Just looking to see if anyone else here is an amateur (or Professional) Optical or Radio Astronomer. If so, what gear do you use?

To kick things off, I myself am an amateur optical and radio astronomer. I'm currently using two optical scopes: an Orion Observer 70mm EQ Refractor (everyday scope or my "star-party" scope) , and a Meade LightBridge 16-Inch Truss Tube Dobsonian scope (I love this scope...I can I see some of Jupiter's and Saturn's moons clearly with it!)

My radio scopes are five discarded SuperDISH 121's assembled in an array and one 3-Meter C-Band dish.

The 121's are used for observing Jupiter and the Sun. They also are being used to develop my own long base line interferometer.

I am using the 3-Meter dish to take data (currently) on known Pulsars, detect high energy pulses from the galactic center, and observe Supernovas. I'd like to set up a SID receiver (sudden ionosphere disturbance) which I would use to listen for CRB's (cosmic ray bursts... these are created by the
explosion of neutron stars)

Anyway, enough about my setup what do you have?

Hello Brian

Your equipment sounds good.. and the 16 inch mirror must be a wonderful scope... so much light captured.. wow

Down far south pacific, at the moment Jupiter is clearly visible a couple of hours after sunset in the south-east, its so bright you just cant mistake it, I took some shots with just the camera and not the scope, then also through the scope, also saturn is on the opposite side (more souwestern) just heading towards the horizon.

I am just getting into the optics side of astronomy. I am an experimenter more than a photographer (a rank amatuer in other words). I have been playing around with a 4.5 inch reflector and trying to find the settings for camera-through-telescope. I have found that you have to throw away the cameras inbuilt "auto" settings used for normal earth based images and use manual settings instead, also take lots of images and select those that suit. The need to alter the shutterspeed, F stop, aperture and sensitivity of the chip are critical to this type of imaging. I have a lot of realy poor quality images but have saved them to compare what settings were used in them to find the optimal rapid setup for other bright or dark shots eg moon or stars and planets.... big contrast in settings required to do this.

heres a link to where I placed some of the images if you want to have a look.. as already stated they are just beginners shots...

moon
jupiter

Hi! I'm hobby + would_be astronomer (M.Sc. in Astrophysics:)). I use no_name Newton @ 114/900 mm. Pretty nice imaging however, it needs cleaning and well, I left home for studying so cannot use it very frequently. :(

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Just looking to see if anyone else here is an amateur (or Professional) Optical or Radio Astronomer. If so, what gear do you use?

To kick things off, I myself am an amateur optical and radio astronomer. I'm currently using two optical scopes: an Orion Observer 70mm EQ Refractor (everyday scope or my "star-party" scope) , and a Meade LightBridge 16-Inch Truss Tube Dobsonian scope (I love this scope...I can I see some of Jupiter's and Saturn's moons clearly with it!)

My radio scopes are five discarded SuperDISH 121's assembled in an array and one 3-Meter C-Band dish.

The 121's are used for observing Jupiter and the Sun. They also are being used to develop my own long base line interferometer.

I am using the 3-Meter dish to take data (currently) on known Pulsars, detect high energy pulses from the galactic center, and observe Supernovas. I'd like to set up a SID receiver (sudden ionosphere disturbance) which I would use to listen for CRB's (cosmic ray bursts... these are created by the
explosion of neutron stars)

Anyway, enough about my setup what do you have?

I have been interested in astronomy since I was a little kid. In Jan. of this year, I received 22 months back pay from the VA and bought a 3" reflector from Orion. Got it on clearance for $70.00. When my wife went to the link to see it, the page was no longer there. I panicked and Called Orion; I got the last one. It came with 25 & 10mm eyepieces, adn after looking at Jupiter last night and seeing the moons, I'm ready to order a 2X Barlow for it. I'd love to see more tech data on how you are using the ex dish antennas. I have a couple laying out in the back yard, and I've wondered if it would be possible to do anything with them. I also want to get my Nikon D40X hooked up to the 'scope and get some pics; photography has been a hobby for the last 50 years, since my 8th birthday when I received a Brownie box camera that used 620 roll film.
I'm anxious to learn more about astronomy; and I have an 8 yr old grandson that spends time with me and my cameras/scoes. He loves it as well.
You can reach me at clbiggs <AT> gvtc.com{Remove the spaces and replace <AT> with the e-mail symbol.}

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I've stopped listening; why haven't you stopped talking?

