FINALLY!

Got some first light with my new to me AT102ED. Just plopped it on the mount and pointed it at the moon and Jupiter since I don't have very many open areas at my house. Got about 10 minutes of viewing time with both until they got obscured by the trees. My hubby was awed at the moon. I took my 40D, and pointed it through the eyepiece for the moon shot. I know it is not sharp, but still not bad. I'm sooooo tickled! Now I just need a T-ring and adapter, or a mount to piggyback the camera with. I know (I think) that I'm getting a 50mm f/1.8 for my birthday, so I may try for some large areas again, such as Orion, if I piggy it. I still really want a nice shot of that constellation!

Congratulations on the new scope ! I think you will really enjoy it ! I might mention something about the adapter you are considering to buy . Check out these ADAPTERS from Stellarvue for $39.00 each . Either of these will screw right on to your T-Ring when you get one . You don't need a T-Adapter unless your using an SCT type scope . I believe your scope has a 2" focuser and the adapter your diagonal slips into has a couple thumb screws holding it in place . This adaqpter will come out and the adapter from Stellarvue slips right into it's place with a perfect fit . These are easy to use and well worht the money . I know others may have different adapters but i like this particular adapter cause i can use it with my Stellarvue AT1010 80mm and my 8" SCT Celestron when i use my 2" diagonal . And it works great . Good luck and check out my equipment on my website . I have pictures showing different ways to attach cameras to your scope .

Hmmm... I was thinking about a rig like your C8 with an adapter and a 2" diagonal. However, will my 40D do ok with a prime focus setup on the AT102ED? Just wondering. Also, what kind of piggyback setup do I need to buy? I'm quite honestly not sure what kind of rings my scope has.... Geeeshhhhh.... I feel so stupid sometimes. I love to learn, however it is frustrating when you don't have anyone nearby to show you things when it comes to equipment. I'm a visual learner, so it gets hard. LOL! I've had the mount since spring, and the scope for a couple of months. Didn't have any eyepieces, but stupid me bought a 2" eyepiece for the 1.25" diagonal. Duh. I need a diagonal for the 2" eyepiece to work anyway. Finally got around to getting a 1.25" 12mm Paradigm by AT and got it in the mail yesterday. My little guy is pretty sick right now, so all I really could do was take it outside when I knew I had a window of opportunity with the moon and Jupiter. Hubby thinks that it should be a hit with his science kids, even with just the moon. We are shooting for a latter fall star party for his and the other science teacher's students and families. I think I'm going to teach Greg on how to use the scope and mount, while I will take the people on a tour of the constellations while they are waiting.

Sounds like you have a great plan . Piggyback with a refractor is quite different from an SCT . However there is some here very advanced that should show up and help you with answers for your Refractor PB . Just hang in there and be patient , it will come easy once you get a hang of the ropes . BTW i might also add that you have a very nice refractor and refractors images are usually alot more sharper than an SCT so consider yourself very lucky !! I'd love to have your scope but got too many myself now .

You're on a great journey of discovery! I've been on the learning curve for about 30 years and it never gets old.

My deep sky friends can tell you about that - I'm no expert. What I can tell you is that you have the perfect scope for Moon shots. Get that T adapter and start shooting through there, using the scope as a long lens. You'll be amazed at what you can do.

I'm the faculty advisor for our school's astronomy club (Univ of Arkansas, just a couple of hundred miles west of you) and we have star parties a few times a year. Be sure to have the most powerful green laser pointer you can find, they work great for pointing at things in the sky.

And, something I've wanted to try, tether your 40D to a laptop computer and show Moon (and maybe planetary) pictures in real time. I don't know if anyone has tried this, but it should work great.

It's very frustrating since I had several years of experience at my university. It's just that it's been a little bit over a decade. LOL. Maybe you know my former astronomy prof at Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau in the physics department? He's a pretty neat guy. He's answered a few questions for me, and I plan on asking him more. Problem is that he's a good 2 hour drive away. I guess if worse came to worse I could pay him a visit. Hmmmm.... so perfect scope for the moon, huh? I'd love to do a timelapse of the moon going through its phases some day, just to show how much wobble it has. And yes, I remember the lasers . I used a red laser, and kept red flashlights around so I could read my star charts. I really miss having the access to the university.... *going into a daydream (or is it nightdream?) of nostalgia*

I also might add that your moon picture is more sharp and better than any of my previous years attempt at shooting the moon throught my eypieces . Mine always looked a bit out of focus from hand holding the camera . Color looks very good also ! Like i said , you do have a very sweet scope ! 4"s' Are also great for doing DSOs' ( Deep Sky Objects) imaging . M31is a good choice now and M8 & M20 right now in the Milkyway . Around the corner is coming M42 the Orion neb . Most popular neb of all for imaging besides the HorseHead . So do as much practicing as possible and get ready for the season !

