Jonathan_Shields

Don't have an iphone but the latest version of the Synscan Pro Android app doesnt work at all for me. The standard Synscan app works if you don't let the phone lock itself and allow it unrestricted battery use in app settings. If the screen locks you have to make several attempts to go into it until the phone says the app isnt responding and do you want to kill it. If you kill it it then works when you reopen it. Skywatcher could do better here.

Background removal is on my list of things to try. I also will try pushing up my exposure time as i think particularly away from the zenith people are getting no trails with alt-az at a lot higher times than i have used. 15 seconds is impressive.

Interesting it makes sense. I use the 6 inch for EAA and without a reducer it works fine it would just be good to have the extra light gathering and bigger field. It was an experiment really it was just a cheap £30 reducer. I have seen the Starizona Nexus on the Dobsonian Power channel used successfully but yeah its too pricey for me.

I would look at a tabletop dobsonian of the kind First Light Optics sell for beginners. At that budget its a reasonable option. I would avoid anything else at that price point as the quality will be poor and result in frustration. This is the kind of thing i would look at https://astrobiscuit.com/best-budget-telescope/

Thanks. M42 is currently at the front of my house near lots of streetlights so i might save that one for early winter. I used about 350 gain and either 2 or 4 seconds...4 for the galaxies. In Sharpcap I used the bilateral noise filter.

I have just started EAA with a 6 inch goto dob and a ZWO ASI 585 so this is very much a beginner view but... I would say you can get some good results with that setup on smaller objects. The 224 has a small FOV but you have a quality mount and decent aperture. Astronomy tools FOV will give you an idea of how the targets will fit in your camera.

Recently bought a Heritage 150p Virtuoso and a ZWO ASI585 specifically for EAA and have been enjoying myself seeing a lot more detail than I could visually in Bortle 6. I have had a battle with clouds and dew but I am reasonably happy. I tried M97 and just couldn't see it so I was either in the wrong place or its not viable with 6 inches of aperture. I am still getting to grips with Sharpcap so I am quite possibly missing something. These are all just stretch/colour balance in Sharpcap during the capture and then crop only to remove the field rotation effects. M65/66, M3, M51, M81,M82, Hamburger galaxy NGC3628 and M53 (horrible noise/gradient on that one)

I tried this out with a 1.25 inch reducer on my 6 inch dob. The field of view was a lot wider but the vignetting was shocking and not usable even for EAA. I am talking a very pronounced whitened circle. Maybe if everything was 2 inch including the focuser (which i dont think is possible on the Heritage 150) it would work better.

My scope is Flextube so i can shrink the tube if needed. I have to do that by a couple of cm to get focus with the 585 anyway. Its quite handy as otherwise I'd have to move the primary up.

I am going to try this out for EAA soon ie when the clouds b*gger off. I have a 6 inch goto dob, an ASI 585 and a cheap StellaLyra 1.25 inch reducer. I am a rank beginner but Ill give it a crack as i am after a bigger FOV. Tiago Ferreira in his Dobsonian Power Youtube channel uses a 2 inch reducer with the ASI 294 but does get some vignetting. For EAA thats less of an issue than full blown astrophotography for some I guess.

Thats a shame. I should have bought one while they were going. I hope the brothers are OK and are able to take it up again.

Thanks Mike i bet you have seen some sights with that 15"..a fair old unit as they say. I think a goto dob will be great for visual anyway as when you can only see mag 3 stars very faintly star hopping is a challenge. Chelmsford is Bortle 6 and they replaced the sodium streetlights with LED so CLS filters dont work so well. Plus everyone has so many security lights etc now the local stray light pollution is also an issue. With my 8 inch i can just see M1 and the leo triplet and get a reasonable sense of m81/m82....hence the appeal of EEA to get decent views.

Thanks. I am seeing some used 10" Skywatcher GoTo dobs for reasonable prices. I am thinking this is the way i will go. Kind of like Tiago but with goto instead of eq platform. Whilst i can star hop if pushed its more time when i could be observing something.

Thanks Martin. I have been watching Tiagos videos with interest. Im quite tempted by the dob + eq platform route as i keep what i have and dont have to muck about selling stuff. I have a diy push to arrangement on my dob with a printed setting circle and an inclinometer which normally gets me within a degree or two although some nudging and finding is still needed. The only issue with that is that unless i fancy attempting to build one(no ta!), the number of eq platforms available to purchase in the UK appears to be 1.. the Asterion Ecliptica Light and i cant find any reviews of it. If FLO are selling it im hopeful its not a complete lemon at least. Also finding objects will essentially be manual but maybe i can.live with that...the thrill of the hunt etc. Goto would be easier though. Ill mull over the two options which have been helpfully supplied and see what appeals.

Thank you Geoff. Its interesting that an achro refractor can get good results in EAA. Given the bargains out there for a Skywatcher 102 achro its tempting. I can see the CA might he a mild annoyance when looking at the moon etc but for eaa on dim galaxies im guessing its barely noticeable. I can then source a used eq5 and sell the dob. As you say the mount then gives more scope for longer eaa exposures or maybe "real" AP if i ever feel the need. Its an option worth considering.

Hi all, I have an 8 inch manual dob (Orion xt8) and have enjoyed observing planets and dsos and taking some simple planetary videos with a smartphone +Autostakkert/Registax etc. With DSOs i am to be honest underwhelmed by the views from my Bortle 6 back garden, but the lengthy capture sessions and expensive equipment needed for pure astrophotography hold limited appeal for me as a busy employee and husband/father. I have researched EAA and it seems appealing. I can get better views and if i really want capture and process an image for the downstairs toilet wall (although i accept ive then crossed the line into AP) I am considering either 1) getting the Asterion Ecliptica light EQ platform £269 from First Light Optics and using my existing 8 inch dob. I then still need to star hop but i can do that if needed Or 2) Upgrading to a 10 inch goto dob...£1200 new or find a used one. I like the idea of not having to mess about finding stuff but will the goto track well enough for short EAA exposures? and with either path getting a ZWOASI224 and a focal reducer. I realise the FOV limits me to smaller dsos but i like galaxies and globular clusters so i can live with that. A zwoasi294 would be better i know but 800 quid on top of the other stuff is somewhat steep right now. Does anyone have any comments on the wisdom/ folly of these plans...should i just accept i need to save up for an EQ5 and an ED80 or is there a path with dobsonians?