Current Setup
My current astrophotography rig, built around a 12" f/4 Newtonian on a Paramount ME mount with a cooled mono camera and narrowband filters. Everything is remotely controlled from the warm room.
The complete imaging rig ready for a night's work
Mount
Software Bisque Paramount ME
The Paramount ME is a research-grade German equatorial mount from Software Bisque. It uses a friction drive system with zero backlash, giving extremely precise tracking and pointing accuracy. The mount is rated for payloads up to 68 kg, which comfortably handles the 12" Newtonian and all accessories.
Key features:
- Zero-backlash friction drive on both axes
- Homing sensors for repeatable startup alignment
- Controlled natively by TheSky Professional via USB
- Periodic error correction (PEC) with sub-arcsecond tracking
- 68 kg payload capacity
I purchased this mount in December 2009 when I built the observatory. It's been an incredibly reliable mount that just works night after night.
Camera
ZWO ASI2600MM Duo
This is a cooled monochrome (black and white) camera with an integrated guide camera built in. The "Duo" design eliminates the need for a separate off-axis guider or guide scope by embedding a second sensor directly into the camera body.
| Sensor | Sony IMX571 (back-illuminated) |
| Type | APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) |
| Resolution | 6,248 x 4,176 (26 MP) |
| Pixel Size | 3.76 µm |
| Cooling | TEC, delta -35°C below ambient |
| Read Noise | 1.0e- (at gain 100) |
| Full Well | 50,000e- |
| Weight | 1.1 kg |
| Sensor | SC2210 (1/1.8") |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 |
| Pixel Size | 4.0 µm |
| Connection | Separate USB port |
The built-in guide camera feeds directly into PHD2 for autoguiding, removing the need for a separate guide scope or off-axis guider.
Being a monochrome camera, colour and narrowband images are captured by shooting through individual filters and combining the channels in post-processing. This approach gives much higher sensitivity and flexibility compared to a one-shot colour camera.
Filter Wheel & Filters
ZWO ASI EFW (Electronic Filter Wheel)
The ZWO EFW is a motorised filter wheel that allows automated filter changes during an imaging session. N.I.N.A. controls the filter wheel and coordinates filter changes with the camera exposures, so the entire LRGB or narrowband sequence can run unattended.
Baader 2" Filters
I use a set of Baader 2-inch filters:
- L (Luminance) - captures fine detail and structure
- R (Red) - 610-700 nm
- G (Green) - 500-570 nm
- B (Blue) - 400-510 nm
Used for natural-colour images of galaxies, star clusters, and reflection nebulae.
- S (SII) - Sulphur II at 672 nm
- H (Ha) - Hydrogen Alpha at 656 nm
- O (OIII) - Oxygen III at 496/501 nm
6.5nm bandpass filters that isolate specific emission lines from nebulae. These work well even under light-polluted skies and can be combined in the Hubble Palette (SHO) for dramatic false-colour images.
Focuser
ZWO EAF on TS-Optics 3" UNCN3 Crayford Focuser
The ZWO EAF (Electronic Automatic Focuser) is a motorised focus controller that attaches to the TS-Optics 3" UNCN3 Crayford focuser. N.I.N.A. runs autofocus routines throughout the night to keep stars sharp as the temperature changes.
- Dual-speed 10:1 reduction ratio for precise manual control
- 3" drawtube accommodates the ASA 3" Wynne coma corrector
- ZWO EAF has a built-in temperature sensor for temperature-compensated focusing
- Backlash compensation handled in software
TS-Optics 3" UNCN3 Crayford focuser
Telescope
300mm f/4 Newtonian
A 12-inch (300mm) f/4 Newtonian reflector with a GSO primary mirror and a custom carbon fibre tube from Klaus Helmerichs. The carbon fibre tube is lighter, stiffer, and cools faster than the original steel tube.
| Aperture | 304.8 mm (12") |
| Focal Length | 1,200 mm (native) / 1,140 mm (with corrector) |
| F-ratio | f/4 (native) / f/3.8 (with corrector) |
| Image Scale | 0.64"/px (native) / 0.68"/px (with corrector) |
| Field of View | ~66 x 44 arcmin (ASI2600MM) |
| Weight | ~20 kg |
Coupled with an ASA 3" Wynne Corrector 0.95x to correct coma across the full APS-C sensor. See the full telescope page for detailed specifications and upgrade history.
Software & Control
Everything is controlled from an ASUS NUC mini PC mounted in the observatory, running Windows 11. I connect from the warm room (or anywhere) via Windows Remote Desktop.
- N.I.N.A. (Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy) - the main imaging sequencer that orchestrates the entire capture session: camera control, filter changes, plate solving, autofocus, meridian flips, and dithering. Free and open source.
- TheSky Professional - planetarium and telescope control from Software Bisque. Provides native control of the Paramount ME mount including TPoint pointing model and ProTrack real-time tracking corrections.
- PHD2 - autoguiding software that reads the built-in guide camera on the ASI2600MM Duo and sends corrections to the mount. Free and open source.
- ASCOM - the standard driver platform that allows N.I.N.A., TheSky, and PHD2 to communicate with the mount, camera, filter wheel, and focuser. All hardware exposes ASCOM-compatible drivers.
- Windows Remote Desktop - used to connect to the observatory NUC from the warm room or remotely. The entire imaging session can be monitored and controlled without stepping outside.
- ASUS NUC (Windows 11) - compact mini PC with enough power to run all the imaging software simultaneously. Low power consumption and fanless operation keep heat and vibration to a minimum.
Power Management
Xiaomi Mi Smart Plug Mini (240V)
Multiple Xiaomi / Mi Smart Plug Mini switches are used to control 240V power to individual pieces of equipment. Each plug is controlled via the Mi Home app on a phone or tablet, allowing me to power on or off any component without going out to the observatory.
This is useful for:
- Power-cycling the mount or camera if they become unresponsive
- Turning on the dew heaters when humidity rises
- Shutting everything down at the end of a session from bed
- Scheduling automatic power-on before an imaging session