Short Exposure Prime Focus Photography

The AstroMaster series of telescopes was designed for visual observing. After looking at the night sky for a while you may want to try your hand at photography of it. There are several forms of photography possible with your telescope for celestial as well as terrestrial pursuits. Below is just a very brief discussion of some of the methods of photography available and suggest you search out various books for detailed information on the subject matter.

As a minimum you will need a digital camera or a 35mm SLR camera. Attach your camera to the telescope with:

•Digital camera – you will need the Universal Digital Camera Adapter (# 93626). The adapter allows the camera to be mounted rigidly for terrestrial as well as prime focus astrophotography.

•35mm SLR camera – you will need to remove your lens from the camera and attach a T-Ring for your specific camera brand. Then, you will need a T-Adapter (# 93625) to attach on one end to the T-Ring and the other end to the telescope focus tube. Your telescope is now the camera lens.

Short Exposure Prime Focus Photography

Short exposure prime focus photography is the best way to begin imaging celestial objects. It is done by attaching your camera to the telescope as described in the paragraph above. A couple of points to keep in mind:

•Polar align the telescope and start the optional motor drive for tracking.

•You can image the Moon as well as the brighter planets. You will have to experiment with various settings and exposure times. Much information can be obtained from your camera instruction manual which can supplement what you can find in detailed books on the subject matter.

•Do your photography from a dark sky observing site if possible.

Piggyback Photography

Only for the 114EQ Newtonian telescope, piggyback photography is done with a camera and its normal lens riding on top of the telescope. Through this method you can capture entire constellations and record large scale nebulae. You attach your camera to the piggyback adapter screw (Figure 6-1) located on the top of the tube mounting ring (your camera will have a threaded hole on the bottom to fit this screw). You will need to polar align the telescope and start the optional motor drive for tracking.

Figure 6-1

Planetary & Lunar Photography with Special Imagers

During the last few years a new technology has evolved which makes taking superb images of the planets and moon relatively easy and the results are truly amazing. Celestron offers the NexImage (# 93712) which is a special camera and included is software for image processing. You can capture planetary images your first night out which rivals what professionals were doing with large telescopes just a few short years ago.

CCD Imaging for Deep Sky Objects

Special cameras have been developed for taking images of deep sky images. These have evolved over the last several years to become much more economical and amateurs can take fantastic images. Several books have been written on how to get the best images possible. The technology continues to evolve with better and easier to use products on the market.

Terrestrial Photography

Your telescope makes an excellent telephoto lens for terrestrial (land) photography. You can take images of various scenic views, wildlife, nature, and just about anything. You will have to experiment with focusing, speeds, etc. to get the best image desired. You can adapt your camera per the instructions at the top of this page.