After spending a few months tinkering with and struggling with my Meade 10″ SCT I decided to take the plunge and go whole hog into this hobby. Specifically to do astrophotography of DSOs (deep-sky objects)
So it was time for research and some more research and still more research. Let’s start with some basic goals and objectives.
- Portable
- High quality
- Within my budget
- Astrophotography capable
These were the most basic of goals. As I continued my research I added a few more.
- Refractor
- High-quality mount for astrophotography
- Able to be powered by batteries
- Targets will be mostly DSOs
Much of what I set as my goals and objectives were a result of spending time on Cloudy Nights. I also decided to go to NEAF (Northeast Astronomy Forum).
While at NEAF I had the opportunity to speak with several telescope vendors. I also had the chance to meet Roland Christen the founder of legendary telescope manufacturer Astro-Physics. This was quite a treat for me as I’ve been on an Astro-Physics waiting list of one type or another since 2001.
As I said in my first post I’ve maintained an interest in astronomy for a long time. I remember telling my wife that I was on a waiting list for a telescope that might cost north of $10,000! She was not amused. Well, my name has never come up on that list. I did get notifications for mounts over the years but have always passed on the opportunity since I never had a scope to put on it. Most recently at NEAF, Astro-Physics announced their new 92mm Traveler. I signed up pretty early but likely not early enough to get one anytime soon…maybe in 2019. I am on the list for the 10″ Maksutov-Cassegrain they are still making. It will be a tough decision if my name comes up on that list.
While at NEAF I also had the occasion to speak with William Yang of William Optics. I had been looking at several of his scopes and was considering the smaller 81GT refractor or similar-sized scopes from other manufacturers. Much of the advice I have gleaned from Cloudy Nights suggested that if I was starting in astrophotography I should start with a scope in the 80mm range. The reasoning is that with a wider field of view, any errors are less likely to be apparent in the images. This minimizes the impact of other errors and would, in general, make early experiences in astrophotography more rewarding.
Of course, and my wife will attest, I don’t listen very well. So the attraction of the larger scope in the William Optics lineup wooed me. I ended up with a 132mm scope and I think I will be very happy. The design of the scope is an apochromatic triplet. The basic design is illustrated below. Essentially it entails the use of 3 lens elements to bring the light spectrum to a common point of focus. This is important to reduce certain types of aberrations. Aberrations in this case causes by the various colors of the spectrum not coming into focus at the same spot. You can spend a lifetime learning and understanding optics. Roland Christen of Astro-Physics certainly has made a lifetime pursuit of its perfection.
Specifically I purchased the William Optics Flourostar 132mm. I also acquired a new Astro-Physics Mach1 mount to put it on. So far with clouds and other commitments the scope and mount have not seen “first light”. This is the term I see amateur and professional astronomers use to describe their first use of the scope or any other new astro gear. It’s also a common occurrence that if you get a new Astro gear you will be cursed with clouds. So I feel like I have at least joined the party.
Nothing could have been truer for me than during my first star party. Our local astronomy club (NOVAC) holds an annual party called the Almost Heaven Star Party (AHSP).
I eagerly prepared in advance to attend my first star party. This involved getting all the gear necessary for using the telescope in a remote location. The most critical was power, as there would be no AC available. AHSP is held at Spruce Knob, WV which qualifies as remote. The preparation also entailed getting ready to camp. My original plan was to rent an RV and go with my wife and camp in the comfort of an RV…with showers and all of the niceties of home. However, my wife decided not to attend. As you will see in my next post her decision was a wise one.
