 megapixel chip, higher resolution, wider field of view and lower thermal noise.

Get yours now!

WE INVITE OUR U.S. FRIENDS TO EXPERIENCE THE KHAN SCOPE CENTRE DIFFERENCE! We Take Trade Ins! • We Sell Pre-Owned Equipment With Warranties! • We Ship Anywhere in the Continental U.S.! • We Carry Major Brands as Well as Unique Products!

Check out this Month’s Internet Specials Antares • Astrodon • Bob’s Knobs • Celestron Coronado • Denkmeier • JMI • Lumicon Mallincam • Nikon • Sky-Watcher • Televue Unihedron • Vixen • William Optics • And More!

www.khanscope.com 1-800-580-7160 • 416-783-4140

38 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

should simply roll the bottom end of the shroud up to allow the radiant heat to escape. So called “Boundary Layer Fans” blowing across the face of the primary mirror will also alleviate this problem and will allow the shroud to be kept in place.

In addition, some have expressed concern that their telescopes become “wind socks” when wind buffets their shroud equipped Truss Dobsonian. In this case, chances are the seeing conditions are poor if the wind is strong enough to push a telescope. Furthermore, this is really only a concern for tightly woven material, such as heavy-duty nylon (ie. “kite material”), thus an observer in consistently windy conditions should consider a shroud made from Lycra or Spandex.

Observer preferences and observing requirements should also be taken into account when purchasing or constructing a shroud. Fabric is available in a variety of colors and patterns and is readily available to match an existing focuser or upper tube assembly baffle if such is your desire. A

black liner is still highly recommended to keep the darkening ability of the shroud, but the outward appearance can be just about anything under the Sun to match the telescope owners personality. Additionally, a “runner” or pathway can be sewn down the length of the shroud as a conduit for electrical cables powering finderscope and/or eyepiece dew-heaters. One can even have pouches sewn into the shroud to hold eyepiece filters if a filter slide mechanism is not compatible with the telescope in question, yet the user still desires filters “at their fingertips.”

Truss Dobsonian telescopes certainly have their advantages over their solid-tube counterparts, but what makes them advantageous can also detract from their optical performance. Keeping in mind that a shroud can be an effective tool to combat stray light, dew, dust, curious hands, an accidentally dropped object and offer an outlet for telescope owners to express themselves, such an accessory is therefore not to be overlooked.

Heater Meals

By Penny Distasio

Paul Cooper is one of those amateur astronomers I lovingly refer to as a “lifer.”

When he finally decided to take the plunge and buy a new vehicle, Paul didn’t choose a model based on its clean lines, passenger capacity, gas mileage, or even that great review in Road & Track magazine. Instead, the driving force behind Paul’s decision was simply: “Will it hold all of my telescope equipment and star party gear and still leave me room to stretch out and sleep?”

Paul has several “lifer” symptoms, of course…this is just one example, but suffice it to say that when he dropped by my office at OPT awhile back, excited about a product he had discovered at a big camping supply store up in Los Angeles, I was intrigued. What could Paul have found that we haven’t all seen before in our ongoing search to be more warm, comfortable, or efficient during a long observing session?

At first glance, I must admit I was underwhelmed. Paul’s discovery was a HeaterMeal; an MRE (military-speak for a “meal

ready-to-eat”) packaged and marketed for the general public. When Paul saw the HeaterMeals on display in a store, his first thought was that they would be a great way to have a hot meal at a remote star party, and he thought I should tell our astronomy club, OPTAS, about them. I could see his point, but I’m afraid my first thought was that they probably wouldn’t taste very good.

However, in the spirit of adventure, and on the off chance that I was wrong (which is, of course, seldom the case…just ask my coworkers!), I decided to do a fair test and then let the chips fall where they may. So, without further ado, let me introduce my Test Subjects for the HeaterMeal Challenge: • Paul C: It wouldn’t be right to perform this experiment without Paul!

• Clark R: Clark is not an amateur astronomer, but he camps quite often. More importantly, he eats on a daily basis, and this was my main criterion.

• Tony D: Tony is an optical engineer and has enjoyed astronomy since he was a kid. I

wanted someone on my panel of experts who would enjoy pointing out flaws in the design, and for that, Tony was my man!

• Penny D, aka Me: I couldn’t very well write a review without having first-hand experience with the product, now could I? I have also eaten lots of cold (bordering on frozen) meals at 2 a.m. whilst standing out in the middle of nowhere with my telescope, just so you know.

The Concept HeaterMeals are pre-packaged, ready-toeat meals that do not need refrigeration and have an extended shelf life. Each 3/4-pound entrée, with enticing names like Three Cheese Lasagna, Green Pepper Steak with Rice, or Chicken Pasta Italiana, are cooked twice…once before packaging and once after the packing process is complete. Just like traditional canning, a dual cooking process allows HeaterMeals to be stored for a longer period of time. What sets HeaterMeals apart from the convenience food crowd, however, is the inclusion of a FRH, or “flameless ration

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

39

HEATER MEALS

ASTRONOMY PRODUCTS

New from Vixen: The new NLV Series eyepieces feature comfortable long 20mm eye-relief, simple twist up eyecups to adjust for the best eye-point, and high grade Lanthanum glass for clear, high contrast viewing. Optics are fully multi-coated.

New from Vixen: The Vixen PORTA and New MiniPorta come equipped with two fine adjustment handles for whole circle slow motion in both directions, very useful in searching and tracking celestial objects. In addition, these are great mounts for terrestrial viewing. Our gear drives make it a simple matter to precisely track a planet or a ship on the horizon by simply turning the elevation and or azimuth control handles.

The “World-Standard” dovetail attachment system on PORTA was developed by Vixen. This allows the PORTA to accept various dovetail mounted optical tubes and binoculars.

Check Out Our Zhumell Dob Telescopes Affordable Quality 8 Inch - Only $324!

10 Inch - Only $499!

12 Inch - Only $799!

All Three Sizes are IN-STOCK!

Dual Speed Crayford Style Focuser, Two inch 32mm wide-field eyepiece, Zhumell Deluxe Laser Collimator, Five inch cooling fan, Center-Spotted mirror Worth over $200 if purchased separately

www.greatredspot.com 40 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

heater,” as well as everything necessary to warm up and eat your meal without the need for a microwave, campfire, or other traditional heating source. To prepare a HeaterMeal, all you have to do is open the package, put the food container in a bag that includes the special heater pad, pour in a little bit of salt water (included), close it up, and in 10-12 minutes you can enjoy a hot lunch or dinner… anywhere, anytime. Sounds great… right?

Enter the HeaterMeal Challenge Test Subjects. I asked everyone to take a meal home, prepare it, eat it, and report back. I especially wanted to know if they thought the HeaterMeal was easy to prepare, if the FRH heated the meal properly, and if they liked the taste. I also wanted to know if they would buy a HeaterMeal again or recommend it to others.

Can I Make it in Red Light?

Can I Make it Late at Night?

Everyone agreed that HeaterMeals are simple to prepare, but everyone also agreed that it would be even easier if you heed these helpful hints before you begin. First of all, don’t heat up your meal indoors if you can help it. The FRH is composed of powdered food grade iron, magnesium, and salt, and the chemical reaction that takes place forms a steam that, ahem…stinks. Tony said the odor was reminiscent of burned gunpowder, and Clark thought immediately of rotten eggs.

The smell doesn’t linger forever, and there are times when you really don’t have a choice…but if you do, outdoors would be best.

Paul was quick to point out that you

need to choose the cooking platform wisely, and I agree. The heater packet gets very hot, and since it will be the item that lays closest to your chosen cooking surface, it will get very hot as well. Plastic would be a bad choice, as would a painted or varnished surface. A rock or piece of unfinished wood would be perfect…even the bare ground would work well.

In fact, think about where you are going to put this edible science experiment before you add the water to the packet, because after the water hits the FRH, you’ve got about twenty seconds before the whole thing is too hot to touch.

