The Gear I Use to Make My Images
In order to “do” astrophotography, you can’t get around the need for gear!
On this page I will document the Telescope Rigs that I use to capture my images. One thing to keep in mind is that these rigs are NEVER static. They change and evolve over time. I will try to document those changes here. This has a few practical goals. First - it will document what state the rig was in when a given set of images were taken. Second, it will give you a feel for how things evolved as I progressed on this journey. Finally, it may give you ideas for your own rig!
In General, I am running three Telescope Platforms - typically all at the same time - to enable my imaging Projects. The First is the William Optics 132mm Platform. This is based on the first scope I used for imaging. The second platform is the Astro-Physics 130mm Platform. This second platform was unplanned and came about through a unique and fortuitous set of circumstances The third and most recent platform is the Askar FPA400 Platform - which was put together to enable both portable operations and more wide field capability.
The stories of these platform is found in this blog along with other pieces of equipment that greatly facilitate my astrophotographic endeavors.
The SkyAlert Weather Monitoring System by Interactive Astronomy
This post covers the SkyAert Weather Monitoring system but Interactive Astronomy. Combined with the SkyRoof motor and control system, this provides a lever of weather monitoring and automation to protect your gear during those long data collection cycles.
The 4th Pier: The Sharpstar SCA260 V2 Platform Ver 1.0
This post documents the setup and configuration of my New ‘Galaxy” scope, the Sharpstar SCA260 V2.
The 4th Pier: Galaxy Scope, Part 2 - The Mount!
Part 2 of the series where I choose the element of my galaxy Scope platform.
In this post, I look at my Mount options and make a choice that I think will work best for me.
The 4th Pier: Choosing A Galaxy Scope for My Observatory
I need a telescope for the 4th pier of my new observatory! So, what kind of scope platform should I put together? I decided on a Galaxy Scope. This blog shares my thoughts on how to put this together - and it might just help you as well!
New House - Building My Dream Astrophotography Man Cave!
I just moved to a new house that will allow me to finally build the observatory that I have been wanting - and in the process, I ended up having a new large space where I could set up my office. So I used this unexpected opportunity to build my Dream Astrophotography Man Cave! See what I did and how it came together. Maybe you will find a few ideas for your own workspace!
Wiring up and Cable Managing Your Telescope Platform
As you assemble and evolve your telescope platform, you can expect to have to deal with routing cables to feed power and USB connection. It’s easy to end up with a rat’s nest of cabling that can have a negative impact on your imaging. With this post, I share how I deal with this problem. Hopefully, it will give you some ideas as your wrestle with your cabling challenges.
A Smaller Footprint Image Processing Computer for Easier Transport
I have a powerful desktop computer that I custom-built expressly for Pixinsight image processing. However, I have been spending extended periods out of town and wanted to have a smaller form-factor computer for travel that was just as powerful. This post discusses that built.
A Computer, Storage, and Networking Strategy for Astrophotography
Running three telescope platforms at the same time can generate a lot of data. Processing that data with the some of the sophisticated algorithms used by Pixinsight can make great demands on your computer. In response to this, I built a new computer that would be better optimized for Astro image processing and storage and networking strategy that would handle the workflows, data loads, and demands of astrophotography.
Astro Cart - A Mobile Computer Desk for the Driveway
When you are running three astrophotography telescopes in the driveway at the same time, you have a lot of gear that has to be moved into position - plus I needed a place for the laptops that control my scopes. I built this Astro Cart and computer desk to help me deal with that. A very simple and useful project!