Astronomy with a Macintosh Computer

I will provide information that may be useful to you Astronomy buffs using a Macintosh Computer.

· My telescopes include a computer controlled 8 inch Meade LX200 SCT, an Orion 10 inch SkyView Dobsonian, an Orion AstroView 120 Rich Field Refractor, a Meade ETX 90EC, a Televue Ranger, a Televue 102 with a Great Polaris Deluxe mount (both Televue's are refractors) and an assortment of other refractors and Newtonian scopes.

· Software includes MacAstronomica (OSX now available), SkyChart III , XEphem , Astro Planner , ScopeDriver , MPj Equinox , and Starry Night Pro. All are excellent and have different features. MacAstronomica is great for a quick view of what the sky will look like at any given time at any given coordinates. SkyChart III, MPJ Equinox and Starry Night Pro are more sophisticated and have many more features and a larger database. All of these can be used to drive an LX200 telescope. TheSky software (OS9 only) will also control an LX200 as well as a Vixen SkySensor 2000-PC Go To Drive System. XEphem for Mac OSX will control an LX200 and a Vixen SkySensor 2000-PC (in LX200 mode - I am told). Another OSX program is a freebee called Celestia. Still another OSX program just out is Astro Planner ... very nice. NOTE: Some of these programs will drive other telescope controllers ... check with the manufacturer. You may also need a special cable to connect to the serial port (see below).

· A relatively new program is available for driving an LX200. It's called ScopeDriver and will work in both Mac OS9 and OSX. To use the Mac to drive the scope you will need a specially configured Mac serial cable (available from most of the telescope resellers). Another place to get cables and other telescope accessories is Scope Stuff.

· If you have a newer Mac without the serial or SCSI ports you can use a Keyspan serial adapter and a Belkin Firewire to SCSI adapter. Both of these work in either MacOS 9 (9.2.2) or OSX (10.2.3 - plug the Belkin in and the SCSI device - turn it on and restart for OS X operation). However, I boot up in OS9 when I hook up to the LX200.

· The reason for the SCSI adapter is so that I can use Santa Barbara Instrument Group's (SBIG's) CCD Camera(s) which only works with a SCSI interface on a Mac ... the Belkin Firewire to SCSI adapter works with the SBIG interface very well. I am currently using the SBIG ST-5C and the SBIG 7 Dual CCD unit (Imaging and Tracking). The ST-5C has a color wheel.

· I also use the SBIG STV for imaging and tracking. This has no Mac software currently available for it but it does work with Connetix Virtual PC for the Mac ... at least with the Windows 98 version. The images can be edited or loaded into Mac graphics programs.

· Another way to get astronomy images is to use a digital camera with a ScopeTronics camera adapter and a 25-30mm eyepiece (one with a large aperture close coupled to the top of the eye piece). I use a Canon G2 with the appropriate adapter and a 30mm Orion plossl or a Meade 26mm Series 4000 eyepiece.

· I also use a Canon Digital D-60 digital SLR or a 35mm Canon V1 HS professional (film camera) with a Canon EOS adapter direct coupled to my ETX or LX200.