Some Like it Hot Every one of my test subjects had a slightly different experience with the heating process and admitted that we would have produced a hotter meal if we’d only done a few things differently. For instance, Tony and I both learned that it is important to place the cooking bag back into the box for the cooking process. This is suggested in the instructions on the box (which are clear and concise), but the manufacturers also state that you can forego this step for “field use.” Tony tried heating his meal without the box because he wanted to watch the experiment unfold. As the water boiled like mad, the pressure of the steam inside the bag became too great and it popped open about halfway through the cooking process. Tony placed a small clip to help hold the bag closed after this happened, but a lot of the steam escaped and consequently the meal, while warm, wasn’t hot.

Clark removed his meal before the time was

Sierra Stars Observatory Now YOU Can Have Access to a World Class Automated Robotic Observatory System

SPECIAL TRIAL RATE FOR FIRST-TIME USERS! For a limited time we are promoting a special one-time rate for new customers using the Sierra Stars Observatory for the first time. For $50 you get 50 minutes (83 credits) of imaging time. That's more than a 40 percent discount below our base price.

www.sierrastars.com

HEATER MEALS up and had the same result…a very warm, but not piping hot, meal. Paul and I, instructionfollowers that we are, cooked our meals in the box for the allotted time, and we both felt our meals were pleasingly hot.

www.tetontelescope.com

Raised

Raised

Would We Recommend HeaterMeals…Even to Our Mother?

As you may have already guessed, the answer is, unequivocally, yes. Tony wants to buy a selection of HeaterMeals to have on hand for emergencies. Paul is a trucker and stands by his original belief that HeaterMeals would be great for a late night star party meal, but I bet he carries some with him on the road as well. Clark thought these easy-to-make meals were a good solution for any outdoor activity in a remote area, and me…what do I think?

Well, I guess I have to admit that I was wrong.

I pre-judged HeaterMeals based on stories I’ve heard about MREs from several wars ago…but that was then and this is now. I guess HeaterMeals aren’t my daddy’s MREs…and for amateur astronomers in search of a hot meal on a cold, dark night, that’s a good thing.

You can buy HeaterMeals in quantities of 12 direct from the manufacturer at www.heatermeals.com. HeaterMeals are also sold at BassPro Shops for approximately $5.50 each, and at several survival stores online.

APM refractors/Intes Micro Makustovs/Giro mounts

Lowered

Getting Down to the NittyGritty…How Do They Taste?

I am happy to report that the taste factor was the most pleasing part of the test results.

Paul, Clark, Tony, and I were all pleasantly surprised by the quality and taste of our entrées. Clark acknowledged that his expectations were low to begin with, but said he had to admit that his meal (Chicken Pasta Italiana) was better than a good quality microwave dinner. Tony’s meal was Green Pepper Steak with Rice, and he really liked the sauce, and noticed that the pieces of meat were lean and substantial. My meal (Three Cheese Lasagna) was spiced just right, and no extra seasoning was needed, even though they thoughtfully included salt, a salt substitute seasoning mix, and red pepper flakes just in case.

Pier-Tech 3

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

41

Building an Observing Chair

By David Snay

Recently, in Issue 6 of ATT, Eric Wilcox reported on a relatively inexpensive observing chair named the Zeke Seat. I thought I’d tie into that article with a description of how you can build a similar seat from wood. My chair is loosely based on a well known design dubbed the Denver Observing Chair. My version differs in several aspects including that addition of padding to the seat and grooves on the back of the front upright to keep the seat from sliding down as you sit on it. The image above shows my chair after 6 years of use.

This seat offers the basic features and benefits of the Zeke Seat with the addition of a wider base at the front to increase lateral stability. The tradeoff is that mine weighs considerably more than, and doesn’t fold as compactly as, the Zeke Seat.

I painted mine white so I could see it in full darkness – it’s embarrassing when

42 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

you trip over your own chair at a star party.

The unfinished front is where I once had glued a stair tread to keep the seat from sliding down when I sat on it. That didn’t work out very well, so I removed it, took the chair apart, and cut some grooves in the back of the front support with a router for the chair seat rear cross-bolt to lock into. It’s never moved on me since.

Materials • 1 - 8' 2"x4" stud. Use premium grade so that it is straight and clean.

• 3/4" plywood scraps 1 - 10"x13" 2 - 7"x14" • 1 - 1"x1/8" aluminum bar at least 28" long (optional).

• 1 - 3" door hinge with screws to attach it (they should come with the hinge).

• 1 - 2 3/4" chest handle with screws

• • • • • • • • •

to attach it (they should come with the handle).

1 - 3/8" x 5 1/2" hex bolt and locknut.

4 - 3/8" x 2 1/2" wood screws (I used drywall screws).

2 - 3/8" x 2" lag screws.

8 - 2" x #10 flathead wood screws (I used drywall screws here as well).

5 - flathead nails, at least 1" long.

Heavy duty Velcro.

Foam pad for seat, 10"x13", or larger.

Cloth to cover the foam (I obviously used whatever scrap I could find).

Staples to secure the cover.

Assembly 1. Cut the 2x4 into four lengths as follows: 2 pieces 34" long for the front and back uprights.

1 piece 24" long for the lower

9. Using a router, cut slots into the back of the upright that has the cross brace on it. These will provide stops for the seat rear cross bolt to keep the seat from sliding down when you sit on it. See Image 4.

10. Lay out the front and back up rights, butting them at the square ends and with the shorter dimensions formed by the bevels facing up and install the door hinge

Image 2 Seat Supports

Sole Authorized U.S. Distributor MallinCam Video CCD Observational System

cross piece.

The leftover block will be approximately 3 1/2" long and will be used for the seat assembly.

2. Bevel one end of each of the 34" up rights to 22 1/2 degrees.

3. Center and glue the bottom cross piece flush with the beveled end of one of the uprights. Secure it with the four 3/8" x 2 1/2" wood screws.

4. Cut the two seat side supports as shown in Image 2 and drill the 3/8" holes. (My chair has 2 of these on each side, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a big guy and tend to over build

things.)

5. Cut or trim the 10"x13" plywood piece to form the seat. Bevel one long edge to match the angle of the seat supports.

6. Center and glue the 3 1/2" - 2"x4" block to the bottom of the seat about 1 1/2" from the back (beveled) edge. Secure it with 4 of the flathead wood screws.

7. Assemble the seat and supports by fastening the supports to the block using 2 woodscrews on either side.

8. Now is the time to apply any finish you want to the wood. Leave the seat cushion until the end.

We are now a SkyShed POD Dealer!

Call or Email Us for More Information

985-863-2165 jhuerkamp@bellsouth.net

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

43

BUILDING AN OBSERVING CHAIR Image 5

Image 3

Image 4 to the square ends.

11. If you want to use the aluminum cross brace (I have the aluminum cross brace installed but rarely use it as it’s not necessary when you’re observing on a soft surface that the rear leg will sink into, like grass.) cut the aluminum cross brace as shown in Image 3. Don’t cut the bevel backwards like I did or you’ll end up with a really sharp point sticking above the handle when the chair is folded.

12. Close the uprights to about 45 degrees and install the aluminum cross brace using two 3/8" lag screws. Make sure you leave enough slack in the screws to allow the

44 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

brace to swing freely.

13. Install the chest handle at the top of the front upright.

14. Slip the seat assembly in place against the front upright and install the 3/8" x 5 1/2" hex bolt through the holes you previously drilled in the seat supports. Be careful not to over tighten the locknut or the seat will bind.

15. Place the foam on the seat.

16. Place the cloth on the seat, allowing it to wrap around the bottom of the seat. It might be easier to remove the seat from the supports for this.

17. Stretch the cloth a little bit and staple along the underneath of the

seat.

18. Take two pieces of Velcro, one hook and one loop and attach them to each other. Loop it around the rear support and the cross brace when not using the cross brace.

Image 5 shows the chair folded up and ready for travel or storage.

