Refactor Telescope: William Optics FLT120

Refractor Telescope

Name: William Optics Fluorostar 120 (FLT 120) Price: $3298 Specs: Focal Length 780 mm, aperture 120 mm, f 6.5, weight 7.2 kg, length 680 mm with dew shield fully retracted, 850 mm with dew shield fully extended, image circle 43 mm (with separate field flattener). Fluorostar 120 Features The Fluorostar series is one of several … Read more

My Astrophotography Equipment

Astrophotography equipment setup

My Equipment I live in a highly urban area with a Bortle value of around 8 or 9. I finally ditched the mostly reliable Meade LX 200 classic that I have had since 1996. It was a real workhorse in its time, but as equipment technology advanced, it became harder and harder to integrate into … Read more

What a Difference Experience Makes!

I thought it might be interesting to see the difference between one of my early images of the Horsehead Nebula with a more recent image of the same object. The difference in the two images is striking. Some of the difference is based on the learning curve (although I was quite pleased with the older … Read more

My Start in Long Exposure Astrophotography

Telescope in night sky

I was just starting to get a feel for astrophotography basics. But my astrophotography setup was still evolving. I have already mentioned the necessity of autoguiding with astrophotography. The reason is simple: astronomical objects (outside of solar system objects like the planets, moon and sun) are mostly very dim. A simple auto exposure snapshot is … Read more

My Early Beginnings in Astrophotography

About 25 years ago, I was a beginner in astrophotography. I knew that I liked the beautiful pictures I saw in magazines and on the boxes of department store telescopes, but not much more about how to achieve those results. I really had no idea about astrophotography basics or astrophotography equipment. I was aware however … Read more