Telescope Set-up Outside – USB Wire Through Window
Tonight, I tested the remote control facility, of my recently purchased Canon 1000D dslr camera.
I attached the camera to my refractor as before, but also connected it with the USB wire to my laptop PC in the sitting room.
Laptop in sitting-room, connected to remote Canon view
The wire passed through a slightly open window (still cold in February), to the garden where the telescope was set-up.
This is a wonderful facility of the camera and the supplied software. You load the software onto your PC, then you can connect the camera and control it down the USB wire.
I was using two extension usb wires tonight, making the total length around 10 feet (3+ meters). Ample to stretch from the table in the sitting-room, out to the telescope on its mount, outside.
So what images did I capture?
Well this was a new experiment, so I went back to my old favorite constellation of Orion. At this time of year in the Northern hemisphere, it is excellently positioned for observing.
Alnitak, Flame Nebula And Sigma Orionis
To the right is a wide field image of Alnitak, the left-most star of Orion’s “belt”, showing the Flame nebula to the East.
To the South, is the multiple star Sigma Orionis. Through binoculars it looks like a double, but with a decent telescope (or this wonderful dslr camera) you can clearly see the “star, moon and planets” appearance.
I also went to the great Orion nebula M42/43 and did a quick image…
Orion Nebula M42/43 Using Remote Camera Control
All these images are unprocessed and unstacked.
Hope you find this inspiring, as to what can be achieved using relatively modest equipment, from the comfort of your home indoors!!
Hi there, Hmmm.Did not have a very good result,Camera equipment worked brilliant but as your articles say the focussing was so difficult and I failed to geta decent image.Just a blurred bright blob that should have been Saturn. Still I shall read more and try again.Any tips welcome
Regards Bob Chapman
Congratulations Kevin, i have almost completed my my own set up for trying some astro imiging. i hope to buy a cannon 450d to hook up to my celestron 6se via laptop.If you use the laptops RS232 interface and connect to a flatscreen tv you will have a much larger monitor.Hoping for clear spring and summer skies. Alan.
I am doing exactly same thing. Received T ring and adaptor this morning and tried a dry run attaching 450D. Do I use main focusing knob on 6SE and live view shooting mode on camera.My first attempt so I may appear dim and need all valuable comments please
14/03/09
Hi Bobbo
Thanks for getting in touch.
Good idea to try it out in daylight and see how all it fits together. Yes, I set the camera to live view, find a bright object like a star, or the Moon, and focus using the main telescope focusser knob. The camera focussing won’t work of course, because the lens is removed.
Best of luck
Kevin
Many Thanks Kevin,
Here is hoping for a clear sky tonight, but all my settings will be on manual. I have my head round the correct iso and exposure time and white balance etc. but what F/stop number will be needed to be set on the camera? sorry to be a pain.
Regards, Bobbo
Hi Bobbo,
No problem at all. Now, I’m not an expert on all these settings (I’m just trying things, to find out what works). But I don’t think the F number matters, if you are shooting in manual mode at prime focus (ie with the scope acting as the camera lens). So far, I have set only the exposure time, white balance and iso.
Best of luck
Kevin