Equipment
Mole Manor is used primarily for astrophotography, but it can be outfitted for visual observation.
~~~~~~~~~~ Astrophotography ~~~~~~~~~~
An Orion 8 inch f/8.0 Ritchey-Chrétien astrograph can be set up for deep space astrophotography. Shown attached to the back of the Ritchey-Chrétien is an Optec TCF-Si focuser and a Celestron Nightscape 8300 color camera. The guiding set-up is an Orion StarShoot AutoGuide camera attached to an Orion 80 mm f/5.0 Short Tube refractor. This photo shows the 8" R-C on a Celestron CGX-L mount.
In this case, the CCD camera on the Ritchey-Chrétien is an Orion Parsec 8300M monochrome camera. An Orion Nautilus filter wheel with luminance, red, green, and blue filters is used to make the exposures necessary to assemble a color image.
For wide field deep space astrophotography, a William Optics 71 mm f/4.9 STAR71 refractor can be set up with a CCD camera and a guide scope. This photo shows the William Optics 71 mm refractor and the QSI 683cs color camera. The guide set-up is a StarShoot AutoGuide camera on an Orion 50 mm f/3.2 Mini Guide Scope. A wooden fixture was fabricated so that the light wide field set-up could be balanced on a mount designed for heavier equipment.
An intermediate field of view and more light gathering capability are provided by an Orion 10 inch f/3.9 Newtonian Astrograph. This photo shows the Newtonian being set up with a Baader Planetarium coma corrector and an Orion Parsec 10100C color camera. The guide set-up is the StarShoot AutoGuide camera on the Orion Mini Guide Scope.
A narrow field of view for astrophotography is provided by a Celestron 11 inch f/10.0 Edge HD Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope/astrograph. The Schmidt-Cassegrain is shown here with the Optec TCF-Si focuser and the QSI 683cs color camera. The guiding set-up is an Orion StarShoot AutoGuide camera on a Celestron 80 mm f/7.5 refractor. This photo shows the Schmidt-Cassegrain mounted on a Celestron CGE Pro mount on the Mole Manor Observatory pier.
A focal reducer can be used to change the Celestron 11 inch Edge HD Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope/astrograph from f/10.0 to f/7.0. This shortens the focal length and widens the field of view. This photo shows the Schmidt-Cassegrain with the 0.7x focal reducer, the Optec TCF-Si focuser, and an SBIG STF-8300M monochrome camera and filter wheel.
The Celestron 11 inch f/10 Edge HD Schmidt-Cassegrain or a GSO 8 inch f/12 Classical Cassegrain can be configured with a video camera for planetary astrophotography. This photo shows the 11 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain with a Point Grey Flea 3 video camera. A 2.5x PowerMate has been added to provide additional magnification. The video frames from the video camera are recorded on a laptop PC and processed later to produce a single image. No guide scope is needed for planetary astrophotography.
The GSO 8 inch f/12 Classical Cassegrain can be set up for planetary astrophotography or for deep space astrophotography of narrow subjects such as planetary nebulae. This photo shows the 8 inch cassegrain set up for narrow field deep space astrophotography with an Optec TCF-Si focuser and a ZWO ASI 174MC CMOS camera. The guide set-up is an Explore Scientific 102 mm f/7 refractor with an Orion StarShoot AutoGuide camera. The mount is an Orion HDX110 EQ-G.
A laptop PC running MaxIm DL is used to control and monitor the telescope, main camera, and guide camera and to download the astrophotos from the main camera. A second laptop PC runs the Starry Night planetarium program in real time and contains planning files and photos. A red filter is placed over each PC screen during nightime operation.
Hydrogen alpha photos of the sun can be made with the set-up shown here. A 60 mm Lunt LS60THa solar telescope and a ZWO ASI 174MC color camera are shown mounted on a Celestron CGX mount. And the mount is mounted on wheely bars.
The hydrogen alpha set-up is shown photographing a solar eclipse.
~~~~~~~~~~ Visual Observation ~~~~~~~~~~
The Orion 10 inch f/3.9 telescope/astrograph can be used for visual observation. This photo shows the 8 inch Orion f/4.0 Newtonian that was the first telescope used in the observatory.
The Explore Scientific 102 mm f/7.0 refractor can be used for wide field visual observation. Wider fields of view are provided by a TPO 6 inch f/4.0 Newtonian and the Wiliam Optics 71 mm f/4.9 refractor.
The Celestron 11 inch f/10.0 Edge HD Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope/astrograph gives high visual magnification with a relatively narrow field of view.