Telescope:
1. A catadioptric telescope equiped with altazimuth mount such as Meade ETX (Maksutov Cassegrain) are very portable. It's capable for viewing planet and bright DSO ( Deep Sky Objects ). It's suitable for planet photography but not deep sky imaging due to its slow F/ ratio ( long focal length ). Another case if you use focal reducer.

Other than Mak, there is Schmidt Cassegrain (SCT) which I am using now. Its focal ratio is always around f/10. With a f/3.3 focal reducer, your field of view is greatly increased.

2. A reflector equiped with equatorial mount such as Celestron C6-NGT are very fast ( low focal ratio ), especially Schmidt Newtonian. It's good for deep sky observing and photography. A equatorial mount with counter weight is heavier than the telescope itself. It's around 1x KG ( C6-NGT ). By the way, its aperture are much higher than the same class of catadioptric telescope. For instance, Meade ETX-105AT(4.13") costs RM4900 while Celestron C6-NGT(6") costs RM5200.

3. Refractor is the royal family of telescopes. The refractor has the highest contrast on planetary object and deep sky objects. You can get an 8" SCT (200mm) at the price of a 90mm triplet apo.

I have 2 dealers to recommend to you. They are K.K. Looi at Infinity Infocus and Jason Tan at Trifid-Optics.

Updated on 31 March 06:

My equipments
Telescope: Meade 8″ LX90 w/ Autostar #497
Imager: Philips ToUcam Pro II, Meade Lunar Planetary Imager (LPI)
Eyepieces: Super Plossl (6.4, 9.7, 12.4, 15, 20, 26, 32, 40)mm
Lunar & Planetary Filters: Moon Filter ND96

This page will be recreated!

This post has been edited by Mr.LKM: Feb 25 2007, 11:49 PM

camera back in actions???

and now u wanna play astronomy photog?

I think the only camera made specialized for astrophotography is the Canon EOS 20Da. But it need to be ordered in advance.

I had seen result from 350D at ISO800 (for astrophotography), which is pretty good (Given the fact the guy dunno much). But I bet the 20Ds can be better.

Any SLR, whether digital or film based, can be used for photography with a telescope.
If u want to tinker around with homemade adapters, then u can also fit any webcam to a telescope.

However, all that does not matter a single bit if u do not have a good mount for ur telescope. For astrophotography, long exposures (the shutter may have to remain open for hours!) are standard. So if ur telescope cannot track accurately, all u will get, even with a RM30,000.00 SLR, is a nice blur or a mess of zigzagging coloured lines instead of nice starpoints.

A basic motor driven equatorial mount accurate enough for astrophotography will cost u easily a few thousand ringgit.

However, a telescope is a cheap alternative to a high powered telephoto lens for photographing terrestrial objects. For example, a 600mm focal length telescope can be purchased (without mount) for a few hundred rinngit. Just ask Nikon for the price of the equivalent _ on second thoughts don't bother if you want to avoid a heart attack.......

anyone tried Canon A400 fireworks scene mode with a telescope?
it gives 15sec exposure at +2ve..

This post has been edited by cherasbabe: Aug 2 2005, 12:29 AM

march05 is right. i had a thinking to try astronomy photography years before
but forget it when i found out how much the cost. FIRST requirement is to get a telescope with an equatorial mount. theres a few types of telescope and a better
telescope will produces a better pictures. as for all cameras.lens is the the first priority. we all can see tat best lens cost much higher than the camera itself.
So first off all..try to find a telesscope within the reach of your budget.
Try Vixen, Meade..they are well known telescope maker with wide range of products.
From beginner to pro..maybe u'll find the beginner telescope within ur reach.
Forget the Nikon unless u have lots of $$$$$$.
and then the camera. any camera with bulb function can take astronomy pictures.
and off course, better camera will produce better pictures.
as long as u know how to us it..

From what I see, a Hong Kong man used a webcam and mount it on the telescope and the picture he took was in very high resolution, very clear!. The telescope is able to do auto-tracking but I don't know the price.

