Astronomy Photo Gallery




***** Telescopes 'N Stars *****

If you want a lifetime friend, own a Questar. Questar has mesmerizing beauty. The Questar is the only telescope that is suitable for Astronomy, Birding, and use as a long distance Microscope. Three for the price of one! A lifetime of enjoyment! Check out FAQ for more Questar information.
Unitron Equatorial Refractor, 62mm diameter, f/15, 900mm fl. User-friendly, describes a 62mm (2.4 inch) refracting telescope. More important, is a quality, vintage refractor like Unitron. Shown with 10 x 42mm finder, Uniclamps, and Uni-Balance Assembly. This telescope has been a stable in my telescope arsenal for many years!
Stellarvue 1010N short focus refractor on Vixen GP-DX mount. My observing site in SE Michigan. The side deck provides a nice view of the ecliptic path. The Stellarvue 78mm, f/6 refractor is shown with a 9x50mm finder, Borg 7315 helical focuser, and University Optics 32mm Konig eyepiece, mounted on a Vixen GP-DX.
Car Window mount - Carpod Questar mounted on Carpod in window of a Truck. Such a device is useful for surveillance or photography on the run. The 1972 movie, "The Mechanic", starring Charles Bronson and a Questar Telescope, illustrated this concept.
Apex 127mm, f/12 maksutov on Vixen GP-DX mount. The Apex 127 is a 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope made in China and imported by Orion. This is a very rugged and solid telescope, weighing about 10 pounds. Its forte is lunar, solar, and planets; but DSO are also within its grasp.
Celestron C8, f/10 SCT on Vixen GP-DX mount, Antares 8x50mm finder. Celestron C8 is a 200mm Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope (SCT). The configuration shown, weighs 14 pounds. This setup is mainly used for deep sky probing and photography of fainter objects. Note the homebrew web strap across tube, fashioned to provide a 3rd hand to secure OTA when mounting or re-positioning .
Western Veil Nebula in Cygnus. Nikon D70 DSLR photo, 13 Sep 2005. NGC 6992, Veil Nebula in Cygnus. Nikon D70 DSLR prime focus to a Vixen 80SS refractor, 400mm, f/5. Exposed at ISO 800, IDAS LPS filter, 5 x 4.5 min. Vixen GP-DX with Skysensor 2000 tracking, STV with e-finder autoguided. Processed with ImagesPlus 2.5, Paint Shop Pro 9.01. From SE Michigan on 13 Sep 2005.
Perkin-Elmer 600mm, f/8, Solid Cat Mirror Lens mounted on Bogen tripod with 3039 Pro Head-3D Before Questar, was the Perkin-Elmer designed mirror lens (termed the "Solid Catadioptic"). This 600 mm, f/8, compact optic, is shown attached to the Questar diagonal adapter, known as "The Televid". When coupled to a digital camera, it makes a fine lunar and solar imager.
Vixen Large Accessory Plate (LAP) transporting Vixen 70S (70mm, f/6) guidescope, Vixen GA-4 guider, Nikon D70 DSLR with 180mm ED lens, mounted on Losmandy Universal Plate and camera holder, Nikon DR-6 angle finder. Note the Velcro strap anchoring objective end of 180mm, f/2.8 lens. Vixen Large Accessory Plate (LAP) transporting Vixen 70S guidescope, Vixen GA-4 guider, Nikon D70 DSLR with 180mm ED lens, mounted on Losmandy Universal Plate and camera holder, Nikon DR-6 angle finder, mounted on Vixen GP-DX German Equatorial Mount with SS2K.
Vixen Large Accessory Plate (LAP) transporting an f/3.2 imaging system for DSO photography. The Vixen LAP supports a Vixen 70S, 400mm guidescope; Pentax 300mm, f/4 telephoto lens, William Optic DCL4337 40mm eyepiece, and Nikon 4500 digital camera. Manual guiding options used: PC164 CCD video, Vixen GA-4 Guider, or UO illuminated EP.
