ASTRONOMY
TECHNOLOGY TODAY Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment QHY12 • WILLIAM OPTICS GRAN TURISMO 102-MM APO REFRACTOR ADM DV-SERIES SADDLE • OLIVON WA PLÖSSL, ZOOM AND UW80° EYEPIECES
BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION
A TOP-QUALITY GRAB-AND-GO CROSSOVER APOCHROMAT
Volume 7 • Issue 5 September-October 2013 $6.00 US
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Aspen delivers industry-leading performance with both its cooling (up to -70 degrees C) and its shutter with reliability rated at 5 million cycles. All this is achieved within a smaller form factor. Aspen also delivers improved stray light baffling to minimize internal reflections and its back-focus requirements have been reduced to accommodate more OTAs and accessories. Aspen Series cameras come standard with 2 interfaces, USB 2 and an Ethernet interface with a built-in web server. Read out rates up to 16Mhz are supported. All our cameras are backed by a full 2-year warranty on the camera and lifetime warranty on the CCD chamber integrity. Our new Aspen Series delivers quality and reliability so you can focus on innovation and discovery.
Image of Ghost Nebula (vdB 141) shot using our new Aspen CG16m CCD camera Š2013 Apogee Imaging Systems Inc. Aspen is a trademark of Apogee Imaging Systems, Inc.
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Contents
New Products
Cover Story: Pages 37-45
The cover of this issue features Baader Planetarium’s new 95-mm, 560-mm focal length apochromatic refractor, dubbed the “Travel Companion” in recognition of its remarkably compact and lightweight design. The Travel Companion is shown mounted for optical use and framed by a crop from a lunar image captured by Belgian astrophotographer, Bart Declercq, using the same telescope. André Van der Elst, a highly experienced equipment reviewer, also from Belgium, provides a detailed report on the design, construction and optical performance of the apo.
15 SBIG New ST-i Spectrograph
ASTRONOMY
TECHNOLOGY TODAY Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment QHY12 • WILLIAM OPTICS GRAN TURISMO 102-MM APO REFRACTOR ADM DV-SERIES SADDLE • OLIVON WA PLÖSSL, ZOOM AND UW80° EYEPIECES
BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION
A TOP-QUALITY GRAB-AND-GO CROSSOVER APOCHROMAT
Volume 7 • Issue 5 September-October 2013 $6.00 US
In This Issue
In This Issue
12 Editor’s Note ATT Contributors By Gary Parkerson
62 The William Optics Gran Turismo 102-mm Apo Refractor Great for Visual Observations, as Well as Digital Imaging By James R. Dire, Ph.D.
37 Baader Apo 95/560 CaF2 Travel Companion A Top-Quality Grab-and-Go Crossover Apochromat By André Van der Elst 47 The QHY12 Ode to an OSC By Mark Zaslove
16 GERD NEWMAN OF ASTRONOMIK Introduces Photographic Ronchi
72 Astro Tips, Tricks & Novel Solutions Cradling Round Objects A PVC Scope Stand By Gary Parkerson
18 ALPINE ASTRO New 10 Micron GM1000HPS Mount 19 JACK’S ASTRO/MALLINCAM Adds MallinCam Jr PRO to the Lineup
20 HIGH POINT SCIENTIFIC New ZWO Camera Lines 22 PLANEWAVE INSTRUMENTS New CDK14 Dall-Kirkham Astrograph 23 VIXEN OPTICS New Ultra Fast Astrograph VSD 100F3.8
53 The ADM DV-Series Saddle Making a Great Mount Even Better By Jody Raney 57 Olivon WA Plössl, Zoom and UW80° Eyepieces A Tag-Team Report on Three New Eyepiece Lines By Reid Williams and Gary Parkerson
24 SCOPESTUFF Lots More Stuff Now Available!
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
9
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Contributing Writers Dr. James Dire has an M.S. degree in physics from the University of Central Florida and M.A.and Ph.D. degrees from The Johns Hopkins University, both in planetary science. He has been a professor of physics and astronomy at several colleges and universities. Currently he is the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Kauai Community College in Hawaii. He has played a key role in several observatory projects including the Powell Observatory in Louisburg, KS, which houses a 30-inch (0.75-m) Newtonian; the Naval Academy observatory with an 8-inch (0.20-m) Alvin Clark refractor; and he built the Coast Guard Academy Astronomical Observatory in Stonington, CT, which houses a 20 inch (0.51-m) Ritchey–Chrétien Cassegrain telescope.
Contents Industry News
28 RIGEL SYSTEMS New Custom Stepper Motor Kits for Focusers
Jody Raney is a portrait artist, Mardi-Gras float designer, painter and astrophotographer by night. He currently serves as president of the Shreveport Bossier Astronomical Society and chair person for the Worley Observatory. Jody spends his days as a designer for an architectural firm in Shreveport, Louisiana.
André Van der Elst is a former chairman of InfoCosmos, a Belgian amateur astronomer association. His “Astro-Tests” have been published in several French and Belgian astronomy magazines, critically testing hundreds of telescopes, eyepieces and other accessories. He has written two books: Astro-Tests and Astro-Guide (published by Vuibert, France). When he is not testing, you can find him biking all around the green corners of Brussels, Belgium where he lives.
Reid Williams is a visual observer (as a result of spending a few years working in film [slide] astrophotography). He currently owns a 90-mm f/9 fluorite refractor, an 80-mm f/7.5 ED refractor, a 10-inch Dobsonian and a 9.25-inch SCT. Reid has been a member of the Shreveport Bossier Astronomical Society for 13 years and enjoys its public outreach nights. His petroleum-engineering background is a natural fit for astronomy and for evaluation and operation of astro equipment.
28 CATSEYE Update on the Next Generation “XLKP” Autocollimator 30 CELESTRON Comet ISON CometWatch Contest 30 SIA EXPO Woodland Hills Camera and Telescopes to Host New Event
Mark Zaslove is a two-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of the coveted Humanitas Prize. Mark is a born-again astro noobie, who once had an Optical Craftsman scope as a kid, and is now recapturing his youthful enthusiasm (with a digital twist) and having a lovely time doing it.
31 ASTRONOMY & SCIENCE EXPO Event to Be Held in Tucson, Arizona on November 16 and 17 33 SOUTHWEST ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SEMINAR A New Feature of ASAE 33 SKYVISION Products Now Available Worldwide 34 KNIGHTWARE Release SQM Reader Pro 2
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
The Supporting
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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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New Mexico Skies www.nmskies.com page 30, 69
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Officina Stellare www.officinastellare.com page 39
Tele Vue Optics www.televue.com page 8
Optec www.optecinc.com page 50
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Vixen Optics www.vixenoptics.com page 76
ScopeGuard www.scopeguard.com page 70
Waite Research www.waiteresearch.com page 20
ScopeStuff www.scopestuff.com page 25
Wa-chur-ed Observatory www.wa-chur-ed.com page 69
Sirius Astro Products www.siriusastroproducts.com page 22
William Optics www.williamoptics.com page 74
Arizona Science & Astronomy Expo www.scienceandastronomy.com page 54 Astro Hutech www.hutech.com page 73
Far Laboratories www.dynapod.com page 33 Finger Lakes Instrumentation www.flicamera.com page 75
Astronomik www.astronomik.com page 24 Astronomy Shoppe www.astronomy-shoppe.com page 23 Astro Physics www.astro-physics.com page 13, 68
Foster Systems www.fostersystems.com page 34 Glatter Collimation www.collimator.com page 19 Hands On Optics www.handsonoptics.com page 5
Astrozap www.astrozap.com page 48
Hubble Optics www.hubbleoptics.com page 43
ATIK Cameras www.atik-cameras.com page 78
Innovations Foresight www.innovationsforesight.com page 57
Bobs Knobs www.bobsknobs.com page 38 Catseye Collimation www.catseyecollimation.com page 25 Celestron www.celestron.com page 36, 77
iOptron www.ioptron.com page 7 Jack’s Astro Accessories www.waningmoonii.com page 29 JMI Telescopes www.jmitelescopes.com page 14
Ceravolo www.ceravolo.com page 2
Kendrick Astro Instruments www.kendrickastro.com page 62
Chroma Technology Corp www.chroma.com page 41 Dark Skies Apparel www.darkskiesapparel.com page 27
Knightware www.knightware.biz page 23
Skies Unlimited www.skiesunlimited.net page 59
Wood Wonders www.wood-wonders.com page 25
Equatorial Platforms www.equatorialplatforms.com page 45
Lunatico Astronomia www.lunaticoastro.com page 60
Skylight Telescopes www.skylighttelescopes.co.uk page 63
Woodland Hills Telescopes www.telescopes.net page 26
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ASTRONOMY
TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Volume 7 • Issue 5 September-October 2013 Publisher Stuart Parkerson
Managing Editor
Editor’s Note Gary Parkerson, Managing Editor
Gary Parkerson
Associate Editors Austin Grant Chad E. Patterson
Art Director Lance Palmer
Staff Photographer Craig Falbaum
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. ©2012 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
ATT CONTRIBUTORS When the CEO of one of the leading astro-product enterprises on the planet – if not the leading! (how do you measure such things?) - introduced himself at NEAF 2013, he eventually asked, “What do you foresee for the future of ATT?” Feeling like the student who just realized he’d studied for the wrong exam, I mumbled something about trying not to mess it up. As business strategies go, I’ve read better. The fact is, the ATT team doesn’t revisit its business plan at regular intervals. Mostly, we keep our heads down, focused on producing the next issue and planning for the ones after that. When some element reveals itself to be broken, we move to fix it, but don’t spend a lot of time trying to anticipate what might break next. Proactive, we’re not. We do a pretty good job of the basics, keeping a steady flow of quality content coming in and of shipping the magazine on a predictable schedule. Our mission statement is simply to deliver quality content that is entertaining and informative. Nothing more complicated than that. But, when one of ATT’s regular contributors asked recently whether we’d received any feedback on his last article – we had, and positive feedback, at that – the fact that he had to ask revealed something was broken. I’d received email complimentary of his articles and hadn’t forwarded them to him. We stay so focused on each next issue of this magazine, that we don’t do enough to demonstrate our appreciation of those whose hard work produced its articles. We’re changing that. Meanwhile, we want to thank all who’ve contributed to ATT. It’s a long list – more than 150, and growing.
Jan Adelaar (Netherlands), Matt Affenita (Idaho), Steven L. Aggas (U.S.), Terry Alford (Tennessee), Damian G. Allis (New York), Wes Atchison (Texas), Troy “TroyGar” Atwood (Kentucky), Dr. Gaston Baudat (Pennsylvania), Kirby Benson (New Mexico), Richard Berry (Oregon), Art Bianconi (New Jersey), Eric Blackhurst (California), Roger Blake (U.S.), Jeff Blazey (Ohio), “Barlow Bob” (New York), Craig Bobchin (California), Dr. Klaus Brasch (Arizona), Rob Broeren (California), Chris Brownewell (Indiana), Chuck Bueter (Illinois), Jim Burnell (New York), Norm Butler (U.S.), Joe Campbell (U.S.), Timothy Cann (California), Dr. Lionel Catalan (Canada), Doug Chapman (New Jersey), Eric Chesak (Texas), Greg Comegys (Michigan), Max Corneau (Texas), John Crilly (Ohio), Melvin Dawson (Florida), Richard Day (U.K.), Tim DeBenedictis (California), Bryan Deis (California), Cliff De Lacy (California), Dr. James Dire (Hawaii), Penny Distasio (California), Ian Dodd (California), Jeanette Dunphy (Australia), David Ellison (Tennessee), Jack Fenimore (New York), Rick Fienberg (U.S.), Thad Floryan (U.S.), Russ Genet (California), Mike Gilmer (Louisiana), Austin Grant (Louisiana), Paul Grunwald (U.S.), Tony Hallas (California), Mike Hardin (Florida), Richard Harris (Missouri), Lincoln Harrison (Australia), Mike Harvey (Florida), Neil Heacock (U.S.), Richard Hedrick (California), Shawn Hendrix (California), Chris Hetlage (Georgia), Rick Hiestand (U.S.), Fred Hissink (Netherlands), Jason Hissong (Ohio), Diane Horstman (Ohio), Scott Horstman (Ohio), Terry Hubbert (Ohio), Jack Huercamp (Louisiana), Gene Hunter (South Carolina), Chuck Jagow (Virginia), Mike Jones (Texas),
Allan Keller (California), Bob Keyser (U.S.), Ray Khan (Canada), Marcin Klapczynski (Illinois), John Kramer (Tennessee), Gary Kronk (Missouri), Phyllis Lang (North Carolina), Peter P. Lardizabal (Florida), Heather LeBlanc (Louisiana), Russ Lederman (New York), Chris Lord (U.K.), Norman Loyd (Canada), Steve Luce (U.S.), Mark Manner (U.S.), Dr. Barry Megdal (California), Vic Menard (Florida), Raymond Merlin (U.S.), David Merritt (Nevada), Dave Miller (Colorado), “Uncle” Rod Mollise (Alabama), John Moody (Missouri), Caroline Moore (New York), Ed Moreno (Texas), Daniel Mounsey (California), James Mulherin (Michigan), Rod Nabholz (Iowa), John Nanson (Oregon), Jamey Nyberg (U.S.), John O’Neill (Florida), Dr. Leon Palmer (California), Greg Parker (U.K.), Lorelei Parker (Canada), Wayne Parker (Canada), Bill Pellerin (Texas), Oliver Penrice (France), Donald Pensack (California), Pete Peterson (Rhode Island), Stephen Ramsden (Georgia), Ed Ramsell (U.S.), Jody Raney (Louisiana), Doug Reilly (U.S.), Dr. Mike Reynolds (Florida), Mark Riek (Idaho), William Rison (Maryland), Vito Rotondi (Illinois), Randy Roy (Tennessee), Robert Royce (Connecticut), Owen Sage (U.S.), Ted Saker, Jr. (Ohio), Steve Sands (Illinois), Rick Saunders (Canada), Jason Scherff (Connecticutt), Jay Scheuerle (Pennsylvania), Richard Scott (Florida), Dr. Clay Sherrod (Arkansas), Barry Simon (Louisiana), Tony Simon (Ohio), Rich Simons (Georgia), Dave Snay (Massachusetts), Don Schwab (U.S.), Ernest Shekolyan (Russia), Alan Smallbone (California), Dr. Craig Stark (U.S.), Robert Stelmock (Florida), Brian Stephens (U.S.), Dr. Mark Stephenson (Ohio), Pierre Stromberg (Washington), Johanthan Talbot (Mississippi), Rob Teeter (New Jersey), Craig Temple (Tennessee), Tammy Temple (Tennessee), Cyrille Theiullet (France), Jim Thompson (Canada), Kemer Thomson (U.S.), Scott Tucker (Arizona), Wade Van Arsdale (Arkansas), Mark Vanderaar (Ohio), Andre Van der Elst (Belgium), Paul Van Slyke (Colorado), John Vogt (New York), Dr. Josh Walawender (California), Erik Wilcox (Hawaii), Reid William (Louisiana), Rich Williams (California), Richard S. Wright, Jr. (Florida), John Wunderlin (Wisconsin), Mark Zaslove (California), and Karl Zimmerman (U.S.). Thank you, all. Really, thank you.