Also found these Piggybackmounts at Orion . Measure the outside diameter of your scope and you can order rings you need accordingly . Good luck !

Celestron, I must say you've been a wealth of information that is quite helpful for me and my ventures. I thank you so much. I wish that I could get a shot at the Lagoon nebula, but everywhere on our farm it is either obstructed by trees OR has a lot of LP from nearby Doniphan. I think I may be able to get it to work, though. Ah... the Andromeda Galaxy. I hope to eventually get a decent shot of that, so much that it would be poster or wall worthy in general. As for the Orion Nebula, right now I'm more interested in getting Orion as a whole, including the Barnard's loop. I got about 2.5 hours of useable material last year at 55mm, but my lens was quite slow, and the mini-GEM limited me to 2-3 minute exposures, with only half of those even useable. I really want to get a great image of that, and then move on to Auriga or Cygnus. I'm very interested in getting constellations as a whole, especially those with interesting features. I am pretty sure I'm getting the nifty fifty as a birthday present. Sure wish it was the f/1.4 version, but the 1.8 is still much better than what my little kit lens can do at the moment. I noticed that while using LiveView on my camera and focusing on the moon that it was OOF even though it may have been in focus while looking directly through the lens. I had to gently move the focus knob while holding the camera to the lens in order to get it in focus. Seemed to work for me at least.

When i shoot the moon i put my lens on "Auto-Focus" , and point at the moon and press the shutter button down slowly til the green focus light stays on in the viewer then with my left index finger i slide the switch back to "Manual-Focus" and i do not touch the lens anymore . In order to do this properly you need to make camera adjustments to use only the center focus point of your camera in the viewer . I've tried the LiveView with little success . Use manual mode for this also and settings of 100 ISO , f/4.0 with about 1/8th - 1/800th sec . trial and error here to adjust for the proper exposer time as to not blown out the moon .
However the way your doing it now seems to work to your ability best til you get other imaging sources . So keep practicing !

nicely done. Sharp and focused

Celestron wrote in post #8536372
When i shoot the moon i put my lens on "Auto-Focus" , and point at the moon and press the shutter button down slowly til the green focus light stays on in the viewer then with my left index finger i slide the switch back to "Manual-Focus" and i do not touch the lens anymore . In order to do this properly you need to make camera adjustments to use only the center focus point of your camera in the viewer . I've tried the LiveView with little success . Use manual mode for this also and settings of 100 ISO , f/4.0 with about 1/8th - 1/800th sec . trial and error here to adjust for the proper exposer time as to not blown out the moon .
However the way your doing it now seems to work to your ability best til you get other imaging sources . So keep practicing !

I did shoot on manual. I'm thinking though that I had to have an ISO of about 1000. It was shot, I believe, at 1/40th of a second. I was on manual focus on my camera as well, and had the central focus point of the camera set. I think I should have mentioned that I had to touch the focus knob of the "telescope" in order to get in good focus. I just wish that I had gone ahead and bought that 2" diagonal. I think I can get one used, albeit not a Tak like I've got, for about $40. And hubby told me to tell him what he needed to get me for my birthday, so it looks like I will probably get some more equipment. Oh, and did I mention that I may be getting an M42 adapter to be able to use my dad's old Pentax glass with my 40D? Sweet!!!

drevilsmom wrote in post #8537251
Oh, and did I mention that I may be getting an M42 adapter to be able to use my dad's old Pentax glass with my 40D? Sweet!!!

I need to warn you about using an M42 adapter with your new camera !! If your talking about the M42 screw adapter so you can use a screw mount lens i would advise you to do some real deep searching for advice before you use it . I used one with my 300D and almost messed it up permenantly . Those adapters don't work well with these new digital cameras . I've read where others had problems with their cameras also after using an M42 adapter . So research first before using !!