Take a look at this website.

http://www.stargazer.com.my/

Digital astrophotography is the `in' thing now due to the ease of use and low prices of webcams. In the past, digital astrophotography required expensive equipment with special cooling systems to reduce noise levels. Now, using `stacking' technology, u can get pretty fantastic pictures with a cheap usb cmos sensor.
However, u will still need dark and clear skies, and plenty of patience to obtain a masterpiece.
Amateur astronomers nowadays account for many of the new `discoveries' due to their enthusiasm and diligence with their amateur setups. So if u think u would like to have a comet named in ur honor, have a go at it!

I think I will buy the gadgets from them. Therefore, I have to save money from now on.
Do you find it hard to look for a new comet or planet?

Meade Malaysia Authorized Distributor- http://www.infinityinfocus.com/
address- http://www.meade.com/authdlrsintrnl/Malaysia/8569.html

This post has been edited by jimcho: Aug 3 2005, 11:50 PM

Meade are well known maker. I'm not sure about their price
in Malaysia but I believe the cheapest would be more than thousand.
But i heard they are really good, and provide complete system with pc navigational control.

I think u will never find a new planet unless u work at hubble or anywhere with huge
telescope.(not the one we can buy!)
But a lot of new comet&asteroid found by amateur.
so go for it lar..

I can't imagine if I found a comet

Comet Robin 2005 sounds kinda nice, doesn't it?

It's nice *Robin is my surname

Are u ready for tonite's meteor shower? No need for any special equipment, just use ur eyes.
Unfortunately, those of us in the Klang Valley are out of luck due to the haze.........hope the skies are better for u in Kluang.

wow is it? Than have to climb mountain lar today..
What o'clock? mmm...the haze summore here better balik kg lar..

What is the time?? By the way, do u have any guide to know the time of their appearance?

Check it out here Mr. It seems tat 'tonite' is the nite.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/22...erseids2005.htm
I think 12midnight to 5am is the best time.dont sleep tonite!
sleep tomorrow morning!!!

Ahh~~I have to sit for exam tomorrow but I will try to get it. How many hours away between Malaysia and USA? They post their news using their own time, am I right?

Dont bother about the time...meteor shower can only be seen at night..
midnight to early morning is the best. BTW the difference is half day..means 12hrs+-
maybe Sunday's early morning still can see. Since they said tonite is the peak..so
maybe tomorrow nite is not as much as tonite.

Therefore, any place can be seen? Do we have to climb up to the mountain? Where is the category that the news @ NASA locate you gave us just now?

This post has been edited by Mr.LKM: Aug 12 2005, 03:37 PM

No fixed time, just look up at any clear patch of sky and be very alert, they move very fast! I usually start observing from 11.00 pm and watch until I fall asleep in my garden in Subang Jaya in the early morning.

As a bonus, Mars will also be up just after midnight and you will start to see the constellation Perseus (where the meteors will seem to come from) after 1.30 a.m. Also try to spot the Andromeda galaxy in the northeast after 10.30 p.m. (hint: use a pair of binoculars).

Other interesting sights: the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) in Taurus just next to Perseus, and then at about 3.30 a.m. be rewarded with the rising of the famous 3 stars-in-a-row, the belt of Orion the Hunter!

Good luck, and happy hunting!

yea. just find a place with skyviews...offcourse climbing mountain is the best for
wider view and clearer sky. Lying on ur roof can also but dont fall asleep too fast!!

climbing mountain in the dark? u must be better than Tom Cruise (ala mission impossible 2)

Since this is the photography (and not astronomy) forum, I thought I better suggest someone try photographing the meteor shower and post some shots here.
Just use any wide angle lens, focus on infinity, mount the camera on a sturdy tripod, aim up to the sky, set camera shutter on `B', and do a long exposure! Even if you don't get any shooting stars, you can admire the nice long star trails........
By the way, old fashioned film cameras are better than modern digital cameras at this kind of photography.

haha..no lar I mean u go and climb now! Maybe u can reach the top just
before midnight. I did shoot some skyview like u said..long time ago...would like to
share the photo also but since it is on film..have to scan first lar..but where did I put it
hah..

that has a familiar ring to it....hahaha.
I have just about given up on cataloging my entire analog photo collection too.

What do meteor showers look like?

I've seen one-off shooting stars before. Are meteor showers like.. a whole barrage of shooting stars?

