Nexstar11 GPS/ST-8XE Images
Immediately upon buying my
Nexstar11GPS in June 2002 I added the ST-8XE, the non-antiblooming version. I
considered the match of the camera and scope to be a good combination with the ability
to use short and long focal length, small 9 micron pixels that could be binned
1x1, 2x2, or 3x3, and the supposedly excellent tracking of the NexstarGPS. It
also gives you the ability to use the ST-237 autoguider CCD as an imager. So
far I have not been disappointed in the combo except for the Celestron Heavy
Duty Wedge, which I believe is totally inadequate for the weight of the
Nexstar11 at 68 pounds plus accessories. In March 2004, I replaced it with an
APT wedge that is rock solid.
Upset with poor autoguiding and
occasional runaways, in December 2003 I became a beta tester for Celestron
along with about seven others working under several programmers. In February 2004, we completed beta testing on
a new firmware version for the motor controller in the telescope that now
allows the scope to guide consistently with less than +/- 0.5 pixel error as
well as correcting for a number of other problems found in the original
firmware. In addition the release of the PECTool utilty in mid 2005 reduces the
periodic error to a more manageable level making autoguiding easier. See: http://www.intercom.net/user/shaffer/temp/pe-comparison.jpg for a with and without PEC
enabled guiding comparison.
All my images are shot at the Dogpatch
II Observatory in Easton Maryland and I have to contend with most of the usual
problems of suburban imaging. While I’m located in a reasonably dark country
setting I’m only 11 miles from a city of ~12,000.
Please click the thumbnail. Thanks for looking.
Messier Objects: Galaxies and Nebulae
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M1 |
M8 |
M16 |
M17 |
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M27 |
M33 |
M57 |
M76 |
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M81 |
M43 |
Trapezium |
M42 |
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M51 |
M78 |
M104 |
M106 |
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M20 |
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NGC
Galaxies
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NGC891 |
NGC7331 |
NGC3628 |
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NGC Nebulae
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NGC2024 "Flame Nebula" |
NGC6888 "Cresent Nebula" |
NGC7380 |
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IC objects
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IC443 "The Horsehead Nebula" |
IC5146 "The Cocoon Nebula" |
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Messier Globular Clusters
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M22 |
M92 |
M13 |
M3
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M4 |
M10 |
M12
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Wide Field Images (Takahashi FS-78+ST-8XE)
Please note: most are large images with
long dialup download times.
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M16 |
NGC6992
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M8 |
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NGC7380 |
NGC7510 |
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Sharpless 173 |
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NGC2244 |
M101 |
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M42-43 |
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M10 |
M4 |
M33
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NGC7293 |
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IC434/B33 |
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M35/NGC2158 |
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NGC2264 |
M36 |
IC1318
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M84-86 |
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SH-292 |
M17 |
NGC1499
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M31 |
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M38 |
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Lunar Images
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Clavius |
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Planets
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Mars 11/11/05 |
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Solar Images
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Venus Transit Movie (729k) |
Sunspot Group 652 |
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Imaging
Setup-
Telescope: Celestron Nexstar11GPS SCT at f/6.3 or f/10
Telescope: Takahashi FS-78 at f/8.1 piggybacked on Losmandy
rails/rings and counterweight system
Camera- SBIG
ST-8XE USB NABG, 9 micron pixels, 1530 x 1020 pixel array, Celestron NexImage
webcam, SuperCircuits PC164C-EX, SBIG ST-402XE
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW-8, Astrodon LRGB filters, Astronomik 13nm Ha
filter, Celestron Neutral density and Thousand Oaks O-III filters
Focuser: Technical
Innovations Robofocus, Focusmax autofocusing software under CCDSoft/ASCOM
Location: Dogpatch II Observatory, Easton, Maryland, located
at W 75º 56'35"/N38º 47' 18", Elevation 3m
Wedge: APT
Heavy Duty (S/N 0001…the first production model)
Pier: Custom
9" Diameter Aluminum tube, sand filled for vibration suppression attached to
20x20x36" deep concrete base.
Computer: Intel
1.8Ghz/512 MB ram/20GB hard drive in mini-tower case, CCDSoft or Astroart
(camera control), NexRemote with Logitech Wireless Gamepad (scope control), The
Sky Ver. 6.0 Level IV, all networked with CAT5E cable to computer room in house
for occasional remote operation during winter via UltraVNC Server and Viewer.
Last updated Sunday, Monday, January 08,
2007
Want information or got questions? Click HERE