Questar mounted on Meade wedge and tripod. Questar mounted on a Meade heavy duty field tripod and wedge. This is a very stable vibration-free platform, suitable for both visual and astrophotography use. The Questar fork mount doesn't behave like a tuning fork; unlike some of the big guys.
Vixen 80mm, f/5 short tube telescope. Vixen 80SS achromatic short tube with semi-APO performance. This telescope is the ultimate "Grab 'N Go" scope; being only 11 inches long when stored. The 80SS also is a formidable astrograph with a very flat FOV. Key features are 2 in. drawtube, 400mm, f/5, and flip mirror diagonal (with rear T-thread) and red-dot projection finder included. Shown with Orion 6x finder.
This is the William Optics 105mm Triplet ED refractor. At f/7, this telescope has the moxie to be suitable for both visual and astrophotography applications. The 4 inch unobstructed optics is probably the minimum aperture for serious deep sky studies. The weight of the OTA and mounting rings suit the Vixen GP-DX mount shown, tipping the scales at 13 pounds. William Optic 105mm, f/7 triplet ED refractor.
Mars, Questar and Nikon 4500 photo - 19 July 2003 Questar 3.5 photo of Mars, using a Nikon 4500 digital camera at full 4x zoom, 1.5X Dakin Barlow, 14 mm Scopetronix EP, afocal coupling, 1/15 sec, 1280 x 960, ISO 200. Registax of 60 images and processed using Paint Shop Pro 7. RGB offset corrected with Astroalign, 19 July 2003.
Theophilus and Cyrillus craters - 17 July 2003 Crater's Theophilus and Cyrillus in the Sinus Asperitatis region (#46 in Rukl), 19-day moon. Nikon 4500 digital camera and Questar Photo, 14mm Scopetronix EP, 1.5x barlow, converted to grey-scale, 17 Aug 2003.
Mare Crisium, South is up, 14 Aug 2003. Questar and Nikon 4500 photo, f/54. Northeast sector of moon, Mare Crisium Basin. Note small craters and ripples in floor. Registax 2.0 of 4 frames stacked, saved as 16 bit TIFF, then processed with Images Plus (non-adaptive Van Cittert, USM). Finalized with PSP 8.
North Central region of moon, near Mare Serenitatis - Alpennines Mountains. Questar and Nikon 4500 photo on 17 Aug 2003. Alpennines Mountain Range, North Central Region (map 22 in Rukl). Also notice large crater Archimedes at 4 o'clock position. Processed using Images Plus, with Van Cittert decovolution applied, Gaussian PSF, 10 iterations. Final tweaking using Paint Shop Pro 8.
Mare Imbrium of moon - Questar photo The Vallis Alpes Valley near Mare Imbrium. Nikon 4500 digital camera afocal (using scopetronix 14mm EP and 1.5x barlow) to Questar on 19 July 2003, f/45.
Herschel Crater Region - Questar 3.5 photo The Hipparchus and Herschel Crater Region, 20-day old moon. This area imaged with a 3 Com Home Connect Webcam coupled to an 89mm Questar maksutov. Webcam settings were 480 x 640 pixels, 1/25 sec, 30 sec. avi, using Vega, and Toshiba Tectra laptop computer. Twenty-six images selected for stacking using Registax 2.1. Processed using Paint Shop Pro 8. Imaged on 17 Sep 03.
Questar photo of Jupiter and GRS on 22 July 2010 at 2:30 am EDT. ToUcam 840, video mode 640 x 480, 1.5x and 2x barlow. Jupiter and Great Red Spot. Imaged with toUcam 840 webcam attached to Questar 3.5, using Questar Dakin 1.5x and 2x Barlows. Registax 5.1 used to stack 1011 of 1531 frames. Paint Shop Pro X2 final processing. Imaged on 22 July 2010 at 2:30 am EDT.
Panasonic LX3 astrophoto. Beehive (M44) open cluster in Praesepe, RAW, ISO 400, 6 x 60 sec, GP-DX Tracking. Processed in Images Plus 2.82 and PSP X2, Mar 09. M31 galaxy in Andromeda, Panasonic LX3 with Olympus B300 1.7x teleconverter, RAW, ISO 400, 5 x 60 sec, Vixen GP-DX tracking, unguided. Processed in Images Plus 2.82 and PSP X2, Sep 09.