It would depend on how clear your view of the sky is. Usually we only see the brighter streaks and the occassional fireball and smoke trails. If the air is really clear, and u are lucky enough to be far from civilisation, u might see a barrage of shooting stars.
However, the most we can hope to see in the best spots in Malaysia is probably in the region of a few hundred per hour (i believe this was reported by experienced watchers in Penang last year). In Kuala Lumpur, the most I've ever counted is 15 per hour, which I would consider as good as a storm!
This year, with the haze, zero count is my expectation for Klang valley.

yes2.. so climb the mountain..

Anyone here going to Gunung Ledang tonite?

Right now klang is so hazy i dont think there's anything left to see. BTW, it stinks too.

What does andromeda galaxy look like? Can anyone please post some photos or something? I didnt know we can see galaxies with our naked eye, or even just a binocular! This is all so interesting... first time wandering to the photoshoot forum. Always been interested in astronomy though.

oops...double post

This post has been edited by AdrianA: Aug 13 2005, 12:34 AM

So anyone had any luck with the Perseids this morning?
In Subang Jaya, all I could see was a brave red moon which happily went down to rest at midnite. But it was great to able to see the moon at all! Shows the haze is clearing up a bit.

AdrianA, there are many astronomical objects that we can see with our naked eyes. We just never took the time to think about it or bothered to learn identify them. Your eyes can see, on a clear nite, up to 2,000 stars. How many of us can name even one? (Other than our Sun, of course). Astronomy is one of the few science hobbies which anyone can take up without requiring expensive equipment or a degree, only need your eyes. Just take your time over it, it's not a competition, it's a lifetime of awe and wonder.

Andromeda Galaxy ca. 720 kpc (1 pc = 3.26 lightyears = 3.085678*10^16 m)


So anyone climbed any mountain?

Just imagine...u look at all the stars..But not all are really there..

Anybody has spotted the meteor shower last night? I can't go for it as I was too tired. Hope there will be some in tonight.

Looks like this year's Perseids was a wash out due to the haze.

Next object of interest is the planet Mars which is rapidly approaching a close encounter with Earth in October this year. See whether you can spot the ice caps!

BTW, there's a rumour going round on the internet that Mars will be as big as the Moon this Saturday, 27th August. It's false, but Mars will still be a spectacular sight and ideal for photography in the coming months......

hoho, mars exploration.

Cool man, I am not sure whether I am able to buy a telescope by that date

well, you could start by taking star trails........if you're lucky your camera might catch a shooting star trail

You can just use your eyes and enjoy watching Mars flirting with our Moon this Thursday morning (after Wednesday midnight).

This Thursday morning??? I better don't sleep this night

This post has been edited by Mr.LKM: Aug 24 2005, 03:07 PM

Did you see Venus and Jupiter setting earlier this evening? Beautiful sight, clear skies in Subang Jaya for once.
Hope the weather holds another 4-5 hours. Tomorrow night Mars and the Moon will be drifting apart already, like ships passing in the night......so sad.

Yes, I noticed Venus last Saturday as I was taking sunset photos. It was strikingly bright against the dark blue sky.

I had missed the sunset by about 15 minutes, but luckily I didn't miss the gorgeous full moon rising that evening. It rose slowly from the east, and appeared large and amber. Like a butter cookie

Hope my photo of it turns out good - it was tricky balancing the exposure for both the moon and the buildings.

Show us, show us!
Butter cookies, eh....my stomach's growling now, it's time for supper.

Yeap..full moon..and large...beautiful..
Dont forget to post the picts later har..

Oh bad, I just noticed large moon but no venus

You can't see Venus and the Moon at the same time right now.
Tonite, you can try to see Venus just after sunset (~ 7.30 p.m). Best time should be around 8.00pm to 8.30 pm. Venus will set at about 9.00 pm. Look to the West.

The Moon will rise at about 1.00 am on Saturday (tomorrow) morning after Mars rise (at ~11.40 pm tonite).
Two nights ago, the Moon rose ~25 minutes before Mars instead.

Hope you have better luck tonite!

So, can we spot venus at tonight?

This post has been edited by Mr.LKM: Aug 27 2005, 03:26 PM

U'll may want to read tis..
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/07jul_marshoax.htm
Seems the closest will be on Oct 30th.

Mars' Hoax the distance between earth and mars is not as near as August 27 2003 We need a telescope to see it more clearly.

