Planetary Viewing Rig

The planetary viewing rig is one of the simpler gear configurations requiring very few parts. The telescope and mount can be purchased as a bundle together at a relatively inexpensive price. The only additional components are the 2.5x powermate and the ZWO ASI-662MC planetary astrocam.

The 2.5x powermate transforms the 1250mm f/10 telescope into a 3125mm f/25 telescope which can obtain extremely close views of all the planets. Though, at this magnification locating the planet in the camera can be a little bit of a challenge. I recommend bumping gain to max and making sure the telescope is out of focus then “chase the donut” as you slowy adjust the telescope and the focus until the planet is centered. Without the powermate it is easier to find the planets but they are 2.5x smaller resulting in less detail being captured (especially by a colour camera like the 662).