Now go out and enjoy the views on your new comfortable observing seat.

Building the seat was a fun project! If you are handy and enjoy building projects, then by all means give it a try. However, if you don’t have the time, energy and craftiness for this project, then do yourself a favor and consider a Zeke Seat, Catsperch Observing Chair, or one of the other great ready-made alternatives!

Choosing A Low Power Eyepiece

“What’s the best low-power eyepiece for my scope?” Unfortunately, there’s no a simple answer.

It depends on the scope, sky conditions, budget, and, especially, the observer.

By Erik Wilcox

With the vast array of eyepieces available today, it’s a great time to be an amateur astronomer. However, all these choices can be overwhelming to someone who's just entering the hobby. For this reason, I thought I’d list a few of the things that I believe to be important to choosing a low power, 2-inch wide-field eyepiece. Such eyepieces can be useful for finding objects that aren’t visible with the naked eye, or through a finderscope, as they show a wider true field of view (TFOV) when compared to higher powered eyepieces with the same apparent field of view (AFOV), or barrel limited 1.25inch eyepieces. Also, because higher magnifications can cause objects to appear dimmer through the eyepiece, faint objects are often easier to spot at lower powers. But, choosing a low power eyepiece is more involved than simply purchasing the one that gives the lowest magnification in your scope! Several factors must be considered. Let’s explore some of those, as well as a few common myths about eyepieces.

First of all, no eyepiece is perfect for every application. Eyepiece design is all about tradeoffs and compromises, and even the most sophisticated eyepieces have their

downsides and potential issues. Often, when someone considers which low power eyepiece to purchase, they end up just buying the most complex or refined design, assuming that this always equates to “better.”

While “most sophisticated” often also means “better quality,” it doesn't always mean a “better” fit for the user.

For a telescope with a slow f/ratio, a simpler design will often work just as well as an exotic, higher cost eyepiece. The reason for this is that a slower telescope means a shallower light cone, so these scopes don’t “push” the eyepiece like a faster scope with steeper light cone. If your telescope has a focal ratio of, say, f/10, there’s often little advantage in more complex glass; in some cases, the simpler design may actually meet the needs of the user better. This is because many highend wide-fields are designed to work best with fast scopes. So, in order to show stars sharp to the edge, they purposely incorporate other aberrations into the design (such as pincushion distortion). At f/4, such aberrations are acceptable in order to maintain pinpoint stars across the field of view (FOV), but at f/10, may not really be necessary. So, with an SCT, MAK, or other long focus

instrument, a simpler eyepiece may be the way to go. Simpler eyepieces (i.e. fewer lens elements) may have slightly better light throughput (although modern anti-reflection coatings have made complex designs very efficient) and usually weigh less. The latter can be an important thing to consider, especially for a scope on an undersized mount, or with a Dobsonian with balance issues.

With a fast scope, a more sophisticated eyepiece may indeed be preferable, but that depends on the observer’s preferences, priorities, and tolerance for edge aberrations. If you’re just using the low power eyepiece to find objects, or for viewing objects in the center of the field, a simpler, quality widefield can serve you well. Also, even the most sophisticated eyepieces aren’t designed to correct for coma (inherent in Newtonians), so the edges still won’t be perfect at lower magnifications. For a coma-free view with low power, wide-field eyepieces, a coma corrector, such as the Tele Vue Paracorr, is recommended in Newtonians under f/5, and for some observers, at f/6 plus. This is true whether using the simplest wide-field, or a more sophisticated one. So, even with fast Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

45

CHOOSING A LOW POWER EYEPIECE

OFFERS: SOLAR FILTERS • H ALPHA ECLIPSE VIEWERS • R-G SOLAR FILM DEW HEATERS • NEBULA FILTERS www.ThousandOaksOptical.com

46

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

scopes, the eyepiece decision isn’t as clear cut as it might at first seem.

Awhile back, I had such an eyepiece decision to make for my 16-inch f/4.5 Paracorr-equipped Dobsonian telescope.

Initially, I purchased a very sophisticated 31mm, 82 degree eyepiece. It was a fantastic eyepiece, but fairly heavy and balance was a real problem with the Dob. Additionally, because of its girth, I needed both hands to carry it and was always afraid I might drop it.

So, with that in mind, I bought a 35-mm, 68 degree eyepiece from the same maker.

Balance was no longer a problem, but the lower magnification created an exit pupil that was a bit too large in my suburban skies.

I considered a 26-mm wide-field that didn't present a weight issue, but it produced a bit more magnification than I wanted (and I already had a 24-mm wide-field in 1.25-inch format).

Finally, I bought a relatively simple (and inexpensive) 30-mm, 80+ degree eyepiece clone. Of course, this eyepiece shows some off-axis astigmatism and field curvature, but since my highest priorities were weight, wide AFOV and TFOV, and optimum exit pupil and magnification for my viewing conditions, I found it to be the best choice for me.

This lightweight eyepiece doesn’t cause balance issues, and works great as a finder; I can easily distinguish stars from non-stellar objects, even at the edge of the FOV. For more critical observations, I have higher-power eyepieces that offer better edge correction, and weight isn’t an issue with them. I also prefer the wider AFOV that this inexpensive eyepiece offers (compared to the 68 degree eyepiece), despite the edge aberrations. It offers a “total immersion” experience similar to more sophisticated wide-fields, and, on axis, may be just as good. And despite the fact that a Paracorr isn’t designed to “fix” inexpensive eyepieces, I’ve found that it does help quite a bit with this eyepiece.

The Paracorr acts like a weak Barlow lens, essentially turning my f/4.5 scope into an f/5.1 scope, which is easier on the eyepiece. It also flattens the field, which cleans up some of the field curvature in the eyepiece – and,

of course, it eliminates the coma produced by my fast Newtonian optics.

Exit pupil was an important factor in my decision, and it should be considered with any eyepiece purchase. An eyepiece that creates an overly large, unusable exit pupil isn’t desirable (tiny exit pupils can create their own problems, but that’s for a different article).

One factor is that the human eye is only able to dilate to around 7 mm (younger, dark adapted eyes). This figure can decrease as we age, and/or when viewing under light polluted skies where the eyes cannot get fully dark adapted. A large exit pupil of, say, 10 mm, essentially causes a “loss of aperture”; objects won’t appear brighter than a higher powered eyepiece with the optimum exit pupil, but the background sky will appear brighter. The contrast between object and background sky is thereby reduced, making those “faint fuzzies” more difficult to spot. In addition, “shadowing” (a darkened area appearing in the central portion of the FOV) from the secondary mirror may become an issue in reflectors.

To determine what exit pupil an eyepiece will have in your particular scope, simply divide the f/length of the eyepiece by the f/ratio of your scope. For example, using a 35-mm eyepiece in an f/5 telescope would produce an exit pupil of 7 mm - usable for a younger observer who views under dark skies. Of course, everyone’s eyes are different, and the “less than 7 mm” figure is just a general guideline. Ideally, and in my opinion, your lowest power “finder” eyepiece should have the widest TFOV possible in your scope, while still producing a usable exit pupil.

The TFOV that an eyepiece produces in a given scope is the actual swath of sky that you’ll see. In addition to making objects easier to locate, a wide TFOV can be useful for viewing extended objects in their entirety.

