Coronado SolarMax II 60 NexImage5

Sun 2013-10-26
Coronado SolarMax II 60,
NexImage 5 ccd,
Nexstar 4SE mount,
Two Barlows 2x each (Total x4),
Registax, Photoshop
Two Colors

NexImage 5, Coronado SolarMax II 60, Nexstar 4SE

NexImage 5 Coronado SolarMax II 60

Sun 2013-10-26
Coronado SolarMax II 60,
NexImage 5 ccd,
Nexstar 4SE mount,
Barlow 2x,
Registax, Photoshop - false color

Coronado SolarMax II 60 NexImage 5

Telescope Coronado SolarMax II 60, Celestron NexStar 4SE Computerized Mount and NexImage5

Solar prominences - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Canon 40D

Solar prominences captured with the Coronado SolarMax II 60 using a Canon 40D DSLR on a Celestron NexStar 4SE computerized mount.

Equipment:
Coronado SolarMax II 60 (H-alpha solar telescope)
Celestron NexStar 4SE mount
Canon EOS 40D
2× Barlow lens
Date: October 20, 2013

Exposure details:
ISO 200 · 1/6 second

Solar prominences - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Canon 40D

This image shows solar prominences only. The inner disk of the Sun is intentionally blocked (black area) so the exposure can be optimized for the faint outer prominences extending beyond the solar limb.

Compared to my earlier images taken with a NexImage planetary camera, this session used a DSLR mainly to compare imaging approaches rather than image quality itself. CCD planetary cameras and DSLR cameras each have their own advantages and limitations.

Planetary CCD cameras allow very fast frame rates and are less sensitive to mount stability, but require more time-consuming video stacking and post-processing. DSLR cameras capture single high-resolution frames, which makes post-processing much simpler, but they require a more stable mount and precise tracking.

When both imaging methods are used correctly, the final image quality depends primarily on the optical performance of the Coronado SolarMax II 60, not on the camera itself.

---

To simplify the setup, I switched from a piggy-back configuration to a direct mounting solution by using the Coronado Dovetail Mounting Plate for PST and SolarMax (Item #MEAD414-1).

Coronado Dovetail Mounting Plate for PST and SolarMax Item# MEAD414-1 and Coronado SolarMax II 60 

With this mounting plate, the Coronado SolarMax II 60 can be attached directly to the GoTo mount, greatly simplifying alignment and tracking.

Coronado SolarMax II 60 and Celestron 4SE Computerized Mount

This configuration made it possible to use even a heavier camera like the Canon 40D while maintaining accurate solar tracking.

In later posts, I show additional solar images captured with this setup and further refinements to the mounting and imaging process.

Related Posts – Coronado SolarMax II 60

• Coronado SolarMax II 60 Telescope - First View
• Coronado SolarMax II 60 Telescope – First Solar Images
• Coronado SolarMax II 60 + NexImage – RegiStax Panoramic Processing
• NexImage 5 Imaging with Coronado SolarMax II 60
• Coronado SolarMax II 60 + NexImage 5 – Color Comparison

Coronado SolarMax II 60 during the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse:

• Testing Coronado SolarMax II 60 for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
• Great American Eclipse 2017 – Coronado SolarMax II 60 in Tennessee

NGC7000 North America Nebula with Tripod

NGC7000 North America Nebula, Pelican Nebula,  Elephant's Trunk nebula, Cygnus Milky Way,  Deneb - Wide field astro photo with a tripod

CAMERA: Canon 40D
OPTIC: Canon 16-35mm f 2.8 L II USM
MOUNT: Tripod
EXPOSURE: 40 X 30 sec. (Total: 20 min)
PROCESSING: DeepSkyStacker, Photoshop

NGC7000 North America Nebula, Pelican Nebula,  Elephant's Trunk nebula, Cygnus Milky Way,  Deneb - Wide field astrophoto with a tripod, Astrophotography

 All single photos for this image were taken April 11-12 during meteor shower. I used wide angle camera 108 degrees and tripod. I think it is good configuration to catch meteors. Indeed, I got some meteors, but also I have a lot of just single images without meteor. So I tried to see what I can do to stack all this images to one. For 5 min I got wider field, but for 20 min (40 images) with static tripod sky I my final image had not so big size and I tried to focus only small part of sky like North America nebula. This part of sky is very rich. So some other nebulae are visible on this image.

