Moon

[Chriske]

My very first image of the Moon taken with my smartphone.
Did not know what to expect.  Seems that the lens of that older smartphone is not  so good.
400mm RC telescope + a 32mm eyepiece.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Chriske

[Stu]

Looks good for a first go @Chriske 👍

[Chriske]

Thanks Stu,
This is just one single shot, no stacking involved and no PS involved either. I do not have PS, I use Gimp instead(Linux).
Whit this first shot I just wanted to familiarise myself again with AF.  It's been a long time I shot the Moon.

For this first shot I printed a holder to keep my SP steady.

 

[Chriske]

Next test will be with a more recent SP(my son Steven).

I also plan to take pictures with a camera. And no, not with a fancy, expensive and very heavy camera. I do not even own one of these.
That camera I'll be using is just a simple thing with a fixed lens. But taking these pictures I have to move on to another forum I suppose..?

 

[Chriske]

Todays Moon again done with my smartphone.

This time handheld. This is just one picture, so no stack and no Gimp

[Chriske]

The picture above is taken handheld as I mentioned before.
It is very hard to get the SP perfectly aligned with the scope's optical path. The SP holder I used before(see higher up) is not perfect. It is off by (not even) 1mm. So I will make me another holder. I intend to make it so that all three directions can be corrected if needed. Never gave it a thought that it should be so precise.
Has someone else had that same problem...?

[Dave scutt]

Hi Chriske.

Have you thought about buying a phone mount. I have this one and works quite well. 

Dave 

[Chriske]

Well, as a matter of fact, it crossed my mind. But owning a few printers I'd rather make my own.
That's (to me that is) part of the fun.!
this is what I've got so far...  Almost done.
I can adjust the SP in three directions with this holder.
Busy printing the first part already.
The longer part on the left fits around the focusserbarrel, 70mm diameter that is.

[Stu]

4 hours ago, Chriske said:

The picture above is taken handheld as I mentioned before.
It is very hard to get the SP perfectly aligned with the scope's optical path. The SP holder I used before(see higher up) is not perfect. It is off by (not even) 1mm. So I will make me another holder. I intend to make it so that all three directions can be corrected if needed. Never gave it a thought that it should be so precise.
Has someone else had that same problem...?

Yes, aligning the phone camera can be a challenge. Getting the correct distance away from the exit Lena can be one of the biggest challenges, getting this right allows you to capture the whole field out to the field stop.

The Celestron NeXYZ has three axis movement and is quite good, but does have its problems. Maybe have a look at it online to see how it works?

[Chriske]

Hey Stu, thanks for the reply.
I can shift the SP 20mm sideways in both directions.
The third movement (optical axis direction) planning to adjust even further. Depending on the F value of the eyepiece I think that needs to go even further(or nearer)
But the latter is just a guess, not done this before at all.
I'm jumping in a dark and deep hole here.
Love it to do this project together with my son Steven...🤗

Anyway I'll keep you informed about our progress.
Problem is now...it doesn't look good for the next days ....it's cloudy again...😟

[Stu]

13 minutes ago, Chriske said:

Depending on the F value of the eyepiece I think that needs to go even further(or nearer)
But the latter is just a guess, not done this before at all.

The distance will depend on the eye relief of the eyepiece. Some of these vary with focal length eg plossls and orthos, whilst some as fixed across the range (Televue Delos or Vixen SLVs just for example)

[Chriske]

Thanks...!...👍

[Chriske]

Btw...estimate cost for this printed  holder is 6.5€ + a few nuts and bolts M3

[Chriske]

6 minutes ago, Stu said:

The distance will depend on the eye relief of the eyepiece.

 Of course....! ... Why didn't I think of it myself, silly me...  I thought only the FL would change position of the SP.

[Chriske]

Al done. Also adapter for another scope(blue)