How do I determine the field of view for my CCD chip and telescope?

In order to be able to determine the field of view of your imaging device, you will need to find out two things:

1. The size of the sensor of the chip (in millimeters)

2. The focal length of the telescope that you have (in inches)

Take the two and use this formula: (135.3x D) / L. This will give you the field of view (in arcminutes) for your telescope and imaging device.

Where D is the size of the Chip, L is the focal length of your telescope.

For example, a Nightscape 8300 has a sensor size of 22.5mm (D). If you use it with an 11-inch Celestron EdgeHD, which gives you a focal length of 110.24 inches, the formula becomes:

(135.3 x 22.5)/110.24= 21.62 arcminutes

Therefore, using a Nightscape 8300 with an 11-inch EdgeHD yields a field of view of 21.62 arc minutes.

Updated 12/27/13