17
object, the lower its magnitude. Choose an object with a visu-
al magnitude of 9 or lower. Many beginners start with the
Messier objects, which represent some of the best and bright-
est deep-sky objects, first catalogued about 200 years ago by
the French astronomer Charles Messier.
Determine in which constellation the object lies. Now, find the
constellation in the sky. If you do not recognize the constella-
tions on sight, consult a planisphere. The planisphere gives an
all-sky view and shows which constellations are visible on a
given night at a given time.
Now, look at your star chart and find the brightest star in the
constellation that is near the object you are trying to find.
Using the finder scope, point the telescope at this star and
center it on the crosshairs. Next, look again at the star chart
and find another suitably bright star near the bright star cur-
rently centered in the finder. Keep in mind that the field of view
of the finder scope is approximately 7°, so you should choose
another star that is no more that 7° from the first star, if possi-
ble. Move the telescope slightly, until the telescope is centered
on the new star.
Continue using stars as guideposts in this way until you are at
the approximate position of the object you are trying to find
(Figure 21). Look in the telescope’s eyepiece, and the object
should be somewhere within the field of view. If it’s not, sweep
the telescope carefully around the immediate vicinity until the
object is found.
If you have trouble finding the object, start the starhop again
from the brightest star near the object you wish to view. This
time, be sure the stars indicated on the star chart are in fact
the stars you are centering in the eyepiece. Remember, the
finder scope (and main telescope eyepiece, for that matter)
gives an inverted image, so you must keep this in mind when
starhopping from star to star.
9. Astrophotography
When coupled to a 35mm single-lens reflex camera, the Atlas
8 EQ becomes a telephoto lens. To attach a camera, you need
only a T-ring for your specific camera model and the included
camera adapter. First you must attach the included camera
adapter to the Atlas 8 EQ’s focuser. To do this, remove the
1.25” and 2" eyepiece adapters from the focuser drawtube
(Figure 22a). Then screw the camera adapter into the focuser
drawtube (Figure 22b). Now attach the T-Ring to your camera
and thread it onto the camera adapter (Figure 22c).
Use the camera’s viewfinder to frame the picture. Use the tele-
scope’s focuser to focus the image. You may want to consider
using a remote shutter release instead of the shutter release
on the camera; touching the camera can vibrate the system
and blur the resulting photographic image on the film. Use the
focus lock knob on the focuser to fix the focus when the image
is sharp.
Several different types of astrophotography can be success-
fully attempted with the Atlas 8 EQ.
Moon Photography
This is perhaps the simplest form of astrophotography. Point
the telescope toward the Moon, and center it within the cam-
era’s viewfinder. Focus the image with the telescope’s focuser.
Try several exposure times, all less than 1 second, depending
on the phase of the moon and the ISO (film speed) of the film
being used. A remote shutter release is recommended, as
touching the camera’s shutter release can vibrate the camera
enough to ruin the exposure.
Planetary Photography
Once basic Moon photography has been mastered, it’s time to
get images of the planets. This type of astrophotography also
works to get highly magnified shots of the Moon. In addition to
the T-ring, you will need a Universal 1.25" Camera Adapter.
The equatorial mount must be accurately polar aligned, too.
As before, connect the T-ring to your camera. Before connect-
ing the universal camera adapter to the T-ring, an eyepiece
must be inserted and locked into the body of the universal
camera adapter. Start by using a medium-low power eyepiece
(about 25mm); you can increase the magnification later with a
high-power eyepiece. Then connect the entire camera
adapter, with eyepiece inside, to the T-ring. Insert the whole
system into the focuser’s 1.25" adapter and secure firmly with
the thumbscrew.
Aim the telescope at the planet (or Moon) you wish to shoot.
The image will be highly magnified, so you may need to use
the finder scope to center it within the camera’s viewfinder.
Turn the motor drive on. Adjust the telescope’s focuser so that
the image appears sharp in the camera’s viewfinder. The cam-
Figure 22a.
First remove both the 1.25"
and 2" adapters as shown
Figure 22b.
Thread the camera adapter
into the focuser drawtube
Figure 22c.
The SkyView Pro 8 EQ with
35mm SLR camera attached