For example, the Pleiades open cluster is nearly two degrees across, so an eyepiece/scope combo that shows one degree of sky obviously won’t allow you to see the whole cluster at once. Most of the Messier objects are smaller than one degree, but a

CHOOSING A LOW POWER EYEPIECE wide TFOV is also useful for “framing” multiple objects in the same FOV. The AFOV of an eyepiece is how wide the FOV appears when you look through the eyepiece. Eyepieces with narrow AFOVs (such as 40-50 degrees) can feel like looking through a straw; particularly if one is used to using wide-field eyepieces. In addition, a scope without motorized tracking can benefit from an eyepiece with a wider AFOV (especially at higher powers), as you don’t have to continuously “nudge” the scope, or turn slow-motion cables on the mount. The AFOV of an eyepiece is not dependent on the telescope it is used with, but can be used to determine the approximate TFOV you’ll see in a scope. To do this, first determine the magnification that the eyepiece produces, by dividing the telescope’s focal length by the focal length of the eyepiece. For example, a 25-mm eyepiece used in a scope with a focal length of 1000 mm would provide a magnification of 40x. To find the approximate TFOV, divide the advertised AFOV of the eyepiece by the magnification. With an AFOV of 50 degrees, this eyepiece would provide a TFOV of 1.25 degrees. A wider AFOV is often useful, because in certain “faster” scopes, it allows for a wide TFOV, while still keeping the exit pupil small enough to be useful.

Eye relief is the distance from the field lens that the eye must be placed to allow the viewer to take in the entire FOV. Eyepieces with a very long eye relief are sometimes prone to “blacking out,” where the view suddenly “disappears,” depending on exactly where you place your eye. With such eyepieces, it’s often difficult to maintain proper eye placement, and the correct (or adjustable) eyeguard is essential. Short eye relief isn’t generally as much of a problem in lower power eyepieces, but there are exceptions. Short eye relief necessitates placing the eye very close to the field lens. This can be uncomfortable and often difficult for eyeglass wearers.

Next, let’s briefly explore a couple of the most common aberrations, and their effect on the image one sees through the eyepiece.

The most common eyepiece aberration is astigmatism. In Newtonians, observers sometimes mistake this for coma, and assume that the scope is to blame.

Astigmatism will make off-axis stars appear as blurry lines or “seagulls,” and is easy to diagnose, because these “lines” near the edge of the field will change direction on either side of focus.

Field Curvature is another common aberration. It causes stars near the edge of the field to reach focus at a different point than stars in the center of the field. Younger eyes may be able to “adapt” for a slight difference in focus, and the telescope can also contribute to, or cancel, the field curvature that’s visible through the eyepiece.

Pincushion Distortion (and Barrel Distortion) is an aberration that causes straight lines to appear bowed in or out, most noticeably near the edge of the field. For daytime observing, this can be a problem, but for nighttime viewing, it’s generally only an issue when looking at large objects that fill up a good portion of the FOV (like the

Moon, as it may appear “egg-shaped”). Some observers complain that the “fishbowl effect” caused by pincushion distortion makes them nauseous when they pan the sky.

The eyepiece aberrations listed above are only a few that impact eyepiece performance.

Listing every aberration would itself require an entire article. For a more detailed description of eyepiece aberrations, please also refer to Don Pensack’s excellent article here: http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?ite m_id=1338 So, this all leads to the question: “What’s the best low-power eyepiece for my scope?”

Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer. It depends on the scope, sky conditions, budget, and, especially, the observer. The best thing to do is to go to star parties and try different eyepieces in your telescope.

Hopefully, this article has at least helped you decide what to look for in an eyepiece.

Narrowing things down and figuring out which gear works best for you are some of the things that make astronomy so much fun!

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

47

IMAGE PROCESSING 4 ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHERS

By David Snay

What is IP4AP? IP4AP is the brainchild of Warren Keller, a truly gifted astrophotographer. It is a series of image processing tutorials for use by beginning and experienced astrophotographers. Warren is also a singer and a songwriter, so it comes as no surprise that Warren is attracted to the artistic nature of astrophotography. Warren has been imaging the cosmos since the late 90’s, back when we were all using film.

Anybody remember film? Over the years, he switched to digital imaging and really began to dig into post processing of his images.

While presenting at the Black Forest Star Party in 2005, Warren met Peter Proulx, one of the attendees. Peter was so impressed with Warren’s processing skills and presentation technique that private tutoring followed the star party.

It was at that time that they decided to create IP4AP. Warren and Peter have put together a website (http://www.ip4ap.com) that one can use to learn more about their tutorials and then navigate through them once payment is made. There are 3 sets of tuto-

48

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

(IP4AP)

rials, 8 free ones, 22 basic and 11 intermediate ones on Photoshop, and 10 on MSB-Astroart 3 and 4, with more in the works.

These tutorials come in the form of Windows Media Video and Flash files and are accessed directly on the Internet. These will also soon be available on DVD from Adirondack Video Astronomy. The tutorials are captures of Warren’s monitor while he describes and demonstrates the tools and techniques he uses most frequently.

The video format provides the user with a visual learning environment that Warren feels is the most appropriate way to learn the tools and techniques he presents. I agree.

Who is it for?

Because of the way these tutorials are grouped, there is something here for all but the most accomplished astrophotographers.

As noted, there are three groups of Photoshop tutorials: free, basic and intermediate. The free tutorials are clearly designed to provide a peek into the depth of skill Warren can share in post-processing

of astro images. The basic tutorials describe the mechanics of Photoshop and the tools that Warren uses, or recommends others use, in processing. Here you will learn things about Photoshop that you never knew existed. I know I did, and I have been using Photoshop for various tasks since version 6 hit the streets. The intermediate tutorials describe various methods for using the mechanisms from the Basic series to achieve dramatic improvements in one’s processing workflow. I’m not letting the cat out of the bag when I say that you’ll never look at levels, curves and channels the same way again after viewing the intermediate tutorials.

The Photoshop tutorials spend very little time explaining how to capture image data or the pre-processing required to generate data sets of good quality.

The Astroart 3-4 tutorials cover preprocessing fairly well, though with an emphasis on one-shot-color. Subjects such as matching your camera to your optics, determining optimum exposure times and dark/flat frame processing are covered in detail by other sources. Warren has chosen to focus these tutorials on the post-process-

ing portion of the process. This makes sense to me for a couple of reasons. Warren is an artist, making the mundane aspect of teaching the mechanics of acquiring data less attractive to him. In addition, there is an overwhelming amount of information out there describing that process. While it is true that there are many sources for information regarding processing your images after you’ve done the mundane things, I completely agree that Warren’s video tutorials are much more easily understood and absorbed than reading a book and looking at comparison images.

You can actually see the changes take place as Warren describes and demonstrates his techniques.

Free tutorials There are 8 free tutorials available on the IP4AP website’s main page. They are all roughly 6 minutes long, cover a broad range of topics, and are intended to draw you into Warren’s den of post processing magic. These tutorials are:

Why Photoshop • What is it about Photoshop that makes it so good for this type of work?

Histogram’s Mysteries • Anybody new to astrophotography will have heard about histograms and curves. Here Warren gives a very nice description of what you can learn from the histogram values.

Monitor Calibration • Very few people out there have taken the time to calibrate their monitors, as evidenced by the funky color casts in some of the images online. Warren explains the need and a method.

The Curved Road Makes the Difference • Heard of Curves?

• Afraid of Curves?

• Intimidated by Curves?

• Warren starts the introduction to the power of curves in this tutorial.

The Nature of the Beast • A short description of the types of imaging devices (CCD, Webcam, DSLR) and how they can effect your

post processing efforts.

The Assembly Line • Here Warren describes the basics of assembling an LRGB image.

Preview Photoshop Basics - #12 Tools II • This is one of the basic tutorials that Warren has put together to describe some of the tools he uses and recommends.

Astroart 3.0 Preprocessing 1 • This is where Warren provides some information and guidance on the pre-processing tools provided by Astroart and how to use them.

Photoshop Basics The basic set of tutorials focuses on presenting you with the menus and tools within Photoshop that are most important to astrophotography and the post-processing phase. There are 22 of these tutorials, ranging from 2 1/2 to almost 8 minutes long. They cover a broad range of topics from setting up your work environment within Photoshop to automating common

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

49

IMAGE PROCESSING 4 ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHERS tasks to understanding the power of channels and layers. These also uncover the various tools within Photoshop that Warren finds particularly useful as well as identifying some that are common but unnecessary.

