Weasner's CCD Astrophotography Page

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WITH CCD IMAGERS

Last updated: 7 October 2004

This page documents CCDs comments, tips, and photos. Search the site for "CCD" for other items about CCDs. Contributions welcome.

Subject:	Relpy to: "Repair of Meade Pictor 416XTE" in astrophotography/ccd.html (Oct 2)
Sent:	Monday, October 4, 2004 13:34:26
From:	Christoph Jansen (CJansen@uebersetzungsbuero-jansen.de)
if anybody can help in this case then it will be Meade Europe which is
situated in Borken in Germany:
 
Meade/Bresser-Kundendienst
Siemensstrae 6
D-46325 Borken 
 
 You can mail them under service@meade.de or phone them under
++49 (0)2861 931721.
  
Regards,
 
Christoph Jansen

And:

From:	Mike Merkert
thanks for your support - Meade Germany did help me at least!

Thanks a lot for help!
mike merkert

End of today's update

Subject:	Repair of Meade Pictor 416XTE
Sent:	Saturday, October 2, 2004 01:36:23
From:	Mike Merkert
I have a little Poblem because I made a short curcuite to my meade
pictor and now the cntroller board is damaged.

Anyway I tried to get a repair Center in Europe bu I didnt find any and
Meade didnt response my questions till today.

So please can you help me - do you know any repair center in europe or
is there any way to get some exchange parts dirctly from meade?

thanks a lot

thanks a lot
mike merkert

Mike here: Sorry. I don't know of any repair centers there.

End of 3 October update

Subject:	ccd
Sent:	Wednesday, August 18, 2004 08:26:11
From:	Saverio Riboli (saverioriboli@hotmail.com)
what kinds of result i can obtain with a etx 90 ec + ccd starlight
xpress MX516 or MX 5C or MX 512 (one ccd of abouth 1000) in a deep sky
obdgect?

where i can find some photos of example?

Thanks and sorry for the incorrect english.

Mike here: Search the ETX Site for MX512 and MX516; you'll get some hits.

End of 20 August 2004 update

Subject:	Astrophotography - 1. Albireo
Sent:	Tuesday, July 6, 2004 11:28:01
From:	Gary Culpan (gary_culpan@yahoo.co.uk)
I have just bought an ATK-1C CCD imager so have entered the wild and
wacky world of astrophotography.

Wow it's tricky and takes a lot of patience.

I have so far taken only a few successful shots of double stars. I can't
yet fathom out how to get a successful deep sky shot. At least with
double stars I can see the image quite easily on the screen and the
telescope tracking is in Alt/AZ so can only take short exposures.

My first attachment is Albireo. My first ever astrophotograph. I am
pleased with the sharpness and the vivid colours the camera captures.

The following was taken with ATK-1C CCD through an ETX-125 UHTC. 1/25
sec exposure. Best shot selected out of 20 quickfire shots.

Please find attached a piccie of Rasalgethi (Alpha) in Hercules . Now I
am really pleased with this shot of this close-ish double star (4.7 arc
sec separation). You can clearly see separation and the brightness
difference is reflected in the object sizes.

Taken with ATK-1C CCD imager through ETX-125. Best shot taken from 20
shots. Exposure time 1/25 sec.

Regards,
Gary Culpan
Manchester, UK

End of 13 July update

Subject:	CCD photography and ETX telescopes
Sent:	Friday, June 25, 2004 23:09:38
From:	Edwin Stafford (rockwell32001@yahoo.com)
I am a college student in Wyoming, and I am thinking about getting
reinvolved with astronomy, looking at telescopes, etc.  I was wondering:
can one do CCD photography off of an ETX telescope, seeing as how film
photography can be done off one, or am I missing something.  Thanks.

Mike here: Yes, you can. See the Helpful Information - Astrophotography page on my ETX Site for lots more info. Don't forget that you can also use digital cameras, video cameras, and webcams as well as CCDs and other imager devices. These are all mentioned on that page.

End of 27 June update

Subject:	MeadePictor 208xt or 216xt
Sent:	Sunday, June 13, 2004 10:40:36
From:	Larry Harrison (lbharrison@bellsouth.net)
Can one of the above cameras be used on an ETX-90 or LXD55 6" SN scope?
I do not care for the guiding of the scope, just the use of the camera.

Do you know of a site or person that I may contact for this?

Many thanks, Larry

Mike here: Go to my ETX Site and enter "pictor" into the search field. You'll find lots of hits and some examples.

End of 16 June update

Subject:	ETX 125 and CCD Cam's
Sent:	Monday, April 29, 2002 6:05:15
From:	josemabcn@teleline.es (Jose Manuel Surez)
I'm thinking for purchase a CCD camara or contruction one for myself. In
first time I thinking for contruction my CCD camera, for exemple the
CookBook or the Audine Camera. The Audine Camara have a very good CCD
chip but the total weight is about 600 gr and I dont know is this weight
is too much fot my ETX. Another possibility is to buy a comercial CCD
camera, for exemple the Starlight MX, but the price is very expensive
and with the same price or less I can build a Audine CCD camera.

My question is about the best CCD camera for my scope:

A build CCD Camera (Audine or CookBook) with the problem of weight (600
gr). A comercial CCD Camera with a CCD chip with less dimensions or
resolution and less weight (similar to Starlight MX516).

Thanks and sorry for my English

Jose Manuel Suarez Romn
josemabcn@teleline.es

Mike here: Weight can be a problem but you can always make a counterweight which can help. As to CCD imagers I have no experience with them.

Subject:	ETX and 216 Pictor
Sent:	Saturday, August 10, 2002 11:38:35
From:	4snova2@gte.net (Jeff Payne)
Do you have any info about using the ETX 90 and the Pictor 216 for
imaging?  I can't seem to find much on the web.
Jeff

Mike here: You're right; there isn't much info. But search the ETX Site for "pictor" and you'll get some hits.

Return to the top of this page.

Go back to the Astrophotography Page.

Go back to my ETX Home Page.