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NEWPRODUCTS
SBIG New ST-i Spectrograph and ST-i Spectro Software SBIG’s new ST-i spectrograph was designed specifically for the SBIG ST-i camera (both shown). The unit is intended to enable amateurs to characterize their skies, flat-field sources, filter passbands, and other light sources. The spectrograph’s main purpose is to allow amateurs to measure their sky spectrum, and optimize their flat-field sources to better match their conditions. SBIG provides the rationale on why this is important in an article found on their website by Alan Holmes titled “Flat Fields – The Ugly Truth.” The combo also provides a good way for amateurs to compare their lightpollution situations with users at other sites. The design is relatively straightforward. Light enters the spectrograph through a 25micron entrance slit and is collimated by an achromatic lens. It then passes through the
Schott SF11 glass prism, where blue light is bent through a greater angle than red wavelengths. A second achromat focuses the light onto the CCD, with an additional plano-convex lens to shorten the focal length and increase the photographic speed of the system to f/3.66. The speed is important when trying to capture the sky background. The plane of the CCD is actually tilted slightly relative to the angle of incidence of the light to reduce the contribution of chromatic aberration to the optical blur. ST-i Spectro software for PCs is included with the spectrograph, allowing users to control the ST-i and acquire spectra, to create a wavelength calibration for the spectrograph, to output text files of the data for processing with Excel or another program, and to re-bin the data into a format with
uniform-sized wavelength bins for simpler comparison with grating data or from other sources. The ST-i Spectrograph is available separately or bundled with the ST-i camera. Educational discounts apply to the bundled price for qualifying educational institutions. The ST-i Spectrograph is priced at $795US, and the ST-i Spectrograph/ST-i Monochrome Camera combo is priced at $1,390US. For more information please visit www.sbig.com.
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
15
NEWPRODUCTS
GERD NEWMAN OF ASTRONOMIK Introduces Photographic Ronchi Gerd Newman of Astronomik has stepped up to the photographic plate with the introduction of his new Photographic Ronchi eyepiece. Says Gerd, “Since I first offered my Ronchi eyepiece a couple of years ago, many customers have asked for a way to take images of Ronchigrams. This is now possible with the new version.” The Photographic Ronchi incorporates the same high-quality grating as the original Ronchi eyepiece, which is made of evaporated chrome on polished glass with 254 lines per inch (10 lines per millimeter). It differs from the visual version in that there is no 1.25-inch barrel. Instead, the Photographic Ronchi
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
offers a T-thread on one side and an M52 thread on the other. With the T-thread, users can mount the Photographic Ronchi on nearly all instruments using matching adapters that most amateurs already currently own. The camera is installed (with a normal lens attached) at the M2 thread. Gerd suggests that owners may need a matching step-ring for the lens. Says Gerd, “The surface of the grating is in the same plane as an outer rim, so the focal plane of any instrument can be found very easily! The new Photographic Ronchi may be used visually, as well, doubling its functionality.”
The new accessory is priced at €49 and more information is available at www.gerdneumann.net.
NEWPRODUCTS
ALPINE ASTRO New 10 Micron GM1000HPS Mount Alpine Astro and 10 Micron have announced the availability of the GM1000HPS Mount, which delivers the same accuracy, performance, and features as its larger siblings (GM2000 and GM4000), in a compact and highly portable package. The HPS (High Precision and Speed) absolute encoders and QCI control system deliver an extremely high level of accuracy and performance, making the mount an ideal unguided imaging platform for fully instrumented refractors up to 6-inch and Cassegrains up to 12-inch. With a conservative usable instrument capacity of 55 pounds, the GM1000HPS utilizes a state-of-the-art bronze worm-gear drive system that delivers near-zero backlash, high rigidity, and long-term reliability, along with HPS tracking and precision pointing. Integral to the mountâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance is 10 Micronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HPS, which offers integration of precision absolute-shaft encoders permanently mounted and calibrated to each axis. Along with the QCI control system, the setup delivers <1.0-arcseconds (peak-to-peak) tracking and 20-arcsecond pointing accuracy. The accuracy of the HPS system gives the imager a powerful tool that enables unguided long exposure images. The quick alignment routines and
highly reliable standalone operation allow for rapid setup, offering a truly portable and efficient system (no PC required for mount control). With a mount head weight of only 43 pounds and a compact design, the GM1000HPS takes little effort to transport and set up. When outfitted as a complete package with its solid Geoptik tripod, included accessories, and fitted transport cases, the GM1000HPS becomes a turnkey highly-portable mounting system. The mount comes standard with an integral dual-dovetail mount (Losmandy 3-inch and Vixen/EQ), and its single all-in-one cable avoids tangling of RA and DEC motor/power cables. The QCI control system and beltdriven brushless F.I.S. AC servomotors deliver quiet, fast slews with high pointing precision and tracking. The slew speed of up to 15 degrees/second enables extremely fast slews and precision tracking of satellites (the satellite tracking function is already embedded into the control system). Multiple hardware interfaces (including integrated LAN) and multiple standard driver protocols are compatible with all of the leading software packages, enabling fully automated operation. The QCI control system also includes stand-alone operation through use of its ergonomic handpad, freeing the
user from the requirement of having to always use an auxiliary PC to control the instrument. Through the handpad, the stand-alone user can access all of the many integrated functions, including: full object database, high-precision polar alignment, orthogonality correction, periodic-error correction, as well as a multi-star alignment which models and compensates for telescope pointing errors. A GPS module is optionally available. The GM1000HPS base package is priced at $8,950US. For more information visit www.alpineastro.com.
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
NEWPRODUCTS
JACK’S ASTRO/MALLINCAM Adds MallinCam Jr PRO to the Lineup As we all know, it’s sometime hard to beat an original model. Simplicity and functionality, the ability to simply do what it needs to do, probably reminds us of many mechanical devices (that first car?) that performed perfectly and provided years of service. MallinCam’s Rock Mallin has taken that philosophy to heart and has announced the return of the original MallinCam PRO, now reintroduced as the MallinCam Jr PRO, offering additional features that enhance the functionality of the original. Mallin has brought the camera back due to demand for a low-cost, entry-level astronomical video-observational system. The Jr PRO can be purchased with either the standard 1/2-inch Sony ceramic CCD sensor, or with the optional EXview HAD sensor for an additional $100US. Either type of CCD sensor, the standard sensor or the EXview HAD sensor, is available in color or black and white. The MallinCam Jr PRO is capable of exposures from 1/12,000th second through 99 minutes, and all exposures longer than 2 seconds are selected using the included wireless exposure controller.
The Jr PRO also has an RS-232 auxiliary port for computer control of the camera’s menu. A computer cable is available as an option for those who wish to computerize control of the camera. In addition, a wired menu keypad is also available for those who do not want to use a PC in the field, but want to adjust the menu without having to use the five buttons on the camera for this purpose. A version of the MallinCam Control Software tailored for the Jr PRO is available at no charge. The MallinCam Jr PRO use standard, off-the-shelf components and is not cooled. No computer is required for live viewing. Simply connect the Jr PRO’s composite or S-video output to a monitor, DVR, or to a computer using a capture device, and you get a live image in color or black and white, depending on the sensor purchased. The MallinCam Jr PRO package includes your choice of CCD; regulated power supply 120 volt AC-to-12 volt DC adapter; 25 feet (7 meters) of highgrade dual-shielded power/composite video cable combination; a 1.25-inch adapter; a RCA-to-BNC adapter; plus a pixel transmitter and a receiver wireless
exposure control. Also, all MallinCamdesigned and -built accessories will fit on the new MallinCam Jr PRO. The MallinCam Jr PRO is priced at $599.99US complete with standard 1/2inch CCD ceramic sensor (ICX418AKL color or ICX428ALL monochrome) and $699.99US with 1/2-inch EXview HAD CCD color ceramic sensor (ICX428AKL color). The camera is available in the US and overseas from Jack’s Astro Accessories (www.mallincamUSA.com) and in Canada from Lire la Nature/ Astronomie Plus (www.lirelanature.com) and from Khan Scope Center (www.khanscope.com).
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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NEWPRODUCTS
HIGH POINT SCIENTIFIC Announces New ZWO Camera Lines ZWO, one of the newest players in the astro-imaging market, has been making waves recently with the introduction of its affordable flagship ASI120 CMOS astro cameras. ZWO ASI120 cameras are available in the U.S. exclusively from High Point Scientific and are designed to cover a variety of astrophotography roles, including solar, lunar and planetary imaging, as well as capturing astrophotos of galaxies, clusters and nebulae â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even autoguiding duties. The ZWO ASI120 features a multitude of frame-rate settings that max out at 215 frames per second at reduced resolution. This characteristic provides astrophotographers excellent flexibility while imaging. As a bonus, each ASI120 comes with a 150-degree lens, which turns the ZWO CMOS imager into an effective all-sky camera.
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
The body of each versatile ZWO ASI120 camera is CNC-machined and incorporates an ST4 Auto Guider USB2.0 port. The camera is available in a one-shot-color version (designated the ASI120MC) or a monochrome configuration (ASI120MM). An IR-Cut window is supplied with the color version and a clear window with the mono camera. Also included with each ASI120 CMOS camera are 2-meter USB and ST4 guider cables, a 1.25-inch cover, M42-1.25-inch nose pieces, and a driver CD. The ASI120MM is available as part of a complete monochrome astro-camera kit that includes a five-position manual filter wheel and a four-filter LRGB set, which combination will be the subject of a feature article in an upcoming issue of ATT.
The ZWO ASI120MC color camera is currently priced at $299.95US, the ASI120MM monochrome camera at $329.95US, and the complete ASI12MM monochrome astro-camera kit at $499US. For more information, visit www.highpointscientific.com.
NEWPRODUCTS
PLANEWAVE INSTRUMENTS Now Taking Orders for New CDK14 Dall-Kirkham Astrograph The new PlaneWave Instruments CDK14 is a 14-inch (0.36 m) f/7.2 Corrected Dall-Kirkham Astrograph telescope. The CDK14 covers a 70-mm field of view without any field curvature, off-axis coma, or astigmatism. The CDK14 is a lightweight carbonfiber truss design weighing less than 50 pounds. The CDK optical design is an innovative solution for astro-imaging excellence. The unique design makes the optical alignment forgiving and collimation very easy. This guarantees the user the best possible performance from the telescope. The end result at the image plane of the CDK design is no off-axis coma, no off-axis astigmatism, and a perfectly flat field (no off-axis defocus). The CDK design provides pinpoint stars from the center to the corner of the field of view. The carbon-fiber design minimizes thermal expansion which can cause focus shift with changes in temperature. The dovetail expansion joint compensates for the difference in thermal expansion between carbon fiber and aluminum allowing the aluminum dovetail to expand and contract without stressing the carbon-fiber lower truss. Three cooling fans blow air inside the back of the telescope, which helps the telescope quickly reach thermal equilibrium. The fans can be controlled by a computer if the optional Electronic Focus Accessory (EFA Kit) is purchased. For added dew prevention, the CDK14
is internally wired with polyimide-film heater pads and temperature sensor, shipped ready to be controlled with an optional Delta-T controller. Specifications include: focal length 2563 mm (101 inch); focal ratio - f/7.2; central obstruction - 23.5 percent by surface area, 48.5 percent by diameter; back focus from mounting surface - 11.09 inch (282 mm); weight - 48 pounds (22 kilograms); OTA length - 35 inches (889 mm); optical performance - 3.1 micron RMS at 13-mm offaxis, 6.0 micron RMS at 35-mm off-axis; carbon fiber truss; and optimal FOV 70-mm image circle. Accessories supplied with the scope include a Ronchi Spacer, which sits in place of
CRAFTSMANSHIP STILL EXISTS Barlows Eyepieces Binoviewers Accessories 919-810-7168 www.vernonscope.com
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
a focuser and is used for setting the primary to secondary spacing. It has a 1.25-inch inner diameter and may be used with 1.25-inch oculars for collimation. The included Primary Mirror Cover protects the primary mirror. US purchasers will receive a 12-volt DC power supply for the fans. An English hex wrench set is included with European orders. PlaneWave also includes a thumb drive, which contains all documentation and software for collimation and spacing. A number of optional accessories are also available. The PlaneWave Instruments CDK14 is introductory priced at $15,000US, and the first models will be available in December. For more information please visit www.planewave.com.
