Matt S

That’s a good point - I’d not considered this. I currently just have a DSLR which I’ve been playing with (although my scope / mount / equipment are a limiting factor for doing longer exposure shots / big / faint objects). I’ve been doing some lunar shots with this and can just fit the moon in, it doesn’t provide me with any good video / high shot rates for lucky imaging though. My main objective with this is to collect some imagery of the planets, moon and maybe some of the smaller DSOs like the ring nebula (although I’m experimenting with my DSLR for that). I’d like to do some quite detailed shots of the moon - but I’m still trying to figure out how to go about that

I’m now torn, I had planned on using a RP4 with a copy of Astroberry on it to run Firecapture for my foray into imaging some planets. They seem to be hard to get hold of at the moment however, and my reading seems to indicate that Astroberry is going to limit me to 4GB on the Pi - not that the RAM should be an issue. I’ve also seen some comments from people struggling to get good frame rates on anything above quite small image sizes which makes me wonder if I’d actually be better off doing something else? I’ve seen the Beelink PC’s FLO have, these seem pretty good and I guess would have a bit more power to allow for higher capture rates - however I did want to keep the cost of this little project quite low so looking at spending 2/300 over ~50 is making me question if I really need that extra power or not? I’d like to try and get some images out of my scope (Skymax 127) at a reasonable size if I can, but aware that the frame rate is going to drop if I up the image size. Is anyone running a Pi with Astroberry that can offer any thoughts on that, or does anyone have any advice on what they’ve tried?

I’m trying to decide which sort of camera setup to look at. I’m currently using a Skymax-127 and looking for a suitable camera for capturing some images of the planets/moon. I can’t remember if it was on here or another site somewhere, but I saw one comment that with something like the 127, I should look for a camera with a relatively small image sensor - as the image from this scope would then be able to fill the chip and result in larger pictures without cropping/zooming. However I now can’t find that page/comment - so looking for some advice on that! I had been looking at an ASI 120MC or ASI 224MC - if anyone has any thoughts/experience/advice on this I’d love to hear.

Just as a follow up, thanks for the tip. Just a brief session this evening as cloud has now blown in (and pesky trees are in the way of my other targets) but this was a real highlight. Before the cloud, the sky seemed quite good, found it with no problem and even got it in my 7.5mm eyepiece which although still fuzzy I could certainly appreciate something of the brighter ring structure. Pleased with that, so thank you all for the advice!

Very much of interest, thank you. I don’t have any comparison scopes to really reference against so it’s good to hear from other owners of similar sized scopes.

Interesting, thanks - I’ll make a point of checking that out. Sounds like it’ll be really helpful. Ah, thank you - I’ll give that a shot (it was on my list, but I have some rather frustratingly tall trees). I’ll plan some other targets too based on what has been said here I think. Thanks, I’m definitely not getting any foci at the moment. I suspect it’s likely conditions on the nights I’ve been out that have limited my view somewhat. I’m using a BST starguider 25mm and a 7.5mm Astro essentials plossl (just for the doubles/planets). Thanks for the detailed feedback, whilst my sky seems reasonable - I think it / conditions have been the limiting factor for me right now. I’m sure I’m getting some additional glow from a nearby town too. I’ll hopefully be getting down to Devon again soon which should give me some darker sky opportunities. I’d be happy with smudges, I’ve just been struggling to get a view where I can comfortably say I’ve ‘observed it’. Thanks I’ll add M94 to my list, I’d struggled with M81/82 - I’ll persevere, one thing I’ve learnt in my brief experience so far is that conditions are variable! I agree, I’ve been enjoying it so far - I’d quite like to get a complementary scope too, more focused on DSOs, but I’m still starting out so I’d better see how much I can push my Mak first! Thanks for the thoughts all, that’s helped reassure my expectations of what I can probably get out of this scope with darker skies / better conditions. You’ve given me some additional targets too so that’ll keep me busy. I’ve never cared about light pollution as much!

Hey all, More of a general question to any Skymax-127 (or past Skymax-127 / similar scope) owners. It’s not a great time for my planet viewing, and the nice bright Winter objects have dipped below my view now - but it has made me realise that galaxy season is a thing, and since adding go-to to my mount I’m pretty confident with getting to the right place in the sky. I’ve been looking for some nice galaxy views - within the obvious limits of my FoV. Just to set the scene: Bortle 5 sky and I’m also spending some time around the target area and attempting averted vision/tapping the scope to try and get my eyes to see more. Also attempting this before the moon rose or wasn’t around. I’m really interested in understanding if these views are typical of this little Mak, or could i be improving things with better conditions/darker skies/filters. So far a pick of a few I’ve tried and made notes about: NGC 4490/Cocoon Galaxy - SkySafari describes a small telescope revealing a bright core and glow. My experience so far - I couldn’t really make anything out. 99% sure I was in the right spot based on other star positions. M52 - I could actually make out some details here, it was still reasonably faint in the eyepiece but I could make out the star cluster. M51 - Now SkySafari says under very good conditions a 4” scope can reveal the spiral arms, my experience so far is a faint smudge at best - Ive also tried this along with M81 in slightly darker skies (Bortle 4) and didn’t really experience much difference (albeit the moon was likely washing things out then). I realise I’m not using a scope really intended for DSOs - just trying to get an idea of what others have been able to view using it.

