A Mintron, a C6 and focal reduction

A MTV-23S85HC-EX-R monochrome deep-sky Mintron was used with a C6 Schmidt Cassegrain fitted with a 6.3 Celestron focal reducer and field flattener. The Mintron was also fitted with an Opticstar 0.5 focal reducer on the standard C/CS adapter as well as a Skywatcher light-pollution filter. I could not bring this assembly to focus. However, if I used a half-length adapter, the focal reduction was not so high but The camera could be brought to focus. This was the configuration used to obtain this image of M51. 100 x 256-frame integrated frames were captured, registered and summed in Astrovideo. The resulting FITs file was processed in the Gimp and finished in Neat Image.


The Next two images were obtained using just the 6.3 focal reducer/field flattener.
This image of M57 is the sum of 95 x 256-frame integrated frames.


This image of M13 is the sum of 80 x 256-frame integrated frames

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Focal reduction and image scale with a Mintron

The standard C/CS 1.25" adapter is about 28mm long. A focal reducer lens will attach to the end of this tube and change the F/ratio of the system, producing an optically faster system with a smaller image scale and wider field of view. I have produced 1.25" adapters of various lengths to demonstrate that different image scales (via different F/ratios) are produced with different length adapters. This is important for some telescopes that are unable to focus in enough when a focal reduced lens is used with a normal length adapter.

Focal Reducer Lens

Mintrons fitted with a 12mm or a 28mm adapter, a focal reducer lens and a light pollution filter.

The MTV-23S85HC-EX-R monochrome deep-sky Mintron was used with an f/10, 6" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope.

M3 with the 0.5 focal reducer and a 28mm adapter

M3 with the 0.5 focal reducer and a 20mm adapter

M3 with the 0.5 focal reducer and a 12mm adapter

The differences in image scale can be seen in these images and can be comparted with the image below produced with no focal reducer.

M3 with no focal reducer




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A Mintron or an eyepiece ?

If it is visible in the eyepiece, a Mintron camera will produce an image on a TV screen that you will be able to share with others in real time. No waiting in line to peer into the eyepiece. Point at the image on the screen and discuss the structure of the object you are viewing. If you record the video on VCR or DVD you can revisit your observing session on a rainy night. This is an ideal setup for schools, societies, star-parties and public demonstrations as well as individual observing. It is a great way to share the 'eyepiece'.




This is a photograph taken of a CRT TV monitor screen to show what the real time view of M13 was like using a MTV-23S85HC-EX-R monochrome deep-sky Mintron, an Opticstar 0.5 focal reducer lens, a Skywatcher light-pollution filter and a 6 inch Schmidt Cassegrain f/10 telescope. I set up a compact digital camera on a tripod, pointed it at the screen, zoomed in to make the image larger, set a time delay before the shutter fired and pressed the button.




The Video was recorded in HQ onto DVD. 100 x 256-frame integrated frames were captured from DVD, registered and summed on the fly with AstroVideo using dark-frame subtraction to produce this image.









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Versatile Mintrons

The MTV-23S85HC-EX-R monochrome deep-sky Mintron is good for observing the Sun with a solar telescope such as the PST used here with a 3x Barlow. Registax was used to register and stack frames captured into AVIs for the prominences and disk separately. Andrew Sprott's Solar Layers program was used to combine the final prominence and disk images.

M13 taken with the MTV-23S85HC-EX-R monochrome deep-sky Mintron. A 6 inch f/10 Schmidt Cassegrain was used with an Opticstar 0.5 focal reducer and captured with Astrovideo using scaled dark-frame subtraction.

An MTV-73S85HP-EX-SW-R colour deep-sky Mintron was used with a 3x Barlow. Registax was used to stack and register the frames captured into AVIs.

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The MTV-73S85HP-EX-SW-R colour deep-sky Mintron Video camera for Lunar imaging

The MTV-73S85HP-EX-SW-R colour deep-sky Mintron is a good lunar and planetary imager for observing or imaging showing the versatility of the camera.

April 4th 2009 an f/10 6" Schmidt Cassegrain was used with the Deep-sky colour Mintron.
The principal settings were: integration was turned of, AGC was on, AWB was used and a
shutter speed selected to give the best exposure.

Clavius and Tycho region at the prime focus.


Crater Clavius with a x2 Barlow.


Crater Copernicus with a x2 Barlow


The region of craters Arzachel, Alphonsus and Ptolomaeus at the prime focus.


The apennine mountains at Prime focus.


Crater Plato at Prime focus

AVIs were processed in Registax.



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