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C8 SCT, Losmandy GM8 mount, 350mm telephoto lens(w/eyepiece here), 60mm guide scope w/ SBIG ST4 autoguider,
f6.3 focal reducer, Meade flip mirror,and here fitted with theStarlight Express MX5C color CCD camera.
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SIX INCH HOME MADE NEWTONIAN
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Newtonian f5 telescope, fitted with the SBIG ST237 CCD camera, 60 mm autoguider, 80mm finder and Losmandy
mount. This telescope uses a surplus Edmund Scientific 6 inch main mirror, various commercial parts and
home made mirror cell made of red oak.
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4.25 IN. HOME MADE NEWTONIAN
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4.25 inch f4.1 Newtonian, fitted with SBIG ST237 CCD camera, Celestron fork mount, 80mm finder and 60mm
guide scopes. The mirror is by Edmund Scientific and uses a commercial focuser and other parts from a
Tasco reflector. The old fork mount is set up with interfacing to the ST4 for automatic guiding in right
ascension and declination axes.
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The six inch Newtonian ready for a night of photography in the Arizona desert 100 miles from Phoenix.
For good results a dark sky is desirable for ccd imaging and necessary for film astro photography. The
industrial/urban world has made it necessary for amateur astronomers to travel further and further from
cities to pursue dark skies.
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Above: The home made mount was designed and built by my son and I . The design is comparable to a G8/G11
in carrying capacity. The RA drive is a Byers 4.6 inch diameter 360 tooth gear with a stainless worm
powered by a 12 vac synchronous motor and drive corrector. The declination drive is a home made tangent
arm system based on a JMI dc motor driven screw. The drive setup is connected to the ST4 autoguider.
The ra and dec bearing blocks contain precision needle bearings as does the worm drive system. Unlike
the right photo above, a cardan joint coupler was added between the worm and motor. A home made dovetail
mount made to a GM8 width allows the quick change of telescopes. The mount has JMI encoders for DSC use.
A polar scope rides on top of the polar axle to allow quick alignment.
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