Ray Suckling's Page
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Ray Suckling

07 5578 3795

rwsuckling@bigpond.com

All photos Copyright Ray Suckling.

Photographs displayed on this page were taken with one of the following instrument packages:
Dark site astrophotography was achieved using a heavily modified Samson German equatorial mount incorporating an 8.5 inch John Stewart RA drive gear and clutch assembly and a driven tangent arm on the declination axis.
Drive rates are controlled by a dual axis drive corrector.
There are three instrument packages that are attached to the mount via a dove tail coupling.
The first package which is used for wide field astrophotography consists of a 60mm refracting guidescope which guides a camera mounted on a Manfrotto heavy duty ball head. This allows the use of lenses ranging from 24mm to 500mm focal length.
The second instrument package consists of a 200mm lensless Wright Schmidt camera of 600mm focal length topped by the 60mm guidescope.
The third package consists of a 150mm refractor of 1,200mm focal length utilizing the 60mm guidescope.
A system of 12 volt heating elements helps to keep the dew at bay.
Bright objects such as planets, the moon, some comets and eclipses are shot with an observatory housed 250mm F6 reflector on an English yoke mount from Nerang.
A manual Praktica LTL body is used to house the film.

Subject : Milky Way Time/Date : 1235UT 10.08.02 Exposure : 30mt Lens : 24mm F2.8 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : Milky Way Time/Date : 1339UT 06.05.00 Exposure : 30mt Lens : 28mm F2.8 Film : Kodak Elite 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : Crux Star Trail Time/Date : 0915UT 07.09.02 Exposure : 30mt stop 5mt 30sec Lens : 35mm F2.8 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : Crux Carina Time/Date : 1120UT 01.04.00 Exposure : 30mt Lens : 35mm F2.8 Film : Kodak Elite 400 Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject : Eta Carina Nebula Time/Date : 1357UT 24/02/01 Exposure : 20mt Lens : 135mm F2.8 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : Eta Carina Nebula NGC3372 Time/Date : 1010UT 09.08.02 Exposure : 30mt Lens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : Scorpio Time/Date : 1253UT 06.05.00 Exposure : 30mts Lens : 35mm F2.8 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : M6 Scorpio Time/Date : 1045UT 30/05/98 Exposure : 20mt Lens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Kodak Ectachrome 1600P Photographed at : Canungra
Subject : M7 Scorpio Time/Date : 1020UT 30/05/98 Exposure : 20mt Lens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Kodak Ectachrome 1600P Photographed at : Canungra	Subject : M8 Sagittarius Time/Date : 1213UT 23/05/98 Exposure : 25mt Lens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Kodak Ectachrome 1600PPhotographed at : Maroon Dam	Subject : M17 (Omega Nebula) Sagittarius Time/Date : 1145UT 30.05.98 Exposure : 25mts Lens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Kodak Ectachrome 1600 Photographed at : Canungra	Subject : Orion Time/Date : 1318UT 07.01.00 Exposure : 30mts Lens : 35mm F2.8 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject : M42 (Orion Nebula) Orion Time/Date : 1427UT 20.10.01 Exposure : 20mts Lens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : Orion/Taurus with Jupiter and Saturn Time/Date : 1405UT 24/11/00 Exposure : 20mt Lens : 35mm F2.8 Film : KodachromeElite 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : Pleiades Time/Date : 1300UT 20/10/01 Exposure : 40mtLens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) Time/Date : 1219UT 20.10.01 Exposure : 30mts Lens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject : M46/M47 Puppis Time/Date : 1257UT 16/03/02 Exposure : 20mt Lens : 135mm F2.8 Film : Fujicolour 800 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : Large and Small Magellanic Clouds Time/Date : 1126UT 25/11/00 Exposure : 30mt Lens : 35mm F2.8 Film : Kodachrome Elite 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : LMC Time/Date : 1201UT 05.12.02 Exposure : 20mt Lens : 135mm F2.8 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject : SMC with Tuc 47 Time/Date : 1145UT 09.08.02 Exposure : 30mt Lens : 300mm F5.6 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject : Comet Hyatake Time/Date : 1518UT 23/03/96 Exposure : 5mts Lens : 135mm F2.8 Film : Kodak Ectrachrome 400 Photographed at : Maroon Dam	Subject : Comet Hale Bopp Time/Date : 0810UT 09/05/97 Exposure : 30sec Lens : 135mm F2.8 Film : Fujichrome 400 Photographed at : Canungra	Subject : Comet Hale Bopp Time/Date : 0810UT 25/05/97 Exposure : 90sec Lens : 135mm F2.8 Film : Kodak Ectrachrome 400 Photographed at : Canungra	Subject : Comet Linear WM1 Time/Date : 1725UT 08.02.02 Exposure : 15mts Lens : 135mm F2.8 Film : Fuji Sensia 400 Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject : Lunar Eclipse - Totality Time/Date : 1345UT 16/07/00 Exposure : 18sec Lens : 1500mm F6 Film : Kodak Ectrachrome 1600P Photographed at : Nerang	Subject : South Celestial Pole Time/Date : 1105UT 19/06/93 Exposure : 60mtLens : 28mm F2.8 Film : Kodak Ectachrome 400 Photographed at : Mt Colliery		And now it's goodnight from me and……………..

