Jan10

ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment

TELE VUE 21MM ETHOS • ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WITH A CANON EF 70-200MM F/2.8L IS USM LENS EYE AND TELESCOPE • DAVE GOES PERMANENT • MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY

Finger Lakes Instrumentation ML8300 Imager Dave Finally Plays With The Big Boys!

Volume 4 • Issue 1 January/February 2010

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Contents Cover Story: Pages 35 - 43 We enjoy reading Dave Snay’s astrophotography articles, not just because they are well written, but also because they have shown how Dave has steadily progressed from the days of getting his feet wet with astro photography. His enthusiasm is unbridled and we were pleased that he was able to enjoy a high end camera like the FLI MicroLine 8300, which he reviews in this issue and used to create the unfiltered image of the Andromeda Galaxy shown on the cover. We hope that you enjoy his article and we encourage you to look at some of Dave’s articles in the past issues which are available on our website.

In This Issue 12 Editor’s Note Time Is Not On My Side.

By Gary Parkerson 35 Finger Lakes Instrumentation’s ML8300 Imager Dave Finally Plays with the Big Boys!

By Dave Snay 45 Astrophotography with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens The Image Quality of the Lens is Outstanding!

By James Dire

Industry News 15 ASTROSYSTEMS SFL TeleKits and SFL Quantum Finished TeleKits

16 SIERRA STARS OBSERVATORY SSON Discovers Alien Craft?

67 Mobile Technology and Astronomy There’s an App for That!

By Richard Harris 72 Astro Tips, Tricks, & Novel Solutions Outboard Eyepiece Tray

By Wes Atchison

17 CELESTRON Celebrates its 50th Anniversary 18 ASTRONOMY TECHNOLOGY TODAY Offers New Astronomy Club Discount 19 APOGEE INSTRUMENTS Apogee Alta U42 Camera Helps Locate “Super-Earth” 40 Light Years Away

49 Tele Vue 21mm Ethos King of the Hill!

By Erik Wilcox 53 Dave Goes Permanent A Slightly Different Version of a Roll Off Roof.

By Dave Snay 59 Eye and Telescope New Kid on the Astroware Block By “Uncle” Rod Mollise

20 BOB’S KNOBS Offers Instructional Guides in Multiple Languages Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

9

Contributing Writers

Contents New Products

Dr. James Dire has an M.S. in physics from the University of Central Florida and a M.A. and Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University, both in planetary science, and is an associate provost and a professor of physics and astronomy at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Spring, N.C. He has played a key role in several observatory projects including the Powell Observatory, which houses a 30-inch (0.75-m) Newtonian, rebuilding and installing an 8-inch (0.20-m) Alvin Clark refractor in a new observatory built for it at the Naval Academy, and was the first director of the Coast Guard Academy Astronomical Observatory in Stonington, CT, which houses a 20-inch (0.51-m) Ritchey-Cretien Cassegrain telescope.

21 UNIHEDRON Introduces New Sky Quality Meter, the SQM-LU

Richard Harris is an avid astronomer and the founder of many popular Astronomy Web sites including www.scopetrader.com. He pioneered the LXD55/LXD75 HyperTune process, is an Apple iPhone Certified Developer and is a member of the Springfield Missouri Astronomical Society.

“Uncle” Rod Mollise, despite a demanding day job as an engineer with an aerospace firm, still finds time to teach astronomy to undergraduates at the University of South Alabama, write books and magazine articles about astronomy, and observe.

22 DEEP SKY INSTRUMENTS Accepting Pre-Orders for RC14C Ritchey-Chrétien Astrograph

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 lives off the grid on the Big Island of Hawaii, and has been observing for over 20 years. When he’s not viewing from his dark backyard sky, he works for a natural foods chain, and spends his spare time hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, and performing music. He also runs the astronomy forum at: www.starstuffforums.com.

ASTRONOMY

23 MALLINCAM Introduces the Mallincam VSS Color (Variable Shutter System) 24 iOPTRON Introduces Versa 108 ED APO Doublet Refractor and MAK 152mm

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25 VIXEN OPTICS New AXD Mount and High Definition Star Book Ten 26 ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS Continues to Release a Multitude of New Products 32 SCOPE STUFF Several New Product Offerings

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.

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Sierra Stars Observatory Network www.sierrastars.com page 71

Woodland Hills Telescopes www.telescopes.net page 20

Astro Physics www.astro-physics.com page 13, 52 AstroSystems www.astrosystems.biz page 40 AstroTrac www.astrotrack.com page 68 Astrozap www.astrozap.com page 43 ATIK USA www.atik-usa.com page 79 Bobs Knobs www.bobsknobs.com page 60 Camera Concepts www.cameraconcepts.com page 25 Catseye Collimation www.catseyecollimation.com page 70 Celestron www.celestron.com page 34 Chronos www.chronosmount.com page 40 Deep Sky Instruments www.deepskyinstruments.com page 56 Deep Sky Printing www.deepskyprinting.com page 18 Denkmeier Optical www.deepskybinoviewer.com page 21, 24

SkyShed Observatories www.skyshed.com page 62 Spike-A www.spike-a.com page 70 Starizona www.starizona.com page 3 Stark Labs www.stark-labs.com page 22 Stellar Software www.stellarsoftware.com page 19 Stellar Technologies International www.stellar-international.com page 64 Surplus Shed www.surplusshed.com page 58 Tele Vue Optics www.televue.com page 8, 73 Teeter’s Telescopes www.teeterstelescope.com page 69 Unihedron www.unihedron.com page 63 Van Slyke Instruments www.observatory.org page 33, 38

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ASTRONOMY

TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Volume 4 • Issue 1 Jan. - Feb. 2010 Publisher Stuart Parkerson

Editor’s

Note

Managing Editor Gary Parkerson

Associate Editors Russ Besancon

Gary Parkerson, Managing Editor

Karol Birchfield Jessica Parkerson

Art Director Lance Palmer

Staff Photographer Jim Osborne

Web Master Richard Harris

3825 Gilbert Drive Shreveport, Louisiana 71104 info@astronomytechnologytoday.com www.astronomytechnologytoday.com Astronomy Technology Today is published bi-monthly

by Parkerson Publishing, LLC. Bulk rate postage paid at Dallas, Texas, and additional mailing offices. ©2010 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.

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

TIME IS NOT ON MY SIDE! First, let me apologize for the lateness of this issue. Publishing a magazine is, unfortunately, not as an exact science as, say, astronomy!

Many of you know me personally and I have had the great pleasure of corresponding with you over email, at star parties and by phone over the last several years and have enjoyed talking about equipment, the magazine, and our general enthusiasm for astronomy! However, others of you may not know me as well.

As a retired attorney I came to astronomy relatively recently (if ten years can be called recent, at my age it seems like yesterday) Subsequently, and also in the not so distant past, I convinced our publisher that there was a place for an astronomy technology magazine, and thus ATT was born. My position as editor of the magazine (a part time role) fit perfectly with my vision of a somewhat leisurely retirement, adding a nice daytime component to my hours of evening viewing. Our publisher fills the full time role of publisher, marketer, ad salesman, and a host of other duties. And we have a great staff of part-time support people including our extremely talented graphic designer Lance, our ever patient and gracious customer service representative Christy, and our tech/web guru Rich who also contributes his expertise in technical articles to our magazine as he has in this issue. And most important of

all, the extremely talented group of enthusiasts that send us articles to share with you.

But I digress! Still finding that retirement left me a little extra time on my hands, recently two friends approached me about a new local technically (non astronomy) related company that they were forming and asked if I would help them startup the project. “Sure, I thought, it will be interesting and challenging!” Of course, you probably know how this story is going, I ended up getting involved with both feet, hands, and every other part of my body and, poof, my life of leisurely retirement disappeared!

So what does that mean to our subscribers and astronomy friends? Well, take heart, because I still am editor of the magazine, and you’ll still see my editorials here and I plan on making the time to travel to as many events as possible.

There has been an adjustment period for me and for those of you that I have been slow to get back with, whether by email or phone, I apologize, and I will work to do a better job. I have always been somewhat of a procrastinator (leisurely retirement will do that to you!) however even an old dog can learn some new tricks.

As our publisher graciously points out to me, my new activities are not the reason that we were late getting the magazine to you this issue. The main reason

is that we delayed the print date to miss the holiday mailing season. We learned the hard way over the past couple of years that if we mailed the magazine in the middle of the holiday rush, many magazines were extremely delayed (more troublesome, even lost), and we understand the holiday gift of a sweater that grandma is sending to Johnny is a more pressing matter in the scheme of things (I hope Johnny thinks so).

So we moved the deadline back, however that is not the whole story. As we waited for a couple of articles to come in and for a couple of last minute ads, we pushed the deadline back again, and then again.

Until finally, we our normal schedule was obliterated! So we have learned from our lesson, and at the end of 2010, we’ll make our deadlines for the January-February issue earlier than later and we won’t let this situation happen again.

We should be back on schedule for the March-April issue, which you will receive at a more normal time. And hopefully by that time many of you will start thawing out, and looking forward to another great viewing season.

Not to change the subject, however I wanted to mention a recent conversation we had with Alan Traino, chairman of NEAF. One of the new aspects of this year’s show is to integrate a new component to the event focusing on educational opportunities for young people. As Alan tells us, “I’ve talked to many people in the industry, and there is a consensus that to continue to grow the hobby of astronomy, we must develop efforts to get kids and their families involved.” Alan plans on bringing hundreds of school children to the show and is scheduling a host of activities to interest them in astronomy.

This new element to the event will be a welcome addition, and according to Alan, the show will be one of the largest ever, with more than 200 booths already committed to cover the event floor.

We’ll have more information about NEAF and many other future events in the upcoming issues.

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13

INDUSTRYNEWS

ASTROSYSTEMS Offers Upgraded SFL TeleKits and SFL Quantum Finished TeleKits In a recent issue, we mentioned AstroSystems had introduced a new line of short f/ratio (SFL) specialty telescope accessories. They have now announced they will offer SFL TeleKits and SFL Quantum Finished TeleKits specifically optimized for short focal length optics.

For several years now, many amateur astronomers, who prefer to have a more hands on involvement with their telescopes, have chosen to enjoy the pride and satisfaction of building their own top-quality TeleKit truss tube telescope. One of the desirable features of these kits is the opportunity to customize these scopes to the owner’s specifications.

These new TeleKits are designed to meet the demanding requirements of the new short focal length mirrors. Optics of f/3.3f/3.9 require a new approach to telescope design and the required larger, heavier secondary mirrors, stringent collimation and focus tolerances which are met by the new SFL TeleKit design. Shown is an 14.5-inch f/3.7 finished TeleKit. This new design has all the standard features of the original TeleKit plus several new options. The Super Duty Secondary Holder features several design changes to properly support large, heavy secondary mirrors. The larger holders have a proportionately thicker shell and a 1/2-inch mounting stud. The adjustment plate has been increased to 3/8inch thick and a rigid foam insert is used to position the mirror within the holder accurately and maintain this position in any orientation.

There are no tools needed to adjust holders of 2.5-inches or larger in minor axis size because they come standard with thumbscrews. All sizes feature AstroSystems’ innovative four screw/two-axis adjustment that greatly simplifies collimation. Two nuts with nylon washers position the holder laterally and also allow easy adjustment of the rotation. The secondary mirror is held securely yet safely against the front lip of the aluminum bezel with polyester batting on sizes

up to 4-inches and a rigid foam insert on sizes over 4.25-inches. Offset is included, which is necessary to evenly illuminate the field in short focal length telescopes.

The Super Duty Spider uses the finest materials and are built for optimum performance in f/3.3 - f/3.9 telescopes that require extra support. Each vane has 2 fasteners for a total of eight.

They utilize 35% thicker high-tensile steel vanes, are TIG welded at the hub, and give extra tensile strength to hold critical collimation. The threaded stainless steel vane tips are solidly TIG welded to the vanes, making this the strongest spider on the market.

AstroSystems’ offers the Moonlight CR2 as standard equipment on their short focal length TeleKits. The CR-2’s fine 10:1 focus control is perfect for achieving critical focus which is one more of the demanding requirements of a short focal length telescope. The Moonlight CR-2 also handles weight well with the drawtube bearings being opposite the drive axle. The CR-2 provides the stability and fine travel needed for the extra weight of highly corrected eyepieces and coma corrector. It features a compression ring drawtube and adapter, necessary for the critical focus and collimation of short focal length optics.

The stiffness and rigidity of the upper cage of the TeleKit has been increased to match the demands of heavier secondary mirrors and critical collimation needed with short focal length optics. Thicker spider supports, and a thicker light baffle plus keeping the cage height to 12-inches on all sizes achieves the necessary strength and stiffness.

The filter slide is a naturally stiff mount for the focuser and is enhanced by heavier mount hardware.

The new Primary Mirror Cell also ensures critical collimation which is achieved by edge support that keeps the primary mirror centered and extra fine collimation movement. The zero stretch stainless band sling keeps the primary perfectly centered and

achieves uniform optical support over a large portion of the edge. The collimation bolts feature 50% finer movement to easily achieve critical collimation. The 16-inch to 22-inch cells feature 18 point flotation and the 24inch to 32-inch have 27 point flotation, and are combined with the integrated cooling system to give the short focal length optic the environment to perform at its peak.

The SFL TeleKits have indexed fasteners to precisely locate the truss, and the size and thickness of the fasteners has been increased to further augment collimation.

The TeleKit is constructed of Baltic Birch plywood, offering strength, stiffness and natural vibration damping. The altitude bearings and rocker box sidewalls and bottom are double thick, giving crisp, precise motion. This is further enhanced by the hybrid bearing system of three sets of ball bearings on the groundboard, with adjustable friction, and 2 bearing sets and 2 Teflon pads on the altitude movement.