Thanks for the feedback all, I appreciate the thoughts. @Elp I’ve attached via a T-ring / nosepiece (mostly as it made it easier to pop an eyepiece back on if i decided to, I’ve not tried it yet directly screwed onto the scope). I’ve added a polarscope and the Synscan controller/motors to the mount - I’m then using PS Align to try and get my alignment as good as possible. Thanks - I like that idea, I’ll try things out and look at a mask once I’ve got the basics down (and I’m not spending 1/2 an hour setting it up! Perfect, thanks - I had no idea what one of those was called, cheap one on it’s way! Thanks @Nik271, you’re likely right - I hadn’t really planned on using the scope for these purposes, but with the planets being out of sight for me (for a while at least) I thought I’d see what else I could see/do with it. I’m trying everything I can to minimise backlash etc on the mount - alas I’m not sure I’ll be allowed another mount right now…. I’ve not been able to get out under clear skies to try again since posting this so I have no idea if 30s (or even less will be my limit, I’m really curious how far I can push it really. I had been wondering about whether I should look at a different scope at some point - I really do need to spend more time with this one first though. @Stefan73, Interesting - I’m currently doing a 3 star align, then going to objects and simply using the keys to find/centre an object if it didn’t end up in view after the go-to ran. Is a PAE different from doing that (i.e. one of the utility functions in the Synscan controller)? My plan at some point is to run that from a Pi (3 or 4) attached to the scope, mostly so I wanted to run Firecapture. I don’t have a guide scope or guide cam so I think that side may have to wait (although I love the idea). @alacant - good idea, I’ll try that too! I guess my focus has been on what I can push the scope to see/do. I didn’t actually realise there were apps that would let me control some of this - it’s be a lot easier using the Canon app on my phone than trying to look at a screen on the camera that’s potentially pointed awkwardly. My camera doesn’t have WiFi/BT - so I assumed those apps wouldn’t work - but if I can plug a cable into my iPhone that would be handy. No Idea what cable/adapter’s I’d need!

Hi all - I recently decided that I’d start to try a bit of photography using my 700D. It didn’t go very well, and I’m pretty sure why (me), but wanted to get some thoughts on what I should be doing here. I’m not expecting great things from my setup but figure I should be able to capture something reasonable. Equipment: Skymax 127, EQ3-2/pro, Canon EOS 700D I’ve only been capturing images of the moon so far for a little practice, but after spotting the super faint smudge of M51 the other night in my eyepiece I thought I’d try and see if I could capture anything on camera. Perhaps my first error was that I’d aligned/focused using the eyepiece not the live view on the camera, so taking a few long exposure shots after attaching it probably isn’t going to show me much (it didn’t). I guess my question is, should I be setting my scope/tracking up with the camera attached first, finding a bright star and getting focus on that before slewing off to something like M51? I’d been struggling a bit using the live view - I had it on the Moon, but then found I had to turn the shutter etc right down so it was hard to see when I actually wanted to take photos as it would be too bright otherwise (but then dark/hard to see on the screen). Given how faint M51 was in my eyepiece I’m a little unsure what sort of settings I should be using to first locate it properly, but then what sort of settings I should try to shoot with. Last question: I don’t have a shutter release st the moment - longest setting is 30” without using bulb mode. What do people generally use for longer timed shots? Holding a shutter release cable for 5 mins for however many shots I need seems a bit impractical…

Thanks @Nik271, just what I wanted to hear. I figured it’d be something like that. I can’t really see any residue once it has evaporated, plus a dew shield has helped.

This is probably nothing to fuss about, but I’ve noticed some patches forming on the front glass of my Mak, it’s only noticeable when it starts to get dewy and I’ve only noticed them when observing and out of focus. Really just wondering if it’s something to leave or worth a clean?

Stunning - I can’t offer any advice as I’m not even a novice with imaging, but I can see plenty of detail in that second image and the colours work really well for me.

It’s certainly not a cheap hobby/interest, but it’s not what I’d consider out of reach. To give it some context, I’m a keen cyclist and liked to enter a few triathlons / sportives - amateur at most, but I’ve obviously accumulated a few bikes and gear over the years. I wouldn’t say these activities are out of reach interests. I think my first entry level bike was maybe £3/400, and I’ve certainly spent quite a lot more since then on bikes and gear. I’d be buying tyres that are £60/70 each - which only last the year at most. My current setup is far from an imaging rig, but I’m happy with what it gives me visually and cost wise I’ve probably spent the equivalent at most to what I would if I were starting out cycling afresh. I invested quite a few years into bikes - the cost/expense of it doesn’t seem that much when I consider how long I’ve been doing it. I see astronomy / imaging in the same light - more than an investment of money it’s an investment in time. I’d also argue theres a much better resale value / longer term usage from telescope equipment compared to other activities. Much less mechanical wear on things.

