Telescope accessories

With my telescope I use an Atik 460EX monochrome camera , cooled to 15 degrees below ambient temperature to reduce visual noise.

I prefer to use a monochrome camera because each photosite on the sensor will spick up light whatever colour it is. The colours can be assigned during processing to create a colour image.

A colour sensor on the other hand has a Bayer Filter. In this case, an individual photosite will only sense one specific colour - either red, green or blue. If for example you have a predominantly red image, less than half the photosites will be sensing that red light.

Monochrome sensors are more efficient.

Positioned between the camera and telescope I use an Atik EFW 2.2 filter wheel which can be rotated to select any of the following filters: Red, Green. Blue, Luminance, Hydrogen-alpha, Sulpher II, Oxygen III.

I use Primalucelab’s Eagle 4 computer which sits on the telescope. I used to have wires hanging out like plates of spaghetti, snagging on the mount and acting as trip hazards. This unit tidied everything up, but also stores all my favourite software to operate the telescope and I can access it on my remote laptop via a wifi link, even from the comfort of my bed when the telescope is working away in the back garden. The Eagle 4 has a small lens with a sensor to monitor sky darkness - a handy addition.

The focuser on a SkyWatcher 120ED Evostar DS Pro Is very poor quality. It is really designed for observing rather than astrophotography because it can’t handle the extra weight of a filter wheel and autofocuser. It slips out under gravity and loses focus. So I replaced mine with a Starlight Instruments Feather Touch Rotatable 2” focuser which I think is the best on the market. It’s a beautiful piece of precision engineeing.

I am a big fan of equipment from the Italian company Primalucelab. I use their Sento Senso focuser which saves a lot of time and automatically refocuses as temperatures drop. Their kit looks cool also - Italian flair.

On windy days I use a pop-up observatory tent, made by Explore Scientific. It’s quick and easy to pitch and makes a huge difference when the slightest gust of wind can lead to a wobbly, wasted sub-frame.

My ‘Shedolarm’ is a cheap piece of kit that gives me peace of mind when I am in bed sleeping and the telescope is working away automatically in the back garden. It’s a simple motion-sensitive alarm designed for sheds. But you can Velcro it to a telescope mount and if a thief wobbles the scope it will set off an ear-piercing shriek.