The kits include everything but the optics. AstroSystems can supply the optics or can direct customers to several opticians to obtain a primary mirror.

For customers who like all the features of the SFL TeleKit but don't have the time, space or inclination to build one, AstroSystems now offers the Quantum Finished TeleKit for short focal length optics in 16", 18" (17.5"), 20", 22", 24", 25", 28", 30" and 32" completely finished.

For more information please visit www.astrosystems.biz.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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INDUSTRYNEWS

SIERRA STARS OBSERVATORY SSON Discovers Alien Craft?

Ok, the headline above is not actually real, a UFO was not imaged at Sierra Stars Observatory (SSO)! However we received an email from Rich Williams that we had to share with our readers, we enjoyed it that much!

The image shown is part in a series of asteroid search images that Don Wells and Bill Dillon ran on the SSO telescope in California in November. Bill and Don are members of the Fort Bend Astronomy Club in Stafford, Texas where in 1996 Bill formed the club’s Asteroid Discovery Team (which is call the A-Team) and is the team leader.

Don joined the A-Team in October of 2000.

After viewing the image Don sent out the following tongue in cheek message to his asteroid discovery team. “The following is a JPEG of the third image in the series. This image is perhaps the most important astronomy image I’ve ever worked with.

As you can see, a decloaking Romulan warship was imaged after what must have been a journey back in time. I’m guessing that they used the ‘slingshot maneuver’ first attempted by Kirk's Enterprise in the episode Tomorrow is Yesterday, but it’s difficult to be sure without more data...”

Says Rich, “This is one of those ‘one

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

in a million’ shots you might get through a telescope by chance. The bright streaks towards the corners of the image are, I

think, from the running lights somewhere on the wings of an airplane/jet while the image near the center is probably illuminated from the strobe light of the aircraft and the other two adjacent lights are probably synchronized with the strobe.

Anyway . . . the overall affect is quite interesting giving an impression of the form of a Romulan fighter from a Star Trek movie.

You can only imagine what UFO fanatics would do with this type of data!”

While a UFO discovery would be big news, Bill and Don were actually discovering real objects, specifically a Trojan asteroid. These asteroids are a large group of objects that share the orbit of the planet Jupiter. Just three days after their discovery Rob Matson, another regular SSO user, discovered a second Trojan asteroid.

As Rich noted, “Discovering faint Trojan asteroids is challenging under ideal conditions as they are typically 20 plus magnitude. The data for Rob’s follow-up observations of his Trojan asteroid were

taken when the moon was over 90-percent full. The sky brightness was likely < 18th magnitude (compared to a typical brightness of 21.5 plus magnitude at our SSO location under dark-sky conditions). To do this type of astrometry of such a faint object under these conditions is extraordinary. I would have guessed that it was not possible, but our SSON users continually exceed my expectations. It’s particularly satisfying to see these kinds of results when the conventional wisdom is that you can’t do asteroid discovery work this faint so close to a full moon. It also illustrates how important it is to take great care producing highquality calibration frames (particularly flat fields) to get very clean data that enable our users to dig down right near the noise threshold.” You can read more about Rich’s flat field techniques in an upcoming issue.

Soon after discovering the Trojan asteroid, Bill and Don used SSO to discover an even rarer Hilda asteroid. About the discovery Bill commented, “This dark moon’s distant discovery (a=3.9 AU) was not a Trojan, but a Hilda (in a 3:2 mean motion resonance with Jupiter)! This is a rarer bird than a Trojan! And it has gone to 4 oppositions! And it's ours!!! First hit was in 2001. Looks like all the previous hits have been fragmentary. Spacewatch got it this October and November, but on single nights. Our pair of nights plus Spacewatch must have started the link cascade. I love it!”

We have to say, we love it too! And we solute Bill, Don and Rob who inspire us as they, to quote the famous monologue from Star Trek, “explore strange new worlds” and “boldly go where no man has gone before!” For more information, visit www.sierrastars.com.

INDUSTRYNEWS

CELESTRON Celebrates its 50th Anniversary We congratulate Celestron as it celebrates its 50th Golden Anniversary. Its hard to believe that it has been have a century since the Southern California-based Celestron, began developing its wide array of state-of-the-art optical technologies and captured a worldwide reputation for its wellengineered products.

The company held their 50th anniversary kick-off event during the Computer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas in early January, 2010. The CES is one of the largest electronics industry events in the world and features companies from over 140 countries. And its no surprise that continuing in its tradition of creating award winning products, Celestron had three products, including its EdgeHD 800, that were honored during the show in the CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program, which recognizes the most innovative con-

sumer electronics products and has become a hallmark for the best designed products in consumer technology.

Celestron was first founded as Valor Electronics, an aerospace electronics firm owned by Electronics Engineer Tom Johnson, who, while searching for a suitable telescope for his two young sons, decided to build a telescope from scratch. Starting with a 6-inch reflector, he progressed to building increasingly larger and more sophisticated designs. Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hobby grew into the Astro-Optical division of Valor for the sole purpose of building telescopes, offering Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes in 4-inch to 22-inch models.

By 1970, the company, now named Celestron, announced a revolutionary method of producing Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes at reasonable cost and in volume. This optical breakthrough was incorporated in the venerable Celestron C8 (who can forget the matte

orange paint!).

Celestron has experienced impressive growth over the years, both before and after Tom Johnson sold the company in 1980.

Today Celestron is a privately held company with corporate offices and manufacturing facilities in Torrance, California. It sells and markets its products worldwide through a variety of specialty retail outlets and international distributors. And it has done a masterful job of offering optical products for the mainstream market as well as to continue to bring high end innovations such as its EdgeHD Optical Systems.

Throughout 2010, Celestron is sponsoring a special 50th anniversary website featuring an interactive timeline on Celestronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history and other notable events in the astronomical community. A link to the site as well as other information on its 50th anniversary can be found at www.celestron.com.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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INDUSTRYNEWS

ASTRONOMY TECHNOLOGY TODAY Offers New Astronomy Club Discount We hope that you don’t mind that we have included our own news in this issue!

We mentioned in the previous issue’s Editor’s Note that we were considering offering a discount program for astronomy club members and asked for your feedback. In the first week of the mailing of the issue, we received over 40 requests to participate in the program!

Inspired by this response, we are pleased to now offer astronomy club members a discount subscription to Astronomy Technology Today. We are starting the program for US clubs and hope to eventually expand the program outside of the US. Our foremost goal was to make sure that the program was as user friendly for clubs as possible, and there are two options for club members to access this discount through their club. (1) Members can subscribe directly on our website using their club’s discount number (this code will be provided to the club). During the order process, members can simply enter the discount code and they will receive the discounted rate. (2) A club can collect the subscription payment from its members and forward the subscription information and collected payments to us. We will provide a standardized form for clubs to use or

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

if a club has a specific form they are currently using for another magazine, they can send us that form.

In addition to receiving a discounted rate for their members, upon signing up

for the discount program clubs will also receive several additional benefits First, the club will receive a complimentary club subscription sent to the club representative of its choice or mailed to the club’s mailing address.

Second, we will provide two complimentary gift subscriptions per year to be used as a door prize, raffle, or to be pro-

vided to a club member whose financial situation is such that purchasing a subscription is not affordable.

Also, clubs will be provided an opportunity to receive 50 complimentary issues to be distributed at a club event. We also will try to provide more copies if a club is hosting an event or star party that has more than 50 attendees. These copies are provide on a first requested, first served basis. Due to the cost of shipping and printing these complimentary magazines for club events, we can’t provide an unlimited supply and astronomy clubs who offer our discount subscriptions to their members will be given first priority and requests will be filled on a first requested basis.

Another benefit that club members will receive (this is a benefit all subscribers receive) is that, in addition to receiving the print edition of the magazine, club members also will have unlimited online access to all back issues as long as their subscription remains current.

If you would be interested in having your club participate in the program, simply email subscribe@astronomytechnologytoday.com and we will be glad to send you the information. There is also a link on our website to send a request as well.

INDUSTRYNEWS

APOGEE INSTRUMENTS Apogee Alta U42 Camera Helps Locate “Super-Earth” 40 Light Years Away We’ve talked in the past how the increasingly powerful and sophisticated technology available to the amateur astronomy community is helping blur the lines between amateur astronomers and the professional astronomical community.

Two recent case in points highlighted in our Editor’s Note in the September/October 2009 issue are Caroline Moore’s discovery of Supernova SN2008ha (working with The Puckett Observatory’s World Supernova Search) and Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley’s discovery of a new major impact site on Jupiter.

Now the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has issued a recent press release titled “Astronomers Find Super-Earth Using Amateur, Off-the-Shelf Technology.”

And an integral part of that technology was an Apogee Alta U42 Camera.

The opening paragraph of the news release states that, “Astronomers announced today that they have discovered a “superEarth” orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. They found the distant planet with a small fleet of ground-based telescopes no larger than those many amateur astronomers have in their backyards.

Although the super-Earth is too hot to sustain life, the discovery shows that current, groundbased technologies are capable of finding almost-Earth-sized planets in warm, lifefriendly orbits.”

The “ground based telescopes” they refer to are part of the MEarth Project - an array of eight identical RC Optical Systems telescopes (see image) located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on Mt. Hopkins, Arizona. The scopes are 16-inch f/9 Ritchey-Chrétiens on Software Bisque Paramount German Equatorial Mounts.

The MEarth Project is a

survey to photometrically monitor 2000 nearby, small stars (called M dwarfs), looking for periodic dips in light, due to the presence of habitable super-Earth exoplanets transiting in front of the star. The project is supported by grants from the David and Lucile Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering and the National Science Foundation.

The newly discovered “super earth”, GJ 1214b, is a 2.7 Earth radius, 6.6 Earth mass exoplanet that transits its very small, very cool parent star once every 1.6 days. With a predicted temperature of 200 degrees Celsius, GJ1214b is warmer than Earth, but considerably cooler than most other known transiting exoplanets.

“Since we found the super-earth using a small ground-based telescope, this means that anyone else with a similar telescope and a good CCD camera can detect it too.” said David Charbonneau, lead author and head of the MEarth project. The next step will require research with more sophisticated equipment including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Perhaps we are seeing a new emerging model of astronomical research. Amateur astronomers using increasingly sophisticated technology can help do the ground work, so to speak, working in conjunction with the professional astronomy community.

For more information on the discovery, a link is available on Apogee Instruments’ website at www.ccd.com.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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INDUSTRYNEWS

BOB’S KNOBS Offers Instructional Guides in Multiple Languages As the popularity of ATT grows outside of the US and Canada, we have seen an increase in the number of subscribers in Europe and Asia. We bring this up because much of the innovation in the astronomy products industry that is seen in our magazine is developed in North America and we CHECK OUT OUR END OF WINTER DEALS! at www.TelescopeS.Net! Too Many Deals to List Here!

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

receive regular emails from those outside of the continent for information and questions about these products.

That’s why we were pleased to see that the instructional guides included with one of our favorite handy astro accessories is offered in several languages. The folks at Bob Knob’s offer, as the name suggests, knobs to collimate SchmidtCassegrain and Newtonian telescopes. Their collimation thumbscrews are simple to install and make collimation a whole lot easier.

And they offer instillation guides in French, German, Italian, Spanish and more. While these guides are not exactly new for the company, we thought that our overseas readers (while they obviously can read English!) might appreciate the fact that these guides are available in other languages as well.

Bob’s Knobs also offers knobs for no-tools setup of Losmandy and Celestron tripods as well as custom knobs, where they offer a wide selection of screw sizes and knob styles for all telescope thumbscrew and hand bolt needs.

For more information and to view the instillation guides, please go to www.bobsknobs.com.

NEWPRODUCTS

UNIHEDRON Introduces New SQM-LU Sky Quality Meter In its quest to help amateur astronomers find out how good their viewing conditions really are, Unihedron has introduced its latest product, the SQM-LU, a USB enabled sky quality meter for night-time sky brightness monitoring.

The SQM-LU is an affordable meter for continuous, computer-connected measurement of sky brightness for astronomers and dark-sky enthusiasts.

Like its predecessors, the SQM-LU reports the brightness of the night sky in magnitudes per square arcsecond. The unit is similar to the Ethernet-enabled SQM-LE model in that it allows access to raw measurement data and calibration settings as well as in-place firmware updates.

Software is included for obtaining readings from computers using Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems.

Full specifications for the communications protocol are provided, and example software interface allows for user-customizations.

The SQM-LU is compact at only 3.6-inches x 2.6-inches x 1.1 inches and provides precision readings at even the darkest sites. The maximum light sampling time is 80 seconds and the minimum light sampling time is 1 second. As mentioned earlier, sky brightness is reported in visual magnitudes per square arcsecond and the infrared blocking filter restricts measurement to visual bandpass.

The SQM product line provides a host of opportunities for owners. This includes the ability to compare the sky brightness at different sites quantitatively and determine which nights show the greatest promise for finding the 'faintest fuzzies'. Users can document the evolution of light pollution in an area by monitoring sky brightness through the night, night-to-night, and year-to-year. The SQM can be used to calibrate the effect of sky brightness on qualitative measures such as the Bortle Scale as well as to investigate how sky brightness correlates with the solar cycle and month-to-month sunspot activity. Users can also set plane-

tarium dome illumination to mimic the skies people are likely to experience elsewhere in the city. CCD images can make a correlation between the SQM readings and when the background reaches a specific ADC level.