Nikon 4500 digicam (with Nikon TC-E3 ED 3x teleconverter lens) piggyback on Questar via piggyback mount and Bogen 3273 sliding plate. Also shown is PC164 CCD camera in Questar EP port used as video guider, and Marshall VLCD4-Pro monitor. Questar via 3com Home Connect webcam plus Questar 2x barlow photo of Mars. Vega used to capture AVI video at 640x480 pixels on 2 Jul 03, 0845 UT. Registax used to align, stack, and process 39 frames from 120. Final processing with Paint Shop Pro 7.
Questar and Nikon 4500 digicam photo - 19 July 2003 South region (#66 of Rukl Atlas) of moon containing Stofler and Maurolycus crater. The 1600x1200 pixel image was taken with Nikon 4500 afocal to Questar, using 14mm scopetronix EP, 1.5x barlow, 1/15 sec, 4x zoom. Image converted to grey-scale and re-sized 45 percent of original.
A rare Aurora on 7 Nov 2004, SE Michigan, in the Constellation of Orion. Tripod mounted Nikon D70 with 28-105mm D lens at 28mm, f/3.5, 20 sec. Aurora on 7 Nov 2004, 11 pm EST, in the Perseus Region in the East Sky. Nikon D70 photo, 20 sec., f/3.5, ISO 200. Nikon Capture, Images Plus, and Paint shot Pro 8 processed.
Walter crater in south region of moon. Questar photo. Walther and Aliacensis craters in south region littered with rugged detail. Note the craterlets, a test for small telescope resolution that Questar easily excels. Imaged with a 3Com webcam, 2x barlow, 640 x 480, 1/25 sec, using Colin Bownes Vega for AVI capture. Registax 2.1 used for stacking and processing.
Mars - Syrtis Major Region, 9 Jun 2001. Questar and Olympus C3030 digital camera photo. Mars during year 2001 opposition, Syrtis Major and Mare Serpentis Region. Re-processed eight BMP (from TIFF) images with Registax. RGB offset corrected using Astroalign. Questar and Olympus C3030 digital camera photo, f/45, on 9 June 2001.
Vista Imaging (3 Com) camera coupled Questar using modifed Borg 7316 adapter, or Questar 1.25 inch slip fit extension tube. Rear view of Questar telescope, with 3 Com Home Connect webcam attached to axial port. Configuration shown with Borg 7315 helical focuser and Ultima 2x barlow. This is a typical planet and lunar imaging setup with this or similar webcam.
Jupiter, Io, and Europa, C3030 afocal coupling to 3.5 in. Questar, 2x Barlow, 13mm EP, 7 Sep 00 Olympus C3030Z digital camera afocal coupled to 600mm, f/8, solid catadioptic, mirror lens, University Optics 32mm Konig EP, saturation adjusted with PSP, 22 Jul 00.
First Bite of partial solar eclipse over SE Michigan, 25 Dec 2000 Christmas 2000 partial solar eclipse over SE Michigan. Olympus C3030 attached to 600mm mirror lens, 32mm EP, and Thousand Oaks Solar Filter. Exposure: F/2.8 at 1/500 sec.
Christmas 2000 eclipse at maximum coverage. Questar 3.5 close-up photo of sunspot and lunar edge for Xmas solar eclipse at maximum coverage. C2000Z, Thousand Oaks solar filter, 40-80x (24mm) EP, 1200 x 1600 pixels at 11:51:24 EST.
2003, year of Mars. Nikon 4500 digicam afocal to Questar, using 14mm scopetronix EP, 1.5x barlow, Baader UV-IR Cut Filter. Registax of 50 images from cropped 190x190 pixel frames, 0615 UT on 29 Jul 03 . Mars - Nikon 4500 afocal to Questar, 17 Aug 03, 0650 UT, f/54, 1600x1200 pixels cropped to 200x200 pixels and Registax of 92 frames. Final processing via Paint Shop Pro 8.