Photoshop Intermediate Series The intermediate set of tutorials is where Warren gets into the details of how to take those tools and make the magic happen. There are currently 11 installments, with 10 more in progress. This is

where Warren starts to expose the real power of post processing. The rubber hits the road hard here, as there is an incredible amount of information presented – pay attention and take his advice. Once you have gone through these tutorials, go try them out. Then go back and review some or all of them again. I did and they really took root after I tried them and then viewed them again.

Other services The tutorials are not the only services

Warren provides. I’ve spoken with several astronomers over the years who love being out there at night collecting the data, but have almost no interest in, or are intimidated by the steps required to turn those captured photons into a stunning image.

Well, Warren will perform the post-processing for you if you send him your images on a disk. He will work his magic and then return them to you all ready for framing.

Warren also provides One-on-One consultation via the internet. Depending on your situation, this could just be the service that puts your imaging skills over the top. Perhaps you’re not comfortable with self-directed learning. Maybe you’ve got the tutorials and there’s some little thing that you just can’t get the hang of.

There might even be something specific you’re interested in that Warren hasn’t covered. One-on-One consultation is sure to take care of any of those issues. Note: This service may not be available at this time as Warren has recently moved to a location with less than stellar Internet service. He hopes to have a more reliable connection soon, so stay tuned.

Closing comments While fifty-something tutorials sounds like a lot, Warren has done a very nice job of keeping them short (none is longer than 12 minutes) and on topic. He presents one subject in each and some subjects span multiple tutorials. This makes it incredibly easy to stay focused for the duration of any tutorial while providing ready-made stopping points.

All of these tutorials start out with the same background image (I’m not going to tell you what it is) and the newer ones have an introductory musical short. Each tutorial is named appropriately for the subject matter contained within. By its nature, the material can be dry and mind numbing.

However, Warren has a good sense of humor and he sprinkles it throughout the tutorials. At first, I found some of it a little corny, maybe even goofy. Nevertheless, by the time I was well into the series I found myself looking forward to his introduc-

50

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

IMAGE PROCESSING 4 ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHERS Image 1

Image 2

tions and randomly interspersed comments.

Warren has produced what I believe is one of the best methods for teaching us how to gently process all that data we spend so many hours collecting, calibrating and combining. The visual nature of his presentations makes his words incredibly easy to understand and then put into use. I present as example two images. Image 1 is one I produced prior to writing this article.

Image 2 is from the same data, but starting from scratch and using what I learned from Warren. Admittedly, I’ve been at this for a while, so the difference isn’t terribly

impressive. There are also some incredibly dramatic examples of the improvement Warren has helped clients achieve on the IP4AP website.

There are more examples of the processing improvements achieved by IP4AP clients available at the bottom of the IP4AP website “Links” page www.ip4ap.com/IP4AP_Links.html.

Anyone purchasing any of these series should pay close attention to all Warren has to share. Be patient and attentive. There is much to learn. Enter Warren’s den of magic and wisdom without fear, he will take good care of you.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

51

8-INCH RFT BALL SCOPE

By Jason Hissong

I was working on an 8-inch f/4.2 mirror and just about the time I started the polishing process, I started to think about how I was going to design the scope. I find that while polishing, you have time to think of such things (as well as other deep subjects – like whose going to be the next American Idol). I am an active member of the online community, CloudyNights.com, and there are some great articles about different telescope designs on that site. I read through a bunch of them and there were some that really caught my eye.

There were a few articles about building ball scopes. Many of us are already familiar with the Edmund Scientific 4.5-inch RFT ball scopes that we have seen for years in astronomy magazines and catalogs. Also, MAG1 Instruments makes a great line of ballbased scopes. (See more on MAG1 in the Industry News section of this issue of ATT). The design is very simple and elegant: instead of using two bearings in a two-axis design (altitude and azimuth), a

52

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

ball scope uses a sphere to perform the role of both bearing axes. There are some good and bad aspects about this design.

The Good and the Bad I always like to get the bad news first. The first disadvantage of using a ball for the bearing is that you cannot use digital setting circles (DSCs). DSCs need two axes in order to calculate a position in the sky. With the sphere, you don’t have two separate axes to which to connect the encoders that feed the DSC computer. But if you like to star hop (like me), then this is not a disadvantage. The other disadvantage is that the center of rotation for both altitude and azimuth is fixed and cannot be moved. It is in the same place: the exact center of the sphere. In a regular Dobsonian, the center of rotation is in two places: the exact center of the bearings and the azimuth pivot point. The bearings can be moved up and down the tube, moving the center of rotation for altitude, to fulfill balance requirements. So you have to design

around this fixed point factor of a ballscope.

Now, the good news: the disadvantage of the fixed center of rotation for both axes can instead be an advantage. The nice thing about this fixed point is that you can tailor your design around it. It is one variable that you do not have to worry about like you do in traditional Dobsonian designs.

Another advantage of a ball scope is the ease of moving the telescope when you are viewing objects close to the zenith.

With a regular Dobsonian, it gets difficult to track and move the scope when you are looking at things straight up.

Eyepiece positioning is also easier when you are not restricted to two axes – just turn the scope until the eyepiece is in a comfortable orientation.

Obtaining a Sphere I think one of the obstacles that have prevented many from making a ball based scope is obtaining a sphere. Some have manufactured spheres using fiber-

glass. This can be expensive for commercially made spheres and pretty messy for homemade spheres. Others have used common items such as smoker grill lids and bowling balls. While this is economical and convenient, it is not very flexible. Bowling balls are only available in one size and smokers only in a few different sizes. But, there is another source for nice spheres that I discovered through articles posted on CloudyNights.com.

If you have ever looked at outdoor lighting, especially in metro parks, you will notice that very large, clear spheres often surround the lights (not great from the light pollution viewpoint, but handy for ballscope makers). You can order these spheres from a number of companies online. One of these companies, www.lightingdiffusers.com, sells spheres in many sizes and the cost is pretty reasonable. So things were really falling into place and I was getting more encouraged to build a ball-scope for my

Sphere-o-Scope CAD drawing of the ballscope

8-inch mirror instead of a traditional Dobsonian.

The Design Process The design was really a synthesis of what I read on Cloudy Nights and other designs I found on the Internet. I find the designs of Albert Highe to be some of my favorite. The scopes are designed to be lightweight and portable. With ballscopes, the distance from the center of the sphere to the back of the telescope is not very large so the top of the scope

must be light. The upper assembly uses a single ring, which is lighter than a traditional UTA, and I like the aesthetics of it.

I opted for an HC2 focuser from Kineoptics, because it was only 6.9 ounces, and a simple red dot finder instead of a standard finderscope to save even more weight. I purchased a secondary spider and secondary from Meridian Telescopes, which was pretty light.

Shorter focal length mirrors also help reduce the weight requirement at the bottom of the scope.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

53

8-INCH RFT BALL SCOPE

Mirror cell

To mount the mirror cell and other pieces to the ball, I decided to use a compression-ring type arrangement at the top of the sphere. I wanted to avoid drilling into the sphere if I could and I

54

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

wanted to be able to disassemble the scope easily for modifications. I planned to use a 1/2-inch piece of plywood for the top ring and a 1/2-inch chamfered ring that would compress the lip of the sphere opening between the bottom and top ring. During the building phase, I decided to change that to a 3/4-inch ring as it was easier to chamfer the ring. All of the rings would be 12 inches in diameter on the outside and 9 inches in diameter on the inside. For struts, I was going to use three 1-inch Birch dowels that would attach to the mirror cell on the bottom, and the secondary ring at the top. The dowels would fit through the center of the rings with a 1/4-inch of clearance on each side of the strut.

For the sphere, I found that a 16inch sphere would do nicely for an 8inch mirror and provide a large enough bearing surface for a smooth action. So I ordered a 16-inch clear acrylic sphere from www.lightingdiffusers.com, which came to about $40.00.