Notation - NGC7000 North America Nebula, Astrophotography

Cygnus Milky Way

Wide field astrophotography - Cygnus Milky Way

CAMERA: Canon 40D
OPTICS: Canon 16-35mm f 2.8 L II USM
MOUNT: Tripod
EXPOSURE: 16 x 30 sec. (Total: 8 min)
PROCESSING: DeepSkyStacker, Photoshop

Summer Milky Way

 Summer triangle

Summer triangle

 Cygnus constellation

Milky Way in Cygnus constellation

Cloudy starry night sky

This is a very minimalistic astrophotography image, captured under far-from-ideal weather conditions. Thin clouds drift across the sky, reflecting nearby light pollution rather than appearing dark. Despite this, the stars remain clearly visible in the gaps between the clouds.

Cloudy starry night sky, Canon 16-35mm f 2.8 L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Canon 40D, ISO 1600, 30 sec, @2.8 - KOA Delaware Water Gap

Images like this remind me that astrophotography does not depend solely on perfect conditions. Weather is always a dominant and uncontrollable factor — especially when traveling. You can plan locations, timing, and equipment, but ultimately you can only hope the sky cooperates.

What this photo represents to me is readiness. Sometimes the weather improves only briefly, for a few minutes or even seconds. When that happens, you must already be prepared — camera set, composition chosen, settings dialed in. There is no time to hesitate.

This photograph captures that short window of opportunity. Clouds, light pollution, and stars coexist in a fragile balance. Perhaps that is why this simple image feels meaningful to me. Others may see something different — and that is part of its quiet appeal.

Astrophotography is not only about the sky you want — but about the sky you are given.

Minimalistic & Atmospheric Astrophotography

These images focus on simplicity, mood, and atmosphere — moments where clouds, light pollution, motion, or minimal foregrounds become part of the story rather than limitations.

• Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography — Catskill Mountains
  A simple wide-field view introducing scale and night-sky awareness
• Milky Way over Yellowstone — Old Faithful
  A quiet narrative connecting geology, time, and the Milky Way
• A Tree and the Milky Way
  Minimalist composition emphasizing scale between Earth and galaxy
• Grand Teton Milky Way Astrophotography
  Earth, water, air, and sky in a restrained nightscape composition

Conceptual & Experimental Night Sky Images

• Unintentional Camera Movement Astrophotography
  Motion, abstraction, and science-fiction-like light trails
• Night Sky Rotation, Time, and the Direction of Clocks
  When we look at a clock, we are not following the Sun — we are following the shadow of the Sun.
• Halloween Astrophotography — Night, New Moon, and Street Lamp
• Sky Ladder — Galápagos Nightscape
• Drive Safely Between the Milky Way and the Haystack

Not every night sky is perfect — but each one tells a story worth capturing.

Milky Way Autumn Fall

The Milky Way is nothing else but a mass of innumerable stars planted together in clusters.

- Galileo Galilei

I get hobby to make photo of Milky Way in my trips. This is photo at Delaware Water Gap Campground.

Milky Way Autumn Fall, Night Landscape, Canon 16-35mm f 2.8 L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Canon 40D, ISO 1600, 30 sec, @2.8, StarSpikes Pro 2 plugin

Milky Way Autumn Fall, Night Landscape, Canon 16-35mm f 2.8 L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Canon 40D, ISO 1600, 30 sec, @2.8 - KOA Delaware Water Gap

Milky Way Night Landscape, Cassiopeia constellation, Starry Stars, Canon 16-35mm f 2.8 L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Canon 40D, ISO 1600, 30 sec, @2.8 - KOA Delaware Water Gap, Astrophotography

Autumn Fall Milky Way Panorama, Canon 16-35mm f 2.8 L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Canon 40D, ISO 1600, 30 sec, @2.8, combine 3 photos - KOA Delaware Water Gap, Astrophotography

Autumn Milky Way, Canon 16-35mm f 2.8 L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Canon 40D, ISO 1600, 30 sec - KOA Delaware Water Gap, Astrophotography