Telescopes for Deep Space Astrophotography

TelescopeLive houses a stable of both reflector telescopes and refractor telescopes. Some of which are illustrated below:

• Italics text supplied by TelescopeLive

AUS-2, 10CM F3.6 REFRACTOR

AUS-2 is a Takahashi FSQ-106ED (106 mm) F3.6 telescope, situated in Heaven's Mirror Observatory, Australia. It is equipped with a set of Astrodon astrophotography filters and it is an excellent choice for wide field of view astrophotography of deep sky objects.

SPA-1, 10CM F3.6 REFRACTOR

SPA-1 is a Takahashi FSQ-106ED (106 mm) F3.6 telescope, situated at IC Astronomy Observatory, Spain. It is equipped with a set of Astrodon astrophotography filters and it is an excellent choice for wide-field of view astrophotography of deep-sky objects.

CHI-1, 60CM F6.5 REFLECTOR

CHI-1 is a Planewave CDK24, a 61-cm telescope with Corrected Dall Kirkham optical design, situated in the Rio Hurtado Valley, Chile. It is equipped with a set of Astrodon astrophotography filters as well as Sloan photometry filters and it's, therefore, an excellent choice for both scientific applications and astrophotography of deep-sky objects.

What are the differences, and which is better?

Neither is better, per se, but they each have features that may make them better suited for a particular purpose.

They differ in the arrangement of the optical components. The optical chain in a refractor telescope is straight through the objective lens directly to the observing point (eyepiece or camera). This direct path minimizes some spherical aberration or coma, where stars are not perfectly round.

Refractors

tend to be lighter and have smaller objectives or light-gathering power when compared to a reflector. When properly constructed and of high quality, the elements minimize chromatic aberration or color fringing, often the bane of inexpensive refractors.

Refractors have incredible sharpness and contrast. They are typically employed for wide-field observation and imaging.

A reflector telescope

is larger, heavier, and requires a robust mount. The optics consist of a primary mirror that functions as the objective lens and a secondary mirror that focuses on the camera/eyepiece. This secondary mirror is supported by thin vanes of metal called a spider.

These vanes are responsible for the diffraction spikes around stars. These spikes do not occur in a refractor and may be a deciding factor in choosing an instrument.

The field-of-view (FOV) of a reflector tends to be tighter, and the magnification greater than a refractor. This aspect is ideal for getting those “close-ups” of deep space objects.

@telescopelive has three refractor telescopes (and a Nikon lens) and six reflectors.

Try ‘em all! https://app.telescope.live/telescope-network/telescope

Remote astrophotography allows users to select targets in the comfort of their homes. Sitting at the computer, with no need to freeze your butt off, one can command a telescope to take a photo. You can place an order by inputting parameters such as target name, length of exposures, and filter selection.

The order is scheduled at a precise time, and when completed, files are available for downloading.

Once the files are downloaded, the astrophotographer is faced with post-processing. this is sometimes an arduous task, made easier by software.

The files are stacked, stretched, and combined. The resultant image is edited for color and output as a .jpg for publication.

The use of these remote telescopes is enhanced by being located under some of the darkest skies on earth. These locations allow for shorter exposures and hence less money spent on time.

#### 03JUN2021w Previously published on TelescopeLive

Telescopes for backyard use can be found on Amazon

Photo by Jim DeLillo

NGC 3532 (also called the Wishing Well Cluster)

is about 300 million years old and contains about 400 stars. It is located in the constellation Carina. Famed astronomer John Herschel observed multiple binary stars within the cluster when he observed the open star cluster in the 1830s

Be sure to read Jim Delillo's other featured stories on Vocal

You can write for Vocal, too– Join Here

Jim DeLillo is an ambassador and admin for TelescopeLive