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How to Attach a Digital Camera to a Telescope

Attaching a digital camera to a telescope allows the telescope to serve as the camera lens. Depending upon the size of the telescope, this combination provides the photographer with a greater light-grasp capability, making it possible to photograph faint objects such as nebulae as well as bright objects such as the moon and planets. A digital camera's automatic features won't work with a telescope attached, so adjustments such as focusing must be made manually. However, the ability to take magnificent photographs more than compensates for the inconvenience.

Things You'll Need

Camera/telescope adapter that matches the camera brand

Instructions

- 1
  Remove any camera lenses from the camera body and attach a camera/telescope adapter to the camera in the same manner that you would attach a lens. There is no glass barrier on the adapter, so take care that foreign material, such as dust or dirt, does not enter the camera body.
- 2
  Remove the eyepiece (sometimes called an ocular) from the telescope draw-tube. Locate the threaded end of the draw-tube. In some cases, a threaded insert is provided that must be positioned within the draw-tube as an eyepiece would be positioned. With the camera/telescope adapter attached to the camera, screw the adapter onto the draw tube. If a threaded insert is provided, screw the insert onto the camera/telescope adapter first and then place the insert into the draw-tube with the camera attached.
- 3
  Re-balance the telescope to compensate for the heavy camera. In some cases you will need to move the telescope tube forward or backward to re-balance it. In other cases, you will need to tighten the friction-adjustment knobs to keep the telescope stable. Failure to re-balance the telescope will cause it to slowly move and blur the photograph.
- 4
  Select "Manual (M)" on the exposure mode knob found on the camera. The aperture controls and auto focus controls will not work on the camera when attached to a telescope, so you will be making these adjustments manually.
- 5
  Use the viewfinder on the camera to help focus the telescope. While looking through the camera viewfinder, turn the focus knob on the telescope until the subject is properly focused. Use the shutter controls to adjust the shutter speed. For exposures needing more than 30 seconds, use the "bulb" setting on the exposure knob and attach a shutter release cable to the camera.

Astronomy