A telescope system
for Star Party Public Outreach November 30, 2019
This past summer I have been sharing the sky in a new way at
our public star parties. The telescope system described here has been improved
and simplified over the past several months so that it is relatively easy to
set up and use.
Basically I use a highly sensitive color camera inserted into the eyepiece holder of a 6 inch computer controlled telescope mounted on an alt-azimuth tripod. A cable from the camera connects to a laptop and then another cable from the laptop attaches to a large 23 inch monitor where the public sees a near live color image of a deep sky object. As the group views the deep sky object I am able to explain to them what they are looking at. This gives them a chance to ask any questions they may have before we move onto the next object. The telescope is controlled with software on the laptop. Everyone can see the deep sky object at the same time on the monitor so there are no lines to wait in for their turn to view the object. The diagram below shows the basic set up of this system.
The images below were taken with this type of setup and show what can be seen on a typical night at a star party.
T
The reaction I get from these near real time images is
similar to the reaction people have when they see rings of Saturn or the
craters of the moon for the first time though a quality telescope. When the
star party begins I check a previously prepared favorites observing list in
SkySafri 6 Pro to see what objects are visible at that moment. Next I type in
the object name or a catalog number in CPWI, hit go to, and the telescope slews
to the object. Then I make a short exposure of the object and it soon appears
on the large monitor. The camera software automatically stacks and aligns
subsequent images as we view them on the monitor thus improving their quality. If
someone asks a hard question about the object we are viewing and I’m not sure
of the answer I check the info button on SkySafari 6 Pro on my tablet or smart
phone to help answer their question. My how things have changed!
Usually I arrive 45 minutes early to the location where the
star party is being held so that I have sufficient time to set up my equipment
and sync it to the sky before the star party group arrives. The battery used
for this set up runs the monitor for at least 2 ½ hours and more which is long
enough for most star parties.
This is a fun new way to share the sky and even works well
when the moon is bright or when light pollution is a factor.
The system I use consists of the following hardware and
software:
·
(1) NEXSTAR EVOLUTION 6 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope
set on altazimeth tripod
·
(1) 2 inch diagonal to hold the camera
·
(1) Telrad Reflex Sight to align the telescope
to the finder scope
·
(1) Orion 9 x 50mm Correct-Image Right-Angle
Finder Scope
·
(1) Meade f/6.3 focal reducer to widen the field
of view
·
(1 )SkyRaider DS287/c color camera for taking
near live images of deep sky objects
o
(1) 1 ¼ inch
extender to increase focus distance for the camera
o
(1) .5X Mallincam focal reducer to further
reduce field of view because of small camera chip
·
(1 ) Acer Aspire One Cloud book 14, with Wi-Fi
mouse is a Windows 10 laptop with software for controlling Mallincam camera and
telescope as follows:
o
MALLINCAMSKY Software for controlling Mallincam SkyRaider
DS287/c color camera from the laptop
o
Celestron PWI (CPWI) Telescope Control Software for
controlling the 6 inch Celestron NexStar Evolution from a laptop
·
(1 ) HP Pavilion 23bw IPS LED Backlit Monitor is
used for viewing the deep sky images as they appear on the monitor
·
(1) 3’ X 8’ Fold up plastic table for holding,
laptop, monitor, inverter, and telescope accessory suitcase
·
(1) Chair for operator of telescope and camera
·
(1) VMAXTANKS VMAX V35-857 12 Volt 35AH AGM
Battery Marine Deep Cycle HI Performance Battery for supplying power to the
monitor
·
(1) BESTEK 500W Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC
Converter to provide power for monitor from the battery
·
Cables used in set up include:
o
(1) HDMI
Cable to connect laptop to monitor.
o
(1) 15
foot USB extender cable connected to a (1) USB 2.0 Cable – A- Male to Mini-B cord
6 Feet connected to the laptop for controlling telescope using CWPI software
o
(1) 4
port USB Hub to connect cables to laptop
·
Smart Phone with SkySafri 6 Pro installed to
provide observing list
·
A fold up stool for holding the battery off the
ground.
