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Astrophotographs |
Luna (The Moon) First Light - Sunday, October 21, 2007 |
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This picture was taken through a Nagler5 31 mm eyepiece on a 16”
Lightbridge telescope.
The camera was a 3.2 megapixel Sony Cyber-Shot held up to the eyepiece
(no mount or tripod used).
The flash and redeye eliminator caused the color streaks at the bottom.
(I was in a hurry and couldn't find the manual to figure out how
to disable both.) |
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Astronomy Equipment |
Telescope |
| Meade 16” Lightbridge Dobsonian Telescope | |
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| Primary Mirror: 16” (406mm) | |
| Focal Length: 1829mm (72”) | |
| Focal Ratio: f/4.5 | |
| Description Text | |
Binocular |
| Celestron SkyMaster 20x80 Binocular | |
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| Angular Field of View: 3.2º | |
| Exit Pupil: 4mm | |
| Eye Relief: 17mm | |
| Mount: Manfrotto 3011 Tripod with 3126 Head | |
| Description Text | |
Eyepieces |
| TeleVue EN5-31.0 | |
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| Type: Nagler 5 | |
| Focal Length: 31mm | |
| Barrel Size: 2” | |
| Apparent Field of View: 82º | |
| Eye Relief: 19mm | |
| Magnification: 59.0x | |
| Exit Pupil: 6.9mm | |
| True Field of View: 1.4º | |
| Weight: 2.20lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue EN5-26.0 | |
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| Type: Nagler 5 | |
| Focal Length: 26mm | |
| Barrel Size: 2” | |
| Apparent Field of View: 82º | |
| Eye Relief: 16mm | |
| Magnification: 70.3x | |
| Exit Pupil: 5.8mm | |
| True Field of View: 1.2º | |
| Weight: 1.60lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue EN5-20.0 | |
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| Type: Nagler 5 | |
| Focal Length: 20mm | |
| Barrel Size: 2” | |
| Apparent Field of View: 82º | |
| Eye Relief: 12mm | |
| Magnification: 91.5x | |
| Exit Pupil: 4.4mm | |
| True Field of View: 0.9º | |
| Weight: 1.04lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue EN4-17.0 | |
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| Type: Nagler 4 | |
| Focal Length: 17mm | |
| Barrel Size: 2” | |
| Apparent Field of View: 82º | |
| Eye Relief: 17mm | |
| Magnification: 107.6x | |
| Exit Pupil: 3.8mm | |
| True Field of View: 0.8º | |
| Weight: 1.60lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue ETH-13.0 | |
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| Type: Ethos | |
| Focal Length: 13mm | |
| Barrel Size: 2” & 1.25” | |
| Apparent Field of View: 100º | |
| Eye Relief: 15mm | |
| Magnification: 140.7x | |
| Exit Pupil: 2.9mm | |
| True Field of View: 0.7º | |
| Weight: 1.25lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue EN6-09.0 | |
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| Type: Nagler 6 | |
| Focal Length: 9mm | |
| Barrel Size: 1.25” | |
| Apparent Field of View: 82º | |
| Eye Relief: 12mm | |
| Magnification: 203.2x | |
| Exit Pupil: 2.0mm | |
| True Field of View: 0.4º | |
| Weight: 0.42lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue EN6-07.0 | |
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| Type: Nagler 6 | |
| Focal Length: 7mm | |
| Barrel Size: 1.25” | |
| Apparent Field of View: 82º | |
| Eye Relief: 12mm | |
| Magnification: 261.3x | |
| Exit Pupil: 1.6mm | |
| True Field of View: 0.3º | |
| Weight: 0.50lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue EN6-05.0 | |
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| Type: Nagler 6 | |
| Focal Length: 5mm | |
| Barrel Size: 1.25” | |
| Apparent Field of View: 82º | |
| Eye Relief: 12mm | |
| Magnification: 365.8x | |
| Exit Pupil: 1.1mm | |
| True Field of View: 0.2º | |
| Weight: 0.49lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue PMT-2200 | |
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| Type: Powermate (similar to a Barlow) | |
| Barrel Size: 2” | |
| Magnification: 2.0x | |
| Weight: 1.20lbs | |
| Description Text | |
| TeleVue PMT-4201 | |
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| Type: Powermate (similar to a Barlow) | |
| Barrel Size: 2” | |
| Magnification: 4.0x | |
| Weight: 1.20lbs | |
| Description Text | |
Filters |
| Orion UltraBlock Narrowband Light-Pollution Filter - 2” | |
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| Description Text | |
| Orion SkyGlow Broadband Filter - 2” | |
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| Description Text | |
| Orion Hydrogen-Beta Nebula Filter - 2” | |
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| Description Text | |
| Orion Oxygen-III Nebula Filter - 2” | |
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| Description Text | |
| Orion Moon Filter 13% - 2” | |
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| Description Text | |
Accessories |
| JMI Wheeley Bar Dolly for 16” Lightbridge | |
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| Description Text | |
| Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium | |
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| Description Text | |
| Orion SkyLine Green Laser Pointer | |