NEWPRODUCTS
VIXEN OPTICS New Ultra Fast Astrograph VSD 100F3.8
Vixen’s new Ultra-Fast Astrograph VSD 100F3.8 provides a wide and flat imaging field that fully illuminates the large film/sensor footprint of 645-standard medium-format cameras by deploying a unique 5-element, 5-group lens design that eliminates the violet tint of chromatic aberration (blue halo). With an SD lens in the front objective group and an ED lens in the rear objective group, this scope offers excellent color correction. The blue halos that lesser refractors produce around bright stars in astrophotography and that are so hard to reduce in post processing are successfully corrected by this unique lens system. In addition, astigmatism and coma aberrations are corrected to an extremely high level of image quality. The Strehl intensity of the VSD100F3.8 does not decrease abruptly on stars away from the center of a photographic field and is well suited to detection of faint stars. The image circle is as large as 70 mm in diameter (60-percent illuminated) and star images are as small as 15 microns around the corners, resulting in excellent field flatness.
DobStand
The lenses have the most up-to-date coatings offering extremely high transparency. These coatings have been developed to match the characteristics of each lens element in order to avoid the deterioration of image contrast that would otherwise occur from the increase of lens elements. As a result, the scope offers 99.9-percent light transmission and achieves excellent images with extremely high contrast without ghosting or flare images. Shown in is a cutaway of the Vixen VSD 100F3.8. In the process of manufacturing the optical glass, all the five lens elements are treated with a precision annealing process. (The annealing can straighten molecular arrangements within the lens elements and thus unify the
characteristic of optical glass.) The result is optimum homogeneity of refractivity in the optical glass. The VSD100F3.8 has an oversized focuser designed to be easily attached to
645-standard medium-format cameras. Highly accurate focusing is possible with the non-rotational helical fine focuser — focus adjustments of as small as 20
microns can be read with the provided vernier scale. All the graduations are engraved. A focal reducer (0.79x), with an optical design of 3 elements in 3 groups, and a tele-extender (1.58x), with an optical design of 4 elements in 3 groups, are offered as optional accessories. With the use of these accessories, the VSD100F3.8 can be transformed into an even faster astrograph, with 300 mm in focal length at f/3, or can be converted to a more multi-use optical tube with 600 mm in focal length at f/6 for observing planets and other celestial objects. For more information, please visit www.vixenoptics.com.
• Only $119.99 • Heavy Duty! • 1/8" Alum Tubing! • Black Anodized • Leveling Legs • Less Than 5lbs!
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NEWPRODUCTS
SCOPESTUFF Lots More Stuff Now Available! CGEM Replacement Saddle Bolts and Azimuth Bolts
machined with deep knurling, and are 1.14-inch diameter, 0.7-inch thick. Red and black knobs shown are made of Delrin. Aluminum knobs are priced at $34US and Delrin knobs are priced at $19US. 2 inch (M48) Filter Ring with Retainer This is an empty filter ring in the 2inch or M48 standard size that will hold 1.850-inch (47mm) diameter round
These replacements for the factory bolts are easy to grip, even when wearing gloves. Stainless steel bolts with rounded tips are easy on the aluminum parts of the mount. Includes two bolts for Azimuth adjustment and two with spacers for the saddle locks. Aluminum knobs are 6061 anodized aluminum,
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
glass up to 1/8-inch thick. The retainer ring threads in to hold the glass. Offered in black anodized aluminum, the outside diameter is ~1.996-inch. The ring has male threads on one side and female on the other, so it can be used as a 0.3-inch spacer. Priced at $10US. Handbox Extension Cable for Celestron Mounts with NexStar Hand Controllers This coiled cable extends your Celestron handbox cable by 5 feet. Extension is about 2 feet long relaxed,
NEWPRODUCTS over 5 feet when stretched out. Works with Celestron computerized mounts with NexStar hand controllers and with CGEM. For six pin connectors. Priced at $19US. Ultra Low Profile Canon EOS to 1.25-inch Barrel Adapter This ultra low profile adapter gets your Canon EOS camera about 0.3-inch
closer to your 1.25-inch scope or device than can be achieved with other adapters. The nosepiece is threaded for filters or a focal reducer. It is black anodized aluminum with chromed brass nosepiece, as
well as a baffled and blackened interior. Priced at $27US. Red Dot Finder for SLR Hot Shoe A red dot finder for your DSLR! This light weight finder mounts on the hot shoe of your camera, with a thumb-nut for stable and secure installation. Adjustable brightness and centering knobs for alignment. Priced at $29US.
Helical Focuser with T-threads and 1.25-inch Eyepiece Holder The new helical focuser has features imagers love! Most important, the cam-
era or eyepiece does not spin when you focus. Male T-threads on one end and female T-threads on the other end to allow for including the focuser in imaging setups. For 1.25-inch eyepieces or cameras, a self-centering twist-lock adapter fits on the male T-threads. Great for guide camera or eyepiece focusing with off-axis guiders. Overall height is less than 1.5inch so it doesn't eat up precious focus path distance. Focus travel is 0.2-inch in two turns of the rubber grip control ring. Inside diameter is 1.25-inch, overall outside diameter is 2.25-inch. A locking thumbscrew is included to aid in installation and removal. Priced at $159US. (continued on page 27)
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NEWPRODUCTS
SCOPESTUFF (continued from page 25) tape. To install simply clean the sizes of the camera with the supplied alcohol
Red Blinking Anti-Collision Light Protect your telescope from things that go bump in the night. This convenient little black box has an on/off switch for the blinking red LED, and the
6-inch Counterweight Shaft Extensions for GEM Mounts These stainless-steel extensions are 6-inches long and weigh 3/4 lb. Stainless-steel male threaded stud on one
Heatsinks for DMK, Basler, Flea Type Cameras These black anodized aluminum heatsinks peel-and-stick to the sides of your DMK, Basler, Flea type cameras. The long fins provide lots of surface area to dissipate much of the heat those little buggers generate, especially at high frame rates and high gain settings. The heatsinks feature 1-3/8-inch square, 5/8inch long fins, with thermal adhesive
wipe, let dry, peel and stick the heatsinks on the camera, then lightly clamp the heatsinks in place or balance a book on them for a couple of hours for the adhesive to set. The heatsinks are a bit taller than the Qube cameras so ScopeStuff recommends mounting them flush to the top of the camera. Camera must have flat sides! Two heatsinks are $14US, three are $19US and four are $25US. For more information please visit www.scopestuff.com.
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MADE IN THE USA BY ASTRONOMERS FOR ASTRONOMERS! NEW Stand Alone Observing Hood Now Available! Lightweight Vests!
FEATURES
brightness has been reduced to be socially acceptable, but still quite visible in the dark. Attaches with bead chain or included adhesive Velcro. Two long lasting replaceable AA alkaline batteries are included to operate continuously for months, intermittently for years. Priced at $11US for one, $28US for three.
end, tapped hole on the other end. Your toe-saver cap screws into the end. Mount and cap screw not included. #EQBF shaft with 8-mm threads fits LXD55/75 mounts; #EQBE shaft with 6-mm threads fits CG5-EQ3 type mountsCGEM with 6mm hole; and #EQBG shaft with 12-mm threads fits CGEM with 12-mm hole. Confirm the screw size on your mount before ordering! Priced at $34US.
HOODED OBSERVING VEST • 4 oversized XL pockets to hold! the largest EP’s • 4 additional smaller EP pockets • Oversized "Monk" hood helps to eliminate stray light and improve contrast • 2.5% of sales donated to the IDA
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INDUSTRYNEWS
RIGEL SYSTEMS New Custom Stepper Motor Kits for Focusers Got a focuser that’s not listed on Rigel Systems website? “No problem, we’ve probably already done it,” says Rigel Systems’ Leon Palmer. “With a couple of photos and a few measurements, we can make a stepper-motor kit that will fit almost any focuser at no additional cost.”
Image 1
Shown are a couple of examples of specials they have done. First, Image 1
shows an installation on a Vixen focuser. Note the stepper geared to the focuser. How about a Borg? Check out Image 2. Each stepper motor has 0.1-degree step size, easily lifts 8 pounds and can be quickly detached for manual focusing. Rigel steppers use standard 6-wire telephone cable and an RJ12 connector. Of course, Rigel Systems offers offthe-shelf stepper motors, including those configured for Explore Scientific, GSO Classic, Tele Vue, Feather Touch, Celestron, UO Dual-Speed 2-inch/3-inch Focusers, and GSO LF 2-inch/3-inch Focusers. And best of all, whether you need a custom application, or Rigel has a unit ready to go, your cost is only $184.95US. For more information please visit www.rigelsys.com.
Image 2
CATSEYE Update on the Next Generation “XLKP” Autocollimator In our last issue, JulyAugust 2013, we introduced the new CATSEYE next-generation two-pupil “XLKP ” (“P” for Precision) autocollimator. Included with the news item was an image of the product itself, however, we neglected to include the image that actually shows visually the effectiveness of the XLKP. In the image shown you can actually see the “perfectcircle” mirror holes with crisp, clean edge definition we described in the article. The image represents a side-by-side look of a typical XLK mirror with irregular (approximately 0.125-inch) pupils and the new XLKP mirror with “perfect-circle”
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
0.100-inch pupils. Of course, the best way to experience the performance is to get one for yourself! The price of the new XLKP is $144US, plus shipping and handling. CATSEYE
XL and XLK owners can have their units refurbished and upgraded to the new XLKP configuration for $45, plus shipping and handling. For more information, please visit www.catseyecollimation.com.
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INDUSTRYNEWS
CELESTRON Comet ISON CometWatch Contest Through October 31 Celestron has teamed up with Eureka Tents and Astronomy Magazine to make sure that, no matter how bright comet ISON eventually becomes, your day will definitely be brightened if you win their ultimate comet prize package. Included is a Celestron Cometron FirstScope and Cometron 114AZ telescope, along with a pair of Celestron’s widefield Cometron 12x70 binoculars. You’ll also receive the outdoor gear you need to view ISON from a dark-sky site, including a Eureka tent, two backpacks, and two
observing chairs. Finally, you’ll get an autographed copy of Comets! Visitors from Deep Space, the new book by Astronomy editor Dave Eicher. Have all the gear you need? That’s OK, if you win the prize, think of what a great gift the package would be!
One Grand Prize, One First Prize and Five Runner-Up prizes will be awarded, and entries will be accepted through October 25, 2013. You can’t win if you don’t enter, so head over to Celestron’s CometWatch at www.celestron.com.
SIA EXPO Woodland Hills Camera and Telescopes to Host New Southern California Equipment Event If you’re like most of us, you aren’t lucky enough to have an astronomy dealer in your home town. It may be easier on our wallets that temptation isn’t close at hand, but it sure would be nice to stop by the shop and grab-and-go with a new piece of equipment! While we might not drive too far to visit a single shop, we are lucky that retailers and clubs are willing to create regular events that bring multiple manufacturers and experts in the industry to one place. All the sudden, making that drive makes sense! That’s why we were pleased to learn the Farah Payan and the crew at Woodland Hills Camera and Telescopes are hosting the
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
SIA Expo (Science, Imaging, and Astronomy). This is a brand-new trade show and conference organized for the benefit of astronomy and imaging enthusiasts residing in the San Fernando Valley and throughout Southern California. Focusing primarily on astronomy, outdoor optics and photography, the event will be held on October 19th, 2013 at Pierce Community College in Woodland Hills, California. The expo will feature exhibits from a number of manufacturers, as well as speakers, solar observing, and raffles to win up
over $10,000 in gear. There will also be shows at the new Pierce Planetarium (see image). For more information please visit www.siaexpo.com.
