Simplify Astrophotography with the ZWO ASIAIR Pro

Abstract:

  Astrophotography as a hobby presents many different challenges.  It can be as simple as pointing your camera (or Phone) to the sky to take wonderful widefield images of the Milky Way, Constellations, or Aurora. You can take beautiful planetary images using long focal length telescopes and specialized cameras. You can also take images of Deep Sky objects like Emission and Reflection Nebulae.

Imaging small and dim Deep Sky objects requires precise tracking of the object over many minutes.  This necessitates the integration of the telescope mount, a guide telescope and camera, and the imaging camera.  You may also have to have precise focusing that is maintained even if the temperature changes during the imaging session as this causes the telescope focus to change.

The many functions that require control is performed by computer programs that have to be installed and setup for each piece of equipment. Maintaining and operating a computer can be a challenge by itself especially with so much equipment attached.  Several companies have simplified this by development of small computers specially designed for astronomy.  The ZWO ASIAir Pro is one of the industry leaders and Ed Litoborski has implemented this into his system.  Ed will share with us what he has learned over the last few months to allow other members to determine if this system can serve their needs.

Speaker:  Ed Litoborski

IEd served in the US Marines and is the father of 4 kids.  Ed and Jan (spouse) love to travel!

Ed moved to Anderson SC in 1993 with a job transfer from Illinois. He worked for Owens Corning for 35 years and retired from OC 2 ½ years ago but started consulting with a company mainly back to Owens Corning.  (To pay for his many hobbies)

Other hobbies include, 5^th degree blackbelt in Karate, and still train.  Learning to play tennis,  I also am an amateur blacksmith, metal fabricator and woodworker, love to shoot pistols, long distance rifle and trap shooting. Loves lake Harwell, although I don’t live on the lake, I have a deck boat and spend most of my summers on the water. 

"I was always fascinated with the night sky, but about 4 years ago my stepdaughter who lives in Brevard,  took me to an activity at PARI in NC.  I was completely in awe of that place.  After the program was over, they had 3 or 4 amateur astronomers from that area set up with their telescopes and I got my 1st glimpse of Saturn and a close up of the Moon.   Right then and there I was hooked and started saving for gear and reading, reading and more reading.  I recently applied to volunteer at PARI to play it forward."

Ed joined the Clemson amateur astronomer group about the same time that he joined the RMA group to get twice the exposure, then Covid hit.