I have been interested in astronomy since I was a little kid. In Jan. of this year, I received 22 months back pay from the VA and bought a 3" reflector from Orion. Got it on clearance for $70.00. When my wife went to the link to see it, the page was no longer there. I panicked and Called Orion; I got the last one. It came with 25 & 10mm eyepieces, adn after looking at Jupiter last night and seeing the moons, I'm ready to order a 2X Barlow for it. I'd love to see more tech data on how you are using the ex dish antennas. I have a couple laying out in the back yard, and I've wondered if it would be possible to do anything with them. I also want to get my Nikon D40X hooked up to the 'scope and get some pics; photography has been a hobby for the last 50 years, since my 8th birthday when I received a Brownie box camera that used 620 roll film.
I'm anxious to learn more about astronomy; and I have an 8 yr old grandson that spends time with me and my cameras/scoes. He loves it as well.
You can reach me at clbiggs <AT> gvtc.com{Remove the spaces and replace <AT> with the e-mail symbol.}

I also have a small scope here, 100mm reflector, and I have been experimenting with just holding the camera up to the eyepiece and using the cameras manual settings to set shutter speed to between 3 and 6 seconds to capture the light through the scope (the moon needs about 1/200 to 1/250 sec shutter). I finally made a plastic tube that fits right over the scopes eyepiece and also the cameras lens (you can do this yourself if you feel in the experimenting mood with a piece of plastic pipe and a good slow heat source and slowly work the tube into the right shape, then spray paint the inside a flat-matt-black to stop refelections), to hold it steady and to eliminate outside light. You can get something the same through astronomy shops that will fit over your cameras lens and scopes eyepiece. You can focus the scope then use the cameras focus and zoom to get a "reasonable" set of images. I have wasted qute a few hours playing around with the camera-scope combination, but its relaxing so I dont mind, and the images are digital so if I only like 2 out of 100 its ok.

I havent yet started playing around with web-cams and attaching them to a scope but it sounds like it could be ok to me. If you do then you will also need some "stacker" software that enables you to capture the web-cams video input and effectively copy/stack them all one on top of the other to produce a better final image. I have a link to a package somewhere in the archives if your interested and can dig it out.

There are a couple of my "beginner" images in the seti_cafe "photos of large size..images to be 1024".. thread. a couple of the moon, as through the scope with camera to lens method.


just found this ...have a look...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxTalp6f7kw
also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vf50StbXG8

Have fun, you may find more than you think...

Hi! I´m physics student at university, hopping to become someday a professional astronomer! Actually I do participate in a small NEOs research project in the university´s observatory. For our project we have here a 8 inch Meade LX-90 schmidt-cassegrain with an old SBIG ST-237A CCD. We have recently recived a MEADE width field planetary camera but haven´t tested it yet.

My work in the project consist in follow-up NEOs, do astrometry and (if possible) photometry. Then we calculate orbits and ephemerids and report to MPC...

I have a small 4.5" scope that I use.... nothing much.

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Hi! I´m physics student at university, hopping to become someday a professional astronomer! Actually I do participate in a small NEOs research project in the university´s observatory. For our project we have here a 8 inch Meade LX-90 schmidt-cassegrain with an old SBIG ST-237A CCD. We have recently recived a MEADE width field planetary camera but haven´t tested it yet.

My work in the project consist in follow-up NEOs, do astrometry and (if possible) photometry. Then we calculate orbits and ephemerids and report to MPC...

. . . Welcome to the Project yo - seen this article from Cornell?

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 2 p.m. Eastern Time, April 11, 2002 <----- click me

Radar reveals five double asteroid systems orbiting each other near Earth, likely formed in close encounters with planet

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Science Status Page . . .

Thank you! good review. :-)

[quote]

II also have a small scope here, 100mm reflector, and I have been experimenting with just holding the camera up to the eyepiece and using the cameras manual settings to set shutter speed to between 3 and 6 seconds to capture the light through the scope (the moon needs about 1/200 to 1/250 sec shutter). I finally made a plastic tube that fits right over the scopes eyepiece and also the cameras lens (you can do this yourself if you feel in the experimenting mood with a piece of plastic pipe and a good slow heat source and slowly work the tube into the right shape, then spray paint the inside a flat-matt-black to stop refelections), to hold it steady and to eliminate outside light. You can get something the same through astronomy shops that will fit over your cameras lens and scopes eyepiece. You can focus the scope then use the cameras focus and zoom to get a "reasonable" set of images. I have wasted qute a few hours playing around with the camera-scope combination, but its relaxing so I dont mind, and the images are digital so if I only like 2 out of 100 its ok.

I havent yet started playing around with web-cams and attaching them to a scope but it sounds like it could be ok to me. If you do then you will also need some "stacker" software that enables you to capture the web-cams video input and effectively copy/stack them all one on top of the other to produce a better final image. I have a link to a package somewhere in the archives if your interested and can dig it out.

