Full MOON (20200930) | Lichtenknecker 500mm F/3.5 Flat Field Camera

[pedro]

Full MOON (20200930) | Lichtenknecker 500mm F/3.5 Flat Field Camera

WEB LINKS:
http://pedroreastrophotography.com/moon_h_alpha.html
http://pedroreastrophotography.com/sun_moon.html


Lichtenknecker 500mm F/3.5 Flat Field Camera | Pedro RE' (2020)
http://pedroreastrophotography.com/

Check out a few images obtained yesterday (SUN & MOON) and the first light of a very rare beast (Lichtenknecker 500mm F/3.5 Flat Field Camera)

Lichtenknecker Flat Field Cameras (FFC) are basically Schmidt Cameras. It consists of a tube, a primary mirror, a secondary mirror, an aperture diaphragm and a Schmidt correction plate. On the back of the FFC there is a T2 adaptor (M42 X 0.75 mm) for connecting a camera (DSLR or CCD/CMOS cameras). http://pedroreastrophotography.com/Lich ... 26_PRE.pdf


SUN & MOON (20200930). TV101 F/5.4, Baader Solar Continuum filter, Baader 35nm H-alpha filter, PGR GRASSHOPPER 3 GS3-U3-28S4M (SAME SCALE)


MOON (20200930). TV101, PRONTO70, Baader 35nm H-alpha filter, PGR GRASSHOPPER 3 GS3-U3-28S4M


MOON (20200930). TV101, FFC, PRONTO70, Baader 35nm H-alpha filter, PGR GRASSHOPPER 3 GS3-U3-28S4M


MOON (20200930). Lichtenknecker 500mm F/3.5 Flat Field Camera, Baader 35nm H-alpha filter, PGR GRASSHOPPER 3 GS3-U3-28S4M


MOON (20200930). Lichtenknecker 500mm F/3.5 Flat Field Camera, Baader 35nm H-alpha filter, PGR GRASSHOPPER 3 GS3-U3-28S4M


MOON (20200930). PRONTO70 F/6.8, Baader 35nm H-alpha filter, PGR GRASSHOPPER 3 GS3-U3-28S4M


MOON (20200930). TV101 F/5.4, Baader 35nm H-alpha filter, PGR GRASSHOPPER 3 GS3-U3-28S4M


MOON (20200930). TV101 F/5.4, Baader 35nm H-alpha filter, PGR GRASSHOPPER 3 GS3-U3-28S4M

[pedro]

Lichtenknecker 500mm F/3.5 Flat Field Camera

[Montana]

Beautiful reflected sunlight Pedro

Alexandra

[eroel]

Pedro:
A very nice scope, I remember when they came out and very nice lunar results.
Thanks for reminding me because I also have a very rare SC made by Max Bray that I forgotten, so I will put it together again. (I don't remember the diameter and the f/ratio, but it is also a flat field scope)
Fuerte abrazo.
Eric.

[pedro]

Thanks Alexandra and Eric

These FFCs are excellent instruments for deep sky imaging. I have it since 2010 but the first light was only yesterday. I plan to use it again soon

[krakatoa1883]

Great comparisons, Pedro, and interesting camera.

[Carbon60]

Nice images and comparisons, Pedro. You always have such interesting scopes to show us.

Stu

[EGRAY_OBSERVATORY]

That camera-scope is certainly an amazing producer of of fine Lunar images Pedro.

Thanks for the interesting post, pictures of and Lunar images.

Terry

[RodAstro]

Hi Pedro
A lovely image taken by a very nice scope.
I drove the 200 miles last year to St Andrews university where my Zeiss coude came from, to have a personal tour of the observatories.
I was also going to have an observing evening with the 37" schmidt cassegrain the largest operational telescope in the UK.
It was the second SCT to be made the first being a 20" I think in the world. Both were made at the St Andrews observatory workshops.
The 20" was the prototype to see if the design would work, it was so good the 37" was the made and is the biggest of this type in the world.
It takes fantastik flat field pictures like yours and on its 6"/6" plates it could get the whole of the orion nebula and surroundings like the running man.
Sadly for me after 60 years of operation one of the locking solenoids stuck locking the dec axis, they are for safety when changing between tracking and slewing as the moving weight is about 50 tons, very dangerous if out of control.
It was a lovely clear night as well. I will return though for another evening and hope the skies are as good.
The picture is one of the original drawings of the optical design, you can see the large iris that you refer to in yours.
And one of the images of M42 shows the field of view from a 37" scope, this is cropped out if a circular image, single 15 min exposure, lovely stars.
Cheers Rod

[pedro]

Thanks again guys

Very interesting post Rod. These Schmidt cameras produce fantastic flat field images

[RodAstro]

Hi Pedro

It would be nice to see what yours can do with a full frame camera on the back. Loverly super fast wide field camera.

The consensus at St Andrews was that anything bigger than 37" and the corrector would not be able to support itself sufficiently to keep its figure.

Rod

[pedro]

I will give it a go with a Canon 6D (astrodon filter) soon.

I just have to build my second roll-off-roof observatory that will house a Paramount ME. I hope I will have it before the end of the year.

I will use this roll-off to image the sun as well

best regards