My Equipment
This is my homemade 12.5 inch Newtonian astrograph setup.
The camera is a SBig STL11000 C2. I use Custom Scientific filters: IR, Red, Green, Blue, and 4.5 nm H-Alpha.
The focuser is a Starlight Instruments Feathertouch with Robo focus. The primary mirror is a full thickness 12.5 inch f/4.9 Parks optical. The diagonal is 3.1 inches, also from Parks. The diagonal holder is from Destiny1800 and the spider is homemade.
I use a STL Paracorr to reduce coma and field curvature. It has a slight barlow effect which increases the effective focal ratio and focal length to f/5.6 and 1750mm respectively. The telescope tube is made from 14 inch I.D. Sonotube which is reinforced (doubled) at the front of the tube.
I built a wooden stiffening ring to attach the mirror cell to the OTA. The stiffening ring keeps the Sonotube from collapsing when the mirror cell attachment bolts are tightened.
The OTA with cradle, Losmandy plate, and camera attached weighs about 60 lbs.
The mount is a Losmandy G-11 with Gemini Goto. I use Pempro PEC training software to train the Gemini's periodic error correction. Pempro allowed me to reduce the periodic error from 3.3 seconds to below 1 second.
For camera acquisition I have written my own software package that I call "Auriga." For image processing I currently use Photoshop CS3.
This is my Takahashi FSQ-106N. It's a 4 inch f/5 530mm focal length apochromatic refractor. I use a Takahashi #6 Feldstein adapter to connect the STL11000 to the scope.
I also use a 180mm Nikon ED Telephoto lens. I use SBig's STL Telephoto lens adapter to attach it to the STL11000. When shooting through the Blue filter I use a Lumicon Violet minus filter. I also use the Violet Minus filter when I shoot through just an IR blocking filter.