Orion 9738 Astrophotography, Moon Photography, Planetary Photography, Piggyback Photography

9. Astrophotography

When coupled to a 35mm single-lens reflex camera, the SkyView Pro becomes a telephoto lens. To attach a camera, you need only a T-ring for your specific camera model and the included camera adapter. First you must attach the included camera adapter to the SkyView Pro 8 EQ’s focuser. To do this, remove the 1.25" and 2" eyepiece adapters from the focuser drawtube (Figure 22a). Then screw the camera adapter into the focuser drawtube (Figure 22b). Now attach the T-Ring to your camera and thread it onto the camera adapter (Figure 22c).

Use the camera’s viewfinder to frame the picture. Use the tele- scope’s focuser to focus the image. You may want to consider using a remote shutter release instead of the shutter release on the camera; touching the camera can vibrate the system and blur the resulting photographic image on the film. Use the focus lock knob on the focuser to lock the focus when the image is sharp.

Several different types of astrophotography can be success- fully attempted with the SkyView Pro 8 EQ.

Moon Photography

This is perhaps the simplest form of astrophotography, as no motor drive is required. Point the telescope toward the Moon, and center it within the camera’s viewfinder. Focus the image with the telescope’s focuser. Try several exposure times, all less than 1 second, depending on the phase of the moon and the ISO (film speed) of the film being used. A remote shut- ter release is recommended, as touching the camera’s shutter release can vibrate the camera enough to ruin the exposure.

Planetary Photography

Once basic Moon photography has been mastered, it’s time to get images of the planets. This type of astrophotography also works to get highly magnified shots of the Moon. In addition to the T-ring, you will need a Universal 1.25" Camera Adapter. The EQ-3 Motor Drive System (single or dual axis) is also required. This is because a longer exposure is necessary, which would cause the image to blur if no motor drive was used for tracking. The equatorial mount must be accurately polar aligned, too.

As before, connect the T-ring to your camera. Before connect- ing the universal camera adapter to the T-ring, an eyepiece

must be inserted and locked into the body of the universal camera adapter. Start by using a medium-low power eye- piece (about 25mm); you can increase the magnification later with a high-power eyepiece. Then connect the entire camera adapter, with eyepiece inside, to the T-Ring. Insert the whole system into the focuser’s 1.25" adapter and secure firmly with the thumbscrew.

Aim the telescope at the planet (or Moon) you wish to shoot. The image will be highly magnified, so you may need to use the finder scope to center it within the camera’s viewfinder. Turn the motor drive on. Adjust the telescope’s focuser so that the image appears sharp in the camera’s viewfinder. The camera’s shutter is now ready to be opened. A remote shut- ter release must be used or the image will be blurred beyond recognition. Try exposure times between 1 and 10 seconds, depending upon the brightness of the planet to be photo- graphed and the ISO of the film being used.

“Piggyback Photography”

The Moon and planets are interesting targets for the bud- ding astrophotographer, but what next? Literally thousands of deep-sky objects can be captured on film with a type of astro- photography called “piggybacking”. The basic idea is that the camera with its own camera lens attached rides on top of the main telescope. The telescope and camera both move with the rotation of the Earth when the mount is polar aligned and the motor drive is engaged. This allows for a long exposure through the camera without having the object or background stars blurred. In addition to the motor drive (dual-axis), an illuminated reticle eyepiece is also needed. The T-ring and camera adapter are not needed, since the camera is expos- ing through its own lens. Any camera lens with a focal length between 35mm and 400mm is appropriate.

On the top of one of the tube rings is a piggyback camera adapter. This is the black knob with the threaded shaft protrud- ing through it. The tube ring with the piggyback adapter should be closest to the open end of the telescope tube. Remove the tube rings from the equatorial mount and swap their position if necessary. Now, connect the camera to the piggyback adapter. There should be a 1/4"-20 mounting hole in the bottom of the camera’s body. Thread the protruding shaft of the piggyback adapter into the 1/4"-20 mounting hole in the camera a few turns. Position the camera so it is parallel with the telescope tube and turn the knurled black knob of the piggyback adapter counter-clockwise until the camera is locked into position.

Figure 22a. First remove both the 1.25" and 2" adapters as shown

Figure 22b. Thread the camera adapter into the focuser drawtube

Figure 22c. The SkyView Pro 8 EQ with 35mm SLR camera attached

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