I have finally succumbed to the Dark Side. With the demise of suitable astro film I was forced into buying a Canon 350D and with the help of a friend managed to extract the filter and replace it with a piece of non reflective optically flat glass. This was just the start of the transformation as I then purchased a Synta HEQ5 mount to sit it on although I still have the Samson with the Losmandy controller to fall back on.
I then purchased a Synta 100mm F5 refractor and an Orion Starshooter to enable autoguiding and now have four basic packages with which to image. The first is my Manfrotto ball joint piggy backed on the guide scope to support len’s from 28mm to 300mm in focal length. I then have a cross bar arrangement to support my guidescope alongside either the Synta 80ED, the Takahashi FS102 or the 150mm Synta refractor.
I achieve focus with Nebulosity, take the images via DSLR Capture, stack them in Deep Sky Stacker and attempt to process them in Photoshop.
Now all I have to do is learn how to put it all together.

 

 

Subject :Piggy Back	Subject :ES 80	Subject :FS 102	Subject :Synta 150
Subject :Lunar Eclipse, Partial Phase Time/Date : 0933, 28/08/07 UT      Exposure :1/160 sec Lens : 1,200 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Nerang	Subject :Lunar Eclipse,“Blood Moon” Time/Date :1038, 28/08/07 UT        Exposure :6 sec Lens : 1,200 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Nerang	Subject :Lunar Eclipse, End of Totality Time/Date :1120, 28/08/07 UT        Exposure :4 sec Lens : 1,200 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Nerang	Subject :Lunar Eclipse, Partial Phase Time/Date : 1207, 28/08/07 UT       Exposure :1/320 sec Lens : 1,200 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Nerang
Subject :Crux/Carina Time/Date : 0957 - 1110,14/05/2010 UT Exposure :300 sec x 7 Lens : 35 mm, F 5.6 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :NGC2070, Tarantula Nebula Time/Date : 1243 - 1435UT, 12/09/09      Exposure :480s x 8 Lens : 800mm , F8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :NGC3372, Eta Carina Nebula Time/Date :0935 - 1027, 10/04/2010 UT Exposure :900 sec x 6 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at :Leyburn	Subject :NGC5139, Omega Centauri Time/Date : 1031 - 1045, 10/07/2010 UTExposure :150 sec x 3 Lens : 1200 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject :Sagittarius Time/Date :  22/09/06 , 1029 UT    Exposure :180 sec Lens : 28 mm , F 2.8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :Scorpio Widefield Time/Date : 2103 - 2318,14/05/2010 UT Exposure :360 sec x 7 Lens :35 mm, F 5.6 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :M8, Lagoon Nebula / Sagittarius Time/Date : 0926 – 1131, 12/09/09 UT      Exposure :360 sec x 10 Lens : 800 mm , F8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :M20, NGC6514, Trifid Nebula Time/Date : 1040 - 1307, 11/09/09 UT       Exposure :480 sec x 10 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject :M16, NGC6611, Eagle Nebula Time/Date : 1338 - 1533, 15/08/09 UT       Exposure :480 sec x 8 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :M17, Omega/Swan Nebula Time/Date : 0920 - 0957, 07/08/2010 UT   Exposure :360 sec x 4 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :NGC6357, Ghouls Head Time/Date :1007 - 1138, 08/09/2010 UT   Exposure :600 sec x 5 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :NGC6559 / Scorpio Time/Date :1005 - 1220, 11/09/2010 UT Exposure :900 sec x 4 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject :M42, NGC1976, Orion Nebula Time/Date :0948 - 14089, 20/11/09      Exposure :15 sec X 11 + 80 sec X 10 + 180 sec X 8 + 240 sec X 6 Lens :600 mm, F 7.5 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :B33, NGC2024, IC434, Horsehead, Flame Nebula / Orion Time/Date :  1316 - 1548, 17/10/09 UT      Exposure :900 sec x 6 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :NGC2237,Rosette Nebula Time/Date :1236 - 1508, 22/11/09 UT        Exposure :900 sec x 6 Lens : 600 mm, F 7.5 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at :Leyburn	Subject :NGC6334, Cats Paw Nebula Time/Date 1226 - 1417, 21/08/09 UT  :      Exposure :360 sec x 10 Lens :800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject :Comet Boattini Time/Date : 1841, 06/06/08 UT    Exposure :302 sec Lens : 600 mm, F 7.5 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :C 2006 P1 McNaught Time/Date : 0947, 20/01/07 UT      Exposure :4 sec Lens : 75 mm, F 4.5 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :C 2006 P1 McNaught, Tail Detail Time/Date : 1006, 19/01/07 UT        Exposure :30 sec Lens : 75 mm, F 4.5 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :17P/Holmes Time/Date : 2124, 07/12/07 UT        Exposure :300 sec Lens ::600 mm, F 7.5 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn
Subject :M31, NGC224, Andromeda Time/Date : 1140 - 1241, 17/10/09 UT   Exposure :360 sec x 6 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :Leo Triplet / Leo, Time/Date : 1227 - 1350, 17/04/10 UT    Exposure :400 sec x 7 Lens : 800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :Three Bears  Time/Date : 1224, 06/08/2010 UT     Exposure :600 sec x 1 Lens :800 mm, F 8 Camera :Cannon 350D (Modified) Photographed at : Leyburn	Subject :Ray Suckling  Photographed at : Leyburn