Lagoon and Trifid Nebula

Lagoon M8 and Trifid Nebula M20 imaged with an 80-210 mm Tamron telephoto lens set at 210 mm f/5.6, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera on a 30 mm f/4 guide scope. This photo was imaged and tracked using a DIY go-to telescope … Continue reading Lagoon and Trifid Nebula

Trifid Nebula

Trifid Nebula M20 imaged with a Vixen R114 reflector, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera on a 60 mm f/5 guide scope. The dark dust lanes that divide the nebula into three sections are visible in this photo. This photo was imaged and … Continue reading Trifid Nebula

Lagoon Nebula | 1200 mm

Lagoon Nebula M8 imaged with a Meade AR-6 AT (152 mm f/8) achromatic refractor at 1200 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC astronomy camera, and an ASI 174 mm off-axis guider. I used a ZWO duo nebula filter to enhance the contrast by blocking out all light except the light coming from emission nebula. M8 … Continue reading Lagoon Nebula | 1200 mm

Lagoon Nebula 565 mm

Lagoon Nebula M8 imaged with a 4 in refractor at 565 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera. This is the brightest deep-sky object in the Milky Way region, in the part of the sky where you can also find the … Continue reading Lagoon Nebula 565 mm

DIY Telescope Controller | OnStep

I have built a controller for my Vixen Great Polaris mount using the OnStep go-to telescope controller. I used an Arduino Mega 2560 as the main controller board, a pair of LV8729 stepper motor driver, and an HC-05 bluetooth module (which connects to the OnStep Android app). I also built a Smart Hand Controller (SHC) … Continue reading DIY Telescope Controller | OnStep

Vixen R114 on Great Polaris Mount

I have recently acquired a Vixen R114 Newtonian reflector (114 mm aperture, 900 mm focal length at f/7.9) on a Great Polaris equatorial mount. The mount does not have motors, but I have converted it into a fully-automated go-to and tracking mount capable of unguided exposures of at least 60 seconds (field-tested without guiding). The … Continue reading Vixen R114 on Great Polaris Mount

DIY Microfocuser

I’ve built an electronic automatic focuser (EAF) for my Tamron 80 to 210 mm telephoto (zoom) lens for automated and precise focusing. The focuser was built with a stepper motor, an A4988 stepper motor driver, an Arduino Uno, and a repurposed azimuth adjustment mechanism of an old Vixen mount. Vixen’s alt-az mount azimuth lock mechanism … Continue reading DIY Microfocuser

DIY Tamron to Astrocam Adapter

I have a 1980 Tamron 80 mm to 210 mm telephoto (zoom) lens that I intend to use for astrophotography. I could not find a dedicated astro camera adapter for this particular lens so I just improvised one. I used epoxy to connect a Tamron to Canon EOS adapter and an M42 connector for my … Continue reading DIY Tamron to Astrocam Adapter