Astro-Images

In 1973 and 1980 I had some success in imaging the total solar eclipses that passed over Kenya in those years. But aside from that my attempts at using a film camera for astro work were largely unsuccesful. Thus my astro-imaging journey only really began when I acquired a video camera.

In 2010 I bought a GStar-Ex mono video camera which was specifically designed for astronomical use. I attached it to the aging 12" Meade f/10 SCT that I was then using and it provided a fairly easy and inexpensive means of entry into the complexities of modern amateur astro-imaging. It also gave much enjoyment and generated some quite satisfactory images of the easier / brighter deep sky objects. However, there were some limitations with this setup that over time became irksome to the point where I decided that a change of equipment was needed.

In late 2013 I changed the 12" Meade SCT for an 8" Vixen f/4 Newtonian. It was initially mounted on a HEQ5 Pro equatorial mount which has been replaced by the AZ-EQ6 GT mount.. An Atik 383L+ mono CCD camera replaced the video camera. And because quite long exposure times were planned the Orion Starshoot mini autoguider system was added. The learning curve was steep and long although the previous experience with the video camera helped.

2016 saw the arrival of the small ProStar CMOS LP-Guide colour camera for general easy viewing and outreach purposes using the small Vixen R130sf f/5 Newtonian. Although not really designed for imaging deep sky objects this camera can produce some reasonable results even when no autoguiding is involved.

As camera technology advances, the distinction between "video" and "still" cameras becomes blurred to the point where now both types can be incorporated into the same unit. This is the case with the GStar-Ex3 CMOS colour camera bought in 2017. Although acquired primarily for easy on-screen viewing and outreach purposes, its large 3,040 x 2,048 pixel imaging format combined with real-time dark frame subtraction and stacking features mean that quite decent unguided images can be acquired with comparatively little effort.

2019 saw the arrival of the entry-level Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III mirrorless general purpose CMOS single lens camera which allows a range of imaging possibilities. It can be piggybacked on the SW 150 PDS 'scope using either a zoom 14mm to 42mm or a zoom 40mm to 150mm lens. It can also be used at the SW 150 PDS' prime focus. The camera's fairly large imaging sensor delivers comparatively wide fields of view.

The ZWO ASI294MC Pro CMOS colour camera is intended to serve two purposes. Firstly it should go some way to further EAA work by combining the advantages of short exposure times (like those available with the GStar-Ex3) and a large field of view similar to that delivered by the Olympus OM-D. For that purpose SharpCap's live stacking feature delivers quite acceptable near real-time viewing, Later post processing with Photoshop can bring out yet more detail. The second purpose is to act as a regular long exposure camera for more traditional astro-photography but that will have to wait until the EAA use is well bedded down.

And so the journey continues.