What do I need to get started?

To get started you first need a good Telescope, yep, you really do need a telescope, (smile). I suggest at least a Meade LX50. The Meade LX10 although a good visual scope, is not a good CCD scope and should be avoided, (sorry Meade). You then need a camera, if starting out a Meade Pictor 208 is a good low price choice, the 216 is a better choice if you think you might get in to color or other filtered shots because the 216 can be connected to the 616a color filter wheel. The 416 is much more expansive but is also a larger, faster camera.

After choosing a telescope and a camera I strongly suggest a flip mirror. This allows you to look threw a lens and when centered you can flip the mirror putting the image on the CCD chip. It also makes focus much easier, and this is the hardest part. You can use any lens with a flip mirror, but I suggest a framing lens, this shows you what part of your field of view is on the CCD chip.

Some type of motorized focus is a must, any will do, but I have found the JMI Digital Focus Counter to be the best. This gives you visual feed back as to what changes you have made to the focus. Changes a small as 1/100 of a turn of the focus knob, or even less can make a big difference

Additional help with focus makes life much easier as well. I took a piece of plastic and cut 3 holes in it, then place it over the corrector plate. When out of focus I will get 3 stars on my shot, as I get closer to focus the stars get closer together until they become one, at that time focus is perfect.

Another good idea is to have good software, I use MaximDL/CCD, a VERY nice feature of this software is the ability to look the the saturation of the light on the chip. If in focus you will get a sharp spike. This is very nice for keeping an eye on focus, something that can change as the night goes on because of changes in the temperature.

The focal ratio of the telescope is another thing you really need to watch. Smaller chips need lower f/ratios. Lower f/ratios also allow you to take shorter exposures because the light is concentrated. I suggest f6.3 or lower. f/3.3 is a good place to start because it gives you a much larger field of view and up to an 80% reduction in exposure time when compared to a f/10 telescope. The down side to this is you loose close up ability. My setup gives me the ability to do f/2, f/3.3, f/6.3, and f/10, I can also add a x2 barlow for close up, or even a second x2 for x3 shots.

Most important is something you simply can not buy, patience, lots of it. CCD imaging can be really frustrating, but don't give up, nothing good comes easy.

 

Ok, I got my hardware and software, now what do I do?

Well, this is how I got started, this is in now way the only way of doing it. I set the camera and computer on my dinning room table and hooked everything up to make sure it worked. I turned on the camera, took an exposure, moved the filter wheel, etc. This helps to make sure the the camera and software work, and to get you acquainted with the software. Both things you really want to do indoors.

Then I put the camera on the Telescope and went outside in the day time. I placed a piece of cardboard over the telescope with a small hole, about 1 inch to let in only a little light. I then pointed at a stop sign about a quarter mile away. This helps get everything aligned. Then I started taking exposures until I was focused. This helps get you more acquainted with the software. Do this during the day so your not wasting limited viewing time.

Now it's time to work at night. If the moon is out, try for that, it's big and easy to find. When happy with that move to planets, then finally deep space.

As the night goes on, your focus might change due to temperature changes, so you might have to make small changes. From time to time check.

Keep all exposures you take during the night, even if you don't see much detail. A little work can bring out an image you can't see. The only shots I delete are shots with tracking problems.