wpo - My Meade 30cm LX200 Classic SCT -  Imaging

ETX-70 DeepSky... piggyback imaging... solar system... accessories... webcam

30cm MEADE CLASSIC LX200:+ Starlight Xpress Lodestar CCD in brief exposure images via my observatory mounted scope normally at f/6.3 but sometimes at f/2.9 [Meade nominal f/3.3 FR] mostly in live-view mode.

ERIS: remotest dwarf planet-1st for my Classic 30cm LX200 at f/6.3 of feeble mv18.75 planetoid at 97AU.

Eris in Cetus Eris in Cetus Eris in Cetus

VARIABLE STARS: Albireo, Chi Cyg+Cyg WR spectra in Canon 300d DSLR colour

chi cyg spectra DSLR colour chi cyg spectra DSLR colour cyg wr spectra DSLR colour albireo in DSLR colour

RED+WHITE DWARFS: stars a few lightyears from earth show rapid proper motion against star background eg Burnham's Cel Hk and on-line Digital Sky Survey and including Barnard's Star [highest known PM of 10" pa; rare twin white dwarfs in Her and red dwarf Van Biesbroeck's Star in Aql-febblest known star mv18 mAbs+19.3!

barnards star in oph + 'discovered' galaxy rare twin WDs in Her van biesbroecks star Aql

OFF-ECLIPTIC ASTEROIDS: faint mag 15 asteroids in Cygnus [Zulu], Lyra [Lick] and Hercules [1991 VH=MP35107] show their movement against the star background over a few minutes in short exposures.

mp lick+zulu mp zulu in cyg mp lick in lyra mp35107 in her

Comet 2008 J1 [Boattini] at f/2.9 plus DSOs eg classic planetary M57 [Lyr] and remote globular NGC 7006 [Del] etc via Lodestar CCD - f/ratio in pic header.

c/2008J1 boattini c/2008J1 boattini

m57 in lyr n7006 in del

With better flats, taken at dusk, the full unvignetted frame via the SX Lodestar CCD is achieved in this productive session near summer solstice.

m27lode m57 m51 m101 m81 m82 m56 gc m71 gc n7006 gc del n6934 gc del

lodestar cam lodestar dso mix lodestar dso mix2 - lodestar dso mix 3 M5 gc

saturn sats Moon M3 gc M67 oc M82

M51 via static 30cm SCT in 0.3s sub-exposure using SX Lodestar CCD.

M51

These are some recent images via my observatory mounted 30cm Meade Classic LX200 SCT with Starlight Xpress SXVF_M9 CCD camera mostly at f/6.3 and homemade f/5 focal reducers and also at the native f/10 for larger image scale and potential detail.

These shots at f/10 - some with a simple red interference filter serving as a pseudo H-alpha filter on emission objects like M1's 'filaments' and M42
M1 M1 M1 M42

galaxy mix galaxy mix LX200 DSOS LX200 DSOS LX200 DSOSX LX200 M1 ESKIMO PNE N2419 INT GALACTIC WANDERER LYNX QUASAR @ 12BLY LYNX QUASAR @ 12BLY N3718 GXY M97 PNE UMA GXY sombrero m104 GXY

saturn+sats

text & images copyright Maurice Gavin - Feb 2008 Visitor Counter by Digits