NEWS

	July 2010:  This is my first Hydrogen Alpha image.  It's also my first photo taken with a cooled Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) astro camera.  The camera is an SBIG ST2000XM (1600x1200 pixel monochromatic) which has  kindly been lent to me by Brian Clements who lives nearby.  The high signal-to-noise ratio of a seriously cooled, and seriously serious CCD is awesome.  Check out the "What's New" web page periodically to see all of my latest images.
	July 2010:  I've been very fortunate that Brian Clements has generously lent me his Santa Barbara Instruments Group (SBIG) ST2000XM CCD camera, replete with filterwheel, LRGB and H-alpha filters set.  So, it looks like Digital SLR imaging will go on hold, while I make the most of this opportunity, and while I get down to work learning how this beauty works.   An SBIG is big!  How on Earth do I fit it securely to the Schmidt Newtonian's focuser?
	Published In the News 27th June 2010 This picture of the partial lunar eclipse made it onto the ABC news website.  It is a composite image consisting of two separate images: one exposure short, the other long.
	June 2010:  A Nice Image With The New Telescope - M20 The Trifid Nebula The rebuilt SN-8 telescope is working very well.  See these images of the Trifid Nebula (Messier Object M20) taken with the new rig scope and the H-alpha modified camera.

  January 2010  New Schmidt Newtonian. 

  I've bought a new 8" Schmidt Newtonian.  I moved its mirror and the corrector plate to the old Optical Tube Assembly (OTA).  This is because the old OTA has the GSO low-height Crayford focuser installed which is much, much better than Meade's standard focuser.  It was a bit tricky and I had to shim the focuser to get it perpindicular, but the result is very good.  So after all this time I'm back to where I was - and with a better DSLR camera now.

   First light for the new rig was 21Jan2010 and I am very pleased with the result.  See an image of Eta Carina here.  This is one of my sharpest images.  The new rig can fit an off-axis guider which I used for the latest image.

September 2009  New Camera

  I bought a second-hand Infra-red modified Canon 350D.  Works a treat.

August 2009   Telescope is broken

  The Schmidt Newtonian's corrector plate was smashed when the scope fell to the ground during an imaging session.

The cause was traced to the base of the LXD-75 mount bar being unsuitable for the new EQ-6's mount head.  The ring mount bar that comes with Meade's Schmidt Newtonian telescope is designed for the  Meade LXD-75 mount head.  The bar is not a good fit for the EQ-6 mount head.  The LXD-75 mount has a single retaining bolt centrally located, and it fits into a single slanted groove on the side of the mount bar.  The EQ-6 on the other hand has two retaining bolts, that are located on either side of centre.  These do not line up with the single slanted goove in the side of the LXD-75 mount bar.  Also, the recess on the underside of the LXD-75 mount bar is not long enough to fit the bigger mount head of the EQ-6, so it has to ride on top.   Long story short: while at the end of a long imaging run when the scope was near maximum western rotation (in RA) the two bolts stripped some metal from the mount bar and the bar, with its telescope and rings attached, fell to the ground.  Cameras, MPCC, and other equipment were miraculously undamaged but unfortunately the corrector plate on the telescope was smashed.

July 2009  Malin Awards  - Two Awards !

  I am very pleased that two of my pictures received honourable mentions at this year's Malin Awards.

November 2008  Camera Equipment

New hardware has been acquired.  This equipment is modestly priced but it will add significantly to current imaging capability:

                 a) DMK 21AU04.AS planetary imaging camera; and

                 b) Canon EF 200mm f2.8 L USM II lens for the Canon 350D camera;

I can't wait to test drive them, but Murphy's Law rulez: cloudy weather is rolling on in...

October 2008

I bought a GSO 2" (M-MLP) low-profile focuser for the Schmidt-Newt for $109 from Andrews Communications.  Originally I wanted a high-end ($500) JMI, but I decided to go with the low-cost option. I was worried about this, and even more worried about cutting and drilling the tube. I am now very, very pleased I did it.  The GSO focuser is a quality piece of kit. It's sturdy, simple, well crafted, and was easy to install. Compared to the shocking rack and pinion focuser that came standard from Meade in my Schmidt Newtonian telescope the new focuser from GSO is absolutely fantastic to use for imaging on a budget.

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