Technique

How to choose the best focusing systems for telescopes? Our SESTO SENSO robotic focusing motor and ESATTO robotic microfocuser offer the same basic features but different designs in order to offer you the best focusing solution, both for astrophotography and visual use. In this article we analyze the main differences between the 2 devices and we suggest what model is the best based on the telescope you have and the application you want to use. This way you will learn why our SESTO SENSO robotic focusing motor and ESATTO robotic microfocuser are the best focusing systems for telescopes and how you can use them in order to improve your telescope.

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ESATTO is the perfect focuser for Ritchey-Chretien telescopes, that are great instruments for deep-sky astrophotography at medium-long focal length. Ritchey-Chretien telescopes were, just a few years ago, very expensive but now, especially the models produced by GSO, are very affordable and allow any amateur astronomer to own and use a Ritchey-Chretien telescope. Unfortunately these telescopes comes standard with a focuser that has not the load capacity requested for the heavy cameras and accessories commonly used in deep-sky astrophotography: let's see how you can use ESATTO as a new and better focuser for Ritchey-Chretien.

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Thanks to the many available adapters, you can easily use ESATTO as the new focuser for refractors and improve performance, especially in astrophotography. Refractors, and especially the apochromatic models, are perfect instruments for astrophotography since they haven't a very long focal length (you can use them for very long exposition times also with affordable mounts) and they combine very good performance with easy of use. But many refractors use a focuser that may not be able to adequately support your camera and the accessories used in astrophotography: let's see how you can improve your refractor telescope by replacing the focuser with ESATTO.

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If you are looking for a focuser for Schmidt-Cassegrain or for aplanatic telescopes (like EdgeHD by Celestron), ESATTO is the perfect solution! In this article we see how ESATTO improves focus and how it installs on these telescopes. Schmidt-Cassegrains and EdgeHD are great instruments because they combine high performance with ease of use (for example, they are simple to collimate) and portability (they are among the most compact optical tubes, although the diameter can also be large). However, the internal focuser of these telescopes (which allows focusing by moving the primary mirror) generates image shift and mirror flop problems that we can now avoid thanks to ESATTO.

 
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High resolution astrophotography of planets and the Moon with powerful telescopes and planetary cameras is simpler with the EAGLE. In order to record the best pictures with telescopes, planetary cameras (usually USB 3.0) are used and are connected to a control computer where a special software allows recording a video. A special processing software allows you to extract only the best and sharper images, stack them and apply contrast filters to improve the visibility of planets and Moon details.

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Astrophotography automation softwares control all the devices that compose the telescope (camera, electronic focuser, motorized filter wheel, mount, autoguide, etc.) and automate images capture of deep-sky objects (such as galaxies, nebulae or star clusters). This way they maximize the recording time and do not require the operator to stay in front of the computer during the several hours of capture required in astrophotography. In this video, Filippo explains features of astrophotography automation software and shows that they are perfect for use with the EAGLE control unit.

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Does light pollution affect astrophotography? Is it possible to photograph galaxies, nebulae or star clusters with our telescope also from the backyard with light pollution but using narrowband filters? Discover the result of our test comparing the image of a nebula recorded with the same telescope and the same exposition time but from a place with low light pollution and from an area near the city center.

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Astrophotography cable management is complicated by the fact that a telescope to photograph the universe consists of many devices (mount, camera, autoguider, electronic focuser, motorized filter wheel, etc.) that must be connected to a control computer and to a power source. Thanks to EAGLE it is possible to simplify a lot the cable management and, thanks to its patented design, they will no longer pull or disconnect. Let's see in this article how to best manage cables in astrophotography with the EAGLE control unit, checking what happens to the cables when we control the same telescope with a classic laptop computer.

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In order to transport a large telescope, it is necessary to pay attention to the safety of optical tube, mount, cameras and accessories but we always suggest to keep the various components pre-assembled to avoid losing too much time when preparing the telescope in the field. Let's see how we managed to transport a large telescope using different bags and rigid cases to reach places with low light pollution, moving quickly in the car and allowing us to spend more time using the telescope and less to prepare it. At the end we will see the result of the First Light of our telescope and the verification of the optical tube collimation!

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Is it possible to have a single telescope to observe and take pictures of any object in the Universe, easy to use, power and transport? Is it possible to have a telescope that has the power of a small astronomical observatory but with the portability of an amateur telescope? After more than 20 years of experience in sky observation and astrophotography, we decided to launch a challenge, first of all to ourselves. And we want to share with you this challenge, showing you which telescope, mount, camera and accessories we chose, how to use it to observe and take pictures of any object in the sky, from planets and the Moon in high resolution to deep-sky objects like galaxies, nebulae and star clusters!

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