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| Description Text | |
| Celestron Night Vision LED Flashlight | |
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| Description Text | |
| Starbound Observing Chair | |
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| Description Text | |
| Imaginova Starry Night Pro Plus v. 6 Astronomy Program (Macintosh) | |
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| AstroZap Light Shroud for 16” Lightbridge | |
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| Description Text | |
Collimation Tools |
| Glatter Barlow/Holographic 635nm Laser - 2” | |
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| Description Text | |
| CatsEye Teletube XL Sight Tube - 2” | |
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| CatsEye Blackcat XL Cheshire - 2” | |
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| CatsEye Infinity XL Autocollimator - 2” | |
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| Description Text | |
Modifications |
| Bob's Knobs for 16” Lightbridge Secondary Mirror | |
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On the 16” Lightbridge, Meade includes collimation and mirror locking knobs on the primary. However, the secondary tilt screws are Phillips head. I have also seen Allen wrench heads on some Lightbridges. It is too easy to drop an Allen wrench or a Phillips screwdriver. And Murphy's law, it's going to land right on the primary mirror. In addition, you can forget to bring a tool to a remote location. The best solution is to replace the screws with Bob's Knobs. Very easy installation. Bob's Knobs |
| Oregon Rule Co. Dials for Altitude and Azimuth | ||
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Description Text Oregon Rule Co. Dials |
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| Solus Adjustable Levelers (VG-511B-02-S12) for JMI Wheeley Bar | |
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There are three leveling bolts on the JMI Wheeley Bar. Each of these bolts are terminated with a nut, large washer, another nut, and a rubber end cap. The problem is that when the Wheeley Bar is off road, the rubber end cap can sink into soft ground. I've actually lost one by not realizing that the end cap was buried in the mud. I replaced the rubber end cap with an adjustable leveler from a company called Solus (link below). The part number I used was VG-511B-02-S12. This leveler is 4” in diameter. It contains a 1/2”-13 socket that the leveler bolt screws into. The rubber end cap has a surface area of 0.8 square inches. The Solus leveler has a surface area of about 12.5 square inches. The weight of the Lightbridge, the Wheeler Bar, and accessories is about 180 pounds. That means that each leveling bolt has to support about 60 pounds. The rubber end cap has about 75 pounds per square inch distributed. The Solus leveler distributes about 5 pounds per square inch. To keep dirt off the end of leveler, I attached a round (4.25” by 1” thick) piece of wood to the leveler (using screws through the lag bolt holes). When needed, this wood can be easily replaced. Solus Levelers |
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| Pipe Insulation on Tow Handle of JMI Wheeley Bar | |
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The bend in the Wheeley Bar handle was getting scraped up when down on my driveway. I slipped on a piece of 1” I.D. x 27- ½” pipe insulation over the handle for protection. |
| T Handle Ball Lock Pin on Tow Handle of JMI Wheeley Bar | ||
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I have a JMI Wheeley Bar dolly for my 16" Lightbridge. I'm always tripping over the handle. JMI recommends removing the handle while observing. The problem is that the handle is held on by a Clevis pin and hitch pin clip. Both are easy to lose. Both are difficult to put back on in the dark. I think I have found a better solution. I replaced the Clevis pin and hitch pin clip with a "T Handle Ball Lock Pin". I ordered this from Carr Lane. Their part number is #CL-4-BLPT-1.25. This is one piece, no hitch pin to lose. Just push the blue button and remove the pin. The T Handle comes with a ring. This allows the T Handle to be attached to the Wheeley Bar with a small (short) lanyard. Carr Lane |
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| ScopeStuff Counterweight System for 16” Lightbridge | ||
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The sum of all torques is equal to zero. Each torque is equal to the distance (center of gravity) from the fulcrum of each component multiplied by its weight. This means that torques on one side of the fulcrum are assumed to be negative, the other side positive. Stated another way, torques on one side of the fulcrum need to equal torques on the other side to be balanced. On the 16” Lightbridge, the eyepiece is 45” from the fulcrum. The rear of the OTA is about 15” from the fulcrum. This means the any weight at the eyepiece has a 3 to 1 mechanical advantage over any weight added to the rear. If you have a two-pound eyepiece, you need six pounds at the rear to achieve the same balance as no eyepiece. If you use heavy eyepieces, I would recommend buying several extra weights for the ScopeStuff system. I use three of the ScopeStuff rails placed around the rear OTA. One is placed on the top of tube. The other two on the bottom. The rails are placed at about 120° apart. The two bottom rails a placed to fit into the corners of the base assembly (when the scope is at zenith) to prevent mechanical interference. I have six one-pound weights and six two pound weights. This balances six pounds of eyepieces with 18 pounds of weights. ScopeStuff Counterweight System |
