PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

Light pollution map:

New configuration since November 2014

Permanent observatory :
Residence
Location: Longueuil, Quebec, Canada
Altitude: 34 meters

Telescope: Célestron Edge HD 800 
Type: Schmidt Cassegrain
Focal aperture: 203,2 mm (8 inches)
Focal length: 2032 mm
Focal: f / 10
Separating power: 0,59 ″ of arc

With focal reducer 6,3
Focal length: 1280 mm
Focal: f / 6,3
Separating power: 0,59 ″ of arc

Bezel: Orion ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic
Type: Apochromatic telescope
Focal aperture: 80 mm
Focal length: 480 mm
Focal: f / 6
Separating power: 1,50 ″ of arc

Autoguiding
Most of the time, autoguiding is performed with the Orion Thin Off-Axis Guider optical divider, which eliminates any drift of stars with exposure times of 10 ′ and more per photo.

Autoguiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM (monochrome) whose pixels are very sensitive to light, which facilitates access to a quality guide star through the optical divider.

Frame: CGEM
Tracking accuracy: 5 ″ of arc with PEC and active autoguiding
(according to my personal test. Click here to see the test)

CCD camera: Atik 383 L + with Xagyl filter wheel
Matrix: Kodak KAF-8300 monochrome
Average quantum yield : 51% (R49%, V58%, B45%)
Cooling: Up to -40^o Celsius with possibility to regulate the temperature
Filters used: LRVB, Ha, OIII and SII
Number of Pixels - Width x Height: 3326 x 2504
Total number of pixels: 8328304
Pixel dimension (in microns): 5,4 x 5,4
A / D conversion: 16 bits
Field of view with the Edge HD 800 telescope:
  at f / 10: 30,2 ′ x 22,74 ′ of arc
  at f / 6,3: 47,94 ′ x 36,09 ′ of arc
Field of view with the Orion 80 ED telescope
  at f / 6: 127,84 ′ x 96,25 ′ of arc

One-Pixel Sampling with the Edge HD 800 Telescope:
  at f / 10: 0,54 ″ of arc (bin 2 × 2 = 1,08 ″ of arc)
  at f / 6,3: 0,86 ″ of arc (bin 2 × 2 = 1,73 ″ of arc)

One-pixel sampling with the Orion 80ED telescope:
  at f / 6: 2,31 ″ of arc (bin 2 × 2 = 4,61 ″ of arc)

Use: Wide field, medium field and deep sky

Benefits : Monochrome camera allowing the use of narrow band filters (Ha, OIII and SII) for the photography of nebulae in my site of extreme light pollution (white area). These filters make it possible to reduce light pollution as much as possible. I mainly use the 2 × 2 bin, which allows to increase the sensitivity of the camera by a factor of 4 while maintaining a large image (1663 x 1252 pixels), superior to the majority of computer screens .

Light pollution map:

Equipment used from December 2011 to October 2014

Permanent observatory :
Residence
Location: Longueuil, Quebec, Canada
Altitude: 34 meters

Telescope: Célestron Edge HD 800 
Type: Schmidt Cassegrain
Focal aperture: 203,2 mm (8 inches)
Focal length: 2032 mm
Focal: f / 10
Separating power: 0,59 ″ of arc

With focal reducer 6,3
Focal length: 1280 mm
Focal: f / 6,3
Separating power: 0,59 ″ of arc

Scope: Orion 80ED (added in November 2012)
Type: Apochromatic telescope
Focal aperture: 80 mm
Focal length: 480 mm
Focal: f / 6
Separating power: 1,50 ″ of arc

Frame: CGEM
Tracking accuracy: 5 ″ of arc with PEC and active autoguiding
(according to my personal test. Click here to see the test)

CCD camera: Célestron Nightscape
Matrix: Kodak KAI-10100 color
Average quantum yield : 38% (R32%, V42%, B40%) with incorporated color filters
Cooling: Up to -20^o Celsius with possibility to regulate the temperature
Antipollution filters used: IDAS LPS P2 (for galaxies and star clusters) and IDAS LPS V4 (for emission nebulae)
Number of Pixels - Width x Height: 3760 x 2840
Total number of pixels: 10678400
Pixel dimension (in microns): 4,75 x 4,75
A / D conversion: 16 bits
Field of view with the Edge HD 800 telescope:
  at f / 10: 30,18 ′ x 20,79 ′ of arc
  at f / 6,3: 47,90 ′ x 36,18 ′ of arc
Field of view with the Orion 80 ED telescope
  at f / 6: 127,75 ′ x 96,49 ′ of arc

One-Pixel Sampling with the Edge HD 800 Telescope:
  at f/10: 0,48″ of arc (bin 2×2 = 0,96″ of arc)
  at f/6,3: 0,76″ of arc (bin 2×2 = 1,52″ of arc)

One-pixel sampling with the Orion 80ED telescope:
  at f / 6: 2,03 ″ of arc (bin 2 × 2 = 4,06 ″ of arc)

Use: Wide field, medium field and deep sky

Benefits : Allows bin 2 × 2 and bin 4 × 4 in color. I mainly use the 2 × 2 bin at f / 10 and f / 6,3, which allows the sensitivity of the camera to be increased by a factor of 4 while maintaining a large image (1880 x 1420 pixels) , superior to the majority of computer screens.