Equipment

Takahashi TOA-150 apochromatic refractor f/7.3

The telescope is equipped with a "Takahashi 67-FL" field flattener.

A "Takahashi RD-645" focal reducer/flattener is used for wider FOV imaging at f/5.5. A Takahashi 1.6X focal extender is also used in order to operate the scope at f/11.7 for smaller objects.

 

SBIG STL11KM CCD Camera

LRGB Astrodon first generation filters and Astrodon H-Alpha + OIII narrow-band filters are mounted in the integrated filter wheel of the camera.

An IDAS LPS filter is also used in combination, in order to reduce the light pollution coming from Quebec city.

 

Takahashi EM-400 Temma II equatorial mount

The EM-400 equatorial head is mounted on a "Sky Shed" pier.

The equipement is kept mounted on a homemade wheel platform in a shelter near the observing site so that the gear can be moved in position and be ready to run in just a few minutes.

The focuser is remotely controlled from the computer with a Robofocus motor from Technical Innovations connected to the focuser shaft.

An Astrodon "TAKometer" remotely controlled camera rotator is adapted to the telescope with a timing belt and a large gear that clamps to the Takahashi camera angle adjuster.

 

Takahashi FSQ-106EDX Astrograph Telescope f/5.0

For wide FOV imaging with this telescope, I also use a 0.72X reducer/flattener at f/3.6 in combination with a SBIG STL11KM CCD camera.

The scope is driven on a Takahashi EM-200 mount.

Since this gear is relatively light and small, I can easily travel with it to dark observing sites far from the city light pollution.

 

 

 

12.5 inch CDK Planewave telescope f/8

This long FL instrument (2500mm) is well suited for small objects. The motorized Hedrick focuser is remotely controlled from a computer. The CDK optical design produces images free from field curvature and coma defects and is well adapted for imaging with CCD cameras.

 

The telescope is driven on the Takahashi EM-400 mount and is equipped with an "Optec Pyxis 3in" rotator in order to control the camera angle from the computer.

 

I use a "SBIG ST-10XME" CCD camera with a CFW10 filter wheel with Astrodon LRGB second generation and narrowband H-Alpha + OIII + SII filters + IDAS LPS filter.

 

I also use SBIG AO-7 Adaptative Optics in order to improve guiding and reduce the effects of atmospheric turbulence that degrade the seeing quite a bit in Quebec province because of the Jet Stream that is just overhead.