There are a couple of my "beginner" images in the seti_cafe "photos of large size..images to be 1024".. thread. a couple of the moon, as through the scope with camera to lens method.


just found this ...have a look...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxTalp6f7kw
also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vf50StbXG8

Have fun, you may find more than you think...

I looked at the youtube videos and noticed that he has the same problem that I'm fighting; telescope shake. I'm wondering if a more rugged tripod would lessesn/stop this problem.
I'm in the process of making a tube to mount a Creative Labs webcam to my 'scope and see if I can get any decent results on my laptop. I get a larger view of the moon and jupiter than what he had on the video; that makes me want to make a video myself and post it.

[quote]

I also have a small scope here, 100mm reflector, and I have been experimenting with just holding the camera up to the eyepiece and using the cameras manual settings to set shutter speed to between 3 and 6 seconds to capture the light through the scope (the moon needs about 1/200 to 1/250 sec shutter). I finally made a plastic tube that fits right over the scopes eyepiece and also the cameras lens (you can do this yourself if you feel in the experimenting mood with a piece of plastic pipe and a good slow heat source and slowly work the tube into the right shape, then spray paint the inside a flat-matt-black to stop refelections), to hold it steady and to eliminate outside light. You can get something the same through astronomy shops that will fit over your cameras lens and scopes eyepiece. You can focus the scope then use the cameras focus and zoom to get a "reasonable" set of images. I have wasted qute a few hours playing around with the camera-scope combination, but its relaxing so I dont mind, and the images are digital so if I only like 2 out of 100 its ok.

I havent yet started playing around with web-cams and attaching them to a scope but it sounds like it could be ok to me. If you do then you will also need some "stacker" software that enables you to capture the web-cams video input and effectively copy/stack them all one on top of the other to produce a better final image. I have a link to a package somewhere in the archives if your interested and can dig it out.

There are a couple of my "beginner" images in the seti_cafe "photos of large size..images to be 1024".. thread. a couple of the moon, as through the scope with camera to lens method.


just found this ...have a look...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxTalp6f7kw
also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vf50StbXG8

Have fun, you may find more than you think...

Where is the seti_cafe? I can't seem to find it.

BTW; IMHO time spent relaxing and enjoying a hobby is not wasted; it helps relieve the stress of our too-fast world.

[quote]

<snipped>

Have fun, you may find more than you think...

Where is the seti_cafe? I can't seem to find it.

BTW; IMHO time spent relaxing and enjoying a hobby is not wasted; it helps relieve the stress of our too-fast world.

. . . Message boards : Cafe SETI <----- click me

enjoy CL . . .

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BOINC Wiki . . .

Science Status Page . . .

Finally, daily rain to cool it off and hopefully lessen the drought. Sad thing is , it's been in the late afternoon and evenings, killing any telescope work. Seeing the red spot on Jupiter with my own eyes the other night has really whetted my appetite for more 'scope time.

enjoy CL . . .[/quote]

Thanks

I went out and picked up some cheap scrap sections of PVC to start making couplers for my cameras, (Nikon Coolpix L15, Creative webcam, Nikon D40X). I'm taking pictures of each step so that I can document what I've tried so that others can avoid my mistakes and have a base to start from. I also downloaded the information for the Orion telescope bracket that holds a Dslr in frfont of the eyepiece. I'm hoping that this will give me a technical start for distances, etc. Whatever works out, I'll try posting the pics in the seti_cafe.

I went out and picked up some cheap scrap sections of PVC to start making couplers for my cameras, (Nikon Coolpix L15, Creative webcam, Nikon D40X). I'm taking pictures of each step so that I can document what I've tried so that others can avoid my mistakes and have a base to start from. I also downloaded the information for the Orion telescope bracket that holds a Dslr in frfont of the eyepiece. I'm hoping that this will give me a technical start for distances, etc. Whatever works out, I'll try posting the pics in the seti_cafe.

Now that's interesting.

I've been meaning for while now to experiment with a cheapie webcam to use an old 35mm camera lens for an improved image. I'm expecting the glass lens to work vastly better than the existing plastic lens on the webcam...

Other things first!

OSETI later? Or will I just be tracking satellites and the ISS?! Or might I just be looking at atmospheric twinkle?...

Good luck,
Martin

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I might not be able to test what I have completed so far for a few days. Ike's front edge is 2 days away and aimed in our direction. Even if I could stand up in the wind, I doubt I'll see anything.
I have the first coupler ready, 1 1/2"OD PVC 13/4" long, lined with felt and a notch cut into the side to hold the webcam. According to my best guess, (I'm not Spock, I can guess), it should work.