INDUSTRYNEWS
ASTRONOMY & SCIENCE EXPO Event to Be Held in Tucson, Arizona on November 16 and 17 The second annual Astronomy & Science Expo will be held this fall in Tucson, Arizona on November 16 and 17. In its second year, Alan Traino and a group of dedicated volunteers will again put on an exciting show. The event kicks off with the inaugural Southwest Astrophotography Seminar on November 14 and 15 (see more about the imaging conference in this issue on page 33). Of course, for astro gear heads, the stars of the expo will be the exhibitors, and attendees can expect to see more than 100 companies take part in the event. Even as great as the up-closeand-personal access to so much equipment can be, we think it is even more exciting to have the opportunity to talk in-depth to so many of the experts who actually make that equipment. There will be seminars and speakers throughout both days, including a comet discussion panel and opportunities to hear speakers including Story Musgrave (Retired Astronaut), Timothy Ferris (Scientific Author, Professor, Film
Maker, Journalist), Dr. Alexei Filippenko (Astrophysicist and Professor at the University of California Berkeley) and Emily Lakdawalla (Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist). Of course, there are lots of hands-on activities and excursions, including tours of the University of Arizona mirror lab, The Challenger Space Center Arizona, and Kitt Peak National Observatory. Programs include a Mt. Lemmon
SkyCenter “SkyNights” Program with Adam Block, digital planetarium shows throughout both days, and daily solar observing with CBSAP Director Stephen Ramsden, Randy Shivak, and Roger Kennedy hosted by Lunt Solar Systems. There is also a “Mighty Sky Night” at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum concert with Beth Nielsen Chapman. For more information please visit www.scienceandastronomy.com.
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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INDUSTRYNEWS
SOUTHWEST ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SEMINAR A New Feature of ASAE The inaugural Southwest Astrophotograph Seminar (SWAP) will be held November 14th and 15th, 2013, at the
Tucson Inn Suites and Conference Center in Tucson, AZ. The cost to attend the event is $200. The conference will be held immediately prior to the Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo. The Southwest Astrophotography Seminar showcases all of the leading astroimaging equipment manufacturers. The conference is devoted to all aspects of astronomical imaging, including deep-sky CCD imaging, lunar, planetary, and solar imaging, imaging with digital SLR cameras, and video cameras. The event is hosted by astro-imager extraordinaire, Warren Keller shown here. With attendance expected to be close to 200 astrophotographers, attendees can be assured that they will be very busy both days of the event as they research their future “toys” to add to their collections of equipment, all while networking, and learning in hands-on seminars and lectures
SKYVISION NOVA High Precision Robotic Mount and Other Products Now Available Worldwide SkyVision is a French designer of high-end truss telescopes and robotic direct-drive mounts. The company recently announced plans to establish a global presence by offering its products worldwide. Located in Saint Emilion, France, in the Bordeaux area, the move is due in part to the company’s recent development of its own mirror-making facilities. SkyVision follows the current wave of manufacturing philosophy that offers sleek products of futuristic form that are just as futuristic in their operation. The company offers a variety of telescopes including DallKirkham, Truss Newtonian, and Ritchey–Chrétien, as well as classic, compact, and ultra-compact Dobsonians. The company also offers the NOVA high-precision robotic mount.
We’ll report more on the company’s products in upcoming months. For more information please visit www.skyvision.fr.
by world-renowned professional and amateur astro-imagers. The expansive schedule of speakers include: Adam Block (Mt Lemmon SkyCenter and University of Arizona), Bryan Cogdell (Celestron), Robert Denny (DC-3 Dreams), Alan Erickson (Adobe Systems), Dr. Don Goldman (Astrodon), Chris Hendren (OPT Telescopes), Kevin Nelson (QSI), Wolfgang Promper (Courtesy of FLI Cameras), Stephen Ramsden (Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project), Robert Reeves (Modern Lunar Imaging), Dr. Craig Stark (Stark-Labs), Michael Hattey (StarlightXpress), Jack Huerkamp (Jack’s Astro/Mallincam), Fred Metzler (Canon USA), Bruce Morrell (Astrofactors), Tim Puckett (Apogee), Rui Tripa (Atik), Scott Tucker (Starizona), and Richard Wright (Software Bisque). For more information please visit www.scienceandastronomy.com.
Lyra© Double Double Mounting System No More Tube Rings or Tools!
Quick mounting of guide scopes, cameras and finder scopes on telescopes with just the click of two buckles! Replaces two sets of two mounting rings and all the nuts and bolts.
FAR LABORATORIES www.dynapod.com Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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INDUSTRYNEWS
KNIGHTWARE Release SQM Reader Pro 2 Knightware has announced the release of SQM Reader Pro 2, the only commercially available software that reads sky darkness data from connected Sky Quality Meters from Unihedron (www.unihedron.com). SQM Reader Pro 2 provides the interface needed to get the most from a Sky Quality Meter. From initial setup of the meter, to nightly data collection, to enabling sophisticated statistical analysis, SQM Reader Pro 2 makes understanding the darkness of your evening sky easy, accurate and convenient. SQM Reader Pro 2 automatically and continuously displays and graphs data, stores data in files and transfers it to an FTP server, and posts processing scripts, batch files and programs. Readings can be submitted automatically to a live SQM Readings Map page at Knightware.biz. Readings may be stored in two data-file formats, including the new Skyglow Observation Standard Format (see the Skyglow Standard web page at www.darksky.org). The Skyglow Standard format allows data to be shared with dark-sky researchers around the world. Data files in both formats (plus the Unihedron Device Manager format) may also be re-opened and processed with SQM Reader Pro 2 at a later time. SQM Reader Pro 2 operates on Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP. It supports SQM models LE (Ethernet), LU and LU-DL (USB) and LR (RS-232). Included is comprehensive documentation, online product support and online product updates. SQM Reader Pro 2 uses your computerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ethernet connection to communicate with the model LE, a USB port to communicate with the model LU and LU-DL, or a 9-pin serial port to communicate with the model LR. You can read the model LE over a network or use an Ethernet crossover cable to read the meter directly. You can read models LU, LU-DL or LR
Foster Systems
directly via the appropriate cable. SQM Reader Pro 2 does not calibrate the SQM or alter its accuracy. SQM Reader Pro 2 is available now by digital delivery ($50US) and will be available soon on CD ($58.95US) directly from Knightware. Owners of Version 1 are eligible for upgrade pricing. Visit www.knightware.biz for more information.
Serving Astronomers and Observatories Worldwide
FOSTER SYSTEMS is your remote observatory master control and integration headquarters. Whether it is weather, power, optics security, or automation, we have the solutions that make your investment more effective, reliable and enjoyable. Our line of AstroMC products are ASCOM compliant which gives you the assurance of compatibility and reliability.
Next Generation Roll off Roof and Dome Controllers are now available. Now is the time to automate your astrophotography! CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR ALL THE DETAILS! www.fostersystems.com
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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THE UNIVERSE IS YOUR STUDIO. CREATE YOUR MASTERPIECE. Create stunning lunar, solar, and planetary images with Celestron’s new USB 3.0 CCD camera: SKYRIS™. We’ve joined forces with The Imaging Source® to design this cutting-edge camera from the ground up. SKYRIS features fast frame rates and shutter speeds, allowing you to capture planets during brief moments of stable air. Then, using the included iCap and stacking software, you can stack your best images to create vibrant color or monochrome images of Saturn, solar prominences, lunar craters, and so much more. It’s available with a variety of popular Sony imaging sensors, so there’s a SKYRIS to meet any imager’s needs. // Six models for planteary, lunar, and solar imaging // Highly-sensitive Exview HAD Sony Color and Monochrome CCDs // High-speed USB 3.0 connection enables fastest frame rate possible // 12-bit output provides higher dynamic range // Heat sink housing minimizes CCD noise // Includes metal 1.25” nosepiece, 10’ USB 3.0 cable, Celestron iCap software,
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95/560 CaF2 Travel Companion A Top-Quality Grab-and-Go Crossover Apochromat
By André Van der Elst
The amateur astronomer has a large choice of compact refractors today. Companies like William Optics, Takahashi, Stellarvue, Tele Vue, TMB, TEC and others offer short APOs in apertures ranging from 80 mm to 110 mm. Amateur astronomers often have to go on the move to find clear and dark skies and a small but excellent telescope can do wonders visually and photographically far from city lights. The champion between compactness and diameter is surely Astro-Physics with the legendary but elusive Stowaway 90 mm, a compact oiled-triplet APO offered for a time as an f/5, then as an f/7 instrument. The shortest one (actually with aperture of 92.5 mm f/4.9) is only 36-cm short and weighs 3 kilograms. Very few were produced: Roland Christen found it difficult to work with the central fluorite element of the triplet. Later, he found that even producing the f/7 was as expensive as making the 105-mm Traveler, and the Stowaways were discontinued,
Image 1 - The Baader Travel Companion mounted on the author’s Vernonscope/Unitron alt-az mount.
much to the chagrin of many amateurs. If you’re very lucky, you can sometimes find one of these little gems but at an as-
tronomical price! Ninety-five millimeters. That seems an odd diameter, but that may well be
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BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION
Image 2 - The Travel Companion is shipped in a heavy-duty plastic case (Outdoor Case) made by B&W International.
Image 3 - Disassembling the scope reveals a 60-mm-long tube extension.
the best aperture for a pocket-sized telescope for the traveling amateur astronomer. It gives enough resolving power for interesting views of the Moon and planets and enough light gathering power for deep-sky while maintaining capacity and light weight, even for airlinecabin storage. I have used, in the past, many 70-mm to 80-mm APOs, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been somewhat disappointed on the Moon and planets. A 100-mm APO is another story! It collects as much light as 125- to 150-mm catadioptrics, depending of the coatings
and obstruction of these instruments. But 100-mm APOs are or long, or heavy, or both. With 95-mm aperture, the fast Baader Travel Companion nears nicely the power of a 100-mm but with the physically dimension of most 80-mm short-focus refractors. Until now, in my opinion the only compact APO in the league of the Stowaway is the 92-mm f/5.5 Signature APO designed by the late Thomas Back (TMB Optical). But its weight is 4.3 kilograms. Now Baader Planetarium, the small but dynamic and innovative German com-
pany, offers the 95-mm Travel Companion, a short APO made 100 percent in Germany. I had an opportunity to test the prototype for several months and put it through its paces. Travel Case The refractor is shipped in a heavyduty plastic case (Outdoor Case) made by B&W International (Image 2). These cases have pressure-compensated valves and are made for extreme conditions. They are almost indestructible and can survive temperature between
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BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION
Image 4 - By unscrewing a 60-mm-long extension tube, the tube length is reduced to only 395 mm, allowing use of a binoviewer or a Herschel wedge without the need of additional transfer lenses.
-40° and +80°C and are completely airtight. There is room enough for several accessories. The Travel Companion itself is very well made and gives a feeling of solidity with its monolitic tube and a multitude of knife-edge diaphragms machined directly into the tube. It kills any erratic light without hampering the free airflow within the tube, avoiding turbulence to go into the light cone. With so many diaphragms machined inside the tube wall,
Image 5 - The Steeltrack focuser is a black-anodized 50.8-mm (2.0-inch) Crayford type. The right knob has a 1:10 precision reduction gearing. The drawtube travel is 75 mm and the focuser features a scale graduated in millimeters and inches.
no wonder that the inside is the darkest I’ve ever seen. No way to get stray light or reflections: it’s as dark as in a coalpit! Design and Construction The lens is a triplet APO with the central CaF2 (fluorite) element in contact by means of a thin oil film with the other two glasses. This gives only two airglass surfaces (like Zeiss, Astro-Physics and TEC). The oil is actually the same expensive and exclusive one as used by
Zeiss, matched perfectly to the fluorite index. The objective has the seven-layer Baader proprietary Phantom Group multi-coating with transmission optimized for 520 nm. All this keeps haze to an absolute minimum: the glass seems to disappear with this seemingly invisible coating! The optical tube is 455 mm long, including the focuser (540 mm with extended dew shield). But by unscrewing a 60-mm-long extension tube (Image 3),
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION
Image 6 - The Travel Companion ships with sturdy mounting rings threaded for dovetails from Astro-Physics, Vixen, Skywatcher, and the like. The rings have a flat top with other threads permitting connecting accessories.
this is reduced to only 395 mm. In this configuration, one can use a binoviewer or a Herschel wedge without the need of additional transfer lenses (Image 3). The diameter of the OTA is 99 mm (dew shield is 110 mm) and the weight only 3.1 kilograms. The Baader-designed Steeltrack focuser is a black-anodized 50.8-mm (2.0inch) Crayford type (Image 4). It’s ready for motorized operation. The right knob has a 1:10 precision reduction gearing. The drawtube travel is 75 mm, and the focuser features a scale graduated in millimeters and inches. It too has extensive knife-edge baffling. Three clamp knobs in 120 degree distance extend pressure against a bronze compression ring on a star diagonal and other accessories. A large locking ring with three chrome grip levers permits easy rotation of the focuser. The precision ball bearings ride on hardened and polished stainless-steel rods inset into the aluminum drawtube. This gives a buttery-smooth motion with almost no feeling of friction. If you think the celebrated Feather Touch is smooth – and it is – try this one! As a note: the
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Image 7 - The baffle configuration of the optical tube are continued throughout the entire length of the dew shield.
Steeltrack focuser is available for other refractors, Newtons and catadioptrics of most brands. A new short 50.8/31/75mm Click-Lock reducing ring clamps all accessories with a gentle twist without marring them. For mounting the OTA, Baader offers a pair of sturdy rings threaded for dovetails from Astro-Physics, Vixen, Skywatcher, and the like (Image 5). The rings have a flat top with other threads permitting connecting accessories on the Travel Companion (guide-scope, finder, etc). Mounting the scope with the provided pair of rings via an 8-inch AstroPhysics sliding bar on my Vernonscope/Unitron Alt-Az mount from my earlier Brandon 94-mm f/7 APO is straightforward. The telescope is easily balanced (it is half as long as the Brandon) and after removing the aluminum cover, the captive dew shield glides smoothly in place. The dew shield has generous length, and I never experienced fogged optics. I compared the Travel Companion for several months with my APQ 100/640 and a 90-mm f/5 Stowaway.
