Equipment
Telescopes
I currently use an Orion Optics Europa 200 mm Newtonian reflector (the f/6
version). For more details you can look at the Orion Optics web site
The telescope is on a HEQ5 equatorial mount with dual axis drives.
In addition I have a Skywatcher 80 mm refractor (focal length = 400 mm), also mounted on the HEQ5
I now have a Skywatcher 80 mm ED80 refractor too (picture below).
SAC7 CCD Camera (Now sold)
This uses the same CCD chip as the Philips Vesta Pro web cam, but allows long
exposures to be taken. The camera is air-cooled. So far I have taken exposures of up to
60 seconds duration with this.
© R.I. Taylor
Atik 2HS CCD Camera
This is a black & white modified webcam, similar to the SAC-7 but with much
greater sensitivity and a slightly larger pixel size (which means a larger field of view). I have only had this
since January 2006. It is shown below with the Atik x0.5 focal reducer attached.
Other Cameras
I also have a Canon EOS 350D, since March 2006, although have not yet used it for astrophotography,
and a Nikon Coolpix 2100 compact digital camera (which is a great camera, but not useful for astrophotography).
© R.I. Taylor