Re:A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral
by Florin_Andrei on Thursday September 01, 2016 @02:11PM
(#12407569)
It's pretty easy to mate an interchangeable lens camera (DSLR, Micro Four Thirds, etc) with a small telescope. There are standard adapters for it. That basically gives you the telephoto lens to rule all telephoto lenses.
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Re:A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral
by anigbrowl on Thursday September 01, 2016 @02:13PM
(#12407592)
I know, I've done it. It's beautifully clear for a 5km throw though.
Re:A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has exploded at Cape Canaveral
by Florin_Andrei on Thursday September 01, 2016 @04:04PM
(#12408429)
Seeing conditions must cooperate also.
The shot is totally within the capabilities of a 200 mm Schmidt–Cassegrain in good seeing, which is not very bulky and could sit comfortably on a medium-to-large size tripod.
The theoretical linear resolving power of that aperture at 5 km is 12 mm. But in practice it will be several times worse.
This is all napkin-based math, I've no clue what optics were used for the shot. Might have been a compact 150 mm apochromat refractor - still capable of enough theoretical resolution, and possibly a more popular option (though more expensive) in practice.