Like always when I have a new telescope to test, I was clouded out for several weeks! But clouds are not a problem for daytime tests. Daylight Observations Nature observing shows immediately that this small scope is a very high-quality apochromat. Even a bright reflection of the sun on a window gives no trace of false color. A nearby tree (at this short distance, the air is calm) shows a wealth of small contrasty details exquisitely sharp up to 280x with an Abbe 4-mm and Zeiss 2x Barlow. There is no image breaking down at even higher magnification, just loss of light. It surprised me that this 95-mm apo gives brighter images than the 92.5-mm Stowaway, despite the minimal difference in diameter. The difference is small but noticeable, nonetheless. That is the result of Phantom Coating, the special oil, and the fluorite element that put the light where it belongs: in the image. No internal glare or ghosts, but a clean high contrast image. The baffling (Image 6) is a far cry from the one and only baffle in
BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION the APQ OTA! In short, the Travel Companion is a perfect spotting scope or long-distance microscope for nature study and photography when mounted on a sturdy tripod with pan-head. When the skies eventually cleared, I checked a bright white star image inside and outside the focus. Star images are almost perfect â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just a small hint of green on intra-focal and orange on extra-focal images at 140x with an Abbe 4-mm. This is very close to what my reference Zeiss APQ 100/640 shows, but the later has an f/6.4 focal ratio, not f/5.9. Vega and Venus are clean white when focused in both scopes. But there is an important difference between the APQ and the Travel Companion: While the APQ requires a prism star diagonal to obtain perfect achromatism, the Travel Companion needs a mirror star diagonal.
Image 8 - This image was captured through the Travel Companion using a Baader Herschel wedge.
Sizes for SBIG, QSI, FLI Durable to extreme weather fluctuations Non-reflective 20+ years of thin film design Manufactured in Vermont
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BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION discs surrounded by a very faint first ring. The Dawesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; limit for this aperture is 1.2 arcseconds bringing many interesting doubles in its reach. The beautiful Double Double in Lyra is easy at 93x using an Abbe 6-mm, while the colorful Epsilon Bootes (magnitude 3 and 6.3, 2.8 arcseconds separation) splits nicely at 140x. The next target, the binary Lambda Ophiuchi (magnitude 4.1 and 5.1) is more difficult with only 1.4 arcseconds between the components Image 9 - We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally associate fast apos with in 2012. This binary needs high-resolution planetary imaging, but the Travel pushing further to 187x, 224x Companion holds its own nonetheless. and 280x to be clearly split. The two white stars of Pi Aquilae Observing Doubles (magnitude 6.3 and 6.8) have a 1.4 arcThe Travel Companion is a nice inseconds separation. The pair is elongated strument for double and multiple star at 70x, just split at 112x and even better observers. Stars are textbook-sharp airy
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when switching to 160x. Higher magnifications up to 364x give a clean split with a dark separation between the components, confirming that the resolving power of this instrument can be easily attained. Delta Cygni is another binary of unequal brightness (magnitude 2.9 and 6.3) and the companion lays just on the first ring at 160x. The current separation is 2.7 arcseconds. Despite my brightly illuminated Brussels sky, I could detect component E, the fifth star in the Orion Trapezium at 140x in steady seeing. No doubt that F would also be visible under darker skies. My naked eye limit is about magnitude 4. That means deep-sky observing is poor where I live. Anyway, this shortfocus APO will give impressive images and pictures of the most popular objects under dark skies, thanks to the very transparent fluorite glass, only two air-
BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION glass surfaces, and very high-transmission coatings. Actually, when shining through the lens with a green laser, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the fluorite element! Deep-Sky Views With only 560-mm focal length, a Panoptic 41mm wide-field eyepiece gives 14x and an expansive rich field of almost 5 degrees, for an exit pupil of 6.9 mm. With such a wide field, a finder is not really necessary. The large fields provided by those 2-inch widefield eyepieces in the 30- to 40-mm focal range are fantastic for large deep-sky objects like the Andromeda and M33 galaxies, the Pleiades, the Double Cluster in Perseus and other large, bright open clusters, etc. Because of the fast optics, modern highly corrected wide and ultra-wide eyepieces are best suited to get flat fields sharp to the edge. The high light transmission and contrast gives impressive images of globular clusters and planetary nebulae as well. The brightest globulars
Image 10 - The Travel Companion manages impressive image scale as evidenced by the detail in this lunar image.
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BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION
Image 11 - In this image of the stellar field surrounding M27, the Travel Companion generated nice, round stars from corner to corner.
begin to resolve even under my Brussels sky at higher magnification. Solar System Observations Despite its modest size, this APO shows a wealth of details on Jupiter and Saturn. The sky background is jet black right up the edge of the planetary discs. With the right planetary eyepieces there is no scatter of light. The ringed planet was unfortunately low above the horizon in 2012, but the images are sharp and contrasty at 140x, 160x (Pentax Ortho 7mm + Zeiss Barlow) and 187x (Abbe 6mm + Zeiss Barlow). Jupiter presents a magnificent sight. The belts are sharply delineated at 112x (Pentax XO 5-mm) and 140x, and colors, serrations, loop festoons, dark clumps, small spots are clearly visible at 160x and 187x. The Great Red Spot is easy with some detail in it. The Jovian moons are tiny disks with different color hues. The shadows during transits are coal black. All this is a far cry from what you see in many popular small catadioptrics in the 89-mm to 102-mm aperture range, whatever
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their price. Lunar details are breathtaking at high powers, again with the sky background very dark up to the edge of the lunar disc, something that will please lunar occultation observers. Magnification can be pushed up to 280x without image breakdown on this bright object. The narrow rille Rima Birt near the Straight Wall is clearly defined and irregular at 160x, ending in a small shallow dome-like feature. Many fine rilles are in the reach of this APO. Even the more difficult ones near Prinz begin to show. The Hadley rille where Apollo 15 landed is easy. The rille complex near Ramsden is also an interesting target, rimae I, III and V being easy and hints of some parts of rima II. The large formation Ptolemaeus reveals at least half a dozen shallow depressions depending on illumination and as many craterlets, A, D, M, S and C being the easiest. The difficult rille near the wall begins to show. In the landing area of Apollo 11 in Mare Tranquilitatis, a few craterlets were named after the first lunar explorers. Armstrong (4.6 kilome-
ter diameter, 670-m deep) is easy at 160x and 187x. Aldrin (3.4 kilometer) and Collins (2.4 kilometer) are at the limit of this scope but just visible by steady seeing and the right illumination. The resolving power of a 95-mm telescope on the Moon is about 2.4 kilometers. Moon, Sun and planets are even more impressive with a binoviewer in combination with a Barlow lens or, even better, with Baaderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own FFC quadruplet lens. By removing the 60-mm extension tube, focus can still be reached with the Grossfeld bino and Baader 2inch Herschel wedge. This combination, plus a polarizing filter on each eyepiece, will provide the best views ever of sunspots, faculae and granulation! Freezing Refractors I was curious about the behavior of the Travel Companion under freezing conditions. Many APOs I tested in the past are better in the summer than in the winter! One could heat the lens elements, but it is better that a refractor perform at temperature extremes without need of such measures. No APQs, even the large 150-mm, ever showed image deterioration in the winter. No wonder: Zeiss tested their lenses ten years in harsh conditions (centrifugal forces in all directions, wide range of temperatures differences, even in a vacuum chamber down to 1/10 atmosphere!) to come up with a cell design and an oil that would not shrink or freeze at considerable low temperatures. Baader has tested the objective of the Travel Companion in a cold chamber down to -50°C and uses the same oil. No wonder, again, that the images remain perfect under my lighter freezing conditions! Astrophotography I gave the Travel Companion and the dedicated photographic 2-inch Field
BAADER APO 95/560 CAF2 TRAVEL COMPANION Flattener for a few weeks to Bart Declercq, one of the best astrophotographers in Belgium. (See Images 8-12.) He too praises the mechanics of this very solid refractor, with really smooth and accurate focuser. The only annoyance is that when releasing the screw to allow rotation of the focuser, the image shifts several arc minutes. Tightening the screw again does re-center the image perfectly, but when framing an object, one doesn’t want to have to tighten it every time to check if the position is correct. Some shift is acceptable, but it is too much. The high-resolution Jupiter, Moon and solar images are very significantly better than with an 80-mm apo with which we compared the Travel Companion. The provided Field Flattener is perfectly tuned, and the test images show pin-point stars anywhere in the field of view of Bart’s APS-C sized Canon 60D. The weather circumstances during the tests prohibited really long series of exposures, so it is hard to comment on the stability of the focus over longer periods of time. But, from the feel of the focuser and the sturdy tube, it would be very surprising if it is less than excellent with no fear of flex-issues. Conclusion In summary, the Travel Companion is a top-quality grab-and-go crossover apochromat, well thought out and a joy
Image 12 - Few instruments are better at producing rich fields of view than small, fast apos, as demonstrated by this image capturing M31, M32 and M110 in a single frame.
to use. It’s an awesome richest-field telescope and capable of high resolution, high power views, as well. Its performance is very close to that of my Zeiss APQ 100/640, only in a much shorter and modern package with much better baffling and modern focuser. All that and for a much lower price (the APQs are no longer in production and are collector items). However, some people thought the transport case too large and heavy when I showed the scope at club meetings. The B&W case is great and surely the most secure way to protect this fine instru-
ment, but may be overkill for many amateurs. A soft bag, like the one of the Stowaway, would increase the appeal and versatility of the Travel Companion and would have no problem qualifying as airline carry-on luggage. A padded shoulder bag and a slimmer, lighter pair of rings (or a short, fixed dovetail bar like on the APQ) would also make this compact APO an even more-perfect go-anywhere/anytime instrument. It would be more attractive to amateurs traveling light and demanding portable performance in the spirit of the original Stowaway.
A big Dob on an Equatorial Platform is the ultimate observing machine. The Platform gives you precision tracking, whether you are observing with a high-power eyepiece, imaging with a CCD camera,or doing live video viewing with a MallinCam. Just check out this image of NGC3628 taken by Glenn Schaeffer with a 20-inch Dob on one of our Aluminum Platforms!
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The QHY12
Ode to an OSC By Mark Zaslove
Editor Note: Although always the case, it bears repeating here. This article contains astro images whose details presented on ATT’s interior newsprint pages are not as crisp and sharp as online. Please visit the digital version of this issue for better image fidelity, particularly as to the “darks” that tell much of the QHY12 story. If the poet John Keats had been an astrophotographer, he would have loved the QHY12 camera. In fact, he would have waxed lyrically about it. Probably even wrote a poem about it. He would have liked it that much. Even if it is an OSC. Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty Look, I know all the arguments about mono cameras versus One Shot Color
cameras (OSC), but, given specific circumstances, there are still a lot of good reasons for getting an OSC. Seriously. Here are the three main ones: 1. Time. 2. Slightly easier for a beginner (less to set up and less to think about along the learning curve). 3. Time. And by “time,” I don’t mean a levelplaying-field, where to get similarly-deep shots between an OSC and a mono camera with LRGB filters you need to go longer on the OSC because the mono camera has more pixels per color, and it’s all kind of a wash-in-the-end kind of time. No, I mean the kind of time if you just want any shot after you’ve trucked your rig out on that lone night per month you get a chance, and the moon is right, and the weather gods are looking favorably at
your offerings of burnt stew and wine spritzer, and the gear isn’t acting up so much that subs are wildly thrown out. I’m talking about actual shooting time. There, I’ve said it. Face it, sometimes, especially for a beginner (and I’ve heard veteran APers mutter about it as well), time under the sky is short. The mount is acting up. The focus isn’t quite right. Guiding is being weird. Clouds suddenly appear out of nowhere. And that’s not taking into account forest fires, run-ins with berserk animals, people in cars stopping to ask what you’re doing while having their headlights on high, and food poisoning. All real possibilities for the intrepid astrophotographer. Sometimes all you get is 45 minutes worth of data. And if that’s just with the red filter alone on a mono setup, that’s
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THE QHY12 ODE TO AN OSC FRUSTRATING. Sure, in a perfect world, we all have observatories at dark sites and everything’s dialed in, working faultlessly, but that isn’t the world I live in. Thus, the OSC. But what an OSC!
