Fort Bend Astronomy Club P.O. Box 942 Stafford, TX 77497- 0942 The FBAC Observer Volume 19, Issue 4 April, 2005 The CCD Chronicles Wes Whiddon A while back there was considerable discus- Astronomy or Sky and Tel one day when I stumbled on sion on Netslyder and in personal conversations about in- the SBIG page featuring the ST-237A camera. As I sat dividuals using the club’s ST-7 camera outside the con- there on the throne (and most of you know which one I fines of the dome. Some of us seem to be for it and oth- mean), I realized I could buy a good CCD camera with ers against it. A great deal of talk against outside use color filter wheel for less than a king’s ransom. Remem- came from the notion that imaging is a difficult thing to ber, I was sitting on the throne at the time so I made, after do and operation of a CCD camera requires great perse- consulting the other half of the monarchy, a decision to verance and superior intellect to accomplish. Since I dis- buy one. In due course, I found myself standing in front agree with this assumption, (especially about the intellect of the counter at Land, Sea, and Sky, check book in hand, part because, after all, I can do it), I would like to offer, in purchasing an ST-237A complete with color filter wheel. a series of articles, my experience—limited as it is—as an While I was waiting for the tape to stop winding out of operator of a CCD camera. Notice I say operator, not the cash register and for the sales clerk to stop licking his imager, because, even though I’ve used several different lips, visions of astronomical objects in all their glory CCD and video cameras over the course of the last few floated before my eyes. Colorful images of Andromeda, years, I still can’t produce the kind of images you see the Whirlpool, and Orion floated in inky black space every month in the back of Sky and Telescope and As- filled with pinpoint stars. Darkness would fall, the heav- tronomy magazines or when you look at Randy Brewer’s ens were waiting, and I would be their master. I was soon web site. And by the way, I won’t even attempt to get to learn there is much disappointment to be found when you anywhere near the le vel of imaging that someone like darkness falls. Randy has reached. Imagers like him are in a league of Anticipation is one of our base human emotions. their own for reasons I will discuss la ter. But, laying all And since a lot of us have evolved, over the past few dec- that aside, I think I can dispel the idea that imaging is ades, into technocrats, we can’t wait to get our hands on a hard to do. So, lets get started. new gadget. I raced home with my camera, hurried First though, I give to you a warning and then a through the back door, slipped my penknife along the story. CCD imaging is not rocket science but, like any- tape securing the box, threw back the flaps on the box, thing worthwhile, it takes practice. Notice that in the and there it was in it’s neat little foam rubber cocoon, in- paragraph preceding this one, I did not completely deny ert now but soon to come to life and convert ancient and that it takes perseverance. Practice makes perfect and im- invisible photons into electrons and back into photons for aging is no exception. When I first started out, my efforts my viewing pleasure. were hit and miss because I didn’t develop a plan for I was anxious to get started so as soon as twilight practicing things like focusing, exposure control, learning came, I drug my Celestar 8 out into the backyard, found software, and other essentials that go with CCDing. To Polaris in the light polluted skies, polar aligned as best I heck with the preliminaries, I wanted to take pretty pic- could, set up the camera, and attached it to the back of the tures. It didn’t take long for me to realize that failure was scope. Seconds later I began to realize that the scope did- just around the corner. n’t like this much weight on its tail and it promptly began To this day I don’t remember exactly when and to sag backwards. I tightened up the declination bands on why I decided to begin electronic imaging. I tried using the scope and it seemed OK. By then I saw a sprinkling film a few times but light pollution doesn’t treat film of stars around the sky so I slewed over to a bright one, kindly, turning the sky a ghastly kind of green in most cranked up the camera, made my first exposure…and saw shots. So I put the old Nikon F body aside thinking I absolutely nothing. might take it up another day. (Continued next month) I suppose I may have been perusing the ads in PAGE 2 April 2005 Astro Calendar SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 Last quarter 2 Sirius reaches moon at 6:50 p.m. its highest point CST. Look for in the sky, due Luna in Sagitta- south, 1/2 hour rius. before sunset. THE FBACOBSERVER 3 Luna 8 degrees 4 Jupiter just past 5 Waning moon 6 Find mag 2 Al- 7 Neptune sits 8 New moon at 9 View an exqui- right of Mars at opposition, rising low in the east- phard in Hydra, the only 3 degrees to 3:32 p.m. CDT. site, thin crescent dawn in Capricor- within minutes of southeast just be- Water Snake. If the upper left of Partial solar moon early this nus. CDT begins. sunset. fore sunrise. you can find skies Mars. eclipse can be evening. that good here. seen from here. 10 Saturn in 11 Luna and the 12 Green laser night. 13 After posting 14 AOW Star 15 FBAC Club 16 First quarter quadrature today, Pleiades convene Shine your laser into bond, get out of Party, Faith Lu- Meeting. See moon at 9:37 a.m. 90 degrees from together. A beau- your neighbor’s win- jail and check out theran Church. Web Site, CDT. dow and see what the Sun. tiful site. happens. Arcturus near See web site, fbac.org Jupiter. fbac.org 17 Orion low in 18 Regulus and 19 Watch Mars 20 See the future. 21 Lyrid Meteor 22 See the moon 23 Speed over to the west soon to the Waxing near Gamma Cap Early risers can Shower before occult Jupiter. Move first mag Spica in be bid adieu. Moon. Nice title for the next few see August stars. dawn tomorrow. to South Africa to Virgo. Did you catch it. Or Antarc- for a book. mornings. Expected to be a tica, take your pick. know it’s a vari- flop. able? VOLUME 24 Full Moon at 25 The Moon is 26 Mercury 27 Take time off 28 Fort Bend 29 AOW Star 30 The Beehive 5:06 a.m. CDT. oblong tonight be- reaches greatest from observing. Wine and Food Party, Dickinson is buzzing. Look 19, Penumbral eclipse cause it’s one day elongation. Watch TV and Event, George Elementary for the Praesepe ISSUE in western part of after full. improve your Observatory School. See web in Cancer. 4 U.S. mind. site, fbac.org VOLUME 19, ISSUE 4 THE FBAC OBSERVER PAGE 3 was eventually able to detect an elongated, egg-shaped glow be- tween two stars. This planetary is very obscure, so if you do de- GOING DEEP tect it you can count yourself among a select group of people Keith Rivich who have ever seen it. Go back to 15 Mon and picture a point about ½ of the funny thought occurred to me the other night as I way to 12 Mon and just a tad south. Scan around a little until you was contemplating the sky and thinking about this find a little comet shaped nebula, a.k.a. Hubble’s Variable Ne b- article; it seems that once a constellation crosses the ula (NGC 2261). This most interesting object is fun to watch meridian I sort of lose interest in observing there. over time as the appearance of the nebula changes with irregular AMy thoughts seem to be on what’s rising in the east, not setting frequency. Once thought to be caused by the variability of the in the west! I suppose my attention is drawn to the “new” and illuminating star it has been determined that the changes are sort of pushes the “old” to another part of my mind, for it will be caused by huge clouds orbiting near the star and casting shadows “new” again in six months or so and I will be excited all over against the nebula. Way cool! again. But this shouldn’t be the case. For most of us observing While centered on NGC 2261 look near the SW edge of from the Houston area the SW sky is the darkest and should be your finder scope and you will see the odd shaped open cluster used the most for observing. NGC 2251. Instead of the being roundish, like its cousins, NGC For this article I will break my bad habit by playing 2251 is elongated and flattened on one end, similar in appear- around in the neighborhood of the “Christmas Tree” cluster in ance to the constellation Delphinus.