Canon M100 camera on a Newtonian reflector telescope

will need to attach the camera to the telescope using an adapter. Here are the steps you can follow:

• Obtain an T-ring adapter: T-ring adapters are designed to connect a specific type of camera (in this case a Canon M100) to a standard telescope T-thread. You can purchase a T-ring adapter for the Canon M100 camera from a camera or telescope accessory retailer.
• Attach the T-ring to the camera: The T-ring will screw onto the camera's lens mount in place of the lens.
• Attach the T-ring to the telescope: Once the T-ring is attached to the camera, you can attach the T-ring to the telescope by screwing it onto the T-thread on the telescope's focuser.
• Focus the telescope: The next step is to focus the telescope so that the image of the night sky is in focus on the camera's sensor. You can do this by adjusting the focuser knob or by using a Bahtinov mask. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahtinov_mask
• Set the camera's settings: Once the camera is attached to the telescope, you can set the camera's settings such as ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Make sure to use a low ISO and a high shutter speed to minimize noise and capture clear images.
• Take photos or video: You can now take photos or video of the night sky through the telescope. To get the best results, you may need to experiment with different camera settings and take several shots to find the best combination.

Note: Before attempting to attach the camera to the telescope, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the basic operations of both the camera and the telescope. If you are new to astrophotography, it may also be helpful to consult a book or online resources to learn more about the best practices and techniques for capturing photos of the night sky.

Camera plane to focus

In a Newtonian reflector telescope, the primary mirror reflects light collected by the objective mirror at the front of the telescope towards a focal point. This focal point is where the light converges to create a sharp image. When the focal plane is situated too deep within the telescope tube, achieving proper focus for a camera or eyepiece becomes challenging.

To address this issue, you have a couple of options. One approach is to adjust the position of the primary mirror by raising it. This adjustment effectively shifts the focal point closer to the eyepiece or camera, allowing for proper focusing. Alternatively, you can use a barlow lens, which extends the effective focal length of the telescope, thereby compensating for the discrepancy in focal distance.

When using a camera, such as a DSLR, with a Newtonian reflector, achieving focus can be complicated due to the additional distance required to reach the camera's image sensor. This added distance results from factors like the flange-to-focal-plane distance of the camera and the thickness of the T-adapter, which collectively add approximately 49mm of extra space.

It's worth noting that refractor telescopes often incorporate a 90° diagonal mirror, which contributes to the overall focal length of the scope. In contrast, Newtonian reflectors position the focuser at the front of the telescope via a diagonal mirror. This distinction means that achieving focus with a Newtonian reflector can be more challenging for certain astrophotography applications.

While Newtonian reflectors are somewhat less popular for astrophotography, specialized Newtonian astrographs are designed explicitly for this purpose. These astrographs can achieve focus with a DSLR camera attached by adjusting the primary mirror to be about 2 inches closer to the secondary mirror or by lifting it, effectively creating an additional 2 inches of distance after the focuser tube.

Another practical option for achieving focus is to utilize a barlow lens within the focuser. A barlow lens serves as a focal length multiplier, assisting in achieving the desired focal length for capturing celestial objects. While it's possible to capture bright objects with short exposures using telescopes like the Celestron First Scope, capturing dimmer objects typically necessitates the use of a telescope equipped with an equatorial tracking mount to compensate for the Earth's rotation during long exposures.

In a Newtonian reflector telescope, achieving focus with a camera

can be challenging due to the extra distance between the primary mirror and the camera's image sensor. This extra distance can make it difficult to reach the camera's focal plane.

To address this issue, you can use a barlow lens. A barlow lens is a type of optical element that effectively increases the focal length of the telescope. It acts as a focal length multiplier, which means it extends the distance between the primary mirror and the focal plane. By adding a barlow lens, you can effectively move the focal plane closer to the camera, making it easier to achieve focus.

Here's how a barlow lens can help with camera focus in a Newtonian reflector telescope:

Insert the barlow lens into the telescope's focuser before attaching the camera.

The barlow lens increases the effective focal length of the telescope, which reduces the distance between the primary mirror and the camera's image sensor.

This adjustment compensates for the extra distance introduced by the camera's flange-to-focal-plane distance and any other accessories you may be using.

With the barlow lens in place, you should be able to achieve focus with the camera by adjusting the telescope's focuser.

Keep in mind that using a barlow lens may affect the field of view and magnification of your telescope, so you may need to make additional adjustments to achieve the desired framing and image size. Additionally, it's essential to use a quality barlow lens to maintain image quality and minimize optical aberrations.

EOS adapters

and accessories designed specifically for astrophotography with Canon EOS cameras. These adapters allow you to connect your Canon EOS camera to a telescope, camera lens, or other astronomical equipment for capturing images of celestial objects. Here are some common types of EOS adapters for astrophotography:

1. T-Ring and T-Adapter: A T-ring is a basic adapter that replaces the camera lens and attaches directly to your Canon EOS camera body. It has a standard T-thread (42mm diameter) that allows you to connect it to various T-adapters or other telescope accessories. The T-adapter is then used to attach the camera to a telescope's focuser or eyepiece holder.