Image 1 - The QHY12 ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
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Philosophy Will Clip an Angel’s Wings QHY is the only company I’ve found that uses the Sony Super HAD CCD sensor ICX613. And for color chips, I believe the Sonys kick butt on the Kodaks. We’re talking much better QEs across the whole range and better readout noise: high-SNR imaging, boys and girls (you don’t have to take darks with Sonys, though I do). With a sensor total-pixel size of 4640 x 3160 and small 5.12um x 5.12um square pixels, it’s as big a color chip as Sony makes. Throw in Peak QE: 55 percent at green, 46 percent at red and blue. Readout noise: 8-10 e- at 600Kpixel/s. System Gain: 0.5e-/ADU. Full-well: 32ke-. With a dynamic range of 71dB and anti-blooming at -100dB, the numbers are very good … but the end product is even better. Oh, and it cools quick and easy with a solid two-stage thermoelectric cooling (TEC), with good stability and repeatability. I’ve even taken darks in a summer Southern California back room, and they work just fine. I tend to run it at -20C ambient, but have kicked it down to -40C without any trouble (Images 2 and 3). Did I mention it was Hyperstarfriendly shaped? Yup, pop it right on the end of your Hyperstar’d scope, and you’re ready to roll. And it’s even got a cool burnt-orange band of color around the middle … quite stylish (Image 4). On the back it has a USB 2.0 port, a power port, and a ST4-type guide port as well, in case you get the urge to use your main camera to guide (Image 5). It even has a camera tilt adjust ring (which I didn’t need to use) for getting the chip juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust right. Basically, screw it onto the scope, plug
THE QHY12 ODE TO AN OSC
Image 2 - 3 minute dark, at -20C.
Image 3 - 10-minute dark at -20C.
in the power cord and USB cable, and let ‘er rip. [Note to all you sensitive-eared people: It’s not that loud, a whir that tells you it’s on, then I usually forget about it for the rest of the night.]
stable telescope mount or beast of burden) and my next reasonable shots were in May, still fighting things: The Trifid and Lagoon Nebulas, but had to throw out a few subs, so, altogether, 18 minutes worth of light (Image 8). A quick 18 minutes of the North American and Pelican Nebulas (Image 9), and then a few attempts at the Veil Nebula (Image 10). Now, these weren’t intended as mosaics, and I do a heck of a bad job of blending them, but still: 12 and 15 minutes worth of exposures in three minute subs. That’s it. There was no more. I’ve included a single 3-minute frame of the Crescent Nebula (Image 11), just
A Thing of Beauty Is a Joy Forever So how does the QHY12 do matched up with a 6-inch f/2.8 Newt? Very wide and very fast! The first three shots I ever took since I was a kid using film many moons ago (we’re talkin’ the first shots since after 35 years) were done one night last winter. Here’s good ol’ Barnard 33, the Horsehead Nebula, with a combination of fifteen 3-minute subs for a grand total of … that’s right, only 45 minutes (Image 6). But this was my first night with scope and camera under the dark skies, so I wanted more. The second image of the night was the Rosette Nebula, another 45 minutes worth of subs (Image 7). No sweat. Focus problems, guiding problems, problems with getting out to my darksite (kids … if only they could be used as a
Image 4 - The QHY12 in all its small-footprint glory.
to show what the camera does without bells and whistles. No darks, flats or bias frames, just color done in MaxIm DL and a simple stretch in Photoshop using Annie’s Astro Actions. It’s a hardworking camera and very, very good for APing with limited time.
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THE QHY12 ODE TO AN OSC
Image 5 - The back I/O ports of the QHY12.
Nothing Ever Becomes Real Until It Is Experienced There is one major not-so-great thing: The QHY12 is a pig on download times for a full image. It’s fine for preview and focusing mode, fairly fast (2 seconds or so), but full downloads are 27 seconds! Not just a pig, but a full-blown momma sow. If
you’re an impatient person (and, really, you’re sitting under a dark sky with nothing else to do, so, Zen a little), those 27 seconds per sub can add up quickly. 20 subs and you’ve added an extra ten minutes to the night. And if you’re taking 3-minute subs, just one hour’s worth, that’s one hour and ten minutes you wait. Plus settling time between shots. That’s an extra hour per night or more if you’re taking short subs. One other niggling thing that I never encountered, but others have mentioned: the connection of the cables to the back of the camera. While not a Lodestar-type problem, some have thought the fittings could have been somehow more lock-down (some loose connections, I heard). As I said, never happened to me. But QHYCCD addressed this in their latest cameras, and they now have a little cable lock-down doohickey that comes with all the new cameras. Voila: problem solved, and good on QHY for listening to their customers.
Here Lies One Whose Name Was Writ in Water By the way, I worked with Bruce from AstroFactors, and he was a fount of information, taking lots of time with a born-again neophyte like me, answering all my questions (even when he was out on vacation in his RV and barely had cell reception), and when I needed odds and ends (extra longer cables, an extra power supply … just in case, etc.), he was quick on the shipping. Anyway, credit where credit is due and a tip o’ the hat to AstroFactors, one of the few American QHYCCD sellers. The Only Means of Strengthening One’s Intellect Is to Make Up One’s Mind About Nothing So, if you’re in need of a bang-for-buck OSC camera, take a look at the QHY12. Excellent Sony chip, small pixels, APS-size, good cooling, good price. All-in-all, a nice buy and a real time-saver for those of us who don’t get a lot of time under the sky. If the poet John Keats had been an astrophotographer, he might have put it something like this: “Ode On An OSC” Thou one-shot-color camera of twostage cooling, Thou foster-child of mono CCDs and filter wheels, With un-sylvan land and clear horizon, both East and West A simple snap and full and flowery is thy picture: What small and cylindrical is thy shape For both regular focusers and Hyperstar, or of both, If in download time, a swine before pearls? What men or cameras are perfect? What CCD is without flaw? What mad pursuit for images? What struggle to not take darks? What galaxies and nebulae? What wild ecstasy when they are in full color?
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THE QHY12 ODE TO AN OSC
6
Image 6 - 45 minutes worth of Horsehead Nebula.
7
Image 7 - 45 minutes worth of Rosette Nebula.
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THE QHY12 ODE TO AN OSC
8
Image 8 - 18 minutes worth of M8 & M20.
9
Image 9 - 18 minutes of the North American and Pelican Nebulas.
THE QHY12 ODE TO AN OSC
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Image 10 - 12 and 15 minutes worth of Veil Nebula.
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11
Image 11 - One 3-minute sub of the Crescent Nebula.
Image 12 - Crescent Nebula with six 3-minute subs.
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EXHIBITORS 10 Micron ADM Accessories Aerolite Meteorites Antelope Valley Astronomy Club APM Telescopes Apogee Imaging Systems Arizona Challenger Center Astro Factors Astro Hutech Astro Physics AstroDon Astronomical Consultants Astronomics Astronomy Magazine Astronomy Technology Today AstroTrac Atik Cameras Avalon Instruments
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The ADM DV-Series Saddle Making a Great Mount Even Better
By Jody Raney
The world of astronomy equipment can feel as vast as the universe itself. Telescopes, mounts, drives, guides, plates, all different, and still fitting together like puzzle pieces. We swap, buy, trade and modify our equipment as if prepping hot rods for the races. Fortunately, the astro market allows us to easily make modifications that better suit our particular needs, even as those needs change over time. Some of these modifications work, some don’t, but we continue to try, striving for that 10-second quarter mile with near-stock equipment. Several years ago, a friend introduced me to astrophotography. He suggested that the simplest, most affordable way to start out in this endeavor was with a Celestron CG-5GT mount, a small, fast Newtonian set up specifically for imaging, an autoguider, and a spectrum-modified DSLR. As hindsight proved, this was excellent advice. My friend recommended the CG-5 for several reasons. The dollar cost of entry into
astrophotography can be high, so the CG5’s remarkable cost-to-capability ratio was the primary factor. An added benefit was that several people in my local astronomy club already owned CG-5s, so there would be an established knowledge base already at hand as my inevitable questions about setting up and using the mount arose. My friend recommended the CG-5, as is, as a good entry-level mount for both visual observing and for astrophotography, but also advised that its performance in both roles could later be improved with simple bolton modifications as I gained greater imaging competence and thus required more from it. It’s not only an affordable mount; it’s one that can easily grow with you. One issue that soon became apparent was with the stock dovetail-saddle assembly. It is designed to accept a standard Vixenstyle dovetail bar and secured that dovetail with a single set screw that engages the end of the screw directly against the side of the dovetail bar. The stock set-screw knob is
small and hard to see in the dark. I often found it hard to tell if the dovetail was seated securely in the saddle while tightening the set screw. One night, I had the alarming experience of the telescope crashing to the ground, because, indeed, the narrow, Vixenstyle dovetail was not seated correctly. In the dark, it looked like it was attached, but it wasn’t. There are surely worse feelings than trying to catch and missing a falling telescope, camera and guider, but none came to mind as I stood there watching all that precious equipment bounce across the ground. I’ve now acquired several telescopes that match up with the CG-5 well, and my astronomy club has even more, but some are fitted with Losmandy “D-series” dovetails and others use Vixen-style dovetails. In order to use the former with the stock CG5, I had to unbolt the D-series dovetail from the telescope’s mounting rings and then bolt on a Vixen-style dovetail, only to repeat the
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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THE ADM DV-SERIES SADDLE
process when ready to change telescopes again. This was a pain in the neck and best done during the daylight, which required more advance planning than was always available. Fooling around with Allen
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wrenches in the dark is not much fun. Fortunately, I found a solution. While attending the 2012 Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo in Tucson, Arizona, I came across the ADM booth where owner An-
thony Davoli displayed his dual “DV-series” saddles that accept either a D-series or a Vixen-style dovetail. The ADM saddle is 7 inches long and has two large locking knobs that force a split clamp against the entire length of the dovetail bar rather than forcing a single screw end directly into a single point along the dovetail bar, as does the stock system. The split clamp is spring loaded to hold it firmly against the locking screws, making installation and removal of the telescope much more predictable and far easier. ADM’s DVseries saddles are constructed of black-anodized aluminum and stainless-steel hardware resulting in a great look and solid durability. Mounting the ADM DV-series saddle to the CG-5 was easy thanks to the included adapter. My CG-5 is still under warranty, so I was hesitant to make any permanent modifications to a perfectly good mount. But the included instructions
THE ADM DV-SERIES SADDLE made it clear that I’d be risking no modifications that couldn’t be undone. While competent, I don’t claim to be the handiest of handy men, but the instructions also satisfied me that I needn’t be to install the new ADM saddle. Following the instructions, I carefully disassembled the stock mount head, reading step by step. The instructions clearly explain how to remove the stock saddle along with the head and drive assembly. In fact, the instructions were excellent, detailing every part of the disassembly and reassembly. Within an hour, everything was back together, just as the instructions indicated. I hooked up the power, turned the CG-5 on, and everything worked perfectly. The new saddle assembly looked bigger and bulkier than the stock assembly, and I decided that was a good thing. The blackanodized saddle and white ADM logo complimented the mount nicely – just like making that first modification to the old
hot rod. I first tried mounting my 6-inch imaging Newt using the Vixen-style dovetail that it came with. Holding and guiding the scope into the saddle using a one-hand-andshoulder hold, the dovetail bar found the bottom groove easily and clamped down securely. The new dual-knob fastening system was easy to use and left no mystery as to whether the scope was indeed secure. I found that the balance point of the telescope had changed with this new setup. A quick adjustment of the position of the rings along the length of the scope solved the problem, and a fine-tune balance was easily made by sliding the dovetail back and forth along the 7-inch long saddle. Within moments, everything was balanced perfectly. The next test was mounting a scope using a D-style dovetail, and as I expected, installation was just as smooth and easy. No more switching out dovetails at the rings
again for me. Over the last several months of using the new ADM DV-series saddle and adaptor, I have been able to switch out any scopes I wanted without resort to an Allen wrench. The large saddle and knob assembly makes mounting a telescope a breeze, whether at night or by day. I still inspect the connection carefully when mounting any telescope, but with the dual-knob splitclamp connection, I feel confident that I won’t be repeating the horrifying experience of a falling telescope. Disassembly and teardown at the end of an astrophotography or viewing session is a breeze, as well. I recommend the ADM DV-series dual saddle and adapter as a worthwhile modification to anyone’s Celestron CG-5GT mount, or any other mount that does not accommodate both Vixen- and D-style dovetails in its stock configuration. ADM currently makes D-series adaptors for 20 of the most popular mounts.
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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Olivon WA Plössl, Zoom and UW80° Eyepieces
A Tag-Team Report on Three New Eyepiece Lines
By Reid Williams and Gary Parkerson
Among the news I discovered first at ASAE 2012 was that Olivon Manufacturing Group had introduced some interesting eyepiece lines and that Greg Bragg represented that new enterprise. I’d gotten to know Greg and come to appreciate his direct approach during his years with Meade, so it was no surprise that his description of the eyepieces was consistent with my later experiences with them. No puffery there. Two things in particular caught my attention: (1) There were two zoom versions (I’m a big fan of zooms and will explain why), and (2) its “planetary”-style line included 15-mm and 20-mm focal lengths, where most stop at 9-mm. Intrigued, I asked for an extended loan of samples, and am glad I did. Keith Venables’ report of his TSP-2013 telescope-resolution project will appear in the November-December 2013 ATT issue. In it, Keith documents observed telescope resolution. Among the things Keith’s research re-
Image 1 - Olivon WA Plössls
inforces is that, although aperture does indeed weigh heaviest in determining a telescope’s resolving power, it is the entire system – from telescope objective to the observer’s eye – that tells the complete story. Critical in that mix are both the characteristics of the eyepiece matched to the telescope, as well as the eye and experience of the observer. No two of us will look through an eyepiece and see or experience precisely the same thing.