Yes, you will be able to see Venus quite easily. Just go out at about 7.30 pm and look to the West. If the sky is clear of clouds, you should be able to watch Venus until about 9.00 pm. Just above Venus is Jupiter.

By 2nd September, Jupiter will catch up with Venus and move alongside it. After that, Jupiter will set earlier than Venus!

If you keep watching every evening from now on, you will finally get to see Venus and the Moon together. Venus will have its own close encounter with the Moon on the 7th September. It'll be a fine sight with the Moon, Venus and Jupiter all close together! Time to observe, ~8.00 pm.

Anyone with a digital camera, please record this occasion and post your pics here!

with bare eyes? I think I will have to prepare my camera for this

Yup, as I mentioned earlier, it's a hoax that goes back to over two years ago.

Anyway, if you have a telescope, better start watching now, as the ice caps are believed to be receding fast and may not be so big at closest approach in end October.......

See first, then snap photo mah.

Just try a 15 sec exposure with your camera on a tripod with standard f2 36 mm (SLR equivalent 50 mm) lens at ISO400. Bracket between 1 sec to 2 mins to find the best exposure - will depend on your sky conditions.

Then don't forget to post the pics here.

Here's a picture of Venus & Jupiter last night looking West at 9.00 pm from my place in Subang Jaya. Taken on Sony Handycam in Super Nightshot mode.

Just to give ppl an idea of what to expect.....this is no work of art.
please note: the 2 big ufos are artifacts of lens flare from the bright streetlight.

Hooray, since I looked at your picture, I have taken the photo of Venus and Moon accidentally during that night. I thought I saw nothing except moon during that night, I will post it tomorrow.

I am preparing to buy a telescope. As I want to take the photo of deep sky object, the seller told me that I need a telescope at least 8 aperture for this. The lowest price of this kinds of telescopes is RM7900 and the Meade Deep Sky Imager costs RM1980... faint......

I decided to stick with ETX-90AT or ETX-105AT with Deep Sky Imager and some accesories. I am now waiting to see the outcome of ETX-105AT taking deep sky object. All the products I mentioned are manufactured by Meade.

Waiting eagerly, Mr LKM!

Wow! So u r buying Meade arr..Are u going to buy the full set? with auto star also?
But good choice I think to buy the casseigrain type.
But if u thinking to take the deep sky object than maybe its worth it to wait for
the 105AT since it got around 36% more light collecting power than the 90.
But the price also tat much more lar i think..
Would u mind sharing the infos about the price with me.pm can also. .
Thinking to go to the Meade's authorized dealers here.Tot in Puchong & Subang Jaya
got one lar I think.

I will post it tomorrow

Yup, but if I use LX90 for looking at deep sky object, it performs much better than ETX-105AT. The price of ETX-105AT costs RM4900... But they tell me they are now taking order of ETX PE series only. If I want to order AT, I will have to wait for few months The price of ETX-90AT is RM3900... These products are so killing..

This post has been edited by Mr.LKM: Aug 29 2005, 05:18 PM

Can you give me your email? I want to send you the price list. Who wants the price list, please leave your email address.

wat?? 4900??3900?? just as i tot.. ..
but tat the price lar for astrophoto..even as beginner
btw ugpm

The product they are selling now is ETX PE series and others. ETX-90PE costs RM4500......RM600 more comparing to ETX-90AT......

Here is a photo of Moon and "not-sure" Venus


Sorry for the noise of this picture because my camera is not a DSLR The big light spot is the Moon.

If your camera time/date is set correctly, then that's Mars. You can check yourself using a planetarium program. Try these:

HNSKY: http://www.hnsky.org/software.htm
Cartes du Ciel: http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/

Why do you say if my camera time/date is set correctly? Does it affect anything? Thanks for the softwares that you recomended

1) A digital camera saves the time/date of a photo when taken; this can be extracted
2) Planetary bodies move about so they don't reappear in the same spot in the sky on every night
3) It is possible to calculate the positions of the planetary bodies, as a function of time

You can apply the calculations in #3 using input from #1, to find #2 at the time that you took the photo. So, if your time/date is incorrectly set, the calculations will not represent what you took

Thanks for the guide. I will try to calculate it.

Next time if u buy the meade with the autostar u just have to
key in wat planet u want to see and there u goes..

