#AGENA ASTRO TELRAD SOFTWARE#
#AGENA ASTRO TELRAD SERIES#

For me, this is faster and usually less confusing compared to looking through an 8X or 9X finder with a greatly magnified image and many more stars. By sighting through the circles I can see the alignment stars through the clear screen with the red circles superimposed as I adjust the mount to bring the intended star into the FOV of the telescope.

The LED can be dimmed and is powered by 2 AA batteries. The circles cover 1/2, 2 and 4 degree FOVs. If using a telescope like my 9.25' SCT or larger I use a TelradUnity Finder which uses a red LED to project 3 concentric circles onto a clear plastic screen. I find that it is much easier to use a Unity Finder than the typical 8 or 9 x 50 finder scope. That is a magnification of 8 or 9 and a 50mm lens. Most, but not all, telescopes come with a finderscope, either an 8 or 9 x 50. Once focused it is time to align the telescope.

#AGENA ASTRO TELRAD SOFTWARE#

If your telescope needs to be re-focused throughout the night, you will have to repeat the procedure each time which is really the only disadvantage of this technique compared to software focusing. Once focused, the Bahtinov mask must be removed. You can read more about how this works and view a simulation on this Wikipedia page. When the 'I' bisects the 'X' in the center, best focus has been achieved.

As the focuser is racked in and out, the 'I' shifts from one side to the other. Two of these spikes form an 'X' while the third forms an 'I' through the 'X'. Usually constructed with pliable but sturdy plastic it consists of three grids designed to create three angled diffraction spikes for each bright object in the FOV when placed on the front objective of the telescope. Invented by the Russian amateur astrophotographer Pavel Bahtinov, the Bahtinov mask has become the go to tool for astronomers for quick, easy and accurate focusing. If not, the best option to assure sharp focus is a Bahtinov mask. If you are using imaging software which has a focus feature like FocusMax or Sharpcap you can use that to fine tune the focus. Once close to focus you will need to fine tune the focus to get a sharp image. If you are like me with a backyard that is obstructed from such views you will have to use the moon when it is up, or work with the brightest star visible to make it easier to get close to focus.

I find it much harder to use my camera to get back into focus when I am initially far out of focus than using an EP. This was the case after I configured my SCT with my 2X Televue Powermate for the recent Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. This is especially helpful if the telescope is way out of focus which can lead to a great deal of frustration. If you have a good view of a distant power pole, tree or similar object you can rough focus on that with an inexpensive wide field eyepiece (EP) like this 26mm or longer focal length example along with a cheap diagonal which may have already been included with your telescope. Of course, there can be differences of opinion as to what is essential and what is optional, but based upon my personal experience and what I see posted by other practitioners of EAA I feel fairly confident that you will find the items below extremely useful.īefore an EAA session can begin, even before the telescope can be aligned, it is necessary to focus the telescope. There are many possible accessories one could use to enhance the EAA experience, but in this installment we will discuss only the ones which are most essential to have right from the start. Now we will look at the accessories most necessary for EAA.

#AGENA ASTRO TELRAD SERIES#

In the first four installments of this series on EAA we have covered the big ticket items needed to get started including mounts, telescopes and cameras.

Agena astro telrad