Included with the SQM-LU is a userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manual, CD with PDF manual and example software, 15-foot USB cable, and a calibration sheet that indicates the unitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s USB serial number, and calibration values. The SQM-LU is priced at $189.99US. There is a host of more information about the SQM-LU available on the Unihedron website at www. unihedron.com.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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NEWPRODUCTS

DEEP SKY INSTRUMENTS Accepting Pre-Orders for RC14C Ritchey-Chrétien Astrograph Deep Sky Instruments first introduced its RC10 and RC10C RitcheyChrétien Astrographs in 2008 as the first in its TrueRC astrograph series featuring optics by Paul Jones of Star Instruments.

It is now taking pre-orders for its second TrueRC astrograph, the RC14C. The RC14C is based on the design of RC10 which utilizes a 10-inch primary mirror that provides RitcheyChrétien performance free from coma, spherical aberration and first-order astigmatism. The RC10C adds a corrector/field flattener to remove third-order astigmatism and flatten the field for excellent star images on even the largest CCD cameras.

The RC14C offers a larger 14.625-inch primary mirror which delivers 14.25-inches of

usable aperture, roughly twice that of the RC10C. Back focus is increased to 12inches (8.5-inches usable behind the back plate) for more flexibility with rotators and other accessories. A carbon fiber tube with integral dovetail plates increases rigidity and thermal stability.

For more information on ordering the RC14C please visit www.deepskyinstruments.com.

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

NEWPRODUCTS

MALLINCAM Introduces the Mallincam VSS Color (Variable Shutter System) Rock Mallin has gained quite a reputation for his video CCD cameras and why not, each Mallincam is hand crafted by Rock himself. During assembly, every step is tested and retested to deliver high performance results from each and every camera made in his shop.

Having such a close relationship with his products and customers has kept Rock keen on continuously improving the cameras which has resulted in several significant improvements in the new VSS Mallincam.

As Jack Huerkamp, the US distributor for Mallincam products told us, “Instead of having fixed exposure times (7, 14, 28 and 56 seconds in the HYPER PLUS), the VSS has continuously variable exposures from 3.3 to 56 seconds using the knob on the side of the camera, and exposures up to 112 seconds using the menu to double the exposure set on the knob. Also, instead of the new computerized Peltier cooler being either on or off, it works by detecting dark current noise. Once noise is detected, it turns the cooler on for a preset time period (10, 30 or 60 seconds) to reduce the noise. It can also be turned off if desired.”

He continued, “For those wanting to set up the VSS in an observatory and observe inside (due to mosquitoes in the summer or cold in the winter), the camera can be controlled via a cable and freeware. Cables up to 50-feet in length are available for a nominal cost and longer ones can be made if desired.

All menu functions can be adjusted from a PC as well as three exposure times. The variable exposure time function is not available remotely; however for most users, having the ability to select short, intermediate and long exposures remotely is all they will need.”

The new VSS utilizes a new third generation hyper circuit to allowing users the choice of variable shutter and also has a fully integrated on screen menu which simplifies operating the camera. The new VSS utilizes class 1 CCD sensors (grade A) which are hand picked and a Class 0 CCD Sensor is available as an option.

The VSS offers full shutter speed ranging from Off, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/6000, 1/8000, 1/12000

seconds or the choice of fully variable adjustment making it possible to view planets, lunar, and solar with appropriate H Alpha or White Light Filters. It features a full integration mode of 2X, 4X, 6X, 8X, 12X, 16X (1/4 sec. exposure) 24X, 32X (1/2 sec. exposure) 48X, 64X (full one second integration) 96X, 128X (full 2.1 seconds integration) and new hyper mode of 3.3 seconds to under 2 minutes exposure mode with full automatic refresh.

The on board title generator allows for writing of the object being viewed which is excellent for group viewing at museums, planetariums, and star parties.

The VSS Mallincam features a programmable back light compensation mode (BLC), full AGC adjustment in auto mode, manual mode (deep sky targets) and off (deep sky targets, lunar, planetary, solar mode). The full white balance control (W/B) allows for the user’s choice of fully automatic white balance control, auto trace white balance control, or manual white balance control including presets for 5600K, 3200K (infrared) or user defined blue and red color.

Other included features are two full independent outputs, high resolution S-VHS output, and 75 ohm composite output. The four programmable mask function provides for electronic cross hair or other manual guiding

functions. Also included are positive and negative image selection, horizontal image inversion (mirror effect), vertical image inversion (mirror effect), freeze image function and sensitivity priority function.

Included with the Mallincam VSS system is the camera, regulated power supply 120 volts to 12 volts d/c adapter (the PAL export version comes with 220 volts to 12 volts d/c adapter), a 25-foot (8 meters) high grade dual shielded video/power cable combination, a high precision 1.25-inch eyepiece adapter/heat transfer, a BNC male to RCA female adapter, owners manual and a quick start sheet.

The Mallincam VSS is available in Canada from Lire la Nature/Astronomie Plus (www.lirelanature.com) and Khan Scope Centre (www.khanscope.com). It is available in the US and overseas from Jack’s Astro

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

23

NEWPRODUCTS

iOPTRON Introduces Versa 108 ED APO Doublet Refractor and MAK 152mm

Image 1

iOptron continues to build upon its impressive product line with the introduction of two new telescopes.

The Versa 108 ED APO f/6.1 Airspaced Doublet Refractor is an apochromatic OTA with a 660mm focal length that recently received a 2010 S&T Hot Products designation. This double air-spaced 108mm refractor offers a versatile platform that delivers exceptional performance for

both visual observing and astrophotography. With outstanding color correction and crisp imaging, owners will be able to view beautiful images through an eyepiece, CCD camera, or DSLR camera.

The telescope (Image 1) is attractively designed with precision CNC machined all-metal construction and high quality power painted finish. Included in the Versa package is a Crayford dual speed 2inch 360 degree rotatable focuser, 114-mm tube ring, 1.25-inch adapter, high quality aluminum case, brass compression ring, and retractable dew shield. And to make the package complete for the

astrophotographer, a standard field flattener is also included.

The field flattener is made with high accuracy machining and features an external anodized gloss finish and internal surface matte finish for reduced glare. It features a fully multi-coated two element lens,

Image 2

T-ring thread for 35mm cameras and is suitable for a 2-inch filter.

Also introduced is the new iOptron Rumak-type 152mm Maksutov-Cassegrain which is designed for the serious amateur astronomer who wants apochromatic refractor-type performance at an affordable price.

The precision design and engineering of the optics produces images you would not expect in such a light tube. The MAK 152mm (Image 2) from iOptron comes with a dual speed focuser. Also included is an attachable twist-lock aluminum dew shieldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;rare for a MAKâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for better performance in cold temperatures.

The tube length is 21 3/4-inch without dew shield and 27 1/8-inch with dew shield. The tube weight is 13.4 lbs. and the gross weight is 20.2 lbs. The visual adaptor is 2-inch to 1 1/4-inch and a T-ring adapter is included for attaching a camera. Also included is an 8x50 finderscope with finder ring and a light reducing lens cover.

Both scopes are available through iOptron dealers and more information is available at www.ioptron.com.

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

NEWPRODUCTS

VIXEN OPTICS New AXD Mount and High Definition Star Book Ten

Known for offering products that excel in both performance and great looks, Vixen has stepped up the bar with its AXD Mount which offers a sleek design and innovative gearing for superior performance. The new mount will be available this spring.

Controlled by Vixen's new Star

Book 10, the AXD combines all the features that owners come to expect from a Vixen mount. Features include Permanent PEC, Night Vision Mode, and a 270,000 Database. The mount offers a 70lb load capacity, 70 tooth (135mm dia.) RA wheelgear, 216 tooth (108mm dia.) DEC wheelgear, stepping motors with 21 bearings, and a heavy duty tripod.

Coupled with the Star Book 10, users don't need a computer. Popular objects appear on the high definition screen and the AXD "see to" technology shows users the sky before the GO-TO sends them there. It offers a 5-inch color HD LCD screen, 32 bit, 324 MHz CPU, Lunar, Solar, Planet, Comet and Satellite tracking modes, registration of user defined objects, PC connection with LAN port, auto guider port, and

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

25

NEWPRODUCTS

ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS Continues to Release a Multitude of New Products Orion continues to show that it is a leader in introducing new products to the astronomy industry and this issue certainly proves that point. In fact there are so many new Orion products, we had to use several pages to include them all!

10x42 Monocular Good viewing opportunities don't usually come with advance warnings. When an exciting event occurs, and you need to be able to see it up close quickly, a monocular

is a nice option. Orion's 10x42 Monocular is small, light, easy to use, and gives brilliant views through fully multi-coated optics.

Being able to make objects 10x bigger is just the beginning. It's rugged, rubber-coated shock-absorbing design can take a beating and it includes a removable carrying strap.

At just 6-inches long, it will suit anyone looking for convenience and portable performance in any weather and its price of $49.95US is perfect for any budget.

8-inch f/4 Newtonian Astrograph Reflector The new 8-inch f/4 Newtonian Astrograph Reflector offers wide field, deepspace imaging performance designed to allow users to the capture faint galaxies and nebulas with short photographic exposure, all at a very affordable cost.

The reflector is perfect for beginning

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

and intermediate imagers, and is a great second telescope for more advanced imagers who want more portability, without sacrificing features and quality. That means bright, detailed images for APS-C sized CCD or DSLR cameras. As with any fast Newtonian reflector, an optional coma corrector is recommended to achieve the

NEWPRODUCTS sharpest images. With an optional eyepiece, this telescope doubles as a fine visual instrument.

At only 16 lbs. and just 28-inches long, the scope is easily supported on a mid-sized mount. The 200-mm aperture parabolic primary mirror is made from high-quality BK-7 optical glass. Enhanced aluminum mirror coatings with greater than 91% reflectivity deliver more light to the focuser.

A cooling accelerator fan is included, mounted on the back of the primary mirror cell for rapid equilibration to ambient temperature.

Included is a modified, all-machined 2inch dual-speed Crayford focuser that incorporates a special linear-track bearing.

This advanced focuser design provides superior camera support and eliminates the drawtube flexure inherent in some Crayford focusers. The dual-speed feature allows both coarse and very fine (10:1) focusing precision. Other standard accessories include a pair of hinged tube rings and an 8x50 finder scope. It comes with a one year limited warranty and is priced at $449.95US. VersaGo II HD Altazimuth Mount The new VersaGo II HD Altazimuth Mount is an ultra-stable, easy-to-operate altazimuth “grab-and-go” tripod for small to medium sized telescopes up to 6-inches in aperture. It offers a 15 lb. load capacity with a beefy tripod featuring chromed steel tubular legs of 1.75-inch diameter for max-

imum stability with heavier instruments in field conditions.

The sturdy die-cast aluminum head features a dovetail saddle for quick telescope attachment and removal and its slanted arm design allows an instrument to be pointed to zenith, and the lateral arm offset puts load directly over the center of the tripod for maximum stability. It is available for $249.95US. SteadyStar Adaptive Optics Guider Orion’s SteadyStar Adaptive Optics Guider (AO) makes any imaging-capable mount, even if a modest one, perform more effectively. Precise tracking is one of the most critical facets of astrophotography and tracking is limited to the accuracy of the mount, plus external factors like wind and atmospheric seeing conditions. The SteadyStar AO Guider overcomes these limitations and challenges and takes control with super fast and accurate guiding.

The SteadyStar AO Guider can easily make several tracking corrections in one second without lugging the weight and inertia of the whole telescope. Rather than move all that weight, the Guider moves a

small on-board lens, allowing for quick and precise movements several times faster than traditional autoguiders. This refractive correction is capable of making extremely fast movements to overcome even the most severe tracking errors. The SteadyStar AO Guider is capable of correcting motion more than 40 times per second, depending on guide star brightness and computer speed. This means users will overcome a mount’s periodic error, wind, and even compensate for some of the negative effects of turbulent seeing conditions.

With the Guider attached, even a modestly priced mount can perform like a high-end expensive mount.

The S t e a d y S t a r ’s broad compatibility with imaging cameras and autoguiders makes it even more attractive. It works with any Orion CCD camera and autoguider, as well as other popular imaging cameras including DSLRs. The SteadyStar AO Guider was designed to fit right in with other gear, requiring only 90-mm of inward focus travel when used with Orion imaging cameras.

In fact, users can add up to 30-mm worth of accessories, such as a filter wheel, to the SteadyStar without adding to the total backfocus. continued on next page

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

27

NEWPRODUCTS Orion New Products Continued From Previous Page The 40-mm diameter on board lens supports APS-C format sensors including DSLRs and amply sized CCD cameras.

SteadyStar software is included for full guiding control to both the mount and the AO Guider, and it can communicate with Maxim DL to enable advanced imaging features as exposure sequences and dithering. It is Windows XP, Vista 32/64 bit Windows 7 and ASCOM compatible.

A hard carry case is included as well as a 10-foot USB cable, 10-inch autoguiding cable, and 12 volt DC power cable. the SteadyStar AO Guider is priced at $1,799.95US and comes with a one-year limited warranty.

The SteadyStar AO is also available with a built-in Field Rotator which allows user to move the SteadyStar’s off-axis prism to locate a guide star, or to change the imaging camera orientation. It also enables long exposure imaging with motorized altitude-azimuth mounts. And with the fast adaptive optics guiding, it turns any image capable mount (Alt-Az or EQ) into a more effective one, yielding better tracking.

