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Dual William Optics FLT 132 APO setup, Stephen Garretson

Dual William Optics FLT 132 APO setup

Dual William Optics FLT 132 APO setup, Stephen Garretson

Dual William Optics FLT 132 APO setup

Description

Here’s a quick picture of the dual 132 setup in the Beevo Dome. Each of the matched image trains consists of a William Optics FLT 132 APO with a William OIptice Flat 68II flattener [1:1, so no reduction, runs at 925mm focal length and f/7], Starlight Xpress USB filter wheel [filters are distributed for maximum efficiency whether shooting narrowband or RGB], and an ASI ZWO 183 MM Cooled camera. The Red scope carries a William Optics ZenithStar 61 doublet with a Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2 as a guider setup. Guiding is via PHD2. The Gold scope sit n a JTD Dual Rig Aiming Saddle, which allows me to precisely point both scopes to the same spot in the sky.

Everything rides on a Paramount MX+ controlled by TheSkyX. Data is captured via two separate systems, one to a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 520, and the other to a Cyberpower PC tower. Focus is managed by MocroTouch focus controllers, though I am still using Bahtinov masks, not having yet graduated to autofocus. Capture for each camera is with separate instances of Sequence Generator Pro. Subs are sent to separate external portable hard drives which I take back into the house to load into the iMac and process in PixInsight.

WIth the weather as is I have only had the one opportunity to run the dual system, resulting in the IC 1318 HOO image recently posted. The whole rig behaved very nicely. It has been a long slog tho get here, but I am pl;eased with the system, and looking forward to more clear nights to put it to good use. Targeting will primarily concentrate on nebular structure and dark nebulae.

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Dual William Optics FLT 132 APO setup, Stephen Garretson