The Pleiades

[nighthound]

Known as The Seven Sisters in Greek mythology the open star cluster M45 is another birthplace of stars. Long exposure brings out the blueish nebulosity but even under skies that are not so dark, this object is very dazzling through binos or short focal length scopes.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/m45stk6.jpg

NH

[Kevin]

These are "relatively" visible with the naked eye as well, aren't they?

I like how the stars have a "star" appearance!! :) I'm amazed at how little noise shows up in your shots also.

[nighthound]

Definitely. If you look to the East in the evening now about 9 or 10 you should see it easily unless you have very bad light pollution in that part of the sky.Wait later and it'll be closer to zenith and be in a darker part of the sky. Check it out with binos. I have a pair of Celestron 15 x 70s that give great views of it.

NH

[Ann]

Very Cool!

[JaredB]

Steve - maybe this should be separate thread - but what would your recommendation be for basic equipment to being taking some "terrestrial" photos? Beyond holding a telescope eyepiece to the lens, but below a second mortgage. Somewhere in the middle. Your thoughts on that would be appreciated.

[nighthound]

Thanks everyone.

Jared, to get started I would suggest making the Moon and the brighter/closer planets as targets. To photograph these a telescope/mount that tracks is not mandatory but it would make then process a lot less tedious. I got started by hand holding a 2mgpxl HP 318 to the eyepiece of my 5" Meade LXD55 refractor. At the time it was $400 with the scope, mount and tripod minus the Autostar hand control which is the object database which controls the tracking and gives the scope "GoTo" capability. That means it has a library of around 40,000 objects to choose from. Once the scope is aligned, you select the object you want to see or image and push "GoTo" on the hand control and the scope will motor to the object. You tweek the object to the center of the eyepiece(usually slightly off) and the scope mount/motors will track that object as long as you want. Now that's sounds simple but there's a catch, I mentioned "once the scope is aligned". This requires some knowledge of the stars and constellations(or you could use a chart). You'll have to set the scope up facing polar north(not magnetic) and then in the alignment process will have to go to two different stars and then you'll be aligned. It's easier than it sounds, the scopes are getting more user friendly all the time. You should plan on spending between $600 and $1000 on a scope to get started in photography but don't expect a set up in this price range to get you long exposures like some of the deep sky images that I've posted. You'll have to spend 4 to 6 times that to get into a long exposure rig. You will however be able to take nice images of the Moon and with practice Jupiter, Saturn and Mars when it's much closer and if you get tracking, star clusters and bright nebula like M42. With a scope that tracks you'll also be able to shoot some widefield shots with a camera riding piggy back. Take a look at the Meade and Celestron web sites and read about some of their scopes and then go by OPT's (Oceanside Photo and Telescope) to get an idea of cost. You'll find that there are many telescope designs. If you're not mechanically inclined I would suggest a refractor telescope because you won't have to collimate or align the optics(mirrors) periodically as you would with a reflector like a Newtonian or Dobsonian for instance. Dobsonians are rarely seen with tracking and are designed to give lots of aperture for the least amount of money but they're not what you want for photography. As you can tell there's a lot of choices and things to learn in this hobby but I'll be glad to help you along the way as you narrow down your choices. PM me if you have questions about a certain product or model. What ever you do DO NOT buy a department store telescope like those at Walmart. It'll end up in your closet like a bad tie. They're very cheaply made and unstable which will be nothing but frustrating. Those pictures on the box do not represent what you will see through those scopes or most, if not all scopes in the case of the deep sky images. Only long exposures will reveal that kind of detail on dim objects. This can be an expensive hobby if you aspire to get deep sky images. A quality mount should be the priority when setting up for this. If you don't have a mount that tracks accurately it doesn't matter what you've got sitting on top of it.

Since I don't know which camera you would be using I can't suggest an adapter for attaching the camera to the eyepiece or in prime focus at this time.

Hope this isn't way more info than you need.

NH

[JaredB]

Thanks everyone.

