Celestron OMNI XLT 102 manual Eyepiece Projection for a Schmidt-Cassegrain, Full

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2.Center the Moon in the field of your telescope.

3.Focus the telescope by turning the focus knob until the image is sharp.

4.Set the shutter speed to the appropriate setting (see table 6-1).

5.Trip the shutter using a cable release.

6.Advance the film and repeat the process.

Lunar Phase

ISO 50

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

Crescent

1/2

1/4

1/8

1/15

Quarter

1/15

1/30

1/60

1/125

Full

1/30

1/60

1/125

1/250

Table 6-1

Above is a listing of recommended exposure times when photographing the Moon at the prime focus of your telescope.

The exposure times listed in table 7-1 should be used as a starting point. Always make exposures that are longer and shorter than the recommended time. Also, take a few photos at each shutter speed. This will ensure that you will get a good photo.

•If using black and white film, try a yellow filter to reduce the light intensity and to increase contrast.

•Keep accurate records of your exposures. This information is useful if you want to repeat your results or if you want to submit some of your photos to various astronomy magazines for possible publication!

•This technique is also used for photographing the Sun with the proper solar filter.

Eyepiece Projection for a Schmidt-Cassegrain

This form of celestial photography is designed for objects with small angular sizes, primarily the Moon and planets. Planets, although physically quite large, appear small in angular size because of their great distances. Moderate to high magnification is, therefore, required to make the image large enough to see any detail. Unfortunately, the camera/telescope combination alone does not provide enough magnification to produce a usable image size on film. In order to get the image large enough, you must attach your camera to the telescope with the eyepiece in place. To do so, you need two additional accessories; a deluxe tele-extender (#93643), which attaches to the visual back, and a T-ring for your particular camera make (i.e., Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc.).

Because of the high magnifications during eyepiece projection, the field of view is quite small which makes it difficult to find and center objects. To make the job a little easier, align the finder as accurately as possible. This allows you to get the object in the telescope's field based on the finder's view alone.

Another problem introduced by the high magnification is vibration. Simply tripping the shutter ⎯ even with a cable release ⎯ produces enough vibration to smear the image. To get around this, use the camera's self-timer if the exposure time is less than one second ⎯ a common occurrence when photographing the Moon. For exposures over one second, use the "hat trick." This technique incorporates a hand-held black card placed over the aperture of the telescope to act as a shutter. The card prevents light from entering the telescope while the shutter is released. Once the shutter has been released and the vibration has diminished (a few seconds), move the black card out of the way to expose the film. After the exposure is complete, place the card over the front of the telescope and close the shutter. Advance the film and you're ready for your next shot. Keep in mind that the card should be held a few inches in front of the telescope, and not touching it. It is easier if you use two people for this process; one to release the camera shutter and one to hold the card. Here's the process for making the exposure.

35mm SLR

T-Ring

Tele-Extender

Eyepiece

Visual Back

Figure 6-1

Accessories for Projection

Photography

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Contents Omni XLT Series Telescopes Table of Contents Astrophotography Page Omni XLT 102 Refractor Omni XLT 150 Newtonian Omni XLT 127 Schmidt-Cassegrain Setting up the Tripod Attaching the Equatorial Mount Attaching the Center Leg Brace Installing the Counterweight BarAttaching the Slow Motion Control Knobs Cables Installing the CounterweightsAttaching the Telescope Tube to the Mount Installing the Visual Back Installing the FinderscopeInstalling the Eyepieces Installing the Star DiagonalBalancing the Mount in R.A Moving the Telescope ManuallyBalancing the Mount in DEC Adjusting the MountAdjusting the Mount in Azimuth Adjusting the Mount in AltitudePage Page Image Orientation FocusingCalculating Magnification Aligning the FinderscopeGeneral Observing Hints Determining Field of ViewCelestial Coordinate System Motion of the Stars Pointing at Polaris Latitude ScaleFinding the North Celestial Pole Polar Alignment with the Latitude Scale Polar Alignment in the Southern HemisphereFinding the South Celestial Pole SCP Pointing at Sigma OctantisDeclination Drift Method of Polar Alignment Aligning the R.A. Setting Circle 11 Vernier Scale Using the R.A. Vernier ScaleLunar Observing Hints Observing the MoonObserving the Planets Planetary Observing HintsSolar Observing Hints Observing the SunObserving Deep Sky Objects Seeing ConditionsSeeing Using the Lens Cap Aperture Stop with Refractor TelescopesPiggyback Photography Using Digital Cameras Full Eyepiece Projection for a Schmidt-CassegrainLong Exposure Prime Focus Photography Planetary and Lunar Photography with Special Imagers Terrestrial Photography CCD Imaging for Deep Sky ObjectsMetering Reducing VibrationCollimation of Refractors Care and Cleaning of the OpticsTwo 2 turns Collimation of a Schmidt-CassegrainCollimated telescope Should appear Symmetrical with Aligning the Secondary Mirror Collimation of a NewtonianBoth mirrors aligned with your eye looking into the focuser Night Time Star Collimating As a Series 1 # Page Page Appendix a Technical Specifications Appendix B Glossary of Terms Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Celestron Two Year Warranty
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