Dual Configuration Capability

The images of the Ring Nebula, shown below, illustrate the advantages of the Ceravolo Astrograph's dual configuration capability. The objective of the wide field configuration is straightforward: to record wide areas of sky in one shot. The aim of the high-resolution configuration is to increase the "sampling" of the image to record fine detail in smaller objects. Click on either image to view it at a larger size in a new window.

The first image of the Ring Nebula, almost lost in a sea of stars, was taken using the wide field f/4.9 mode and a modified SBIG STL-11000M CCD camera. This combination produces a medium-resolution, 1.3 arcseconds/pixel image sampling yielding a huge 1.4 x 0.94 degree field of view. The second Ring Nebula image was taken with the astrograph in the f/9 configuration and the SBIG ST-10 CCD camera. This high-resolution combination produces a 0.52 arcsecond/pixel image sampling yielding a 0.3 x 0.2 degree field of view.

The wide field and high-resolution Ring Nebula images have been cropped and matched in field size to illustrate the significant increase in detail visible in the f/9, high-resolution configuration. Note that these images have not been sharpened with image processing software. Click on the image to view it at a larger size in a new window.