Jump to content

  •  

CNers have asked about a donation box for Cloudy Nights over the years, so here you go. Donation is not required by any means, so please enjoy your stay.

Photo

Modifying a Celestron TravelScope 70 for Astrophotography Use

  • Please log in to reply
4 replies to this topic

#1 Eteny

Eteny

    Explorer 1

  • -----
  • topic starter
  • Posts: 73
  • Joined: 20 Jun 2012
  • Loc: Bacoor, Philippines

Posted 27 May 2024 - 08:15 PM

The Celestron Travel Scope 70 has a front lens diameter of 70 mm and a focal length of 400 mm. If mounted on a tracking mount, it produces good results in long exposure imaging. Note that the telescope showed signs of chromatic aberration. The focuser has been replaced with a focuser from a Vixen refractor. Rings and dovetail plate have been used to attach the telescope to a Meade LXD75 equatorial mount. I used an ASI 533MC to capture the images.

travelscope70-imaging-setup.jpg

 

travelscope_stacked.jpg

 

m8.jpg

 

m42_travelscope70.jpg

 

m45_travelscope70.jpg

Eteny

 


Edited by Eteny, 27 May 2024 - 11:27 PM.

  • BrianThePrimate likes this

#2 BrianThePrimate

BrianThePrimate

    Vostok 1

  • -----
  • Posts: 139
  • Joined: 13 Nov 2016
  • Loc: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

Posted 27 May 2024 - 09:10 PM

The Celestron 70mm Travel Scope is not a bad little scope. I bought one for my young niece to introduce her to astronomy. For the price... around $100 US, the optics are quite good. Some aberration, but for the price not bad at all. I used it one year with my Nikon to capture a lunar eclipse. It did the job for what I needed. For a cheap option, it does just fine. 


  • Eteny and LU1AR like this

#3 krishnak

krishnak

    Explorer 1

  • *****
  • Posts: 69
  • Joined: 19 Jan 2021

Posted 28 May 2024 - 08:02 AM

Hi, very nice captures using the Celestron 70mm Travel Scope. I usually use my 50mm finderscope to capture the moon. Curious as to what causes the V shape intrusion in the star images as I see them in my finderscope images also. Thanks.


Edited by krishnak, 28 May 2024 - 08:03 AM.

  • LU1AR likes this

#4 Eteny

Eteny

    Explorer 1

  • -----
  • topic starter
  • Posts: 73
  • Joined: 20 Jun 2012
  • Loc: Bacoor, Philippines

Posted 28 May 2024 - 09:17 AM

Hi, very nice captures using the Celestron 70mm Travel Scope. I usually use my 50mm finderscope to capture the moon. Curious as to what causes the V shape intrusion in the star images as I see them in my finderscope images also. Thanks.

Thanks! The V-shaped intrusions are caused by the 3 aluminum foil spacers that separate the two lenses of the objective. The spacers are placed at the edge, 120 deg apart. If a ring spacer is used instead, the V-shaped intrusions should disappear.

 

Eteny


  • LU1AR and krishnak like this

#5 LU1AR

LU1AR

    Ranger 4

  • -----
  • Posts: 378
  • Joined: 04 Mar 2020

Posted 28 May 2024 - 06:23 PM

My Travelscope improved a lot, when I painted the edges of the lens (With black fiber).
Also when I installed a funnel of coarse sandpaper (Painted black, with water-based school paint), that runs from the objective to the focuser. I also wound black sandpaper inside the focusing tube.
Regards.
Edgardo




CNers have asked about a donation box for Cloudy Nights over the years, so here you go. Donation is not required by any means, so please enjoy your stay.


Recent Topics






Cloudy Nights LLC
Cloudy Nights Sponsor: Astronomics