Re: [APML] Novice - All I want is a good picture of the moon..[MeadeETX90, Nikon FM10]

[Alen Koebel <alen_koebel@yahoo.ca>]

> I have a Meade ETX-90, and have been trying to
> capture the moon with Nikon FM 10 camera at prime
> focus using a T-Ring Adapter.
>
> So far no success... all the images are blurred 
> that appears either out of focus or vibrations
> during exposure.

A basic guide to lunar photography here:
http://voltaire.csun.edu/ann/entiretext.html
Check out the whole site - some nice photos.
The photographer is using 6" A-P EDF, but
no reason you couldn't get "comparable" 
photos using an ETX and careful technique. 

If mirror lock-up isn't available with your camera
or doesn't work (because even the vibration
from the shutter alone is too much) then I would
choose a slow enough film to allow the "hat trick"
with exposures in the 1/4 to 1/2 second range.

At about 1350 mm focal length, your prime focus
image is going to be pretty small. If you're 
willing to increaase the scale, one way to 
totally eliminate vibration is use afocal 
projection. Mount the camera with 50mm lens 
on a separate tripod snugged up close to the 
ETX on ITS tripod and aim the camera into the 
eyepiece. Choose an eyepiece that gives the 
scale you want. Sure, it can be tricky to line
everything up, but it can be done. I did it 
myself many years ago with a department store 
60mm refractor and managed to get a pretty 
decent photo of the quarter moon (decent for 
a department-store 60mm refractor, that is!). 

______________________________________________________________________ 
Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
_______________________________________________
Astro-Photo mailing list
Astro-Photo@seds.org
http://seds.org/mailman/listinfo/astro-photo