Terence Galuszka Astrophotography
astronomypix.com
CCD's and Cameras
My current equipment. Not a complete list, images to follow.
Pentax K10d
A really nice DSLR. Many of my
first digital astrophotos were taken using this unmodded camera.
As camera's go, the Pentax K10d and K20d are ideally suited to
astrophotography. They have a built in shutter delay to let movement
settle, a good bulb timer and they have built in dark frame subtraction
for long exposures.
However there's not much support for modifying these camera's so if it
goes wrong, few if any people are going to be able to help you fix it.
Check out my photo gallery
with this camera
Canon 300D - Digital Rebel
This 6mp camera is as old as the
hills. However it has been modded and is very sensitivity to hydrogen
alpha.
Given the age and low cost of these camera's, it's not a bad way to start
astrophotography.
Orion Deep Sky Color Imager II
Purchased in Melbourne from Astro
Optical this was my first Astro CCD and it works pretty well.
The sensor is a little small for a C11, but at F10 gives nice tight
field shots and close up images of many targets.
In the C11 it's similar to using a 10mm eyepiece, providing plenty of
magnification, however it's much better suited to the ED80
refractor.
Starlight-Xpress SXVR-M25C
This is the latest model of the
M25C and is a third generation purpose built astronomy camera.
There is nothing special about the CCD itself and its the same chip that
is used in many Nikon DSLR's and QHY CCD's. However the electronics,
environmental seals and the minus 40
degree Celsius cooling makes all the difference and the price tag is
worth it.
A word of caution, be very careful when cooling this CCD on a Hyperstar
system. The first night I tested this configuration, I was unable to
remove the camera or the Hyperstar lense assembly from the secondary
holder as the aluminium had contracted after cooling. The following morning wasn't much
better and it took a hairdryer to loosen the it without breaking the
corrector plate. So be warned...
Starlight-Xpress Adaptive Optics Unit
Not really a must have, but the
New Zealand dollar hit a 35 year high against the British Pound and I
just couldn't help myself.
The idea behind this type of adaptive optics unit is to correct the
mount errors at a frequency that will smooth out atmospheric distortion
and guiding. It works very well on the CGE.
On the large Keck telescopes, a similar process is used to vibrate the
36 mirror cells and maintain a 1/1000 of a human hair alignment! Anyway,
over the next 12-18 months I'll post
my results. Not from Keck, but the CGE.
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