2. Prime Focus Adapter: A prime focus adapter is similar to a T-adapter but is designed to connect your Canon EOS camera directly to the telescope's focuser, eliminating the need for additional eyepieces. This setup allows for prime focus astrophotography, where the camera's image sensor becomes the focal plane.

3. Barlow Lens: You can use a Barlow lens in conjunction with a T-adapter to increase the effective focal length of your telescope, which can be useful for capturing distant celestial objects. A Barlow lens effectively magnifies the image.

4. Field Flatteners and Reducers: Depending on the telescope and camera setup, you may need field flatteners or reducers to correct for optical aberrations and achieve a flat field of view, which is essential for high-quality astrophotography.

5. Autoguiders: Some EOS cameras can be used as autoguiders in astrophotography setups. Autoguiders help maintain precise tracking of celestial objects during long exposure imaging. Special adapters and software may be required for autoguiding with a Canon EOS camera.

6. Filter Wheels: For astrophotography, you may want to use filter wheels with your EOS camera to capture images in specific wavelengths or reduce light pollution. These wheels can be attached using adapters.

7. Remote Shutter Release and Intervalometers: While not adapters per se, remote shutter release cables or wireless remotes are essential for minimizing camera shake during long exposures in astrophotography. Intervalometers can be used for automated exposure sequences.

The specific adapter you need will depend on your telescope or camera lens, the type of astrophotography you want to pursue, and your Canon EOS camera model. Be sure to check the compatibility of the adapter and accessories with your camera and telescope before making a purchase. Additionally, consider factors such as focal length, field of view, and image scale when choosing the right adapter for your astrophotography setup.

Can you use x2 magnification Barlow lenses together?

To calculate magnification in a telescope, the formula used is Telescope Focal Length divided by Eyepiece Focal length equals Magnification factor. The focal length of the telescope is denoted as ft and the focal length of the eyepiece is denoted as fe. For instance, if a telescope has a focal length of 1,000 mm and a 25mm eyepiece is used, the magnification is 40X. If a 10mm eyepiece is used instead, the magnification becomes 100X.

A Barlow lens increases the effective focal length of the telescope. For example, using a 2X Barlow with a 1,000mm focal length telescope is equivalent to having a telescope with a focal length of 2,000mm. With the previous examples, if a 2X Barlow is used with a 25mm eyepiece, the magnification becomes 80X, and with a 10mm eyepiece, the magnification becomes 200X. Two Barlows can be stacked with a 10mm eyepiece to achieve a magnification of 400X, and three Barlows can be stacked to achieve a magnification of 800X.

However, there is a limitation to increasing magnification, namely angular resolution. When light waves pass through the aperture of a telescope, they experience diffraction, creating interference patterns that degrade image quality. Angular resolution, measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds, quantifies the maximum size of an object that can be resolved. For instance, the apparent size of the sun and the moon, despite having vastly different actual sizes, are both around 1/2 of 1° in angular size from Earth.

The diffraction limit of a telescope is determined by the formula Θ = 1.22λ/D, where Θ represents the diffraction limit in angular size (measured in arcseconds), λ is the wavelength of the light being diffracted, and D is the aperture diameter of the telescope. This formula quantifies the smallest angular separation that can be resolved by the telescope.

It's important to note that the diffraction limit, as calculated by this formula, defines the smallest angular size that can be distinguished in the telescope's image. However, this limit does not directly specify the size of objects being observed. The apparent size of objects in the observed scene depends on both their actual physical dimensions and their distance from the observer.

Therefore, altering the wavelength of light used in observations may indeed affect the diffraction limit, but it does not alter the actual size of the objects under observation. Objects of varying sizes and distances will appear differently in the telescope's field of view, but the diffraction limit serves as a fundamental constraint on the finest details that can be resolved in terms of angular separation.

Suppose you are using a telescope with an aperture diameter (D) of 100mm to observe the moon. The diffraction limit (Θ) for light with a wavelength (λ) of 400nm (blue light) can be calculated using the formula Θ = 1.22λ/D:

Θ = 1.22 * (400nm) / 100mm = 4.88 arcseconds (″)

This means that under ideal conditions and using blue light, your telescope can distinguish details on the moon down to an angular size of approximately 4.88 arcseconds.

Now, let's consider what this means for the apparent size of lunar features. The moon's average distance from Earth is about 384,000 kilometers. At this distance, an object with an angular size of 4.88 arcseconds would correspond to a physical size of approximately 1.87 kilometers.

So, with your 100mm aperture telescope and blue light, you can resolve lunar features down to approximately 1.87 kilometers in size at the moon's distance.

Please note that this example demonstrates how the diffraction limit can be applied to calculate the angular size of objects on the moon that your telescope can resolve. It doesn't take into account the variations in lunar features' sizes or the specific characteristics of lunar observation.

Alternative camera mount

The reflector end plate where the diagonal mirror is mounted has 3 unused quadrants. One is occupied by the eye piece mount, or via a Barlow we add a camera. Alternatively we could put the camera on the next available quadrant and then just turn the diagonal mirror to it and culminate it accordingly. This we way we eliminate an adaptors and can move the camera properly into the focus plane. In the other quadrants we could put an optical sensors and spectrometers. We should probable motorise the diagonal mirror to rotate.