The SteadyStar AO Guider with Field Rotator not only makes rapid and accurate tracking corrections to deliver pinpoint stars, it also allows users to rotate the camera and off-axis guider without disturbing the focus. That makes finding a guide star much easier. Additionally, the SteadyStar AO Guider with Field Rotator is an ideal

solution for imagers with fork altitudeazimuth mounts, including those used with popular catadioptric telescopes. Since Alt-Az mounts cannot move in arcs to match the apparent movement of the sky, the field rotator will do that for you. There is no need to purchase a heavy equatorial wedge for your fork mount.

The SteadyStar is available for $2,499.95US. Parsec Astronomical Imaging Cameras Orion has introduced its next generation of premium CCD imagers, the Parsec Astronomical Imaging Cameras featuring

a full-frame 8.3 megapixel (8.5 effective) Kodak CCD chip. The cameras offer amazing results and the highest resolution, all for a modest investment.

The Parsec provides all the cutting

edge technology and features that today’s CCD imager demands, such as regulated dual-stage cooling, internal shutter, internal full-frame 32 megabyte memory buffer, and more. Its compact size (4x4-inch wide, 3-inch long) provides a sleek fit for virtually any imaging telescope configuration. The high performance Parsec is built around the CCD chip’s square 5.4 micron x 5.4 micron pixel size for superior resolution using Kodak’s microlens technology for maximum sensitivity. Regulated dual-stage thermoelectric cooling (TEC) and adjustable fan dramatically reduces thermal noise. Accurate dark frames can be taken automatically. And thanks to the internal shutter there’s no need to cover the telescope. The internal full-frame memory buffer ensures reliable image downloads every time, through a USB-2.0 connection. A 10-foot USB cable and 10-foot power cable compatible with 12 volt DC cigarette lighter sockets is included.

The Parsec 8300M features a monochrome imaging CCD chip and the Parsec 8300C features a color imaging CCD chip. Both feature standard T-threads on the camera body, removable 2-inch nosepiece threaded for filters, an included custom hard carrying case, and a free full version 30-day trial of Maxim DL Pro software for camera control and image processing. Parsec cameras feature 16 bit A/D conversion and are Windows XP, 7 and Vista 32 bit and 64 bit compatible and are ASCOM compatible. The Parsec is a small package (32 oz.) that packs a big imaging wallop. .085x Reducer-Flattener Orion has made it easier to get better images from its Orion 80mm ED Apo Refractor telescope with its new .085x Reducer-Flattener which reduces the effective focal length to create shorter exposure times that result in better, brighter images.

Designed exclusively for use with the 80mm ED (not compatible with the EON 80ED) and optimized for photography

28

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

NEWPRODUCTS with DSLR cameras, the reducer-flattener features three-element optical assembly and is fully multicoated. It reduces the scope’s effective focal length from 600mm

to 510mm (f/7.5 to f/6.3) and can be used with DSLR cameras with chips as large as 36mm x 24mm. It offers fully multi-coated optics (all air-to-glass surfaces are multilayer coated) and T-threads on camera side for attachment of a camera T-ring. It threads onto the focuser drawtube for a highly secure fit and provides critical 55mm distance from optics to sensor. It is priced at $199.95US. And for astro-photographers seeking even better performance from their Orion 100mm ED Refractor Telescope, Orion has introduced a new 0.85x ReducerCorrector for that scope as well. Designed specifically for use with this telescope and a DSLR camera, it reduces the scope's effective focal length to produce a faster system, which allows shorter exposure times. It reduces the focal length from 900mm to 765mm (f/9.0 to f/7.65), producing a faster system for improved astrophotography. It is also offered at $199.95US. For owners of the Orion 120mm ED refractors there is a new 0.85x ReducerCorrector for them as well. . It is designed for use with either the EON 120ED or the original 120ED refractors, since both have the same focal length which is shortened from 900mm to 765mm (f/7.5 to f/6.38).

It is offered at $199.95US.

2-inch Extra-Narrowband Oxygen-III, Sulfur-II, and Hydrogen Alpha Filter For users of monochrome CCD cameras, Orion has introduced a specialized line of filters which are the perfect complement for producing striking, high-contrast color CCD astrophotography of emission nebulae.

Orion’s new 2-inch Extra-Narrowband Oxygen-III Filter is one of a set of three filters designed to bring you bright and beautiful images of emission nebulae in mono-

chrome astrophotography. Orion’s new Oxygen-III filter has a full-width half maximum (FWHM) bandpass of just 7nm, ensuring high-contrast images, even in heavily light-polluted or brightly moonlit skies. It offers bright, bold views highlighting blue/green Oxygen-III wavelength features of emission nebulae and transmits 90% of light at 500.7nm wavelength.

The new 2-inch Extra-Narrowband Sulfur-II Imaging Filter also has a full-width half maximum (FWHM) bandpass of just

7nm, ensuring high-contrast images. It highlights deep red sulfur II wavelength features of emission nebulae and transmits 90% of light at 672.4nm wavelength.

Rounding out the filter line is the 2inch Hydrogen-Alpha Filter which isolates the Hydrogen-Alpha Spectrum for superior contrast CCD astrophotos. It transmits 90% of light at 656.3nm wavelength (Halpha) and its full width half-maximum (FWHM) bandpass is 6.7nm or less.

Each of these filters can be used separately or in combination with a filter wheel for advanced tri-color imaging of emission nebulae. Each includes a protective plastic case, a one-year limited warranty, and is priced at $359.95US and pricing for the set is $969.95US. LaserMate Pro Heavy Duty Collimation Kit Orion’s LaserMate Pro Heavy Duty Collimation Kit was designed for the fumble fingers in all of us. Dropped it into your bag, don't worry. Accidentally bang it? No problem. The “hardened” design helps

ensure the alignment of the collimating laser for a lifetime.

Achieve quick collimation with laser precision in a simple two-step process. continued on next page

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

29

NEWPRODUCTS Orion New Products Continued From Previous Page First, insert the LaserMate Pro into a standard 1.25-inch eyepiece holder and adjust the secondary to center the red laser dot on the primary mirror. For 2inch eyepiece holders, use a 1.25-inch to 2-inch expansion adaptor or Orion’s Precision Centering Adapter for greatest accuracy. Then, use the included Cheshire eyepiece for final collimation by tilting the reflector's primary mirror.

Illustrated instructions and centering dots are included. The LaserMate Pro is built of durable metal in gunmetal grey and has a lifetime guarantee and is priced at $99.95US. Monster Series of Dobs Finally, and no this is not a misprint, Orion has introduced its “Monster” series of Dobsonian telescopes including a 36-inch, 40-inch, and 50-inch model all with full GOTO and tracking functionality. The folks at Orion must have really been bitten by the “bigger is better” bug!

Let’s start with the 36-inch version.

The Orion 36 swallows over 1,000 square inches of light at a time and weighs in at just under 400 pounds. It can be disassembled for transport to dark sky locales and at home, it uses removable wheels to get it outside and back from a garage or storage shed. If you plan on parking a car you’ll need at least a two-car garage, because the 36-inch Monster Dob takes up an entire parking space when assembled.

The fast f/ratio of f/4 produces an impressive 144-inches of focal length.

The hand-figured optical system starts with a honeycomb low-expansion glass mirror blank, which allows fast cooldown and maintenance of thermal equilibrium. This maintains great image quality all night long at the eyepiece, which will be a little over 12 feet above ground at zenith. You’ll need a good ladder!

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

The premium optics have a quality that rivals any other commercial Dobsonian - 1/8 wave or better, diffraction limited, star-tested optics, razor sharp and hand figured in North America by Master Optician Normand Fullum.

The huge mirror uses a sturdy eightpoint wiffle-tree edge flotation to support the edge of the primary mirror, which is supported by a 27-point flotation mirror cell. Primary and secondary mirror coatings are 96% enhanced aluminum (dielectric coatings available as an option on the secondary) which make the most of the monstrous light grasp.

The sleek Mount is lightweight but strong and stiff. The rocker box, azimuth bearings, and ground board are constructed of premium furniture-quality Russian Birch and laminated with aluminum plate to make a super strong, yet lightweight composite structure.

The hardware is stainless steel and the struts are strong and light carbon graphite.

Included standard are ServoCAT Tracking and GoTo and Argo-Navis digital settings circles that automatically locate and track more than 29,000 targets. The GoTo system can be run from a laptop planetarium program.

The second member of Orion’s Monster Dob family is a 40-inch giant that offers almost 25% more light than it’s little (if you can call it that) 36-inch brother. The Orion 40-inch shares the same advanced design, features and components as the other members of the Monster Dob family - the honeycomb mirrors are low-expansion borosilicate glass hand figured by Normand Fullum and the scope also features the same flotation as the 36-inch. Enhanced optical coatings on the primary and secondary mirrors and ServoCAT Tracking and GoTo and Argo-Navis digital settings circles are also standard. When pointing straight up, the huge 160-inch focal length puts the telescope’s eyepiece about

NEWPRODUCTS 14 feet off the ground; and the fast f/4 optics deliver bright, crisp images.

The advanced structural components and lightweight mirror keep the size and mass of the scope surprisingly small and provide a robust, yet compact and stable platform to study the sky.

While Orionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 36-inch model is designed to be truly transportable, the 40-inch can be disassembled for transit, however the additional mirror size and inherent weight will make the 40inch Monster

a more sedentary creature. Orion recommends you plan on creating a backyard observatory, and at the very least, plan to wheel it in and out of your garage. The included pneumatic wheels are meant to be used on level pavement, not crosscountry.

At the top of the Orion Dob food chain is the 50inch Monster. It features almost 2,000 square inches of light-gathering power which is almost 33,000 times more light than what the eye can gather (assuming a dark adapted 7-mm pupil). With a limiting stellar magnitude that is approximately +17.4 and a theoretical resolving power under a tenth of an arc second (seeing conditions limited, of course) owners of this monster are going to be catching details in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;faint-fuzziesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; up there that no one else can. The fast f/3.75 focal ratio gives bright images, and 187.5-inches of focal length. Low-expansion borosilicate glass, molded honeycomb mirror blank, 36-point flotation mirror support and five cooling fans assure owners get all the performance the enormous aperture can deliver.

The telescope is designed to be light for its size and very stiff - so that collimation is maintained as you sweep across the sky. The top cage is aluminum with carbon graphite spacers between the top and bottom rings. The main struts are also carbon graphite with Moonlite connectors for easy disassembly, should you want to transport it. The scope is engineered to be light, yet strong using incredibly robust 1.5-inch diameter carbon graphite truss poles and composite structural components. As with the other Monster Dobs, the side bearings, rocker box and ground board are constructed of an engineered composite of Russian Birch with aircraft-grade aluminum epoxy bonded to both sides of the birch core, making exceptionally strong but surprisingly light structural components.

Premium components and exceptional attention to detail are used throughout the construction of the scope, including all stainless steel fasteners, a Moonlite dual-speed, fine adjustment 2-inch focuser and custom secondary cage light baffle.

The 36-inch retails for $55,600US, the 40-inch for $80,000US and the 50inch is $123,000US. Some customization options and installation services are available at an additional expense. An Orion Sales Representative can provide additional information. See the Orion web site, www.telescope.com, for special terms and conditions and special order information.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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NEWPRODUCTS

SCOPE STUFF Several New Product Offerings ScopeStuff continues to be a leader in offering all of the accessories you need to support your astro gear arsenal. For example, their new Wireless Goto Connection for Meade LX200 ACF, LX200 GPS & Classic, RCX400, Celestron and ServoCat gives control of a telescope wirelessly from computer.

The Bluetooth wireless adapter is easy to install for a reliable link between a PC and goto telescope. No batteries are required for the wireless adapter, it derives power from a scope's external power source of 11 to 18 volts DC and draws less than 100 ma. The wireless adapter requires no additional drivers or software on the PC, and each adapter has a unique PIN number so there's no interference from others on the field.

Just plug the adapter into a scope's power and RS232 jacks, and plug the scope power supply into the adapter.

ScopeStuff pre-configures the adapter for a scope type, so installation at the scope is a snap. The power and data cables are 20-feet long so the adapter can be mounted on a tripod leg, pier, scope base, etc with supplied velcro and cable clips.

The Dual Finder Mounting Plate with Base Feet is designed for mounting two finders on a single finder shoe. This black anodized aluminum dual finder mounting plate comes with a reversible bottom rail that has both an Orion/Synta/Vixen

type foot and an Antares type foot. The top of the plate accepts either Orion/Synta/Vixen type shoes or Antares type shoes at either end. By reversing the base foot rail and/or the plate, the finders can be shifted forward and back for balancing or preference. It weighs .47 lbs, is 6-inches wide and the plate is 1/4-inch thick. Black anodized aluminum.

ScopeStuff's Mounting Adapter For Meade DSI Camera holds the DSI securely in piggyback and stand-alone installations and allows the use of a cooling fan. It is great for autoguider and wide-angle applications that can be difficult due to the lack of any mounting method, other than hanging them by the T-threads. Made from strong but light weight 1/4-inch solventwelded laser cut acrylic the mounting holes and slots accept M6 or 1/4-inch mounting hardware. The camera and 40-mm fan attach to the mounting adapter with sup-

plied stainless steel hardware. The optional ball-bearing 40-mm fan is quiet and has a 5.5/2.1mm power connector.

ScopeStuff continues to add all kinds of accessories and its website is continuously updated. For more information visit www.scopestuff.com.

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Finger Lakes Instrumentation ML8300 Imager Dave finally plays with the big boys!

By Dave Snay

If you’ve been an ATT subscriber for any length of time, you know that I’m still using my trusty old Meade DSI Pro II for my personal imaging endeavors. Like most astro photographers, I frequently fight off the imaging version of aperture fever. I call it Big Chip Envy. I do my best to compensate for the narrow view provided by the small sensor in my camera by using wide field telescopes and sometimes I add a focal reducer to get an even wider field of view. That isn’t the same as a wide view with a high quality sensor, but it’s the best I can do until I get everything else in my system up to snuff. After all, the best imager is going to be unimpressive on an unstable mount or behind low quality optics.