And so, I report here the tales of two different observer’s eyes – mine and those of friend Reid Williams. The Olivon WA Plössls While I think of them as planetary-style eyepieces due to their long eye-relief and wider apparent fields of view and twist-up eyecups – reminiscent of the famed TMB/Burgess Planetary eyepieces – Olivon Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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OLIVON WA PLÖSSL, ZOOM AND UW80° EYEPIECES
Image 2 - Olivon Zooms
makes no such pretension, labeling them “Wide-Angle Plössls” instead. Unlike the sixelement TMB’s, Olivon’s WA Plössls are a five-element design. I tested the 2.5-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 15- and 20mm WA Plössls at f/5, f/10 and f/15 and found their performance to be remarkably consistent across that very-wide range of focal lengths and telescope focal ratios. The manufacturer specifications were also consistently
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accurate. Olivon claims an apparent field of view of 58° and that’s consistent with what I my measured. The claimed eye relief of 16 mm is also spot on. The Olivon WA Plössls have a reassuring heft and solid construction. The eyecup assemblies twist up a full 6.5 mm and are also fitted with fold-up rubber eye cups – you’ll have no trouble finding a comfortable configuration, whether you view with or sans eyeglasses. The twist-up action is smooth yet firm enough to hold a position once set. The eyecup setting I found most comfortable was with the rubber eye cups up and the eye-cup assembly twisted up about a third of the way. I used these eyepieces extensively at a public star party among lots of distracting light sources, and the eye cups worked well to block stray light and allow me to focus on the target. Each of the WA Plössls was fitted with a rubber-grip insert that is ribbed vertically and measures 24-mm wide. The grips are … well, grippy, and allowed me to handle the
eyepieces in the dark with confidence. The vertical ribs also made twisting the eyecup assembly especially easy. The caps fit snugly and compliment the grip inserts by continuing grips’ vertical-rib theme. The labels are printed in white just above the rubber grip and are easy to read by red flash. Although I used some of these eyepieces quite a lot in recent months, the print is still crisp and clear on all, showing no signs of wear. The 2.5- through 9-mm versions have chromed barrels and have a safety indent of the style that has become popular. I like these recesses for the safety factor, but have never liked that they can hang up on the brass compression rings that are also now popular in focus tubes, diagonals and adapters. So, it was interesting to note that the 15- and 20mm versions of the WA Plössls instead used an indent that is sharp at the upper edge and tapered at the bottom, providing an extra measure of safety while preventing the naggingly-intermittent hang-ups that always
OLIVON WA PLÖSSL, ZOOM AND UW80° EYEPIECES seem to catch me by surprise. The nose barrels are threaded for filters, and although I used a variety of filters from several different manufacturers with each of the WA Plössls, all threaded easily and firmly. Olivon’s WA Plössl line doesn’t present a lot of bling, just black-on-black styling with standard chromed nose barrels. In short, the eyepieces look and feel like serious bits of astro kit. The design incorporates ample internal baffling and, studying the optical assemblies closely through their field lenses, I detected nothing shiny or reflective – only flat-black surfaces and uniform multi-coatings. I tested for reflections on Venus, Saturn and Sirius and experienced no internal ghosting or flares. The field stop in each of the WA Plössls produced a sharply delineated field edge, and their long eye relief and twist-up eye-cup assemblies ensure that every observer will be able to see that field edge. Where the focal lengths matched up closely enough, I compared them to the light-throughput champs of my personal collection, Tele Vue Plössls, and the Olivon’s fared remarkably well against those goldstandard oculars. I still favor Tele Vue’s classic Plössls when my only consideration is image fidelity – habit is hard to break – but never felt I was missing anything when using Olivon’s WA Plössls. Indeed, the additional 6° of apparent field was a much-appreciated bonus, as was the generous eye relief of the shorter focal lengths. What was true of all the eyepieces at f/15 and f/10, held true even at f/5: flat fields of pinpoint stars across the entire fields of view. I anticipated that the edge performance of the 15- and 20-mm versions would suffer in fast scopes, but, if they did, my right eye could not detect it. Among my favorites of the group was the 7-mm, but in the range of scopes in which I tested the eyepieces, the 7 yielded exit pupils well within the 1- to 4-mm range
Image 3 - Olivon Zooms with Eyecups Raised
I find most comfortable, so that was no surprise. The 6-, 5-, 4-, and 2.5-mm performed equally well, but saw less use the shorter the focal length. I note that Reid’s impressions of the Olivon WA Plössls are consistent with mine, with the exception that he found images to be sharp “almost” to the edge while I detected no degradation of the image at the edge. Reid’s eyes are younger than mine and yet he has years more observing experience, so I defer to his observations. Your experience is likely to fall somewhere between his and mine – either is a win. Reed’s Take on the WA Plössls “I tested the eyepieces using my 10-inch f/6 reflector, 80-mm f/7.5 ED refractor, 90-mm f/9 fluorite APO, and 9.25-inch SCT (f/10). The 58° WA Plössls are excellent eyepieces. In testing the eyepieces on white-light solar viewing with a Baader Astro Solar rejection filter and Baader Solar Continuim Filter with my 80-mm ED refractor, I found the Olivon 58s to show fine filamentary detail in spots. In comparing the 4-mm WA 58° to my superb Barlowed TV 8-mm Plössl, the Olivon was very close in showing the same detail, while at the same time was more forgiving as to eye relief and
field of view. When viewing Jupiter with the 90-mm Apo, I found the 4-mm Olivon to show a better view than the 8-mm Plössl-Barlow combination (and blame the Barlow). The focus spot also seemed to be easier to hit using the 4-mm Olivon 58 as compared to the 8-mm Plössl-Barlow combination. When compared to my 5-mm wide-field, long-eye-relief eyepiece, the Olivon 5-mm 58 kept a better, more natural coloring of the planet completely across the field of view. Testing the Olivon 58s with the reflector and SCT further substantiated their good performance. To my eyes, the field is flat and images sharp almost to the edge. In quick centering of objects using the 15-mm 58, I found myself noting how bright the stars were across the entire field.” The Olivon Zooms As I noted in the introduction to this article, I’m a long-time-user and fan of zooms, and as you’ll read shortly, Reid is neither. So, it comes as no surprise that our reports on the Olivon zooms differ dramatically. Zoom eyepieces represent a number of compromises. I realize that. Indeed, it’s what I appreciate most about them. Much like SCTs, they’re champs of nothing but convenience, but very good nonetheless in most
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OLIVON WA PLÖSSL, ZOOM AND UW80° EYEPIECES
Image 4 - Olivon UW80° Eyepieces
roles. I’m as big an astro-tech geek as anyone. I love testing, tweaking and just-plain fiddling with scopes and mounts and eyepieces
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and such just as much as, if not more than, I do using them to observe the heavens. But when it come time for observing, I prefer the total-immersion route, and fiddling with
equipment gets in my way of that. Sort of like a golfing partner once told me as I tried a new swing motion during a tournament. “Mess with your swing on the driving range. It’s time for golf!” When it’s time for observing, the simpler I can keep things, the better, and that’s what quality zooms do for me. Would the view be better with an 8-mm eyepiece, or a 9-mm? Where is that planetary nebula! Better switch to a longer focal length until I find it. Without zooms, I’d be back and forth between scope and eyepiece case. With zooms, I just … well, zoom! Yes, the apparent fields of view narrow as you zoom through longer focal lengths. I can live with that, because the inverse is also true. Rather than think of the Olivon 3x, 8- to 24mm zoom as a 66° eyepiece that narrows to 43° at the long end, I think of it as a 43° eyepiece that expands to a huge 66° when I need it most – at the shortest, highest-magnification end. I don’t say that to be a too-cute, glass-is-half-full kinda guy. When your favorite eyepieces have 50° to 52° apparent fields of view, 43° really doesn’t feel half bad (just 1/5 bad?). The Olivon zooms come in two flavors: a 3X, 8- to 24-mm, and a 2X, 9.5- to 19mm. Both exhibit all of the positive attributes I noted of the WA Plössls, sans the fold-up rubber eye cup. Instead, the twist-up eyecup assembly raises 11 mm within just over a quarter revolution. With eye relief of from 15 to 20 mm, the adjustment range of the eyecups matched the zooms perfectly. Their rubber grip inserts are 27-mm wide and just as grippy as those of the WA 58s, albeit with a combination vertical rib and knurling pattern rather than all vertical ribs. The zoom range is clearly marked in the same durable, visible white print. The zoom positions of the 2X are marked for 19-mm, 16-mm, 12.5-mm and 9.5-mm, and the 3X is marked at 24-mm, 18-mm, 12-mm and 8-mm. The zoom action is smooth and firm, and there are no click-stops at the marked
OLIVON WA PLÖSSL, ZOOM AND UW80° EYEPIECES positions. I’ve grown so accustomed to using a zoom that I rarely take note of precisely where along the focal-length range I’ve position it. Instead, the view through the eyepiece tells me where to stop. I’m used to zooms with click-stops and thought I would miss them, but that wasn’t the case. If I rarely look to confirm at what focal length I’ve stopped, why should I worry about feeling those same stops? In practice, I simply twisted the barrels back and forth until I’d found the focal length that was most pleasing, just as I would crank a focus tube through and back to the point of optimum focus to confirm I was there. Now that I think about it, it makes no more sense to have click stops in the zoom range of an eyepiece than it does to have them along the range of a focus tube. Both zooms are fitted with 2-inch chromed nose barrels that unscrew to reveal 1.25-inch barrels. I don’t currently use a scope with a 1.25-inch focuser, so never personally tested this feature, nor did I try inserting 1.25-inch filters into those smaller barrels, although they are indeed threaded to accept filters. The 2-inch barrels accommodated all filters I tried in them without threat of cross threading or undue fuss. The two zooms feature the same blackon-black look that I found pleasing in the S
WA Plössls and feel solid and substantial. As with the WA 58s, their fit and finish is excellent. Again, I used the two zooms at f/5, f/10 and f/15 and observed flat, pinpoint views across the entire fields. The field stops of both were positioned correctly and produced sharp edges. I tried both with 1.5x and 2x 2-inch Barlows. It seems counter-intuitive, but I like the 2x zoom even better than the 3x when Barlowed. Both zooms Barlowed well, but I found the 2X’s more narrow focal-length range to be more useful across its entire range when matched with the 1.5X and 2X Barlows than I did the wider range of the 3X. But, sans Barlow, I found myself using the 3X more than the 2X. I used both zooms on bright targets, including Sirius, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the Moon, and noticed no internal ghosting or flares. This was not the case for Reid, and I’m still trying to figure out why he was seeing what I couldn’t. Bottom line: Reid saw objectionable reflections when the 8- to 24-mm was matched with his 9.25-inch SCT, while I did not while using another 9.25-inch SCT. Different nights, different 9.25-inch SCTs, different observers, different results, go figure. I found only two potential negatives to
report. (1) To my eye, the light throughput of the zooms was not as great as that of WA Plössls at similar focal lengths. It was close, but not quite as good. (2) The eyepieces are not quite parfocal across their entire zoom ranges. This did not bother me since I’m used to at least confirming focus after a zoom change, but bears noting. That said, I judged both the 2X and 3X zooms to be excellent examples of the state of the zoom-eyepiece art. They worked flawlessly for me, got out of the way and allowed me to observe without distraction. As a bonus, the zooms make great public-star party eyepieces, allowing changes in magnification with minimal interruption of observing time. Plus, they give visitors a reason to touch the touchable parts of the eyepiece rather than the glass bits you’d rather they avoid, and they are going to touch your eyepieces somewhere, so putting their left hands on the zoom ring and right hands on the focus knob worked well for me. Reid’s Reflections on the Olivon Zooms “I have never tried a zoom before and need to spend more time with them, but my first impression is that I don’t like zooms. It felt that at the lowest power settings, 24- and 21-mm respectively, the field of view was so
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OLIVON WA PLÖSSL, ZOOM AND UW80° EYEPIECES narrow, I was left with the impression that I could see the same stars in the maximum power settings. My eyepiece calculator shows this to be impossible: the 8-mm setting actually showed only half the true field of the 24mm setting, but it sure didn’t feel like it. I did not initially note any glaring artifacts. Stars were clean at both extremes. Mechanically, the zooms are well constructed, and I appreciate the dual-barrel option. I was able to unscrew the 2-inch barrels and use the zooms in a 1.25-inch holder. Very handy! The zoom mechanisms had a good feel and were smooth throughout the range. The twist-up eyecup was also a nice feature, but I used the eyepiece with the eye lens flush with the eye cup. I tested the 8-to-24 zoom further with the 9.25-inch SCT and 80-mm ED mounted side-by-side and noted extreme internal reflections with the SCT when observing Jupiter. They were obvious enough that I could observe the reflections eventually stacking on each other as the planet was centered in the field of view. When Jupiter was placed on the side of the field of view, the resulting reflections would point directly to the center of the field of view. But, when using the 80-mm, the reflections were not bright enough to be notice. Overall, I found contrast and resolution of the zooms to be less than that observed through with the Olivon 58s.” The Olivon UW80° Eyepieces I’ve seen the 30-mm and 20-mm designs before, although never better executed. The 15-mm version was new to me. These are heavy, substantial eyepieces, again executed with a durable black-onblack finish, although these also feature black-coated nose barrels instead of the chrome of the two zooms and the WA Plössls. I’ve collected several similar 30-mm 80° oculars over the years that I’ve used
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primarily as “finder” eyepieces, but the Olivon 30 is simply nicer than those. As with the other Olivon lines, the fit and finish of these are top-notch. All internal metal surfaces were nicely baffled and blackened, and I, again, detected no internal reflections or flaring. As before, I tested the three 80° eyepieces at f/5, f/10 and f/15. At f/15 (6-inch achromatic refractor), the 30-mm UW80° was marvelous. Stars remained sharp points to just within the edge of the field, and images were as bright as through any wide-field eyepiece I’ve used with that old scope. At f/10 (9.25-inch SCT), the well-corrected field shrunk a bit, but just a bit – perhaps to within the outer 10 percent of the field. At f/5 (actually, f/5.75 with Paracorr), things deteriorated noticeably, with the sharp field representing somewhere between half and 75 percent of the total field. Not bad considering these eyepieces are not specifically corrected for use with fast Newts. By my estimate, the reported 80° apparent field of view is accurate, as is eye relief of 16 mm. The nose barrel is threaded for 2-inch filters, and all I tried threaded up easily. The 20-mm UW80° is essentially a 30-mm with a dedicated thread-on Barlow lens set, a combination that works well. Olivon reports eye relief of 16-mm, the same as with the 30-mm UW80°, but it felt even longer than that to me – closer to 20-mm when compared to the 30. Light throughput was good but did not appear quite as great as with the 30. That’s to be expected given the addition of the Barlow elements. I consider the Barlow group to be lagniappe. Unscrew it, and you’ve got a very-good 30-mm wide-field eyepiece. With it on, it’s back to being a competent 20-mm wide-field. Because it attaches via filter threads, you can use it on other 2inch eyepieces, too. Win, win, win! The
Barlow lens housing is also threaded to accept 2-inch threaded filters, so you loose no functionality with it in place. At f/15, the 20-mm UW80° was almost as marvelous as the 30 – the wellcorrected field shrunk by just a small fraction, as was the case at f/10. At f/5, the 20 matched the 30’s 50- to 75-percent pinpoint center field. I did not expect the 15-mm UW80° to perform as well as the 30 and 20, but to my observing eye it did, yielding one of the most pleasant surprises of the entire collection. I found the 15 especially comfortable to use, which sounds nebulous, I know, but is true nonetheless. At f/15, its field of view was better corrected than the 20’s and on par with that of the 30. At f/10, the 15 fell somewhere between the edge performance of the 30 and 20, which is to say that it was pretty good. At f/5, its well-corrected field fell somewhere between 50- and 75-percent. In sum, the Olivon UW80° eyepieces are not Naglers, nor are they designed and priced to be. If the majority of your viewing is done through fast scopes – particularly, fast Newtonians – then you owe it to yourself to consider eyepieces that are corrected specifically for that role. But, if, as do the majority of visual observers, you observe at focal ratios closer to f/10 than f/5, Olivon’s 2-inch UW80° line represents competent solutions to wide-field viewing. I see that Reid and I are back to being fairly close in our observations with the 2inch UW80° line, differing only in where we define the limits of their pinpoint fields. But again, different nights, different scopes, different observers yield different results. Reid’s Impressions of the 2-inch Olivon UW80s “I tested the 15-, 20- and 30-mm 2inch 80° wide-fields against my personal collection of 17-, 21- and 28-mm wide-fields
OLIVON WA PLÖSSL, ZOOM AND UW80° EYEPIECES on some of the larger open clusters. What I found was interesting. The field stop was easy to see in the 30-mm, and at first I thought the 80° apparent-field-of-view assertion was an error. But, when comparing the Olivon 30 to a 28-mm 68° wide-field of excellent quality, it was clearly obvious that the Olivon eyepiece indeed had a larger field of view. Stars in the 30-mm were bright and sharp across almost 90 percent of the field, then just slightly out near the edge. Moving to the 20-mm, I experienced the same view, but with distortion starting further from the edge. I liked using the 15-mm, but found stars starting to distort beyond 75 percent of the central field.”