Jared, to get started I would suggest making the Moon and the brighter/closer planets as targets. To photograph these a telescope/mount that tracks is not mandatory but it would make then process a lot less tedious. I got started by hand holding a 2mgpxl HP 318 to the eyepiece of my 5" Meade LXD55 refractor. At the time it was $400 with the scope, mount and tripod minus the Autostar hand control which is the object database which controls the tracking and gives the scope "GoTo" capability. That means it has a library of around 40,000 objects to choose from. Once the scope is aligned, you select the object you want to see or image and push "GoTo" on the hand control and the scope will motor to the object. You tweek the object to the center of the eyepiece(usually slightly off) and the scope mount/motors will track that object as long as you want. Now that's sounds simple but there's a catch, I mentioned "once the scope is aligned". This requires some knowledge of the stars and constellations(or you could use a chart). You'll have to set the scope up facing polar north(not magnetic) and then in the alignment process will have to go to two different stars and then you'll be aligned. It's easier than it sounds, the scopes are getting more user friendly all the time. You should plan on spending between $600 and $1000 on a scope to get started in photography but don't expect a set up in this price range to get you long exposures like some of the deep sky images that I've posted. You'll have to spend 4 to 6 times that to get into a long exposure rig. You will however be able to take nice images of the Moon and with practice Jupiter, Saturn and Mars when it's much closer and if you get tracking, star clusters and bright nebula like M42. With a scope that tracks you'll also be able to shoot some widefield shots with a camera riding piggy back. Take a look at the Meade and Celestron web sites and read about some of their scopes and then go by OPT's (Oceanside Photo and Telescope) to get an idea of cost. You'll find that there are many telescope designs. If you're not mechanically inclined I would suggest a refractor telescope because you won't have to collimate or align the optics(mirrors) periodically as you would with a reflector like a Newtonian or Dobsonian for instance. Dobsonians are rarely seen with tracking and are designed to give lots of aperture for the least amount of money but they're not what you want for photography. As you can tell there's a lot of choices and things to learn in this hobby but I'll be glad to help you along the way as you narrow down your choices. PM me if you have questions about a certain product or model. What ever you do DO NOT buy a department store telescope like those at Walmart. It'll end up in your closet like a bad tie. They're very cheaply made and unstable which will be nothing but frustrating. Those pictures on the box do not represent what you will see through those scopes or most, if not all scopes in the case of the deep sky images. Only long exposures will reveal that kind of detail on dim objects. This can be an expensive hobby if you aspire to get deep sky images. A quality mount should be the priority when setting up for this. If you don't have a mount that tracks accurately it doesn't matter what you've got sitting on top of it.

Since I don't know which camera you would be using I can't suggest an adapter for attaching the camera to the eyepiece or in prime focus at this time.

Hope this isn't way more info than you need.

NH

Thanks a ton Steve for the GREAT information......this is exactly the kind of guidance that I was looking for on the subject, for sure. I think that going for shots of the moon, closer planets and the such is good advice.......and then as my son and I learn more we can upgrade equipment to match out new-found knowledge of the subject. The advice toward a refractor telescope was a good one and this was one thing specifically I was looking to find out from you. I would not put myself in the technically inclined category -so you hit the nail on the head there for sure.

$600-$700 was what I was looking to spend as well. I will visit those websites that you mention and look around for a bit. My local camera chain sells nice telescopes, but I need to go there soon as I don't remember what type or what brand. I have been down the Wal Mart telescope pathway before and it was just as you described......nasty. If I am serious about doing this with my son, I need to be prepared to spend the serious money.

Thanks again for the information and I may PM you every now and then with questions when the time comes to actually start aquiring some of this equipment. I shoot with a Canon EOS 10D, so I would be curious as to what you would recommend for an adaptor.

[nighthound]

You're very welcome Jared. What a great way to spend quality time with your son. My wife and I are not blessed with children but what big fun it would be to share this hobby with a child. I always get a kick out of showing the views through my scope with kids at our club's public viewings. Have you looked into a local club. A star party or public event hosted by a club would be a great way to see a variety of scopes and talk to their owners.

One other note. Check out Astromart on line. It's like an ebay for astronomy gear but not as huge and the members/sellers are rated by previous sales. I sold a scope there in less than a day. You'll find that most people that take astronomy seriously take very good care of their gear. Check it out.

NH

[JaredB]

You're very welcome Jared. What a great way to spend quality time with your son. My wife and I are not blessed with children but what big fun it would be to share this hobby with a child. I always get a kick out of showing the views through my scope with kids at our club's public viewings. Have you looked into a local club. A star party or public event hosted by a club would be a great way to see a variety of scopes and talk to their owners.

One other note. Check out Astromart on line. It's like an ebay for astronomy gear but not as huge and the members/sellers are rated by previous sales. I sold a scope there in less than a day. You'll find that most people that take astronomy seriously take very good care of their gear. Check it out.

NH


Yes - looking for a local club is a great idea - I'm in a camera club locally so those guys might know of one locally that is astronomy based. Will research that. I will also check out Astromart - that seems like maybe a good place to get a good scope for a little less than retail potentially.

Sharing this hobby with my son is something that I am pretty excited about....I want to expose him to things like photography and astronomy while he is very young so that he can potentially gain an interest in these areas rather than maybe video games or other things that are more a waste of time..............

[nighthound]

I agree, astronomy really opens the imagination. Video games are fun but I've never played one that left an impression on me like seeing Saturn for the first time or panning the surface of the Moon under high mag. And when you think about the enormity and mind boggling distances, the views become even more special. It really is a great way to learn and meet challenges together while sharing a common interest.

NH