Now that I’ve got a nice mount stationed on top of a permanent pier and a good quality telescope sitting on the mount, I need an imager to take advantage of the upgrades. Enter the MicroLine 8300 from Finger Lakes Instrumentation.

The folks at Finger Lakes Instrumentation were kind enough to provide access to one of their monochrome versions so I could

work with it and share my results and opinions with you.

When the unit arrived I opened the box and found a high impact plastic case containing all the goodies.

Opening the box revealed that they included one of their DF-2 auto-focusers as well. This is going to be fun! Image 1 demonstrates what all packaging should look like. This is well designed and very well executed.

There is very little risk of damage to the contents. By the way, the pink colored wrapping contains the camera.

Included in the case are the camera and its’ power supply, the DF-2 micro focuser and its’ power supply, and the control box for the micro focuser as well as all cables necessary to control both devices.

There is a flat cable used to connect the

controller to the micro focuser and a USB cable to connect the focuser to the PC. You connect to the camera via a USB cable.

As I unpacked the parts, I was struck by the weight of this camera. It isn’t excessively heavy, it’s just much heavier than anything I’ve attached to my imaging train before now. I wondered if my focusers were up to the task. The build quality appears to be top notch. All surfaces are smooth and blemish free and every fitting looks perfectly matched to the housing. There are no gaps or protrusions to be found anywhere.

When I got to the micro focuser I was perplexed. This doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen before. Image 2 shows a side view of the unit. Unlike other automated Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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FINGER LAKES INSTRUMENTATION ML8300 IMAGER

Image 1 - What’s in the Case?

focusing tools, this one does not attach to the focuser directly. Rather, it is mounted between the focuser and the rest of the imaging train. Once I figured this out, several advantages became clear. You can lock down the primary focuser once you have

36 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

gotten everything relatively well focused, thereby eliminating the chance for focuser slip. There is no change in the balance of the system by hanging anything off to the side, as with traditional automated focusers. I love the sound of this thing when

it’s finding critical focus. You can hear the chain driven gears moving as the two main plates of the housing separate or move closer to achieve perfect focus. More on this later.

The camera and micro focuser weigh in at 4.8 pounds, 2.8 pounds for the camera and 2 pounds for the focuser, so you really do need a pretty strong focuser.

Fortunately, nearly all mid-range to high end telescopes come standard with focusers that are up to the task of carrying this load.

My Meade Series 5000 80-mm refractor and its’ stock focuser held it with no problems and no signs of flexure during any of my tests. I have another refractor that weighs only about 5 pounds (the main tube is carbon fiber). Most of that weight is in the focuser (Feather Touch) and the back end of the scope, so it was able to carry the imager and micro focuser without flexure either. I was worried that neither of these systems would be able to hold the camera steady, but even at 10 minute exposures there were no signs of flexure.

FINGER LAKES INSTRUMENTATION ML8300 IMAGER The ML8300 Camera Like the micro focuser, the camera is designed for ease of use. There are three outlets on the back, each labeled clearly. I only need to use the power and data ports.

The third is for control of features not supported by this particular version.

The first test I performed was to measure the noise generated by the camera when operating with the cooler holding the temperature at -15 degrees Celsius. I had an elaborate test planned to measure the amount of noise at various exposure lengths. However, my first test convinced me I wouldn’t need to perform any complex noise measurements. Image 3 is a single 10 minute dark frame made after letting the cooler reach the -15 degree point. I let it run for approximately 5 minutes before starting the dark frame collection and then captured a single dark frame. Go ahead, show me the noise in that image! After seeing this, and using dark frame calibration on a couple of test images, I decided that they are essentially

unnecessary with this camera. I felt deprived of a bit of the suffering I’m accustomed to when trying to make long exposure images using non-cooled cameras. However, I got over that pretty quickly when all I had to do was align and combine them to start my post processing.

This camera’s noise control is so good that you really don’t need dark frames anymore. If you really feel the need Image 2 - DF-2 From the Side to use them, or don’t could generate new dark frames every trust that they are not necessary, you once in a while if you want, just to make could just generate a library of them at sure they are still accurate with the camwhatever temperature you choose for a vaera’s characteristics. If I owned this camera riety of exposure lengths and then just alI probably wouldn’t bother with them unways shoot at that temperature. If you’re less I started encountering the tell-tale truly concerned about perfection, you

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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FINGER LAKES INSTRUMENTATION ML8300 IMAGER than 5 minutes to reach that temperature.

I used it when it was as warm as 21 degrees (Celsius) and as low as 7 degrees (Celsius) and it always reached the desired operating temperature in very short order.

The fan is quiet and does not introduce any vibration to the system that I can detect.

Image 3 - 10 Minute Dark Frame

marks of camera induced noise in my images, or perhaps if I were shooting with much longer exposures, which my skies won’t permit.

You don’t even have to wait long for the camera to reach whatever temperature you’ve chosen. I routinely set it at -15 degrees (Celsius) and it never took more

On the Sensitive Side During this evaluation I wanted to compare the time required to capture the same amount of detail in an object to that of my other imager and its’ much larger pixels. The MicroLine 8300 pixels are 5.4 microns square, while my imager uses 8.3 x 8.6 micron pixels. Typically, larger pixels require less exposure time to accumulate the same amount of signal as smaller ones.

I anticipated the need for significantly longer exposures to capture the same amount of detail. However, that did not turn out to be true, as shown in Image 4 which is comprised of only 10 exposures of 5 minutes each with no filters.

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FINGER LAKES INSTRUMENTATION ML8300 IMAGER Look at how much detail is visible in this unfiltered luminance image. I didn’t use dark, flat or bias frames for this image.

Flat frames would have helped with the vignette caused by my small light cone. It could use more time, but that’s always going to be true. I left the air plane and satellite trails to help show how little processing was done on this data. Image 5 is a crop of the center of the image in Image 4. It does a better job of showing the detail captured in just 50 minutes of exposure. It also reveals that I could use quite a few more exposures to increase the signal to noise ratio, even though there is virtually no noise generated by the camera during these exposures.

If you look closely at the uncropped image in Image 4, you will notice that the stars in the corners are not as round as those at the center of the image. That’s because my telescope is very fast, at f/5.5, and is exhibiting field curvature. I have never noticed it before, but that’s because I’ve always used imagers that have chips that are too small to reveal the curvature. You should also notice a fairly abrupt vignette in this image. Again, this is not a flaw in the camera. It is a direct result of using the camera on a system that is producing a light cone that is not large enough to cover the imaging sensor.

Image 6 is an image I made after picking up a non-reducing field flattener. I still have vignettes, but the stars are much rounder at the corners. They’re still not perfect, but the flattener does a very nice job of correcting all but the worst of my field curvature. I suspect there would be no visible curvature with even a slightly slower scope. Remember, I’m using this on an f/5.5 refractor. Image 7 shows M45 with only 5 exposures of 5 minutes each. Look closely at the corners of these images and you’ll see that the stars are more properly shaped.

Size Matters Another aspect of this imager is the size of the sensor. I could provide its’ di-

Image 4 - The Pelican, an Airplane and a Satellite

Image 5 - Crop of Center of Pelican Nebula Image

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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FINGER LAKES INSTRUMENTATION ML8300 IMAGER

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mensions and give you relative field of view values. But I prefer to show you an image of a star field. That way there isn’t all that nebulosity or a galaxy to draw your attention away from the quality of the stars. It also makes it easier to demonstrate that there are no camera induced hot spots in the image. Image 8 shows NGC 7686, which a small open cluster in Andromeda.

Once again, you can see the field curvature in this image. It’s easier to spot here. Just look at the corners and you can see the star shapes are not round.

The most impressive thing to me about this image is how much larger the field of view is with this imager than with my DSI Pro II. That’s a lot more sky!

Bigger Chip Means More Data This camera produces really big files.

Each one is a little more than 16 Mb in size. Aligning and stacking even a relatively small set of them will tax a modest computer’s horsepower. I recommend you make sure your system has a graphics card with quite a bit of memory so that your CPU isn’t doing all the work. I do most of my work on a laptop and I found that I had to move the files to my desktop if I wanted to do any processing without long delays. My laptop is several years old, does not have any type of graphics accelerator and is running on only 1 Gb of memory.

Does anybody remember when 256 Mb was considered more than you’d ever need?

Once upon a time a removable hard drive with 300 Mb was considered enormous, but that was a very long time ago.

Having said that, one processing session will quickly reveal just how nice it is to have those big files to work with. Image 9 is the result of only 50 minutes of luminance using 5 minute sub exposures. Because this camera requires 2-inch filters and I don’t have any of those, this image is completely unfiltered. I spent a grand total of about a half an hour processing the data to achieve this result. That’s just not possible with my personal imagers!

FINGER LAKES INSTRUMENTATION ML8300 IMAGER The DF-2 Micro Focuser – Brilliantly Designed My first impression of the DF-2 micro focuser was one of confusion. Every motorized focuser I’ve ever seen has been designed to attach to the side of your existing focuser. They all use a variation of a long standing design that essentially comes down to clamping on to the focus knobs or removing one and attaching to the post and making small adjustments to the focuser position via a motor or motors. The Finger Lakes DF-2 micro focuser is completely different. Refer to Image 2, shown earlier, and you’ll see that there is no way this will attach to the existing focuser. Rather, this unit mounts between your camera, or filter wheel, and the focuser. One side accepts standard T-threads and the other is designed to “clamp” onto the front end of the Finger Lakes cameras, which have a dovetail type flange on them. They also sell adapters to allow you to use this micro focuser with other cameras.

You set focus as best you can by using the manual focus knobs. Then you lock it down tight and engage the DF-2 unit. I used FocusMax in combination with Maxim DL to control the unit. If you’re using FocusMax, you need to teach it about the characteristics of your focuser before you can achieve critical focus, but that’s pretty easy. There are some extensive tutorials online, so I won’t go too deeply into the details. Once you’ve focused manually you run a set of V-Curve sequences (12 to 14), which is a single mouse click in the FocusMax interface for each sequence. The tutorial I used recommended deleting at least the first couple runs from the library, as they will be pretty inaccurate. You can also delete other entries that are not as accurate as the rest to fine tune the library. It’s pretty easy to tell which ones are good and which are not by just looking through the display provided by FocusMax and deleting the ones that have numeric values that differ from the rest by whatever you

Image 6 - M38 with Field Flattener

Image 7 - Only 25 Minutes of M45

choose as a significant value. I was able to generate a “library” for my setup in less than 1 1/2 hour and after that, critical focus was done in less than 30 seconds every time.

The DF-2 is quite thin and only weighs 2 pounds. Unless you’re already

running near the end of your focuser’s travel distance, you should not have any trouble reaching focus with this unit. Its’ minimal weight is also extremely unlikely to test the load capacity of any telescope produced in recent years, as manufacturers have started including much stronger

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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FINGER LAKES INSTRUMENTATION ML8300 IMAGER It operates by separating or closing the two plates shown in Image 10. This seems like a brilliant engineering design which is very well implemented. The concept is straightforward and it makes for a very strong section of the imaging system.

If this is the weakest link in your set of connections, you’ll have a setup that will make flexure a long forgotten malady.

Regardless of your imager of choice, this unit would be an extremely valuable addition to your arsenal. I am definitely saving my pennies to purchase one of these beauties.

Image 8 - NGC7686: Field of View Comparison

focus tubes and focusers in all but the low end telescopes.

I love the way this focuser works!

42 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

When it is adjusting focus, you can hear the chain moving. It sounds very smooth and consistent throughout its’ full range.

Final Thoughts So I’ve had this beauty in my possession for a few months, which should have been plenty of time to really work it over and showcase its’ capabilities. Unfortunately the weather has been most uncooperative. I’ve had disgustingly few clear nights and many of them were dominated by a nearly full moon. However, I managed to use the MicroLine 8300 enough

FINGER LAKES INSTRUMENTATION ML8300 IMAGER

Image 9 - Messier 31

to convince myself that this is one fabulous camera! The build quality is second to none. The design produced an extremely small footprint for such a large chip and all the technology required to keep it cool.

I don’t understand how they’ve kept the read noise so low considering how quickly it reads the data to your computer.

Usually a fast read equates to more read noise. Whoever implemented that deserves a raise.

The DF-2 micro focuser is an amazing feat of engineering! As a retired engineer, I can’t resist a superior design that has been excellently implemented.

As I mentioned earlier, I will be working on saving my pennies to add one of these to my growing collection of astro gadgets.

From the Finger Lakes web site: “Goodbye Goliath! MicroLine is smaller and lighter-weight than the competition, but outperforms them in key areas such as noise, frame quality, download speeds, bit-depth, and CCD cooling.” I have to say I completely agree with their claim.

The MicroLine 8300 has very small pixels and that has a definite impact on the image scale provided by your imaging system. There are several methods available to help you determine the image scale

Image 10 - The Microfocuser, Edge View

provided by virtually any setup. This camera produces an image scale of 2.53 arc seconds per pixel when matched with my 80mm f/5.5 telescope. I’ve found that to be pretty much right in the imaging sweet spot and the ML8300 hits it hard! If you’re in the market for a camera upgrade and you’re telescope mates well with the image scale provided by the ML8300, I don’t think it gets any better than this camera.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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Astrophotography with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens

By Dr. James Dire

Image 1 - Gardner-Webb University senior David Montgomery fields a punt in Buffalo, NY in a game against the University of Buffalo. The author used the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens at 200mm on a monopod from the sideline to take this picture.