That is not Venus, it's Mars. On 25th August morning, Mars rose ~ 25 minutes after the Moon, just as shown in your photo. At that time , Venus was already below the horizon to the West.

U can also point the telescope at the planet and ask for its identity......

Woots! I got something surprise

Woots! I got something surprise

Hey everybody, check this out!

Venus and Jupiter are going to be meet in just at the conjunction 1.2 degree apart!!

This will appear around 8 pm at the north! ( I am not sure about the direction )

Go out and take a look now. Look West, not North. Both planets are setting already. But you have missed the conjunction: it was last night. I was watching them while driving home, both planets easily able to pierce through the usual KL smog. No stars could be seen. Tonite they are already moving apart.
Try for the Moon-Venus close encounter on the 7th September. It will be a new Moon......just a thin curve, very spectacular if you can spot it.

Yesterday, the venus and jupiter were on a line but I missed to take the photo because I was swimming By the way, how come you didn't kena accident since you kept watching on the sky? It is so pity that so many people think that they were just stars...... I will try to take the photo of them tonight. The photos that were taken on 3 September were not clear as I forgot to use timer to shoot.....

haha..yea2 lots of ppl dunno. anything except the sun and moon are all stars..

How do you know I'm not in hospital right now? Just kidding.....
Actually, on the way back from KL to Subang Jaya, I take the Federal Highway. I'm like facing West most of the time. The two lovers up in the sky right in front of me lah.
Your photography alot better than mine;

BTW deepyu, how's the stills using your new Panasonic 3 CCD? I'm thinking of upgrading to 3 CCD too, but I think I need a digicam (much cheaper) first. Cannot keep using my handycam as a still camera, it's embarassing. My 35mm SLR has unfortunately given up the ghost.

Mr.LKM whatever you do, don't miss Wednesday nite's rare Moon-Venus-Jupiter event. Take lots of pics and show us. I'll be trying with my handycam, but you can see the quality is nothing to shout about.

Thanks for the heads up. I think I'll finish off the last two frames in my camera taking that.

Well..still pics considered good for dv level for me..Cant compare to
digicam lar. ..its 1/6size ccd cant beat normal 3M digicam with bigger ccd.
After all tis is dv rite. Later maybe I can post some pics for u.

I won't miss this for sure Is this happened on the west sky?
Deepyu, have you bought a telescope?

hahaha dont lar ask me tat question...
wait for u to buy first than see lar how

I am waiting for you ehh

If tonight is any indication, I think it will make a good photo tomorrow. The crescent moon was lit by earthshine just now.. nice.

Mind to share ?

I haven't even taken it!

I meant after you took them lah

You could have fooled me - seeing the new moon at 6.07pm in smoggy KL? Not without a GOTO telescope!
But from Melbourne, different story lah.
Please don't forget to show us your shots for tomorrow. I've a bad feeling the haze is coming back to spoil our seeing here in KL. I could have sworn I smelt smoke in the air this morning.......

Yes look West again, keep your eyes peeled for the Moon as the sun sets.

Photographing the Moon (i.e. getting the exposure correct) to catch the earthshine (thanks, wKkaY, for bringing this up) will be a real challenge to all you budding photographers. Too little exposure, you only get black on the dark side of the moon. Too much, the sunlit crescent will bloom!

Without a telescope, I think over or underexposing a moonshine shot won't really matter - no texture can be seen in either parts. It's still a beauty to behold though. I first saw it when it was in the new moon phase - and I thought it's an eclipse of the Moon!

Here's a crop from a photo I took last year, when the Moon happened to be above an apartment building which I was shooting:

(sorry for the poor quality - I don't have a scanner on hand so I have to take a photo of the slide)

You're right of course, if we're talking about mere mortals doing `earthshine' lunar photography.
Take a look at this one; Earthshine and Venus
I hope tomorrow will be spectacular like this (in my dreams).
wKkaY, the shot of a shot you took wasn't bad at all, the dark side is clearly visible. I can only imagine what the original is like..........

Whoa that's magnificent. I'm inspired now, although light pollution and poor optics will be against me tomorrow!

Yeap..magnificent..astrophotography just magnificent...
U want little pollution go climb mountain lar..

btw March05 I've posted few still pics from my gs250 in my gallery..
Take a look lar and tell me wat do u think..will post few more later..