I took these ideas and I started to play with the design in TurboCAD. I find using a CAD program a great way to go through different design scenarios and it really helps to understand what needs to be made and how everything will fit together. Having your telescope in CAD helps you determine the appropriate balance. It is important to get the balance point to be the same as the center of rotation of the sphere and it is pretty easy to do this: simply calculate the distance from the center of the sphere to the various pieces of the scope and multiply the distance by the weight of the object. A spreadsheet really helps with this.

Let the Sawdust Fly! With the beginnings of a design in hand, I got to work. I started by making the rings with my router and circle-cutting jig. I used 1/2-inch Birch for the secondary ring and the upper sphere compression ring. The mirror cell and lower, chamfered compression ring were made with 3/4-inch Birch plywood. I used a 1inch Forstner bit to drill the holes to allow the struts to pass through the compression ring and provide a slot on the secondary ring and mirror cell for the struts to rest. I used brass threaded

8-INCH RFT BALL SCOPE

Mirror cell detail

inserts on the ends of the dowels. 1/4-20 bolts would be used to attach everything together.

The Mirror Cell In my opinion, the mirror cell is the heart of the telescope. You need a great support structure for the mirror to get pleasing views at the eyepiece. I borrowed some ideas from R.F. Royce from an article he published on his website.

The support structure for the mirror is a 3/4-inch birch plywood disk with tabs

on the periphery which contain threaded holes for setscrews. The mirror support is attached to three pieces of aluminum bar stock bent in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zâ&#x20AC;? configuration. The collimation adjusters are plastic T-handles fastened by epoxy to threaded rods that pass through the end of the Z-tab with a spring.

Building the Scope During this initial part of the build, I ran into a snag. I found that the struts not being attached to the compression

ring was causing problems. I first tried to run a bolt through the struts and through the top compression ring. This did not work as well as I would have hoped. What solved it was using dowels to attach the compression assembly to the mirror cell so that the lower parts of the telescope (the ball, compression rings, and mirror cell) act as one unit.

This worked out very well.

I attached the focuser to a piece of 1/2-inch Baltic birch that attached to a routed out notch under the ring. I used 8-32 screws with threaded brass inserts that were in the focuser board. With my drill press, I drilled the appropriate sized holes so that the spider would attach inside of the secondary ring. The red dot finder was attached using brass L brackets. I inserted some threaded inserts into the ends of the Baltic dowels. These were then attached to the bottom mirror cell ring and the secondary ring with 1/4-20 machine screws. I used my drill press with the 1-inch Forstner bit to drill an indentation about a 1/4-inch so that the struts have a secure place to fit into. I had to drill some large holes in the bottom of the sphere that would allow me to screw the struts into the mirror cell ring.

Using my calculations on the balance of the scope, I determined I needed a 7 lb. weight. I used a mixture of #9 lead

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

55

8-INCH RFT BALL SCOPE vent holes or whatever on the bottom of the ball. I used hockey pucks (an idea I borrowed from Ron Ravneberg and Tom O’Brien) for the feet of the mount.

Finishing the Scope After all of the pieces were cut and put together it was time to finish the telescope. I used regular flat spray paint to paint the inside of the ball. This is important. You do not want to paint the outside of the ball at all! If you want a particular color, paint that color first and then go back and paint over that color with flat black. I used some wood stain and polyurethane to finish the wood.

Interior of ball - mirror mount

shot and epoxy to make a lead weight.

Using wax paper at the bottom of the sphere, I poured the epoxy/lead weight mixture into the sphere. Once the epoxy set, I drilled some holes into the bottom

www.AdvancedTelescope.com

Advanced Telescope Systems Manufacturing Quality Portable and Permanent Telescope Piers

of the sphere and the bottom of the weight and used wood screws to screw the epoxy/shot counterweight to the bottom of the sphere. To make sure you have the appropriate clearance, use a countersink bit so that the wood screw heads are not above the surface of the sphere.

The Mount For a mount, I cut the same sized ring as the secondary and mirror cells (12-inch outside diameter, 9-inch inside). This would make the top of the mount and a larger sized base (about 16inch outside diameter, 9-inch inside diameter). Using a ring gives more bearing surface and it also allows you to have

Improvements I have heard that a telescope is never really done, you are constantly thinking of ways to improve the design. This scope was no exception. I immediately started to come up with more ideas on how to make it better. The first was to replace the wooden dowels with aluminum tubing, as the dowels were not perfectly straight. I used tube inserts for the new struts. I found that with the aluminum tubes, the telescope is more rigid.

I accidentally poked a hole in the sphere during a cold winter evening, which meant that I had to replace the sphere. With the new sphere, I used fleck paint instead of a flat color. It really looks like a piece of polished granite now!

However, I cracked the acrylic while drilling, nothing critical (I was still able

Zeke’s Seat’s WHERE BUSINESS IS ALWAYS LOOKING UP

Toll Free

(877) 96-SCOPE 56

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

The Sky Looks So Sweet, If You

GET A ZEKE SEAT!!

We take PayPal, Cash, Check, M/C, Visa & Trade?

Our astro seats are all TIG welded to last a lifetime.

Great seat - Great price.

Four full inches foam padding 18-24 ins for all night comfort.

One handed adjustment.

About 10Lbs, 0-33 ins.

Special Purchase (239) 995-9353 • www.zekesseats.com • www.zekesseats@gmail.com

8-INCH RFT BALL SCOPE to use the sphere). I ordered a new sphere, but this time I wanted to use polycarbonate, which is the stuff they use in bulletproof glass and riot gear.

One of my fellow club members was commenting that this scope would be nice if it was higher off the ground. That got my gears turning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I could make an adapter for a Meade field tripod. So I built the adapter, and the scope and mount debuted at a public program night at Perkins Observatory. It was a success! It was so much easier to use the telescope standing instead of hunched over.

I have also found that the original, smaller, mount is really great for kids.

When a good friend of mine brings his daughter to observe with us, she uses the ballscope as it is just the right size for her when the scope is resting on the smaller mount. I have also found that people in wheelchairs can use the scope in this configuration.

Mirror cell detail

Future Plans I am currently working on 6-inch and 12.5-inch mirrors and I plan for their new homes to be ballscopes. I will be including the above improvements and other refinements in the new scopes and I plan to use polycarbonate for the new spheres and aluminum tubes for the trusses. To minimize drilling into the sphere, I am going to use T-Nuts fastened with epoxy to machine screws that will be permanently attached to the mirror cell outer ring so that the struts can be attached from the top and not the bottom.

Are You Ready for a Ballscope?

I have found that building the ballscope was easier than I originally thought. There were of course some design challenges that are found with any project, but with some determination and a little imagination, these obstacles can be overcome. It has been a rewarding experience.

Ballscope on tripod mount.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

57

My observatory control scheme is not slick or powerful, and it’s definitely not suitable for true remote operation, but it pleases me to no end!

SIMPLE REMOTE OBSERVATORY OPERATION

By John Crilly

A quick search through the magazines or on the Internet will reveal that there are some very impressive amateur observatory installations out there. Some incorporate a very high degree of automation and system integration involving not only mounts and cameras, but also roofs, domes, weather stations, rain detectors and other ancillary equipment. Some such installations are sufficiently automated to permit true remote control, with no physical visit to the site required for normal operation.

I’d like to describe some of the tools and techniques that I have found useful in my much less ambitious implementation of remote observatory control. For my purposes, I need to be able to operate the mount and cameras from within my house, about 30 feet from the observatory. Because it’s so near, I don’t mind going out and manually operating the roof opening mechanism and powering up and initializing the mount and cameras to begin a session (and, of course, a second visit to shut everything down and close the roof when I’m finished). What I do

want is a way to sit inside, safe and warm, and take images. To achieve this, I need to be able to slew the mount to the desired target, check and correct camera focus, and capture a series of images using selected filters. Finally, I need to be able to transfer the resulting image files into my home computer for processing. I need a setup which permits frequent gear changes without having to redo cables or software setups (I switch things around frequently).