In three decades of doing astrophotography, I have attached a single-lens reflex (SLR) or digital SLR (DSLR) camera to just about every type of telescope possible: achromatic refractors, apochromatic refractors, Newtonians, Schmidt-Cassegrains, Ritchey-Chrétien Cassegrains, Maksutov-Cassegrains and Maksutov-Newtonians, ranging from 60mm to 0.5m in aperture. While each type of telescope has advantages and disadvantages for astrophotography, they all have one thing in common.

They magnify a small region of the sky and capture light that the human eye is

unable to see.

Like many astrophotographers, my first pictures where taken using an SLR camera on a tripod with a cable release, capturing circumpolar star trails, the moon, or planet alignments. Next I mounted the camera with various lenses (28mm, 50mm, and telephoto) piggybacked on a polar aligned tracking telescope to take long exposure images of constellations or total lunar eclipses.

These techniques are easy for beginners to learn and good to retain because sometimes you don’t want to image a small region of the sky, but desire a

wide-field photo.

Over the years as my photography skills improved, I upgraded to better equipment. I have used pocket digital cameras and CCD cameras for years, but it wasn’t until 2008 that I purchased a DSLR camera, namely a Canon 30D. This model is considered a professional camera, but it only came with an off-the-shelf 18-55mm lens. As a serious photography buff, I needed a professional quality lens to use for most of my daytime photography.

After months of research, I settled on the Canon L-series EF 70-200mm

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WITH A CANON EF 70-200MM LENS

Image 2 - The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens mounted atop the telescope in the author’s observatory, www.wildwoodpines.org.

Image 3 - A close-up view of the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens on the Canon 30D body

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f/2.8L IS USM. “EF” is the code for the Canon’s electronic lens mount; “IS” means the lens has image stabilization which allows use at shutter speeds three stops longer than most people can hold the camera steady; and “USM” means it uses an ultrasonic motor for focusing. Because of its versatile zoom feature, fast focal ratio (f/2.8) and high optical quality, this is one of Canon’s top selling L-series lenses.

The L-series is Canon's professional line of EOS EF autofocus 35mm SLR and DSLR still camera lenses.

Most of the L-series lenses are white in color to minimize heating when used outdoors under the sun. Scan the sidelines at the next professional sporting event you watch and look for white L-series lenses with a red stripe around the end of the lenses. These lenses use ultra-low dispersion glass, super low dispersion glass, fluorite elements, and aspherical elements to “truly push the optical envelope”, as Canon advertises.

The image quality of the Canon Lseries lenses is outstanding. I have used them to photograph NFL and college football games (see Image 1). The contrast, sharpness, and color are excellent.

The L-series lenses are on average significantly sharper toward the edges of the frame compared to lesser lenses and have virtually no vignetting. To do all of this in a zoom lens with a fast f/2.8 focal ratio requires 28 elements in 18

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WITH A CANON EF 70-200MM LENS

Image 4 - The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, taken with the Canon L-series lens at 200mm, f/2.8. This image was the sum of 12 ten-minute exposures.

groups, roughly a third more pieces of glass than in Canon’s fixed focal length 200-mm L-series lens.

I have used many types of telephoto lenses for astrophotography. They vary considerably in quality and price.

Fast fixed focal length lenses (say under f/4) typically are the most expensive. Slow (above f/4) zoom lenses seem to be the least expensive due to the fact that they sell more and the longer focal lengths are cheaper to manufacture.

For astrophotography, fixed focal length lenses tend to produce better results because they have fewer elements than zoom lenses. The more elements, the greater the chances one might have an aberration or to be out of alignment, especially since zoom lenses move the

glass around more (since they zoom and focus). Faster lenses (smaller f/#s) are more desirable for astrophotography since they collect light more readily, shortening exposure times. My L-series lens is fast, but it is a zoom lens and I wondered whether it would provide quality wide-field astro-images.

I attached the camera and lens onto my observatory’s telescope (see Images 2 and 3). I guided using an SBIG CCD camera on the telescope. My targets were the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Pleiades (M45). Each was imaged for two hours using tenminute subframes. The images were processed using ImagePlus 3.0 and Adobe Photoshop CS4.

For both objects, the lens was set at the maximum focal length which is

200mm. The camera was attached to a PC and focusing was done with ImagePlus 3.0 camera control. Flat field images were sky shots taken during twilight. They were so incredibly “flat” they probably were not needed in the image processing. Since the camera was always at ambient temperatures, I took dark frames every hour as the temperature dropped during the night.

Typically in the past when I did astrophotography with a telephoto lens, I would decrease the aperture a couple of stops, preventing light from passing through the edges of the lens.

The edges are where most of the aberrations occur. For these test images, I set the aperture all the way open to f/2.8 to truly test the quality of the optics.

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WITH A CANON EF 70-200MM LENS

Image 5 - The Pleiades, M45, taken with the Canon L-series lens at 200mm, f/2.8. This image was also the sum of 12 ten-minute exposures.

As you can see from the images of M31 and M45 (Images 4 and 5), the lens performed like a top dollar APO. The sharpness and color are excellent.

There is a slight amount of what I think is astigmatism on the left edges of the images, but it is barely noticeable. I have to say this is the finest 200-mm lens I have ever used.

Now I have a high quality piece of glass that I can use for all of my daytime photography calling for focal lengths of 70-200mm, plus a great lens to use for wide-field astrophotography. I might get slightly better results with a 200-mm fixed focal length L-Series lens, but it would cost 3-4 times as much and would not be a versatile as the zoom lens. Other celestial objects I would like to photograph with this lens include the Orion Loop, the Rosette Nebula, M33, total lunar and solar eclipses, the North America Nebula, and the Magellanic Clouds.

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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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Tele Vue 21mm Ethos King of the Hill

By Erik Wilcox

As an avid observer, I enjoy hunting down faint fuzzies as much as anyone.

However, one of my favorite astronomical activities is to just mindlessly sweep the sky with a low power, wide-field eyepiece. Part of what I really enjoy about doing this is “discovering” objects, and then looking at my star charts to determine what I’m looking at (rather than the other way around).

In this way, I’ve observed a lot of objects that, based on their specifications (magnitude, size, etc.), might not have been things I’d otherwise have picked to see that night.

Many times I’ve found some real underrated gems in this manner, and it’s become something of a guilty and perhaps lazy pleasure of mine.

I bring this up because when choosing an eyepiece for this sort of endeavor (or

when searching for specific objects that aren’t visible through a finderscope), I probably use the same criteria that many other amateur astronomers look for; a wide TFOV, good correction across the entire field, and a magnification that enables the user to make out non-stellar objects. Long ago, I often sacrificed magnification for that wider TFOV. At a certain point, I decided a good 2inch low-power, wide-field eyepiece was a priority, and I began purchasing Tele Vue eyepieces. I owned a 35-mm Panoptic (as well as numerous 1.25-inch Tele Vue eyepieces) before finding what I thought was the ultimate eyepiece, the legendary 31mm Nagler (or “The TermiNagler”, as many refer to it). I figured that was about as good as it could get, but then my eyes

started getting older. I found that exit pupil became a concern in my fast f/4.5 Dob (effectively f/5.2 with Tele Vue Paracorr); especially when I viewed under brighter skies, and I started using eyepieces in the 24mm- 28mm in faster scopes. Many times I’d end up just staying in the 1.25inch format altogether and using my 24mm Panoptic as my “finder” eyepiece.

While the 24mm Panoptic is an incredible eyepiece in its own right, I’ve found that 3/4 of a degree of TFOV in my 16-inch Dob is a bit tight for those “mindless sweeps” that I enjoy so much. But with the 21mm Ethos, everything has changed.

Utilizing a wider AFOV enables the observer to use more magnification and still have a wide TFOV. For example, the 21mm Ethos, with its 100 degree AFOV, Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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TELE VUE 21MM ETHOS provides a magnification of 100X in my 16-inch Dob with the Paracorr installed.

Despite this high magnification, the TFOV is a full degree. In order to get that same full degree of TFOV in a 50º plossl, a 2inch 40mm would have to be used. Not only would the magnification only be 52X in the plossl, but the exit pupil would be a nearly unusable 7.7mm in my Dobsonian!

Even compared to the 31mm Nagler, which provides a very nice 68X in my Dob, along with a 1.14 degree TFOV and a 6.0mm exit pupil, the 21mm Ethos still has much more magnification, 50% wider AFOV area, nearly as much TFOV, and an exit pupil of just 4.0mm. So it becomes obvious why the Ethos is such an extraordinary and groundbreaking eyepiece; it gives a darker background with higher magnification than any eyepiece showing the same TFOV. Now that I’ve expressed some of the excitement I first had when crunching the numbers, let me speak about some of my actual experiences with the 21mm Ethos. I

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found that whatever scope I paired it with, it performed extremely well. The Ethos is a very user friendly eyepiece. It weighs a scant 2.25 lbs, so it doesn’t cause the balance problems that many other heavier 2-inch eyepieces do. With a big truss Dob, that’s always an important factor for me. I’d rather spend my nights observing than constantly adjusting a sliding counterweight for the eyepiece and altitude my Dob is pointed at.

The 15mm of eye relief that the 21mm Ethos provides was comfortable for me. I didn’t feel as though I had to press my eye against the glass to see the field, nor did I have to hold my eye away from the glass to avoid blackouts. The eye relief allowed me to make contact with the eyeguard, providing an intimate observing experience. For those that wear eyeglasses, the Ethos uses the standard, soft fold down eyeguard similar to that used on the 31mm Nagler and other Tele Vue eyepieces.

The 21mm Ethos, like the rest of the Ethos line, has exceptional coatings, which give

off a slight violet/greenish tint when viewed at an angle. Like the other Ethos eyepieces, the coatings are slightly different than those used on Naglers and older Tele Vue eyepieces. The views are a bit colder overall through the Ethos, with whites being more prominent. Yet, at the same time, star color is true. The cooler views are a small difference, but it does make seeing many objects on the cusp of visibility a bit easier.

Under the dark, pristine sky of my backyard in Hawaii, I found that using the 21mm Ethos in my 16-inch Dob gave me some of the best observing in my life. The AFOV is SO wide it seems to go on forever. When I compared it with my other 2-inch wide-field eyepieces, it became obvious that the Ethos provided a completely different experience. I’d liken it to looking through binoculars with one eye closed, then popping the Ethos in and “opening the other eye”. The difference was indeed that dramatic.

Showpiece objects like M42 felt revi-

TELE VUE 21MM ETHOS

Shown is the complete line of Ethoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyepieces.

talized and new, as the expansive view and high magnification allowed me to see more of the object at once, and in more detail.

Framing multiple objects like M81/82 became more enjoyable, as I was no longer looking at a couple of dim smudges; I was suddenly viewing both in extraordinary de-

tail. Starfields take on a whole new dimension with the 21mm Ethos; cruising through the Milky Way from horizon to horizon at my low N Latitude was simply mesmerizing. Even when casually viewing small, tight objects like M57, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel it necessary to change eyepieces. As I men-

tioned in my review of the 17, 13, 10, 8, and 6mm Ethos in the last issue of ATT, these eyepieces allow the observer to own fewer eyepieces if they choose. I could see owning the 21mm, 13mm, and 8mm Ethos for use in my 16-inch Dob and likely be happy with just those three in my case

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TELE VUE 21MM ETHOS indefinitely. Of course, which Ethos you’d choose to own depends on the scope(s) you own, and the magnifications you use. But the Ethos can be much more versatile than other eyepieces.

As far as edge correction goes, I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten older, my eyes cannot adapt for field curvature as well as they did when I was in my 20’s and early 30’s.

Yet, even with the monstrous 100 degree AFOV that the 21mm Ethos provides, I saw very little field curvature. It was slightly noticeable in my 80mm f/6 refractor (which is due to the scope’s short 480mm f/length, not the eyepiece), but only showed a touch of it at the extreme edge of field in my 16-inch Dob. There was no astigmatism in either scope, and the amount of pincushion distortion was surprisingly small as well. A bit of lateral color was seen on bright stars beginning about 20% from the field stop, but it was no more than I’ve typically seen in the 31mm Nagler. There was no glare, scatter, or ghosting in the 21mm at all; not even

when a bright star was placed just outside the FOV. Stars are very tight in the 21mm Ethos, and the eyepiece allows the scope to snap into focus easily. I’ve often thought that the mark of a good eyepiece is when it just gets out of the way and allows the user to observe. It’s different with the 21mm Ethos; it really enhances the observing experience to the point where I was asking myself how it could possibly be any better.

The field stop is listed at 36.2mm, which is actually wider than the 26mm Nagler, and only a couple of millimeters less than the 35mm Panoptic. The 21mm Ethos is also parfocal with the 31mm Nagler and 17mm Ethos. Additionally, the 21mm, like the rest of the Ethos line, accepts the Tele Vue Dioptrx for those that suffer from eyesight astigmatism.

Not only is the 21mm Ethos a complete joy to look through, it’s a joy to look at. Like all Tele Vue eyepieces, the build quality and workmanship is exceptional.

The chrome 2-inch barrel has a safety un-

dercut to prevent the eyepiece from inadvertently coming out of the focuser, and a rubberized grip keeps it steady in your hands, even when wearing gloves. It’s also not so physically large that it’s difficult to hold. I have large hands, and I always found using two hands to be necessary with the 31mm Nagler; not so with the 21mm Ethos, which is much narrower in physical size.