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| Brass Inserts and Knobs to Attach Eyepiece Tray | |
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Remove eyepiece tray with Phillips screwdriver. Drill an ¼” hole with a drill in the pre-drilled holes for the eyepiece tray. The holes should be no deeper then 0.4”. Make sure that the drill is held level. Screw an 8-32 brass insert into each hole. It is easiest if a brass insert mandrel is used. Attach the eyepiece tray with two 8-32 x 0.375” knurled knobs. Other size kurled knobs and brass inserts could be used. |
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| Argo Navis Computer System and Encoder | ||
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After checking out a number of digital setting circles, I decided to go with the Argo Navis system. It took less than an hour to install and setup. I was using the system the first night. Argo Navis - Wildcard Innovations |
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This is a download of four files that (when loaded into Starry Night) highlights the Alignment Stars for Argo Navis. Download ReadMe text file Download Text Description used by Starry Night Download Source for Starry Night Alignment Stars Download compiled version of Starry Night Alignment Stars |
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| Wiring Encoders | ||
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Marked the Altitude encoder with a yellow dot. Labeled the altitude encoder cable with yellow heat shrink. Marked the Azimuth encoder with a red dot. Labeled the Azimuth encoder cable with red heat shrink. Shortened cables to correct lengths by replacing RJ-11 connectors. Connected an RJ-45 coupler (F/F) to cable assembly. Coupler was secured to base with double stick mounting tape. Connected Argo Navis computer with a straight through Ethernet cable. I preferred a 7 foot SuperFlat Cat6 Ethernet patch cable made by Cables Unlimited. I choose a white cable to make it easier to see in the dark. Cables Unlimited part number UTP-1800-07W. Cables Unlimited |
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| Keyspan Computer Serial Port Interface | |
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Description Text Keyspan Computer Serial Port Interface |
| JMI Event Horizon (EV-1nM) Focuser | |
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Direct replacement for the version shipped with 16” Lightbridge. No drilling required. The advantages are: motorized focus control (reduces motion at high magnifications), less play between eyepiece, drawtube, and/or 1.25” adaptor, reduced backlash (especially when using heavy eyepieces), lighted indicator to aid in setting focus when changing eyepieces. The JMI focuser used has the following options: EV.BODY - Standard Modular Body (Option B) EV.BASN - Newtonian Base (Option N) EV.DT46 - 4.6” Length Drawtube (Option 46) EV.DRVD - Dual Speed with Drive Indicator (Option D) EV.PUSH - Pusher Bearing (Option P) EV.KNBR - Rubber-Gripped Gold Knobs (Option R) EV.MTR - Motor Control (Option M) EV.A2-1.25 - First Output Adapter, 1.25” Eyepiece (Option E) EVUPGLED - Illumination Dial Upgrade (Option I) JMI Telescopes |
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| Labeling Truss Tubes | |
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Used a label maker to label truss tubes. Can't swear that it helps collimation, but it does help in reassembly. |
| Using Heat Shrink Tubing to Cover Truss Tubes | ||
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Instead of painting the truss tubes black or slipping on thick pipe insulation, I decided to use heat shrink tubing (HST). The tubing is 2 to 1 standard wall polyolefin HST. It is flat black in color. The nominal I.D. is 1-½” tubing. After shrinking, the I.D. is ¾”. This makes a nice tight fit for the 1” truss tubes. The HST is shrunk with a heat gun. It is available from the link below in a 50' spool. Each truss tube requires an 32” long piece of HST. BuyHeatShrink.com |
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| Quantaray (QAL-1318) Aluminum Case for Scope Accessories | |
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These cases are easy to configure. They are great for transporting accessories around town. I would NOT use these cases to ship delicate accessories via an airline. Quantaray Aluminum Cases |
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Astronomy Software (OS X) |
Planetarium Software |
Starry Night (Pro Plus) |
Astrophotography |
Keith's AstroImager
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Digital Setting Circles |
Argoload (Argo Navis) |
Astronomy Links |
Tools |
