Astrophotography equipment questions

[rommel543]

I would love to get into astrophotography but I have no idea where to start. I inherited a 12" Dob, which is fine for looking around but you can't use it for photography. What kind of scope, mount, camera should I be looking at. I would like to get into deep space images and possibly local area objects as well.

I'm not looking top of the line as the cost would be to prohibitive, but something mid-range would be nice. I've looked at a lot of differnet reflectors and motor mounted telescopes with differnet star tracking features but I don't know if this is the kind of equipment that I need to be looking at.

Computer wise I'm set (I'm a software developer) and I was thinking of setting up an old laptop dedicated to the scope. My parents have property in the country with power and very few lights around, it's excellent for star gazing. My father set-up concrete pads around the property for telescope placement, and other than some light polution on the southern horizon from a nearby city, you have an almost perfect view of the entire sky.

[mahesh]

rommel543...hi...
sounds like a really nice set-up, your parents / father (and you?) put together...great foresight...playing host to your local astronomy group / enthusiasts?

sounds really ripe for some serious star parties, already.
am sure your friends and acquaintances in your neighbourhood would be partial to getting together on clear evenings/nights with their goodies.

mutual exploration of equipment and more importantly, the skies!

on your other serious questions of investing in equipment,
i better leave that to my peers to indulge you.

happy hunting the skies, rommel...!

[rommel543]

Ty mahesh. It's in southern Manitoba (Canada) so in the summer there is a lot of dust in the air. I would love to be able to get some property futhar north, away from populated areas and the farming areas. I was in northern Ontario one winter and the sky was amazing, looking at that no one would call the evening skys dark again.

[RickJ]

Adding a Poncet table under the Dob would be a good starting point. It would open up planetary photography and some deep sky work. They can be built or purchased. They can even be dual axis with auto guide capability.

Also get a good book on the subject. Covington's Astrophotography for the Amateur would be a good starting point.

For deep sky work I recommend a short focus scope on a very good mount. There are several years worth of targets for such a set up and the shorter focal length and reduced image scale puts less pressure on tracking and focus letting you concentrate on easier factors at first. Add the problem ones only as you become comfortable. I started at 600mm focal length with digital and was very glad I did. I now work at 3570mm but never could have started there!

The book goes into the advantages and disadvantages of various camera and scope options.

Each has its place so only you can decide which ones are important to you.

Rick

[rommel543]

I googled 'Poncet table' and came up with a whole bunch of DIY projects on creating motorized mounts. I'm in the midst of moving at the moment but I think I might try out building myself one once I get my workshop up and running.