To summarize, I’d have to say that the 21mm Ethos is essentially perfect. I truly cannot imagine how Tele Vue could push the limits much more than they’ve done with this eyepiece. It is without question the best 2-inch wide-field eyepiece I’ve used in my life. It makes other 2-inch eyepieces which I’ve previously thought of as exceptional as now just “good”. The 21mm Ethos raises the bar so high that I don’t feel that any words can adequately describe it.

It’s just an eyepiece that you have to look through to believe. But be forewarned; if you look through it, you’ll almost certainly purchase it.

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Dave Goes Permanent A slightly different version of a roll off roof.

By Dave Snay

Image 1 - Before the Enclosure, Roof Closed and Open

Now that I have a SkyShed Observatories pier permanently mounted in front of my shed that I use for my base of operations, I decided that I wanted to take my installation to the next level and put an enclosure around it.

After much deliberation, I decided on a roll off roof. The choice wasn’t obvious because the opening does not need to be very large since my useable view is restricted to North through Southeast.

South of me is the city and the Western view is blocked by trees that I don’t own.

The leftmost image in Image 1 shows a close up of what I want to enclose. I only wanted to build something big enough to protect the equipment and allow access to the existing shed. That means I only need to extend the shed about 5 feet. I also chose to make it only as wide as the existing double doors you see there in the leftmost image in Image 1.

Normally I wouldn’t bother to write about this project, as there have been enough of these done and written about to make another superfluous. However,

the location of my setup came with the unusual requirement that I couldn’t have permanent supports extending beyond the front of the shed. That’s because this is in the front of the house and we didn’t think it would be attractive as the first thing seen by guests and neighbors. At one point I even considered matching the shape of the shed and having the roof flip open from the peak and have the support be removable. Can you imagine how well the sound of closing that at 2:30 AM would be received by the

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DAVE GOES PERMANENT

Image 2 - Skunk Proofing!

neighbors?

I eventually decided to make the thing small enough that I could have one pitch and slide the roof off the front and

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let it hang off there while I did my thing as shown in Image 1.

The first thing I had to do was build the floor. Nothing special there, except

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that we have lots and lots of skunks in the area and I’ve learned the hard way that you have to skunk proof the floor.

Since this is going to be on blocks, there is always a chance that the little buggers will dig their way under the floor and nest there. They did just that to the main shed you see in Image 1. To do that you just have to attach something they can’t dig through to the side of the structure, bend it into an “L” shape and then bury it. Make sure the bottom of the “L” is at least a few inches below grade and reaches at least 4 – 6 inches out from the base as shown in Image 2. I used 1/2-inch wire mesh. This will also keep pretty much all other critters out from under foot.

I won’t bore you with pictures of standard wall framing techniques. We’ve all been there and done that. However, I will show you how the roof rolls. I used some relatively small castors, 3 to a side.

I then screwed some angle iron to the top of the walls. As you can see in Image 3, I used iron with holes already in it so that I could just screw it in wherever I want-

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DAVE GOES PERMANENT

Image 3 - Wheels, Rails and Stops

ed without having to drill holes. It turns out those holes also help keep the roof from rolling away from me when I release it from inside. You can also see that I took a small section of the angle iron and screwed it onto the end of the support, tucking it beneath the guide rail. I’m probably just being paranoid, but I figure putting it under the guide rail will help keep it from pulling the

screws out of the wood. When I roll the roof out, I simply lift each set of wheels over the stop and roll it out until I get to the next set of wheels. When I get to the last set, I just let the whole thing hang down over the end wall. I’ll probably end up putting some sort of hook just in front of the last set of wheels so that the roof is held up a little more securely, but so far it hasn’t shown any signs of falling

off.

It’s hard to tell from most of the pictures, but if you look closely you can see that I used corrugated polycarbonate panels for the roof material to keep things light enough to manage. If I showed you the framing for the roof, you’d understand why I have no worries about snow load on this system. I suffer from the same need to over build as most

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DAVE GOES PERMANENT

Image 4 - The Interior with the Roof Closed

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home owners and it shows here. Look at the wall framing in Image 4. The whole thing is only 54 inches deep and 60 inches wide yet I still felt the need to put my studs 16 inches on center and double up the headers and sills. I even used 2 x 6 boards for the header above the door.

Not the ones you see here, which are necessary for that span. I mean for the single door to the left of the image here. It’s only 34 inches wide and has nearly no load, but only 2 x 6’ers would do for me!

Image 5 shows the view out the roof. As you can see, I don’t need any more clearance out the front (where the trees are visible). And on those occasions when I want to shoot a little lower toward the North than is usually recommended I can just drop the top part of that wall. See the hinge? There’s another one just out of the frame to the left. I have a monstrous bolt securing the end of the hinged wall to the rest of the upper wall when it’s not folded down. I thought I might need something more, so I tried to move the top part while the bolt was in place. I was hanging on it and swinging myself around. Trust me, it ain’t goin nowhere!

This setup isn’t complete, but it’s close. I’m sure I’ll add shelves here and there as well as more electrical connections, although there is a double gang box already secured to the pier. Oh I forgot about another of my examples of overbuilding. If you look between the two scopes shown in Image 5, you might be able to just make out a big eye bolt.

There are 4 pairs of these spaced around the roof, one in the roof and one in the top of the wall. I have 5/8-inch turn buckles for each of these pairs that I use to keep it secure when not in use. I had two pair at the top but decided to add two at the bottom just in case a hurricane comes through.

So there you have my take on the traditional roll-off roof observatory. It’s not anything that’s going to change the world of astronomy, but it sure will make it easier for me to be more active on those questionable nights. More importantly, it will let me sleep easier on stormy nights knowing my equipment is well protected.

DAVE GOES PERMANENT

Image 5 - Looking Out the Roof

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New Kid on the Astroware Block

Eye and Telescope By “Uncle” Rod Mollise

I like astronomy software, all astronomy software. But I really like new astronomy software. Unfortunately, there ain’t been a whole lot of that lately. Is the market saturated? Is everybody waitin’ to see how Software Bisque does with TheSky X? Or is it just the recession? Dunno, but I was a happy camper when I heard about a forthcoming new release, Eye and Telescope (E&T). I was even happier when I was offered a chance to evaluate it. And I was happier still when I heard what kind of astronomy software it was: a “planner.”

If you have even a nodding acquaintance with astronomy programs, you’ll know applications aimed at serious observers have sorted themselves into two camps: mega-planetariums (think TheSky and

Starry Night) and planners (like SkyTools and AstroPlanner). The latter have come to be my faves, since, in addition to doing star charts – if not usually in such pretty fashion as something like Starry Night – they allow me to organize my observing and help me figure out what to look at and when to look. Planners are essentially giant databases equipped with tools to help you retrieve sky objects and compile them into observing lists.

Despite their advantages, planners have been slower to catch-on with rank and file amateurs than planetariums, so I was right excited to see a new one hit the streets. Eye and Telescope, a Windows (only) application

by Thomas Pfleger way over yonder in Germany, is so new that it has not yet been re-

leased in the good old U.S. of A. It’s not that often that I get the chance to try a new astro-application before just about anybody else, and I was particularly pumped this time because the program’s arrival coincided with one of my not infrequent pilgrimages to the uber-dark Chiefland Astronomy Village in central Florida.

Before I could get Eye and Telescope cranking under those lovely Chiefland skies, though, I’d have to figure out how to work the thing. To that end, I dug around in my suitcase and pulled out the attractive and professional looking package pictured above.

I was impressed. How could I not be by the slick lookin’ thing emblazoned with a picture of Sir Willie Herschel’s 40-foot (48inch) reflector?

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EYE AND TELESCOPE

Image 1 - The E&T Display

Despite a decent number of objects in its database, all the NGC/IC, about 100,000 additional galaxies, and the millions of stars of the Hubble Guide Star Catalog, E&T is delivered on a single CD.

Program requirements? This ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t no graphics powerhouse, so even an older machine should treat it well. I installed it on my beloved XP laptop, but it is advertised to run on Vista, and should also be OK on Win-

dows 7. When I was ready to get â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;er done, I grabbed the (printed) quick-start guide included in the package. Alas for this old hillbilly, it was in German. Boo-hoo. Luckily, I soon found all I had to do to get the instal-

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EYE AND TELESCOPE

Image 2 - The E&T Planning View

lation process started was insert the CD into the CD drive and follow the (English) onscreen prompts.

Installation went smoothly, and shortly I was clicking on the little icon of M51 that had been deposited on the desktop. After I’d got rid of the help file that opened automatically at startup (I soon turned that “feature” off in the program’s Tools/Options window), I needed to input the disk’s license number so I’d be street-legal. There was a little bit of folderol and fiddle-dee-dee involved there, as, in addition to entering the serial number from the package, I had to go to a website and get a license code. I understand the need to protect your intellectual

property, but I gotta say that this kind of stuff annoys me.

Once the program was up and registered, I stopped for a few minutes and read the instructions provided via a .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) file. Why would the normally manual-phobic Uncle Rod do such a thing? My experience has been that while it’s easy enough to figure out a planetarium program by just playing around with it, planners are quite a different kettle of fish. Take my word for it: if you’ve got a new planning program, read the manual or help file. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration and maybe even some grief. Luckily for my sanity, E&T’s manual was only 24 pages long, and was

pretty well-written and translated.

Before I could do much of anything with the software, of course, I had to do that initial setup all astronomy programs demand: enter location, time zone, telescopes, eyepieces, etc. Nothing caused me any trouble here, leastways none I couldn’t get myself out of by reading the cotton pickin’ instructions.

Where to start? Well, I spied an icon with the bubble-help title of “New Plan.”

Sounded like that might be just the thing.

Afore long, I was peering at a window that contained a pane for a list of objects, a pane that was currently empty. I also noted there was a blank field at the top paired with a

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EYE AND TELESCOPE button labeled “Insert.” I typed-in “M13” experimentally. Sure enough, the Herc Cluster appeared in the list pane and its vitals were displayed to the right. Cool enough, but seemed to me that would be an awful slow way of gathering objects for an observing list.

After only a modest amount of cussin’ and cogitatin’, I recalled that the “guided tour” I’d read in the instruction manual had suggested starting with a Filter document instead of an Observing Plan document.

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OK. I mashed the “New Filter” icon and began selecting object types, constellations, catalogs, and other filter parameters designed to bring me all the open clusters in Cygnus. Soon, I had a long list of candidates. Double clicking one of these star clusters brought up a Plan Document, and punching its Insert button put the selected cluster in the Plan’s list. I still wasn’t impressed, though. Still seemed like an awfully slow way to gather faint-fuzzies.

A little more poking around in the in-

structions and in Help showed the way and educated me about one of the program’s best features: you can do a lot by copying and pasting, and often by dragging and dropping. I highlighted all the clusters in the filter document and simply dragged and dropped ‘em into the observing plan.

In some cases, you can import objects from text documents and other programs by copying and pasting them into Eye and Telescope. Doing that, I was able to get a fair number of Herschel 400 objects into the

EYE AND TELESCOPE

Image 3 - The E&T Observing Project View

program. Unfortunately, Unlike SkyTools, for example, Eye and Telescope doesn’t have an honest-to-god “import” function. Copying and pasting worked somewhat, but the program refused to accept anything beyond just object designations. “NGC 7331” worked fine, “NGC 7331 Galaxy Pegasus” failed miserably. Still, it didn’t take too long to edit out everything but names in my text document.

With just a little head-scratching, then, I had a Plan full of deep sky objects. What next? I saved the new plan—mama didn’t raise no fool. Now I could play around with my list and see what was what without worrying about losing everything. At first, I was impressed. In addition to the bare list containing object names, altitudes, azimuths, and best times for observing ‘em on the current date, there was a big and cool-looking

window to the right. Which sported a bunch of interestingly titled tabs: Catalog Data, Perceptibility, Visibility, and Notes.

The first tab, Data, includes alternate catalog designations, magnitudes, sizes, and suchlike. More interesting is the space at the bottom, “Neighbors,” which displays nearby deep sky objects (you can set max distance from the main object). I think that is really swift, as it gives you a reading of what else is

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EYE AND TELESCOPE in the area without having to squint at a chart. You can drag and drop Neighbors into the plan, but, unfortunately, clicking ‘em won’t deliver a data window. The Neighbors list does give size, magnitude, and a couple of other data points, however.

Perceptibility yields an eyepiece-sized chart of the selected object and its immediate area tailored to a chosen ocular. There’s also text that uses things like surface brightness, exit pupil, etc. to give a read on “how visible” a deep sky object will be.

Visibility, conversely, is about Sunset, period of darkness, and stuff like that. There’s a picture that shows the object’s placement in the sky for a given time, and which changes background color to indicate sky brightness.

Finally, there’s Notes! Don’t ask me what the exclamation mark is for, but this is a nice resource. What it is is log entries for over 8,000 DSOs from observing guru Steve Gottlieb. I find the notes of fellow observers incredibly useful and am very glad to have these here.

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The plan window also sports some buttons, “Into Log,”“Map,” “Planetarium,” and “Images.” “Into Log” brings up the logbook entry system. I haven’t played with it much, but looks like most of what I would want is in there.

“Map” starts the program’s fully functional interactive star charting system. No, it ain’t Cartes du Ciel, but sometimes it may be all you need.

If it’s not all you need, you can always push the “Planetarium” button. What that does is light-off your favorite planetarium software with the DSO selected in Eye and Telescope centered. There were some words in the manual warning that the planetarium should be running before you push the button, but I didn’t have to do that with TheSky 6. Clicking the button brought it up pretty as you please, and after only a brief wait it centered on my fuzzy. Only downcheck?

Cartes du Ciel 3.0 is not in the list of planetariums Eye and Telescope can be configured to use (CdC 2.76 is on the list).

