# A couple moon landscape shots.



## KmH (Aug 22, 2015)

Here's the deal.
I made these 2 Moon photos using a 1500 mm f/4.9 fixed aperture lens (a Newtonian telescope that has a 12" mirror) .
But, to get the moon images focused on the camera's image sensor I had to put a 2x Barlow lens between the telescope and the Nikon D50 camera I used. The camera is mounted to the telescopes focuser using a T-ring and T-Adapter Barlow instead of using a eye piece.
Celestron 93402 T-Ring for Nikon Camera Attachment

Celestron T Adapter/Barlow 1.25 Universal (Req. T-Ring)

The 2x Barlow made the effective focal length 3000 mm, and the fixed aperture effectively f/9.8. The D50 was set to ISO 200, 1/50 for the shutter speed, and Sunlight for the white balance.

Without the 2x Barlow, I can't rack the telescope focuser far enough _into_ the telescope to put the telescope prime focus on the camera's image sensor.

Using the 2x Barlow with a 12" mirror the moon is so big _*it can't all fit on the image sensor*_.
These are not crops of a larger photo. This is a full APS-C size frame. For more distant objects bright enough I can use a short enough shutter speed I can put a eye piece in the Barlow to get more than 2x magnification. Like if I want to get a shot of Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, or Mars.

I used the D50 because it is lightweight, and for my first attempt at doing this I wanted to make sure regarding how heavy a camera I can use.
Next time I will use my D300s so I can zoom in to check focus more effectively.

There was a fair amount of turbulent air because I was shooting towards Des Moines (50 miles away) and Des Moines and all along the line of sight was radiating today's accumulated heat up into the air between my telescope/camera and the Moon. The Moon was only about 35° above the horizon.

Any hoo. Here ya go. Note: The telescope turns the image upside down. I have turned these back over right side up.


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## KmH (Aug 22, 2015)

Here I made a composite of the 2 photos. I left a black border to show where the 2 overlap.

It would take 4 APS-C size photos to show the Moon at 1st Quarter, which happens 8/22.
It would take 8 photos to show the entire Moon.

You might like to know that with good 'seeing' conditions a 12" telescope can resolve details as small a 1.1 miles across 250,000 miles away on the Moon.


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## Designer (Aug 22, 2015)

Very informative!  Thanks!


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## baturn (Aug 22, 2015)

With the exception of the D50, I don't know what any of that stuff is, but it was an interesting and informative post any how. Thanks for that.


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## BananaRepublic (Aug 22, 2015)

KmH would you be able to post a photo of the rig as you described as I am interested in attempting. Its a friend of mine has the scope and nikon adapter but is reluctant to use it for some reason, the adapter that is, maybe if I could show a photo of a working unit it would move things along.

Thanks

I saw the pictures in your first post, did you have a old rig before you got this


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## Peeb (Aug 22, 2015)

Wow!

That rig is amazing!  Would it be possible to take a moonrise shot with something earthly in the foreground ( obviously, the earthly object would need to be a very very distant object).


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## weepete (Aug 22, 2015)

Sweet!


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## Derrel (Aug 22, 2015)

Nice, big image, but there seems to be a slight softness--is that due to the heat shimmer/air turbulence? Or the slowish shutter speed and planetary rotation showing at such high magnification?


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## KmH (Aug 22, 2015)

BananaRepublic said:


> KmH would you be able to post a photo of the rig as you described as I am interested in attempting. Its a friend of mine has the scope and nikon adapter but is reluctant to use it for some reason, the adapter that is, maybe if I could show a photo of a working unit it would move things along.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> I saw the pictures in your first post, did you have a old rig before you got this


I last had a telescope about 30 years ago.
What kind of telescope and mount does your friend have?

I was planning to make some photos of the telescope with the D50 in the focuser later today



Peeb said:


> Wow!
> 
> That rig is amazing!  Would it be possible to take a moonrise shot with something earthly in the foreground ( obviously, the earthly object would need to be a very very distant object).


Yes, but the closer to the horizon anything is that is outside our atmosphere, the more atmosphere and turbulence we have to look/photograph through.
However, I would only  be able to have about 1/8 of the Moon in such a shot.


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## Peeb (Aug 22, 2015)

KmH said:


> BananaRepublic said:
> 
> 
> > KmH would you be able to post a photo of the rig as you described as I am interested in attempting. Its a friend of mine has the scope and nikon adapter but is reluctant to use it for some reason, the adapter that is, maybe if I could show a photo of a working unit it would move things along.
> ...


I think such a photo would have an opportunity to be awesome!


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## KmH (Aug 22, 2015)

Derrel said:


> Nice, big image, but there seems to be a slight softness--is that due to the heat shimmer/air turbulence? Or the slowish shutter speed and planetary rotation showing at such high magnification?


Most of the softness is because of the roiling atmosphere. If I had been looking through an eye piece I would be able to see the atmosphere between me and the moon distorting the moon features a bit.
Had the moon been higher in the sky the image would have been sharper.


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## Derrel (Aug 22, 2015)

Thanks for the clarification. I thought it might have been the atmospheric conditions, since you referenced that a bit. Nere the atmospheric conditions are of heavy, whitish forest fire smoke! This AM the sun was a bright ball of fiery ORANGE around 8 AM....visibility probably one mile...the stench of burning wood and grasses is all around us now, as 20 wildfires rage throughout Oregon...


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## Jasii (Aug 22, 2015)

This is awesomeness. Kudos!
Jasii


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## KmH (Aug 22, 2015)

BananaRepublic said:


> KmH would you be able to post a photo of the rig as you described . . .



Camera, T-ring, 1.25" T-Adapter/Barlow (Sorry about the image noise. I forgot to change the ISO from doing other astrophotography last night/this morning for these shots.)





The T-Ring on the camera. Note the threads on the inside of the T-Ring the T-Adapter screws onto.





And with the T-Adapter/Barlow mated to the T-Ring.





Mounted on the focuser


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## HikinMike (Aug 22, 2015)

Great job Keith and thanks for the "behind the scenes" photos!


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## BananaRepublic (Aug 23, 2015)

KmH said:


> I last had a telescope about 30 years ago.
> What kind of telescope and mount does your friend have?



Well as to a brand i don't know but his thing is a Newtonian configuration but the mirror is at least half of what you have there. I would say if you're unit incorporates a 12 inch his is maybe 4. The mount is part of the unit meaning it has to be put on a table or similar. I think the overall concern would be the camera might be to heavy for the eye piece unit, is what he reckons.


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## katsrevenge (Aug 26, 2015)

This is amazing. Just amazing. Thanks for sharing!


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