Observational

The observational equipment available is:

Mount:
NEQ6 Pro SynScan Go-To

mount

Optics:
Astro-Tech 8″ F/8 Ritchey-Chretien Astrograph (carbon fiber tube) with JMI motorized focuser
Meade 80mm F/6 triplet apochromatic refractor with MoonLite motorized focuser

obs_equipment_scopes

Imaging:
Atik 314L+ CCD Camera with Atik EFW2 9 position 1.25″ motorized filter wheel

ccd

UPDATE (April 2017):

The Atik 314L+ CCD Camera was replaced with the newer Atik 460ex CCD mono camera, with a larger sensor and greater sensitivity:

Philips Toucam Pro webcam modified with ICX098BL sensor, peltier cooled and radiator, used mainly for guiding and star field matching (orientation) purposes – replaced in 2017 with ASI120mm-s camera which can be also used for planetary imaging

UPDATE: April 2016

Imaging Source DMK 21AU04.AS camera with ICX098BL sensor, the same sensor as used in the above custom self-built camera
This camera is used as a guider for the Alpy 600 spectroscope and also for planetary photography.

dmk

Canon EOS 6D (full frame) and Canon EOS 400D DSLR (crop) modified for astrophotography with Baader BCF Filter.

Update 2020: Canon EOS 6D Modified Full-Spectrum with Astronomik EOS XL Luminance L2 and EOS XL H-alpha 12nm clip-filters

400D_frontview
AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC20 for Canon and custom self-built USB port cable shutter release

control_dslr

Astro-Tech 2 inch field flattener
While the Ritchey-Chretien telescope’s two-hyperbolic-mirror design manages to eliminate the nasty off-axis asymmetrical aberration known as coma, it still has off-axis astigmatism and field curvature.
Though I prefer pure Ritchey-Chretien reflective optics for more precise scientific observations (virtually all professional Observatories use RC Telescopes, Hubble Space Telescope is also RC by design) , the field flattener lenses can be useful sometimes, especially for wider field “pretty pictures”
Also, the field flattener is mandatory for wide field photography through the Meade refractor.
AT_FF

3x Barlow lens
barlow3x

Filters:
Baader CLRGB 1.25″ filter set

clrgb
Schuler Photometric V filter

V_filter

Spectroscopy:
Alpy 600 spectrograph with guiding module

alpy_600

I can use the above equipment in various configurations:

Atik 314L+ CCD Camera and motorized filter wheel mounted on RC telescope
Modified Philips Toucam Pro webcam mounted on the Meade refractor for guidance

obs_equipment

Atik 314L+ CCD Camera and Alpy spectrograph with guiding module and off-axis guiding camera (DMK) mounted on RC Telescope
Philips Toucam Pro webcam mounted on the Meade refractor for star field matching and precise target acquisition (orientation)

obs_equipment_alpy600

NEW: Atik 460ex CCD Camera and Alpy 600 spectrograph with guiding and calibration modules and off-axis guiding camera (DMK) mounted on RC Telescope

DMK with 3x barlow and filter wheel mounted on RC telescope for planetary imaging
Atik 314L+ CCD Camera mounted on Meade refractor

Update 2017: added remote controlled dust cover for telescope:

MOBILE OBSERVATIONS EQUIPMENT:

Takahashi FC-100DF Refractor with FC-35 Reducer

Skywatcher StarAdventurer Mount (shown below) or Ioptron CEM25P mount

Canon EOS 6D camera for imaging (ASI120mm-s camera with 50mm finderscope for guiding)