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Jan 20,2008(WeekendEdition)

A hard copy of Michael Covington's Astrophotography for the Amateur may be difficult to local at your local book store.  We had to do a little digging on the Web before we were able to local a used copy. 

There are some paperback units floating around on Amazon and EBay.  We wanted the hard copy because Covington's coverage of the topic is both theoretical and practical. 

There are lots of hight quality color photos, diagrams, and illustrations in the book.  A major bonus for us is many of the examples and photos in the book were done using a similar Celestron C8 telescope as what we'll be using for our own astrophotography projects.

Covington's approach to the book is much more technical compared to Seip.  For reader wanting a with a more indepth discussion on digital filtering (convolution, 3x3 sharpening matries, etc...) and other signal processing techniques, Covington covers these topics in a manner that is both understandable and relevant.

Astrophotography for the Amateur is both a great "how-to" manual as well as an excellent reference text.  If you are serious about astrophotography and is looking for something which will give you a stronger theoretical background on many of the related topics (optics, scope construction, digital signal processing), then you need to make sure you have a copy of Covington's book within easy reach. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)

 
 
Jan 19,2008(WeekendEdition)

According to our YES COSMO watch, there will be a full moon tonight.  The timing is perfect as we had spent the weekend reading about astrophotography :-)  We know what you are thinking... some of us REALLY need to get out more.

Let us assure you, the topic of astrophotography is the ultimate convergence of all things a true geeks love: it involves loads of technical gear, there is a fanatical (yet friendly) user base, and the topic is ripe with tons of hacks and project opportunities.

We have been researching this subject for our first RainyDayScience topic and have come across some excellent books we thought we should share with those who may be thinking along these same lines.

Amateur astrophotography has benefitted greatly in recent years by the availability inexpensive digital cameras.  Webcam and small point-and-shoot digital cameras of exceptional quality may be had for less than $200!  Stefan Seip has written an excellent introduction the use of digital equipment and techniques in this area.

The book covers the entire range of equipment (webcam, digital cameras, DSLR, special purpose Astro gear) available to the amateur astrophotographer.  He discusses the relative benefits (image quality, ease of use) and trade-offs (cost, complexity) of each type of equipment. 

Topics such as post-capture image processing and manipulation are also covered.  There are some very interesting discussions on how to take advantage of the digital nature of the images to bring out details and colors not possible with traditional film techniques.  We expect we'll be referring to this book frequently as we strive to improve our on our astrophoto shots.  - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)

Robert and Barbara Thompson have written two books which will make it easier for someone just getting started in Astronomy or have been in the hobby for a while.  

Astronomy Hacks is a fantastic collection of observing tips, telescope projects, and knowledge obtained from years of practical hands-on field work.  This book should be read by any interested in Astronomy before they even think about buying their first telescope. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)

The night sky is a big place. Finding interesting things to look at is pretty easy.  Finding what you are looking for is a bit harder :-)

The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders is a collection of interesting astronomical destinations.  The images in the book are shown as they would appear under actual observation out in the field.  They are also accompanied by directions and a "roadmap" on how to get there.

The format is practical and easy to use.  This guide is designed to allow the user to "plan a trip" as well as take it "on the road." - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)

 

Jan 9,2008

GoTo mounts are great. Making one for your own telescope is even better. Don't know how? Check out the DIY write-up on Steve Bedair's site.  It is not a step-by-step instructable, but the photo series on building one for the Celestron C-11 was enough for a mention on WowUsWednesday.

Steve also recommended joining Yahoo!'s RoboScope forum.  We did and found a great collection of photo album on various homemade Goto mount. 

Very cool!  So many projects, so little time. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
Jan 2,2008

In early December, we unpacked and gave readers a quick FirstLook at the Hugo telescope.  The Hugo is unlike any Newtonian reflector telescope currently on the market. 

Some assembly (tube, tripod) is required before the Hugo is ready to be used.  The process is part of the fun of the Hugo.  It teaches the owner about the parts, the scope's construction, and all of the mechanics involved in making the telescope work.

The assembly process, amazingly enough, is very straightforward.  In putting it all together, we learned quite a bit about how Newtonian telescopes work. 

The Hugo does not use a cylinder to hold the eye piece, diagonal and primary mirrors in place.  Instead, a tube is constructed using six aluminum rods and four rings.  When everything is put together and tightened, the entire structure is very rigid.

To form the tube, two inner rings must first be aligned and the rods inserted.  The two inner rings will eventually need to be properly spaced so they can be fitted to the tripod.  At this point, there is no need to lock their positions. 

The next piece to go on the rods is the eye piece mount.  Once threaded onto the rods, the mount may be tighted in place.  Final placement can be adjusted once it is time to align all of the optics.  

The diagonal mirror is mounted on one of the end rings, the primary mirror on the other.  Since the diagonal mirror will rotate into position, there is no need to worry about the mirror's orientation during assembly.

These two end rings are fastened to the rods by stainless steel bolts. Care should be taken not to overtighten the bolts.  The diagonal mirror should be attached first.  Once in place, put the entire structure on the floor and carefully lower the primary mirror into position and attach it to the rods.

When all the bolts have been properly fastened, the tube should be very rigid.  Turn the entire assembly so that the primary mirror is closest to the floor.  This is a more stable way to stand the tube out of the way while proceeding on to the tripod assembly step.  We'll have more of the Hugo construction next week. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)

RainyDayScience 2007

 

 

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