iTelescope: The Answer to the "Imperfect" Storm

By Gordon Mandell. USA

I had been imaging the night sky with my own equipment in a home observatory located north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA for about 7 years prior to trying Global-Rent-A-Scope (GRAS, the predecessor of iTelescope).  I had the usual problems, limited clear nights, equipment issues, increasing light pollution in my suburban neighborhood and encroaching treetops obscuring my visible horizon.  The observatory was built on an extension of my backyard deck over the objections of a very understanding spouse and the acceptance of tolerant neighbors. 

It had reached the point where it was difficult to image anything but narrowband targets.  Then I tried iTelescope (then GRAS).  Using the iTelescope systems, I had the potential to image on most nights using equipment superior to my own, under ideal sky conditions, and with the ability to access targets in another hemisphere or those too close to my home horizon .  I have been a member of iTelescope for almost 3 years and have been very happy using the service to supplement my local, home imaging. I guess the reasons I like iTelescope are the same as those of most members; that was until the Fall of 2012.  That was when iTelescope became the answer to the "imperfect" storm.   It all started with a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder.  On that night my home observatory suffered a significant electrical strike.  Although it was probably not a direct hit, it was close enough to damage my Takahashi NJP mount circuit board, declination  encoder and right ascension motor.  And because the mount had recently been discontinued by Takahashi, the parts could not be replaced but had to be shipped to Japan for repairs.

   

In addition to the damage to the mount, my Starlight Xpress Lodestar guide camera was inoperative and had to go back to Great Britain for repair.  Because of the long estimated repair time required for the mount, I purchased an identical, used NJP mount on Astromart and used my Starlight Xpress SXVF-H9 ccd camera as a guide camera.  If you are ever told that lighting doesn't strike the same place twice; don't you believe it!  Six weeks after the first lightning strike, the observatory was hit again.  The second NJP mount was damaged just as before, as was the SXVF-H9 ccd camera.  This time the observatory computer and a heavy duty surge protector (added after the first lightning strike ) were also ruined.  I had no mount and no idea how long it would be for the repairs to be made.  Then another problem arose.  I was stricken by a cervical disk herniation that left me with intractable pain and arm weakness.  While recuperating I suddenly had an epiphany.  Why deal with all these problems when there is iTelescope?  Over the following months I slowly sold off most of my astronomical equipment including the observatory itself.  Happily, the sales generated enough cash to pay for a badly needed new deck (minus the observatory).  This brought harmony back to my marriage.  Now I can sit on my new deck, enjoy the view of the trees that used to be a source of frustration, and image using my iPad.

My neck also appreciates not having to move all that heavy equipment around.  Thanks iTelescope, the answer to the "imperfect" storm.

Nicole Mortillaro - Mission Accomplished

Our Focus this month is on Nicole Mortillaro.  She is a children's book editor and author, and self proclaimed "nerd"!  Her book, Saturn:  Exploring the Mystery of the Ringed Planet, focuses on the impact of Cassini-Huygens probe on our understanding of Saturn and her moons.

Her talks at places like the Ontario Science Centre and the David Dunlap Observatory have helped bring remote imaging into spotlight. 

Like all of us here, I love the night sky. I love our universe. And I yearn to see more. Not only see it, but capture it. One of the benefits of being able to do that is to share it with others. Today, most of humanity lives in dense areas rife with light pollution. They can’t see the thick bulge of the Milky Way or the Orion nebula or the Andromeda Galaxy; what they get is a smattering of stars that they can probably count. So the night sky is mostly ignored, and people are ignorant about the beauty of the universe and what exists beyond the few stars they see. How sad is that? So why not show them what’s out there?

It was last winter when my friend, a professional astronomer, suggested that I try remote astrophotography after I was lamenting about the highly cloudy winter we were experiencing in Toronto, Canada. It was one of the best suggestions I have ever received. 

 So it was New Year’s Eve, 2011, when I first logged on to what was then called Global-Rent-a-Scope. Yep. That’s how I rang in my new year. And it was great.

Now, aside from a couple of what I shall call “learning experiences” with my own telescope and a DSLR, I had no idea what I should or could do with a CCD camera (what the heck was NABG and ABG??). So my first time out I used the “one-click image” option on what is my favourite nebula, M42, and was giddy when I saw the result.

But wait . . . I knew I could do more. I didn’t know a lot about CCD imaging, but I did know about stacking. So I started slowly: first the Pleiades, then M81, then bigger, to the Horsehead Nebula, taking multiple images of each target. And I was learning! Pretty fast, I thought. Don’t get me wrong: I experienced the same frustration any new astrophotographer does.

I swear, processing the Horsehead moved me to tears. But I didn’t give up. In fact, it made me more determined than ever to get better results. And over the past 10 months I think I’ve made incredible strides. The people at iTelescope have been generous and kind and so helpful (and I also have to thank my friend, Paul Mortfield for all his help, too): it’s made a big difference.

Now, I know some amateur astronomers who think remote astrophotography is somehow “cheating.” They can think that all they want. Remote astrophotography allows you to utilize the best equipment in the best conditions. How can that be cheating? It’s called making the most of what is available to you. iTelescope has telescopes and CCD cameras I can only ever dream of owning. This allows me to work with the best. And that’s not to say I am not going out and trying my hand at my own astrophotography with my 8”. But this way I am not driving hours out of town to get a glimpse of what are only less light-polluted skies. I don’t have to freeze my behind off to get great seeing (because, really, in Canada, we have to wait for winter and, well, it gets pretty bloody cold). And what I am really excited about is the opening of the southern telescopes. How incredible will it be that I’ll be able to image things I can’t even see in my part of the world?

As a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Toronto Centre (RASC), I was approached to give a presentation to members about remote astrophotography. Not a lot of people were aware that that option was available to them. So now my mission was two-fold: appeal to the general public and also educate fellow amateur astronomers about the benefits of remote astrophotography.

I feel that it’s important that people realize that astrophotography is not just for the rich. And this is the beauty of remote astrophotography: it allows you to work with the best without bankrupting you. And I’ve had a wonderful time utilizing iTelescope’s resources. I figure if I can do it, with very little experience, anyone can.

I have shared my images with friends and family who are always in awe. They are amazed at what is out there. And I’m happy to show them. I also know that some members of RASC have joined iTelescope and now know what is available to them. I’m happy that I’ve been able to educate both groups.

Mission accomplished!