Step one was to install a telescope mount capable of being controlled by a PC. The first such mount installed here was a CGE by Celestron. Like all subsequent mounts I’ve used, its slews were controlled by a serial connection to the PC and it was autoguided either directly from an SBIG camera or from the PC via a Shoestring Astronomy GPUSB adaptor (more about this and the other Shoestring products that made this project possible will appear later).

I’ve also used Meade LX200 Classic and LX200GPS mounts in this system, as well as an RCX400 and an LXD750. The

LXD750 is in there now; I’m in the process of updating to a Takahashi EM-200 mount.

Thanks to ASCOM, all of the various mounts integrate painlessly with Software Bisque’s TheSky software for telescope control. I’ve also used Starry Night Pro and Cartes du Ceil with no problems.

If the mount is a GEM, as I currently use, I also install optical tubes. My preference these days is two (or three) APO refractors of differing focal lengths, mounted side by side. I’ve also used a 7-inch Maksutov-Cassegrain, a 6-inch MaksutovNewtonian, Schmidt-Cassegrains from 10 inches to 14 inches, and a 12-inch Meade RCX – but always with an APO refractor.

The current setup is a TMB130SS and an Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

59

SIMPLE REMOTE OBSERVATORY OPERATION

A&M 105/650 but there’s a Takahashi FSQ-106 on the way and it’ll replace the A&M for imaging.

Step two was to set up a PC in the observatory and link it to my home computer. I use a Dell desktop with a 2.0 Ghz P4 chip and 1 GB of RAM and Windows XP. I have never experienced any driver or software incompatibility issues with this

60

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

setup. I’ve been meaning to update that PC but I need to wait until I am sure that everything I use is compatible with Vista. In my case, the observatory is close enough to my house that the wireless network I already use easily reaches the observatory computer. If that hadn’t been the case I’d have installed a single Ethernet cable from my network server to the observatory and

the link would probably be a little faster – but the speed requirements for this system are modest. The only other external cabling required for my setup is a power feed to the observatory. I use either VNC or www.logmein.com to capture the observatory computer from a PC in the house.

To avoid a mass of USB cables between the PC and the mount, I use a pair of powered USB hubs at the pier. I run two USB cables from the PC to the pier. One goes to a hub that is intended to have only USB2 devices attached; the other to the second hub which is connected to USB devices.

This avoids the conflict that occurs when connecting a mix of USB and USB2 devices to a single USB2 hub; when that is done, all the communication slows down to USB speeds. I’m not currently using any USB2 devices so it’s not an issue for now, but I do change gear frequently.

Step three was to install cameras and integrate them. I have used a variety of cameras by SBIG (currently an ST-10XEI), a Canon 300D DSLR, and various guide cameras (currently a Meade DSI Pro). All the cameras use the PC USB port for control and for download of image files. The Canon requires an additional PC connection for shutter control, and I use a Shoestring Astronomy DSUSB for that

SIMPLE REMOTE OBSERVATORY OPERATION purpose. As mentioned above, when guiding with the DSI Pro, another Shoestring adaptor is required to interface the PC to the mount’s autoguide port. Software used is CCDSoft for the SBIG camera, PhD Guiding for the DSI Pro, and Images Plus for the Canon.

I have used a variety of remote DC focus motors, controlled via the PC through either the Meade mounts (which all incorporate DC focus motor controllers) or through yet another Shoestring Astronomy device, the FCUSB. The FCUSB connects to a USB port and drives a DC focus motor under either the provided manual focus software, or in autofocus mode using Maxim/DL or CCDSoft and provided ASCOM drivers. I have only fiddled with autofocus to date but I intend to use it more in the future. My next imaging refractor will be an FSQ-106 with a Robofocus controller and motor (they are in transit but not yet here). I plan to use autofocus with that setup most of the time, as the Robofocus includes position encoders and a temperature sensor, both of which make it supremely suitable for autofocus. Now is a good time to mention that all the cables installed to this point must be carefully dressed; if they tangle during remote operation it will at best louse up an image and at worst it will break something!

A typical session begins with the obligatory trip out to the observatory. I open the roof, power up the camera(s) and mount, and initialize the mount. I install the guide camera on the telescope I’ll be using for

guiding that night, and the imaging camera (either the Canon or the SBIG) on the telescope I’ll be using for imaging. I set the focusers to their approximate positions (from experience). I then go back inside to wait for dark and for the temperature to equalize. When I’m ready to begin I fire up the home PC and link to the observatory PC. I start TheSky software and link that to the mount. I start my camera software (either CCDSoft or Images Plus) and link that to the camera I’ll use that night. I start PhD Guiding and link that to the DSI Pro and to the mount’s autoguide port.

I then slew the telescope to a fairly bright star and take test images with both cameras. I fine tune the focus of each, then slew away from the bright star and, using longer exposures, critically focus the imaging camera on dimmer stars. So long as the telescope is cooled down, I probably won’t have to fiddle with either focus again – but I keep an eye on images from both cameras as the evening progresses.

Next, I slew the mount to the first target for the night. I take a test shot with the imaging camera to ensure that the object is framed to my satisfaction and adjust the mount if necessary. Then I start the guide camera and ensure that there’s an appropriate guide star available (with the DSI Pro at reasonable focal lengths, there always has been). I select a guide star and permit PhD Guiding to self-calibrate. When using a selfguiding SBIG camera it’s usually even easier – but I found that guiding through narrowband filters caused problems and I

Eclipse Special Edition Red Illuminated Keyboard

FAR

Only $49.99

LABORATORIES Plus Shipping and Handling

WWW.FARLABORATORIES.COM • 800-336-9054

62

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

SIMPLE REMOTE OBSERVATORY OPERATION sometimes like to shoot narrowband. The use of a separate guide camera eliminates these problems and I always have a second telescope available for guiding, so these days I just do it this way.

Now it’s time to set up the camera control software to take a sequence of images.

When using the Canon I first take some short dark frames and bias frames with the telescope capped. I can use these later to calibrate the images. I already have a library of flat frames for each setup, but the darks and bias shots must be taken at the same camera temperature as the light frames so it’s best to grab those now. Then I tell Images Plus how to name the files, and how many frames of what duration I want – then off it goes. With the SBIG it’s somewhat different. Because I always cool it to the same temperature, I can tell CCDSoft to calibrate each frame as it is taken, using library darks, flats, and bias frames. That way I don’t need to calibrate them later. I tell it how to name the files, and how many

frames of what duration to take using which filters. Either the CFW-8 filter wheel I’ve been using or the Homeier filter wheel I’m switching to is under CCDSoft control.

With either camera, I can relax now, just checking the resulting images for focus and cloud intrusion from time to time. When that image is completed, I stop the autoguiding, slew to the next target, and begin again. After the last target is completed, I shut down all the programs and head out to the observatory to power everything down and close the roof. Once in the house, I use Images Plus and Photoshop to process the resulting images. Many of the images I’ve captured here may be seen at www.urbanobservatory.com, along with construction photos of the observatory itself.

I have mentioned a number of devices which make this operation possible, as well as inexpensive and easy. I’ll now describe some of them more fully, and tell you where they can be obtained.

First, Shoestring Astronomy. They are online, at www.shoestringastronomy.com (surprise!). Their GPUSB autoguide port device ($66) is widely used, and all the popular autoguide software knows how to talk to it. Connect it to a USB port and to a mount’s autoguide port via the available, inexpensive cable ($4), and it’s ready to use.

That cable is compatible with nearly every mount out there. Two exceptions are the Vixen SS2K, which uses the same connector but with a strange pinout, and the Takahashi Temma controller (used on all of their PC-compatible mounts), which uses a DIN connector. Shoestring offers inexpensive adaptor cables ($15) for both. To use a DSLR for long exposure images, a shutter control interface is required. Shoestring’s DSUSB ($66-$75) takes care of this. Again connect this device to a USB port and to a DSLR using the available interface cable ($4). A few DSLR cameras use an oddball connector and for use with those, Shoestring offers a cable modification serv-

Sky Friendly Outdoor Lighting www.StarryNightLights.com

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

63

SIMPLE REMOTE OBSERVATORY OPERATION ice ($15). To remotely control a standard DC focus motor you’ll want their FCUSB interface ($70). A USB connection and an available focus motor cable ($6-$8) plus their driver software (free) will do the trick.

