Attachments for etx 90 to see colours in deep space

[Jess]

Hi so i have a meade etx 90 and im pretty sure ive seen a few nebulae etc but i want to see them in colour what can i get to see that and also any attachments that can take pictures for me. Thanks

[wimvb]

Regarding taking pictures, start here:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html

Our eyes are not sensitive to colour in low light conditions, which means that anything but the brightest objects will look gray in an eyepiece. Unless you have a very large telescope, that is. The larger the aperture of a telescope, the more light it gathers, and the more likely it is to see colour in an object.

As for astrophotography, you can either start with "eyepiece projection" or use a dslr you may already have, and buy an adapter for "prime focus astrophotography"

A google search on these phrases should get you started. The linked supplier (flo - first light optics) has everything you will need to get started, and provides excellent service.

Good luck.

PS,

Just looked up your scope. It's for visual use, so not very well suited for imaging with a dslr. But eyepiece projection with a small camera should allow you to image planets. Next step up would be a small equatorial mount (that can track stars as they move across the sky) and a dslr with lens. But best to read the recommended book on that.

[ollypenrice]

Even in very, very large scopes it is almost impossible to see colour in most deep sky objects. The colours are there, they are real, but cameras can collect light over time and can, therefore, record them. The eye cannot collect light over time and so cannot detect colour, with a small number of exceptions, notably bright planetary nebulae like the Blue Snowball.

Olly

[Davey-T]

 You can get a colour video camera connected to a laptop to see stuff in real time through your scope.

Dave