A Santa Barbara Instrument Group (SBIG) ST-4 CCD camera is mounted on the Orion ShortTube™ 80 mm aperture refractor telescope. The Orion ShortTube™ 80 mm aperture rich-field refractor (f/5 focal ratio, 400 mm focal length) is mounted on top of a Celestron CG-11 using Losmandy dovetail plate and rings. The Celestron CG-11 is used as a finder for the Orion 80 mm with the ST-4 CCD camera.

The operators table is a folding table with a homemade nylon tent covering the table top to prevent due on the laptop, sky maps, notebooks and electronic equipment to control the CCD cameras. The laptop has a red plastic over the display to cut down the glare. The blue and white cooler under the table is to provide cooling water for the Cookbook CB245 CCD camera when it is used. The SBIG ST-4 CCD camera is air cooled and does not need water as is required by the Cookbook CB245 CCD camera.

To the right of the telescope are five deep-cycle batteries in black cases to power everthing through the night. During the day the deep-cycle batteries are recharged by a Honda power generator. A very cheap green rug is used to keep the dust down around the telescope and operator's table.

I ended up renting a U-Haul trailer because I had one of two cars broke down on the way to Table Mountain Star Party. All the astronomy and camping equipment was put into the U-Haul trailer and it was towed by the second car to the star party.

Table Mountain Star Party (TMSP) is held north of Ellensburg, Washington, U.S.A. on the top of Table Mountain. In 1998 TMSP was very crowded and the talks were not as good as they were in 1996 when I last attended. The food was good and there were plenty of astro vendors selling stuff. The sky is dark but not as dark as the Oregon Star Party (OSP) in centeral Oregon U.S.A.

© 1998-2007 David Haworth