Mars - Moon conjunction on 17 July 2003, 0830 UT. Questar and Nikon 4500 digital camera photo. Mars on 26 Jul 03, 0630 UT. Questar photo using Nikon 4500 digicam, 14mm EP, 1.5x barlow. Used 1600x1200 pixels, 1/15 sec, ISO 200, 4x zoom. Images cropped to 180x180 pixels and Registax of 58 frames. PSP 7 processed.
Mars on 10 Aug 03, 0630 UT. Celestron 8 and Nikon 4500 digital camera photo. Mars on 10 Aug 2003 from SE Michigan. Nikon 4500 afocal to Celestron 8 SCT via 14mm Scopetronix EP, Ultima 2x barlow, Baader UV-IR cut filter. Settings were 1600x1200, 1/30 sec, 4x zoom, ISO 200, f/46, 4/10 seeing. Registax of 90 frames with final processing in Paint Shop Pro 8.
Mars - Region of Arabia and Noachis Terra, South is up. Questar photo on 3 Sep 2003, 0600 UT. Mars, Mare Erythraeum and Noachis Terra Region. Registax 1.1 used to stack 161 JPG frames, final processing with Paint Shop Pro 8. Questar and Nikon 4500 digital camera photo, 1600 x 1200 pixels, ISO 200, 1/15 sec, f/54, on 3 Sept 2003, 0600 UT.
Saturn in the constellation Gemini. Questar and 3Com Homeconnect webcam photo on 24 Sep 2003, 0900 UT. Saturn was in the Constellation Gemini, 24 Sep 03, 0900 UT. A 3Com Home Connect webcam, 2x barlow, was coupled to a Questar. Webcam was set to 640 x 480 pixels at 1/10 sec shutter speed. Colin Bownes Vega 1.2.1 was used to capture the avi video at 2 fps, 60 seconds. Registax 1.1 used to stack 103 frames; final processing with Paint Shop Pro 8.
Boulder sunspot no. 486 on 24 Oct 2003, 1800 UT. This is a location for X-class solar flare. Questar, Nikon 4500, and Thousand Oaks Solar Filter photo. M42 in Orion on 13 Sep 2004. Imaged with Nikon D70 coupled to Nikkor 180mm, f/2.8 ED lens, ISO 800, RAW mode. Exposure 2 x 30 sec, 1x60 sec, 2x2 min., f/2.8, IDAS LPS filter. Processed with ImagesPlus 2.0, Neat Image, and PSP 8.
Questar with piggyback camera mount. Questar 3.5 shown with piggyback mount for wide-field astrophotography or other accessories. A Nikon DSLR is attached with a 28-105mm lense. Also note the Declination drive, suitable for either manual use or connection to an autoguider via the Powerguide II control box.
Seven Sister Cluster (M45 Pleiades), Nikon D70 DSLR photo. Pleiades, M45 captured with Nikon D70, Nikkor 180mm ED lens, and Hutech IDAS LPS filter (72mm). Exposed at ISO 800, f/2.8, 2x60 sec, 2x90 sec. Processed using ImagesPlus 2.0, Neat Image, and Paint Shop Pro 8. Re-sized 40% of original. Vixen GP-DX tracking. Focusing confirmation using Marshall VLCD4-Pro monitor, 13 Sep 2004.
Nighthawk refractor DSO imaging setup. Vixen 70S guidescope, Nikon D70 DSLR, Celestron .63 FR, f/3.78 FR. Jupiter and shadow of Europa on 30 July 2010, 2:30 am EDT. Panasonic LX3 afocal to Questar, 18mm EP, 1.5x and 2x barlows, VGA (640 x 480), ISO 400. Registax 5.1 of 1000 frames.
Mars at closest approach in 2005. Questar and Nikon 4500 photo, 29 Oct 2005 Mars on day of largest apparent diameter on 29 Oct 2005. A Nikon CP4500 digital camera was afocal to a Questar 3.5" telescope, Baader UV-IR filter, Scopetronix 14mm EP, Questar 1.5x barlow, f/48. Exposed at 1/8 sec, ISO 200, full 4x optical zoom. Registax used to align and stack 70 select frames. Final Processing with Paint Shop Pro 9.01


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