THE DOME

After four years of planning I was able to first image from my observatory on Sept. 5, 2023.

It's located about four hours from my home in Salt Lake City. I make several trip there each year for basic maintenance and repairs - but mostly to enjoy camping in the desert!

To take astrophotos I use a remote connection from my home, to the computer mounted with the telescopes. I use imaging software called NINA to edit a script that automats the imaging process.    

THE TELESCOPES

There are two telescope mounted side-by-side on a 10Micron GM2000 HPS II computer controlled tracking mount.

The telescope on the left is a 120mm Esprit 120ED made my Sky-Watcher. The focal length is 840mm, making the focal ration f/7. It has a field of view of 2.41° x 1.61°. (For comparison the moon is 0.5° in diameter.)

The telescope on the right is an 11" Edge-HD made by Celestron. The focal length is  110", making the focal ratio f/10. It has a field of view of 0.462° x 0.301°

IMAGING SOFTWARE

Using NINA to capture data...   (more info coming)

IMAGE PROCESSING

Using PixInsight to process images....   (more info coming)