At the end of the row of buttons is “Images,” one of my fave E&T features. Push it with an object in the list highlighted and you’ll be rewarded with a screenful of nice images of the selected object. Since the program contains pictures for 9,000 cosmic lint-balls, you’ll probably never have to worry about Internet access when you need a picture. It doesn’t look like the program provides way to download object images, anyway – I couldn’t find one but if 9,000 ain’t enough, according to the program’s author a DVD full of pictures is available.

Was I now ready to hit the observing field? Not exactly. I was troubled. I did not like the Observing Plan layout. Yeah, it was nice to have all the glitz, the pictures and charts and all, but I was not impressed by the object list itself. Out on a dark field, I don’t want to have to poke around with windows and tabs. I want to scroll through a list of objects that contains all the data I need.

This just wasn’t enough. There wasn’t even a constellation column so I could sort on that and observe constellation by constellation, which is how I usually work. I was just about to hit the Big X on the program’s window and terminate the sucka when a voice in my head (some folks would say ONE of the voices in my head) whispered, “Slow down, pardner; take one more look at the instructions.”

When I did, I found there is a third type of Eye and Telescope document, “Observing Project,” which is more suited for large lists encompassing multiple constellations. Once I glommed onto that fact, it was easy to copy the DSOs in my plan and paste them into a new Observing Project I started with the click of an icon. As you see in Image 3, this looks an awful lot more like what we are used to in a planner. Double clicking an object brings up the same data available in a Plan document. Given that Observing Project is so familiar and works so well, I began to wonder what good the Plans were. Till I discovered something groovy.

You can print the object list shown in

EYE AND TELESCOPE the Observing Project window just like you would with any other program. Click the little printer icon in the toolbar and away you go. I noticed, however, that that icon was grayed-out when a Plan document was onscreen. How the heck do you print a plan, then? You don’t, not directly. You export it to an .html file for printing if you wish.

Until I tried it, that just seemed dadgummed silly. Nope. It’s actually a very good way to work if you have a fairly short list. The Export function does far more than just dump your objects to an .html file. The resulting document is beautifully formatted, and each object is hyperlinked. Clicking an object’s link scrolls the document to a data section that includes Steve Gottlieb’s log entry for the object and an eyepiece field sized chart for it from the Perceptibility tab.

If you don’t want to lug a computer into the field, exporting and printing a Plan is the bee’s knees.

After all the work and reading I’d done figuring out the program, actually using it was pretty anticlimactic. The first order of business, getting it talking to my go-to scope, couldn’t have been simpler. E&T uses the ASCOM driver system, so almost any telescope you can imagine owning will be “in there.” I selected my particular CAT with Telescope Chooser, which is accessed by clicking “Driver” in the program’s prominent “ASCOM” menu, connected, and we were good to go. Only slight irritant? Eye and Telescope needs a prominent go-to button. As is, you have to right-click on a list

object and select “go-to” from the context menu that appears.

That sorted out, me and my NexStar 11, Old Betsy, didn’t just rock, we ROCKED, doing all the Herschel objects in Aquarius and most of ‘em in Cetus and quite a few others besides, probably 80 – 100 all told before it was time to get some shut-eye in preparation for the dreaded drive home to Chaos Manor South. E&T behaved all night. Didn’t crash. Always sent my scope where I wanted. I liked the observing notes and the pictures and the object data.

Despite its status as Version 3.1, Eye and Telescope is still a fairly new application, and Mr. Pfleger continues to work on it. Other than the few nits I’ve picked already, what would I like to see? Above all, a library of readymade observing plans/projects. Given that you’ll have to do some work to import your lists, it sure would be nice to have an online repository to draw from.

“That all sounds right nice, Uncle Rod. How do we get this here program?” Well, boys and girls, you can’t. Not yet. But that will change soon. I’ve just got word that E&T will be published worldwide in cooperation with Cambridge University Press in the spring of this 2010. Keep an eye on the Eye and Telescope website for updates (you can get to an English language page by clicking “Foreign Rights” at http://oculum.de) for updates. Yeah, you’re gonna have to wait a little while, but I do believe you will find that wait worth it.

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Mobile Technology and Astronomy

There’s an App for That!

By Richard Harris

I remember just a few short years ago when it was considered cutting edge to have a computerized telescope linked with a palm or Windows mobile device. It usually required a specific cable and software to get it working, but once everything was set it was a feeling of techno-geekness like no other.

All you were really doing though was using a mobile device to slave to the computer already onboard the telescope – the mobile could then send commands to the tele-

scope via a better or more “user-friendly” interface by way of a program (or app) such as The Sky Mobile which was my favorite to use. It was “filling the gap” so to speak between how we wanted to use the telescope and a hand controller that was available at the time.

It often occurs to me in astronomy that people tend to fall in love more with the equipment used to look at the sky, then the with sky itself (this is probably even more true for people who read this magazine!). But that’s not hard to do I suppose, with larger optics becoming available for less money, more advanced Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY

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MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY telescope mountings, and more advanced mobile devices such as the iPhone, and Android which take it all to a whole new level.

Going Mobile As an authorized Apple iPhone App developer, I have developed many apps for the iPhone. I have worked on several projects with Michael Haynes (also an iPhone App developer) and want to thank him for his insight in writing this article.

He and I both agree that mobile computing is the next generation of computing. I myself used to argue that the mobile device could never replace the desktop computer. That was until I got my first iPhone. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the iPhone technology, let me give you a brief overview of this device.

There is a multi-touch sensitive screen, a built in compass, built in wireless and Bluetooth radios, an

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accelerometer (detects motions in 360 degrees), advanced Mac OS operating system, 3MB still camera and video camera, built in speaker, GPS, microphone, and a phone – all squeezed into a package 4.5 inches tall, 2.4 inches wide, .48 inches thick, and weighing in under 5 oz!

The really powerful part of all those functions is that Apple makes them available for software developers to use when making applications (apps) for the iPhone which are downloadable by the entire iPhone and iTouch community (topping over 60 million now) through the Apple app store. That’s quite an audience and it's only growing.

The possibilities are nearly endless to the productivity of having such a device at your disposal.

That's not to say that the mobile is going to overtake the personal computer, not yet anyway, but it’s coming folks, trust me on this one.

I’m not just picking out the iPhone because I have one, it’s the leader of the

pack from a mobile computing perspective and it’ll make a great study here as well. The Google Android phone is similar in design and functionality but doesn't yet have the customer base the iPhone has since it’s a newer device on the market.

What Can it Do for Me? What does this mean to you as an astronomer? It means if you have an iPhone or Android device you could launch an app called “Astrophotos” that displays astrophotos from all over the world via the ScopeTrader.com community. Or you can launch an app called “Telescope App” that lets you mount your iPhone to the telescope and as you pan around it acts as a directional computer that guides you from object to object (yes Dobsonian owners, you heard me). Or how about an app called “Pocket Universe” that lets you hold your iPhone in the direction you are looking, and it will tell you exactly what you are gazing

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY upon (much like the Celestron Skyscout).

Google Sky Map for Android can't integrate with a telescope but it does allow one to do searches and quickly find objects in the sky using the GPS and magnometer.

Advanced functions in these devices such as the GPS, compass, and accelerometer allow the device to be used as a handheld planetarium! There are even apps that let the mobile sync to the telescope’s computer over Bluetooth for remote controlling your equipment For example, in the NovemberDecember 2009 issue of ATT, Tim DeBenedictis of Carina Software presented an article on the development of Carina’s Sky Voyager planetarium program app which offers wireless control of the goto capability of telescopes. Tim also discussed the development of a hardware device, SkyFi, which is a WiFito-serial adapter, that can use the WiFi capabilities built into a Mac, PC,

iPhone, or iPod Touch to wirelessly control a telescope. Who knows what other new hardware technology will grow from the expanding mobile computing capability?

Lets get a little more out on the limb and dream up something totally Sci-Fi like controlling a telescope and advanced astroimaging camera in another part of the world, then sending the resulting photographs straight to your mobile!

That is a very real possibility and my guess is someone is already working on it.

Astrophotos - Shown is an image from Rich’s Astrophotos app, which is a user driven database of astronomy pictures taken by amateur astronomers from all over the world. Anyone can upload photos and there are over 25 different categories to browse through. The app can be searched by specific image topics or users can just click to see the most recent uploads and most popular ones.

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MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY Looking Forward Mobile ownership is expanding at a rate that is almost inconceivable. We’ve gone from desktops, to laptops, to netbooks, and to now mobile. Just look around your next venture out to the store, or the mall – mobile is EVERWHERE. We all love to hear the stories of room-sized computers that would calculate using vacuum tubes right? It won’t be too far in the distant future that we’ll be telling our kids stories like putting 1.44 megabytes on a single floppy! Or perhaps how we considered a “portable computer” to be anything under 10 lbs.

Mobile computing and astronomy aren’t really that far gapped when you consider the advancements the astronomy industry has made to couple your telescope with an onboard guidance system. The Autostar, the Lynx, the Atlas are just to name a few. The only differences are telescope specific and

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they are given a unique name by the manufacturer.

And just think, you thought that thing in your hand was just a “hand controller”! No, it’s a mobile computer!

See you are more mobile than you might have previously thought!

But the obvious difference between the built in hand controller and today’s mobile devices are that the hand controllers are tethered to the telescope and perform specific functions. Unlike mobile devices where which are wireless, have multifunctions, and can perform more than one task at a time.

The Message So what message am I trying to send to you? The great adventure of astronomy has many paths. Some lead to dedicated astrophoto setups, while others lead to home-brew telescope projects.

Mobile devices can be used as a strong tool in your arsenal of astronomical equipment. You can teach others about

the night sky using a planetarium app, or guide your telescope to the next faint fuzzy in the sky. You can even get a late night text from your kids asking you if “Jupiter is ready to view yet?”

And think about what the proliferation of this expansion of mobile devices means for the future of astronomy. It’s no secret that the astronomy hobby tends to be graying. But now, the most cutting edge technical devices ever developed for consumer use are being used for astronomy. The astronomy industry has a huge opportunity to capture a new generation ofastronomers that can utilize a device that is completely integrated into their daily lives.

How about this scenario? Imagine an iPhone or Android branded telescope that is specifically designed and marketed to a new generation of astronomers. They can set the rig up in their backyard, school, a friend’s house, really anywhere. It would be small, portable, and would easy to set up and

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY use. Using their iPhone, they would use an app which would determine their location, analyze light pollution, take them on a guided tour of that evening’s sky, and so much more. They could capture images or video, and immediately upload them to their Facebook or other social networking site for their friends to see.

And imagine a foolproof astronomy setup that any parent can use with their child. No more cheap department store scope that offers 10 gazillion magnification, that you practically could not find the moon if you were standing on it. Christmas morning there it is, the Red Ryder of astronomy scopes, and that night, the family is wowed by stellar views. And if it’s cloudy, no problem, the family can still point the scope and see a virtual view of the heavens, and chart out a plan for the next cloudless night. Having problems using the scope? No problem, there’s an app for that. Want your friends to see what you

are seeing, no problem there’s an app for that. Need expert help, there’s an app for that. It may be that these new mobile devices ultimately will become the biggest innovation in the history of astronomy!

What I’m saying is that literally the sky is the limit on what these devices will be able to do. As a developer of apps for the iPhone, and Android mobile devices, as well as the Palm market, I hear a lot of chatter about the

future of mobile computing and how it's going to affect our lives with new apps being developed, and new device features continuing to be introduced to the market. And if you have an idea for an app, I’d love to hear it, just email me at scopetrader@gmail.com.

And I’m not saying that you have jump up this second and get an iPhone, or an Android – but the longer you wait, the more you’ll kick yourself for not doing it sooner!

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ASTRO TIPS tips, tricks and novel solutions

OUTBOARD EYEPIECE TRAY

By Terry Alford Last year ago I obtained a medium duty surveyor's tripod to use with an altaz mount. It soon became obvious that it needed an eyepiece tray. A conventional eyepiece tray would clamp to the three tripod legs and would hinder the sliding feature of the tripod. Was there another alternative?

After some thought and a couple of sketches I came up with what you see here. It is an outboard eyepiece tray (OET) that attaches to the outside of the tripod's leg. It holds two 2-inch eyepieces and four 1.25-inch eyepieces. It attaches/detaches in just seconds.

I used a piece of red oak “1x6” left over from a previous project and drilled holes for various eyepieces. Another scrap piece was drilled through with a Forstner bit at the same angle that matched the legs of the tripod when fully extended.

These holes are also spaced the same distance apart as the upper tripod leg section. Next I drilled a 1/4-inch hole through the center of the edge of this

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

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smaller piece which I call the clamp. I glued one piece of the clamp to the edge of the tray making sure to use the side that matched the outward angle of the tripod's legs.

After the glue dried I used the pre-drilled hole in the clamp as a guide to drill an inch or so deep into the edge of the tray with a 3/16-inch drill bit. Next I screwed a hanger bolt with 1/4x20 threads into the edge of the tray making sure the bolt length was long enough that it protruded almost an inch past the entire clamp assembly. This left room for a wing nut to thread on for clamping action.

All that was left was some sanding of

any sharp edges and applying a finish.

To attach the OET to the tripod I simply loosen the nylon wing nut a few turns, turn the loose part of the clamp 90 degrees, insert the clamp, turn the clamp back to its original orientation and tighten the wing nut.

It takes longer to describe it than to actually do it!

Feel free to make your own OET larger, smaller or even a different shape.

Whatever floats your boat. You can even turn the tray upside down and use it inside the tripod legs if you wish. This is a quick and easy project that provides nice rewards far beyond it’s modest materials cost.

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