Thanks @Stu, that looks interesting. My main spot at the moment (my garden) possesses a lot of tall obstructions, so drawing my horizon and being able to get my timing for when a target is available could be very handy indeed. Will definitely check this out.

Thanks @Zermelo, I’ve grabbed the Plus version - have been attempting to input my various bits of equipment. Bit flummoxed by what camera sensor offset values should be - but assume 0 is fine if I’ve not played with that. Am liking the FOV display and the option to filter objects by altitude (i have tall trees!). Of course, now all I want is to get my go-to upgrades on order 🤪

@Stu - that looks perfect!! Just the sort of thing I was after to help me plan my evening.

That’s a great idea - I’m still finding my way around and hadn’t really discovered that section yet. I’ll head over and browse for some targets that look interesting. Looks like I may be headed in SkySafari’s direction too - whilst I really liked SkyGuide it doesn’t let me make target lists.

Thanks - that sounds like it might be what I’m after, I like the idea of knowing my FOV. I’m guessing there’s no way to filter targets as suitable for your scope (sounds like it might be a bit of an ambiguous statement)?

Hi all, I’ve found a few posts here with various observing lists, I’ve yet to find something that I can open them in mind. But it’s got me thinking and wondering what others are doing/using. I’ve been using Sky Guide on my phone/iPad to do a little planning before I head out to try some observing. The trouble is - it has a ‘what’s up’ section, but that’s really only focused on the planets. The search will give me various other things - but it requires me to dive into it, I can’t really plan a couple of hours worth of observing and what to aim for first. Admittedly, my scope and primary interest is the planets, but right now they’re not too visible for me and I know my scope is better suited to certain objects. So my question is: what do people tend to use/plan evenings with? I’ve seen Sky Safari mentioned a lot, I’ve also got a trial of Luminos although I’ve yet to figure it out. It seems pretty good - although there’s a lot in there I can’t use right now and committing to a subscription puts me off a little. I haven’t motorised my mount yet, so easily zipping between objects is beyond me for now, so I’m thinking I’d quite like to an app that let me create a suitable list, have coordinates/reference - and maybe somewhere for me to make notes on my observing or how I located the object (so I can review/make improvements) - else I’ll end up looking at the same easy targets. Maybe I’m after two things here - I’m not sure. I was thinking of using Agenda (note app) for doing my note keeping, but I’m still not sure how to best form a suitable plan overall, and for the evening.

Thanks everyone, I think I’ve got my head around much of it now. I spent my lunchtime centering my polarscope’s reticle, so hopefully that should get me better accuracy now. @malc-c - thanks I’d not seen that article before, very helpful! @Mr Spock - Thanks, I’d not emailed FLO yet as I figured there would be plenty of good advice on here (I’d rather they got the time to fulfil everyone’s orders than trying to help me out with general usage). I think I’ll get my date/longitude marker set to what I ‘think’ is the correct place via Astro-baby’s guide. Although I doubt I’ll ever end up using the dials, I feel like I want an option in case whatever app I’m using isn’t working / goes out of service. I don’t have go-to yet, but I’m finding PS Align Pro to be useful - having the ability to offset the rotation of my reticle and reposition Polaris on recalculated position is quite handy.

Hi all, I feel like there’s plenty of posts about this already, but you can count me as one of the many confused by the polar scope I’ve just bought. The manual obviously says one thing (although it seems to vary as the newer one’s instructions seem clearer). The simple instructions that came with the polar scope really just say to ‘rotate the RA until the 0 is at the highest point, then match the position of Polaris given to you from the Synscan device or an app’. Not entirely helpful… I’ve found Astro-baby’s guide (via here), which I found useful - it bothered me that the instructions with the polar scope just seem to completely ignore the date/longitude marker on the scope and where that should be placed (I guess for those who might use a manual method!?). I’ve found that I think I’ll need to calibrate the scope (a centred object shifts if I rotate in RA) - the tiny screws seem like they don’t really intend for you to do that though. Has anyone got any tips for adjusting those? But to get my head round this, to get a better alignment is my process essentially: Get my scope calibrated as best as possible Get the mount facing North, then centre Polaris using the alt/az controls / latitude adjustments (whilst in my home ‘0’d’ position) Then either: rotate the RA / adjust alt/az to position the reticle so it’s vertical (0 at the top) and Polaris positioned where an app says. use something like PS Align Pro with the rotation offset applied so I don’t bother rotating the mount in RA to position Polaris where it tells me (again just using alt/az and maybe the latitude adjustments). Finish / put the mount back to home position if it’s been moved, drop my scope on and carry on Does that sound right? It’s all been getting quite hard to follow when looking for things like transit times and the lack of meaningful instructions has confused me!