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My Astro Equipment |
It's no secret. Taking high resolution photos of objects buried deep in the night sky requires some pretty serious equipment. Here's what I use to do it.
As of late 2010, my imaging sessions take place primarily from my observatory at the RAS's dark sky site (GMARS) in Landers, California. It's a 10' x 12' manual roll-off roof observatory.
- Mounts and Piers
- Telescopes
- Cameras
- FLI ML11002-1-C camera with 65mm shutter and ADT
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera (unmodified)
- SBIG ST-i Autoguider (monochrome)
- Orion StarShoot Autoguider
- Lenses and Camera Accessories
- Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM lens
- Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM lens
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens
- Canon EF 2x Telextender II
- Sigma 8mm EXDG f/3.5 Fisheye lens
- Satechi TR-A Timer Remote Control
- Canon Angle Finder C
- Computer Hardware & Software
- Laptop: Sony VAIO VGN-FW590—Intel Core 2 Duo P8800 @ 2.66GHz, 6GB RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 w/1GB video RAM, 500GB hard drive, Blu-ray drive, 16.4" widescreen, Windows 7 Professional x64
- Desktop: Dell Studio XPS 9100—Intel Core i7-930 (2.80GHz), 8GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD5670 video card, dual Dell 2408WFP 24" LCD monitors, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
- TheSkyX Pro and CCDSoft 5 by Software Bisque
- ImagesPlus by Mike Unsold
- Maxim DL/CCD by Diffraction Limited
- Photoshop CS4 Extended by Adobe
- PhD Guiding by Stark Labs
- Other Accessories
- Takahashi 0.73x Reducer QE for FSQ-106EDXIII
- Technical Innovations RoboFocus
- Astrodon Monster MOAG Off-Axis Guider
- Gerd Neumann Jr. Aurora 12.5" Flatfield Panel
- Adapters from Precise Parts
- Tele Vue eyepieces, Powermates, and 0.8x Reducer/Flattener (TRF-2008)
- Edmund Optics RKE eyepieces
- Rings, plates, and saddles by SocalAstro, Losmandy, Parallax Instruments, and Robin Casady
- Cases by Pelican, Scopeguard, and Pacific Design
- Mogg adapter to connect EOS lenses to the Orion StarShoot Autoguider
- Custom designed and built AC AstroBox
- Custom designed and built DC AstroBox
- 100AH 12v deep cycle AGM battery (Sears)
- 55AH 12v deep cycle AGM battery (Optima)
- 18AH 12v SLA battery (Kendrick)
- Astronomy Equipment from Days Gone By (listed from most to least recent)
- Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSi) DSLR camera (self-mod with Astrodon AD40D)
- SBIG ST-10XME Self-Guiding CCD Imager with CFW-10 and AO-8
- Celestron NexStar 8 SE Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Advanced Telescope Systems 8" x 36" portable pier (2009-2010) — photo
- Celestron 9.25" Schmidt-Cassegrain (2005-2010) — photo
- Meade 12" LX200-ACF Modified Schmidt-Cassegrain (2009-2010) — photo
- Olympus OM-1 SLR (2002-2009)
- Mountain Instruments MI-250 w/Gemini & ATS Pier (2006-2009) — photo
- Canon EOS 40Dg DSLR (Hap Griffin modified) w/EF-S 28-135mm lens (2007-2009)
- Losmandy GM-8 German Equatorial with Gemini (2007-2009) — photo
- Takahashi TOA-130F APO Triplet Refractor (2006-2007) — photo
- Canon EOS 20Dh DSLR (Hutech Type Ia modification) (2005-2007)
- Meade DSI Pro (2005-2008)
- SBIG ST-2000XM CCD camera and AO-7 (2004-2007) — photo
- SBIG ST-7E CCD camera (2002-2004)
- William Optics Megrez 80mm Super APO Triplet (2002-2005) — photo
- Meade LX200GPS 10" f/10 (2003-2005) — photo
- Meade LX200 10" f/10 (1999-2002) — photo
- Nikon FM-10 SLR camera (2001-2005)
- Coulter Optics 10.1" f/4.5 Dobsonian (original blue tube) (1987-1997)
- Jason Comet 480 (76mm aperture) Schmidt-Newtonian (1985-1987) — photo
- Tasco 50mm (or 60mm?) achromatic refractor (1983-1985)
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Equipment Images
Click an image below for a larger view.
Observatory
Roll-off roof observatory
Astro laptop
Mobile Equipment
AP Mach1-GTO & FSQ
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