If you have autofocus software available, their ASCOM driver (free) will connect to that. I’m not affiliated with Shoestring Astronomy (I paid normal retail for all of these items), and I didn’t intend for this to read like an SA ad – but I use their stuff a lot and recommend it whenever I can. This project would have been more difficult and/or more expensive without these products.

The other required devices are more generally available. Powered USB2 hubs are everywhere for $20. SBIG’s motorized filter wheel is $595 without filters from any dealer. The DSLR and SBIG cameras are also widely offered. The DSI Pro has been discontinued but the DSI Pro II is still available and it’s even better. Windows-compat-

ible PC desktops are all over the place. Both VNC and www.logmein.com are free (though if you need to transfer files you’ll need the pay version of logmein). DC focus motors are generally available for $50-$200 and the Robofocus is about $500. Images Plus is around $200, TheSky is $150-$300, and CCDSoft is $350, but can be downloaded at no charge if you own an SBIG camera. You can spend whatever you feel like on the camera(s), mount and optical tube(s) and except for autofocusing, there’s free software available for every function mentioned here.

The project may sound complicated, but it wasn’t. It all went in gradually, one piece at a time, as I found the need to remotely control each function. My observatory control scheme is not slick or powerful, and it’s definitely not suitable for true remote operation, but it pleases me to no end!

Introducing the New Multicart!

Transforms in seconds into 8 different configurations Tough, corrosion-resistant textured powder coat finish Non-skid frame bed helps prevent cargo from shifting Cable quick release allows folding down for compact storage and transport Spring-loaded wing bolts that won't vibrate out Stair climber rails make going up and down stairs and curbs easy Strong yet light G-Force castors with smooth, quiet thermoplastic tread Shock-absorbing pneumatic wheels with polymer hub and roller bearings We also custom build the best, strongest, most well constructed scope transport cases available!

www.scopeguard.com Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

65

ASTRO TIPS tips, tricks and novel solutions

A Collimator for Your Laser Collimator We love things that are simple, cheap, and effective, but rarely find all three attributes at the same time. Well, here’s a project that requires just a small block of wood, 4 or 5 common nails and three screws (optional) and yet performs a critical function to perfection. The

Submit Your Astro Tip!

Astronomy Technology Today regularly features tips, tricks, and other novel solutions. To submit your tip, trick, or novel solution, email the following information: • A Microsoft Word document detailing your tip, trick or novel solution.

• A hi-resolution digital image in jpeg format (if available).

Please send your information to tips@astronomytechnologytoday.com

design for this project was provided by Craig Stark, of Stark Labs, and has been featured in Phil Harrington’s excellent Star Ware, 4th Edition, as well.

We repeat it here for the benefit of the few of you who haven’t already had the privilege of reading Star Ware and to make a point.

Not much is necessary in the way of instructions. As the photos show, just hammer 4 nails in the block of wood to form two “V” stands for the laser collimator to rest on, spacing the two stands so that smooth surface areas of the collimator rest on them. Craig adds a 5th nail for a backstop in his “Ultra Mega Deluxe” version and, because our block of wood wasn’t perfectly flat and rocked, we added 3 screws on the bottom of the block to provide ‘tripod’ stability to the assembly. Furthermore, because this is, after all, a technology magazine, we clipped the nail heads off ours and covered the nails with heat shrink

tubing (wouldn’t want to mark the beautiful surfaces of our laser collimators with rusty nails).

That’s it for constructing the thing and using it is just as straightforward.

Simply lay the laser collimator on the two nail stands, turn it on, aim it at a point on a wall and rotate the thing. If it’s accurately collimated, the laser spot will not move. If it moves, you’ll find it easy enough to see what adjustments are necessary to return the laser to accurate alignment.

As to the point we wanted to make, it’s simply that we found this and other great tips on the Stark Labs website.

We were reminded that our advertisers’ websites are great resources for the kinds of information you can only get from industry professionals who work with this stuff every day. Some will even show how to make a valuable tool using only work shop scraps!

Thanks Craig!

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

67

Reader

Profile TRACEY HALEY

My Life Under the Stars My first memories of a star studded life begin as a boy in the early 1970s. I came from a family of six and my father worked long hours to make ends meet.

Unlike typical vacations today, ours was the occasional family camping trip. The smells and tastes of toasted marshmallow S'mores still make my mouth water. The nights seemed to always be crystal clear and the stars sharp pinpoints – there was no light pollution from a major city or nearby neighborhood. Those nights were alive with creatures singing, croaking, and chirping. My favorite thing to do was to stay up late, wrapped up in a sleeping bag, and look up at the pitch-black sky, or a luminous Moon. In an age when human missions to the lunar surface were frequent, my dreams of flight took off.

As I grew older and the family camp-

Submit A Reader Profile!

Each issue of Astronomy Technology Today regularly features a profile of one of our readers. To be considered for a profile, email the following information: • A 550 - 650 word bio detailing your enthusiasm for astronomy.

• A hi-resolution digital photo in jpeg format.

Please send your information or questions you may have to info@astronomytechnologytoday.com

68

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

ing trips dwindled, I spent many nights by a fire at the beaches with my high school friends, always looking up and wondering how far life would take us. I guess I have always looked to the skies to find an inner peace that few other experiences afforded me. Later, in my twenties, when I started to realize the true challenges in life, a grand event had caught my attention. The year was 1993 and a comet had made headline news. This was no ordinary comet, but one that had ventured too close to the massive planet Jupiter. Being torn apart by the planet’s deadly gravitational field, it was shredded into twenty-one segments. After its orbit was calculated, all bets were on the comet plowing into the very planet that had ripped it apart on its earlier orbit. This comet was Shoemaker-Levy 9 after its namesakes David Levy, and Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker.

In July 1994 the comet fragments slammed one by one into Jupiter, producing huge black spots. My first looks at these impact zones were through the Ladd observatory’s 12-inch refractor. It was this experience that changed me from occasional stargazer to fully dedicated amateur astronomer. I first purchased a 60-mm refractor with which I was just able to view the damage comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 had left behind. After about a year and a half I save enough to purchase a Meade 8-inch f/6.3 SchmidtCassegrain telescope.

I now had the equipment, but was still lacking something equally important.

With any interest or hobby, it is always best to have someone to share it with. My family and friends had only a look once and “that’s nice” response at the eyepiece.

I knew I had to find others who felt the same calling to the night sky as I. On a winter day in February, I spent some time at the Cormack Planetarium learning about the night sky. Upon leaving the planetarium I found a registration form for The Skyscrapers, Inc., Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island. I had found what I needed, a whole group of people who shared my interests. I sent in my registration form and at the next monthly meeting became an official Skyscraper. The next year was full of new friends, new learning, and a feeling of pride. As my knowledge of astronomy expanded, so had my universe.

With new priorities of marriage and a newborn baby girl, I decided to put a hold on Skyscrapers and devote full time to my new family. Five years and three beautiful children later, the time finally came to rejoin Skyscrapers and I have been an active member since. I have met some great new friends and attended fantastic lectures and events. Thanks to Skyscrapers, I enjoy the company of friends who share my interests in astronomy and have also introduced my two oldest daughters to what I hope turns into a lifetime interest in science.

6mm Now in Stock!

Purchase any Burgess Planetary eyepiece for only $59!

Also, check out our other sale items!

Quantities are limited to stock on hand.

Cannot be combined with any other special offers.

ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment 3825 Gilbert Drive â&#x20AC;¢ Shreveport, LA 71104

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

PRST STD U.S. Postage

PAID Dallas, TX Permit No. 1767