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.
Video - Join Me As I Set Up Three Telescopes For A Night Of Image Capture!
Ever wonder what I go through when setting three telescopes up in my driveway for each night of imaging?
Wonder no more!
I strapped on a GoPro Camera and captured my set up process!
Video - What Setting up Looks like using the Telescope Lifter/Transporter
The security camera caught me setting up for a night of Astrophotography running two telescopes simultaneously. Many people have asked me how I go about this and I thought this might be an opportunity to show them. So I accessed the motion triggered video snippets from the security camera and using my non-existant video editing skills - I made my first movie. Its kind of fun to watch and I added a nice montage of some of my work at the end.
The Telescope Lifter/Mover Project
I image from my driveway. Setting up two large telescopes for each night’s astrophotographic efforts - and then taking them down again at the end of the evening was too much work. Wit the help of a talented friend, I build a Telescope Lift/Transporter. This device wheels up to my Tri-pier, clamps on to it, lifts it off the ground and then lets me move it to precise points of drive. This way the scope is ready to go at a moments notice. This post describes the design and the build process.