Astroimaging; Deep-Sky Observing Equipment - Celestron LCM Serie Mode D'emploi

ASTROIMAGING

One of the first questions most people have about their new telescope is "How can I take images with it?" Your telescope is capable of
imaging the Moon and planets, but deep-sky objects would require a more advanced telescope and mount with finely geared motorized
tracking There are a few different methods for using your telescope for imaging:
• Smart Devices or Point-and-Shoot Cameras- This is the easiest and most straight forward method and works well for images of the
Moon and planets Simply hold your device's camera up to the eyepiece and take the image While you can use this with any eyepiece,
it is generally easier to get an image using a lower power (longer focal length) eyepiece You will need a steady hand to hold the phone
to the eyepiece but you can get good results
• DSLR- Celestron offers adapters that will allow you to attach a Canon or Nikon DSLR body to the telescope in place of the eyepiece
You would be effectively using your telescope as a telephoto lens This will require a T-adapter for the telescope and a T-ring for the
camera body For more information on the adapters for your specific model of telescope, please go to www celestron com
• CMOS Planetary Imagers- These are specialized cameras that replace the eyepiece in your telescope It would connect to your laptop
via a USB port The camera records video of the planet, then the included software breaks up the video file into individual still frames The
software then combines the individual frames into a single image that contains more detail than was visible in any single frame This method
will provide you the best possible lunar and planetary images, but does require that you have a laptop at the scope For more information on
the planetary camera, please go to www celestron com

DEEP-SKY OBSERVING EQUIPMENT

There are some tools that will be indispensable to you for identifying and locating deep-sky objects:
• Red Flashlight- This is an essential tool for deep-sky astronomy for reading finder charts or star atlases In order to see the faint light
coming from distant objects like nebulae or galaxies, your eyes must be fully dark adapted with your irises open to the fullest extent to
let the most light from your telescope into them White light from a standard flashlight will causes your eye's irises to close down and it
can take up to a half-hour for your eyes to return to full dark adaptation Red lights do not have the same effect We recommend any red
LED flashlight that has adjustable brightness output, because even red light, if excessively bright can affect your night vision These are
available through most telescope retailers but can also be found in camping and hardware stores
• Planisphere- A planisphere is a special circular star map that will show you the rough placement of constellations over your head, so
you can navigate your way across the sky Unlike charts you can print online, planispheres are good for any time of year, not just the
date or month you printed it for The planisphere consists of two round disks joined at the center The bottom disk has a map of the
constellations while the top disk has a window cut into it out showing a portion of the sky map By turning the inner and outer disks
to match your specific date and time, the map will display only those constellations visible to you at that time This is handy for finding
rough locations of bright stars and constellations Planispheres are available through book stores and are available for a number of
geographical latitudes in the Northern or Southern Hemispheres Be sure to pick one that is designed for your location To get more
detailed information on where deep-sky objects reside within constellations you will need a Star Atlas
• Star Atlas- Star atlases are the roadmaps of the sky Once you have located a constellation with your planisphere, the Star Atlas will
show you a detailed, close-up view of that region of sky showing the stars and deep-sky objects that reside in it These are available
through many telescope retailers or bookstores
• Apps and Programs- There are many applications available for a smartphone or tablet that can take the place of the planisphere and
star maps These will give digital representations of the night sky on your device, allowing you to go from a wide view to a zoomed-in view
with a touch of the screen These can be downloaded or purchased from your application store, depending on your platform There are
also some great astronomical sky simulation programs available for your computer that will show you very detailed star maps on screen
and can help you plan an observing session before you get outside with printable star maps customized for your date, location and time
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