Conclusion So there you have it. Reid is a more experienced observer than I and has invested in exquisite equipment far longer and far more often. But, we’re both primarily visual observers, preferring, all things being equal, to see through telescopes rather than to capture photos through them. Therefore, quality eyepieces represent critical components to both of us. Our impressions of the Olivon eyepiece lines were gained at different times and different places, and we did not compare notes before recording those
impressions. Still, we differ substantially only with respect to the zooms, and then only to the extent of personal preference – but for the internal reflections that Reid was and I was unable to detect in the 3X, 8- to 24-mm zoom. For my part, I could pare my personal eyepiece collection down to nothing but the Olivon WA Plössls, Zooms and UW80°s and live happily ever after … except that I now see another Olivon eyepiece line, this one sporting a proven 70°, 8-element design. What a great time to be a consumer of astronomical eyepieces!
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THE
William Optics
Gran Turismo 102-mm Apo Refractor GREAT FOR VISUAL OBSERVATIONS, AS WELL AS DIGITAL IMAGING By James R. Dire, Ph.D.
Image 1 - The William Optics GTF102 is shown mounted next to the GTF81 on which Dr. Dire previously reported.
Image 2 - As with the GTF81, the GTF102 features fully multi-coated lens elements with a special super-high transmission coating on all surfaces.
In the July-August 2013 issue of ATT, I had the privilege to write about the William Optics Gran Turismo 81-mm apochromatic (Apo) refractor. In this issue, I will cover its big brother, the Gran Turismo 102-mm Apo (Image 1). Four-inch apochromatic refractors seem to be one of the most popular sizes used by amateur astronomers for both visual observing and imaging. High-quality Apo refractors cost substantially more than acromatic doublet refractors, and the cost seems to increase exponentially with aperture. Just scanning one website, a 3inch Apo listed for $1200, a 4-inch for $2300, a 5-inch for $6000 and a 6-inch for more than $10,000. The 4-inch price range seems to be the choice for the majority of astronomers. Plus, 4-inch Apos have great portability and provide excellent views of binary stars, star clusters, planets, the Moon, and brighter galaxies and nebulae. There are a lot of great 4-inch Apos on the market made by well known manufacturers. They usually come in objective sizes ranging from 98 mm to 105 mm, with focal ratios from f/6 to f/8. Most Apos have a triplet objective and make use of the best glass, usually FPL53. As I discussed in my last article, even high-quality triplet Apos suffer from field curvature. However, using a field flattener between the focuser and the eyepiece or camera can eliminate field curvature. A few 4-inch Apos use a four-element optical design that totally eliminates field curAstronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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THE WILLIAM OPTICS GRAN TURISMO 102-MM APO REFRACTOR
Image 3 - The nearly-full Moon imaged through both the GTF81 (right) and the GRF102 (left) with the same CCD camera, demonstrating the 47-percent increase in magnification achieved by the 102’s 704-mm focal length.
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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
THE WILLIAM OPTICS GRAN TURISMO 102-MM APO REFRACTOR vature and provide an optical system faster than f/6. These Apos are typically priced $1000 higher than the average triplet Apo. The William Optics GTF102 is a great, low-cost alternative to these higher priced Apos. Like its little sibling, the GTF102 has an air-spaced triplet objective containing high-quality FPL-53 extra-low dispersion glass, in this case 102 mm in diameter, and a second group, located at the focuser end of the optical tube assembly, containing an air-spaced doublet with ED glass that serves as a built-in field flattener. Each lens is fully multi-coated with a special super-high transmission coating on all surfaces (Image 2). Although the GTF102 has a 26 percent larger diameter objective than the GTF81, it has a focal ratio of f/6.9 compared to f/5.9. This results in a focal length of 704 mm, 47-percent greater than the GTF81. Image 3 shows the nearly-full Moon taken through both telescopes with the same CCD camera, clearly showing the 47-percent increase in magnification. In addition, the GTF102 objective has 59-percent greater surface area than the GTF81, so it collects 59percent more light. For 550-nm light, the GTF81 has a limiting resolution of 1.65 arcseconds, while the GTF102 has a limiting resolution of 1.13 arcseconds. Note the improved resolution of the 4-inch Apo over the smaller version in Image 3. (We routinely get 1-2 arcseconds seeing where I image in Hawaii.)
Image 4 - Dr. Dire recommends an Atlas-class mount for imaging with the GTF102.
The GTF102 comes with an extrasmooth 360-degree rotatable 2.5-inch rack-and-pinion focuser with 1:10 dualspeed knob on the right side. Like the GTF81, the slow-motion knob comes with a cover, and the left knob comes with a built-in analog metric- and Englishreading thermometer. It can also be ordered with a Digital Display Gauge focuser. The telescope is 27 inches long and weighs 11 pounds. The GTF102 comes with a set of nicely machined tube rings, a Vixen-style dovetail plate, a 2-inch to 1.25-inch adapter, and a soft carrying case. It does not come with a diagonal or finder-scope bracket, eyepieces or a mount.
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THE WILLIAM OPTICS GRAN TURISMO 102-MM APO REFRACTOR
Image 5 - 10-minute exposure of 9.3-magnitude NGC5466 captured through the GTF102.
Besides being a great-sized telescope for visual observations, 4-inch Apos are ideal for digital imaging with CCD or DSLR cameras. A $10,000 mount is not required. Very superb results can be ob-
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tained with smaller German equatorial mounts. I would recommend one with at least a 30-pound payload capacity, because mounts in that payload range are of sufficient quality to produce very grat-
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ifying results. My CCD setup with an Orion Atlas mount and the GTF102 is shown in Image 4. Like the GTF81, the GTF102 has superb color correction, as good as any other Apo I have used. The five-glass optical assembly produces an extremely flat field. Image 5 shows a 10-minute exposure of the globular cluster NGC5466 in Bootes. The cluster is magnitude 9.3 and 11 arcminutes in diameter. I kept the exposure short so as not to overexpose the center of the cluster so that stars can be compared from the center to the edges of the image. As you can see, throughout the image the stars are perfectly round. Many blue and red stars are easily identifiable across the image. Despite the
THE WILLIAM OPTICS GRAN TURISMO 102-MM APO REFRACTOR short exposure, the faintest stars in the image are magnitude 17! The arrow points to a magnitude 15.5 spiral galaxy, a mere 43 x 20 arcseconds in size. Image 6 shows a longer exposure, 20 minutes, of globular cluster M68 in Hydra. This cluster is magnitude 7.8 and, like NGC5466, 11 arcminutes in diameter. The longer exposure and brighter globular cluster result in many more cluster stars visible in the center of this image. I like imaging deep-space objects, especially when I can capture two or more of them in the same image. The 704mm focal length of the GTF102 is ideal for capturing such images. Image 7 contains the galaxies M95 and M96 in Leo. M96 (left) is a magnitude 9.2 spiral galaxy measuring 8.5 x 5.6 arcminutes in size while M95 (right) is a magnitude 9.8 barred spiral galaxy 7.2 x 4.4 arcminutes in size. The exposure was 110 minutes, and all images were taken with an SBIG ST-2000XCM CCD camera. My conclusions are the Gran Turismo 102-mm Apo is an outstanding refractor, great for visual observations as well as digital imaging. It is well-crafted and a beautiful instrument. It performs as well as any 4-inch Apo I have used. To get the same performance, you would have to buy a more expensive triplet Apo, plus an external field flattener, or an even more expensive four-element refractor.
Image 6 - 20-minute exposure of 7.8-magnitude M68 using the GTF102.
Image 7 - This image of 9.8-magnitude M95 and 9.2-magnitude M96 consists of a total of 110 minutes of exposures captured through the GTF102 using an SBIG ST-2000XCM CCD camera Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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ASTRO TIPS tips, tricks and novel solutions
Cradling Round Objects By Gary Parkerson While working with Henry Fisher of Houston, Texas on an upcoming article detailing his remarkable ATM long-focus refractor (Henry even built the diagonal!), I noticed a related trick well worth sharing here – an easy-to-construct solution to keeping round optical-tube assemblies (OTAs) in place while working on them. I’ve built a number of scope cradles or stands over the years, usually consisting of plywood squares with “V”-shape cutouts facing upwards to accept the round OTA. I’d join two such vertical plywood squares with two horizontal pieces of 2 inch-by-4 inch lumber using wood screws. I lined the edges of the V cutouts with the kind of closed-cell pipe insulation that has adhesive pre-installed along its seam to hold the insulation to the plywood, or stapled the insulation to the plywood if what was available had no adhesive. The result was a stable, rigid cradle that would accept OTAs of vary-
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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Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
ing diameters. The result was also heavy and bulky, where Henry’s solution is neither. Henry used lightweight PVC pipe and connectors to create his scope stand rather than heavy wood and, by joining the two uprights with a single length of pipe secured with screws rather than glue, he created a stand that is not only lightweight, but it’s collapsible, too. The accompanying photos show the significant details of the design that worked best for Henry’s particular application, but the rigidity of short sections of Schedule-40 or Schedule-80 PVC pipe and the variety of standard fittings available to join them allow you to create whatever configuration works best for you. The erector-set-like qualities of PVC pipe and fittings limit you only to your imagination. Henry chose U-shaped cradles, but you could even form Vs using Y connectors, if that’s your preference. The tip
here is not Henry’s specific scope-stand design, but the fact that he created that design from versatile, easy-to-assemble PVC plumbing fixtures. Henry’s design even accepts pipe-insulation padding better than mine, because … well, it’s built from pipe!
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