Charming Potato

Thank you for sharing your insight. Unfortunately, at this time I do not have the money to spend on this hobby. I guess I will stick to the easier targets for now and keep learning with what I have. Thank you!

Hello. Jupiter is visible at a favorable spot at night these days. I was wondering if it is possible to image it with a kit lens 50-250 @250mm F6.4 with a DSLR crop sensor (Nikon Z50, APS-C)? If so, what is the optimal way of doing so? Imaging? Video frames? Is it required to take calibration frames for it for it? Specially flats since I have some smudges on my camera sensor and lens. What program is used for it? From what I have seen, all the images are taken as videos using a dedicated astro camera and some sort of scope. I found the following images where it was still shots stacked somehow? I do have SA GTi mount.

Finally, after weeks of waiting, we had clear skies the other night and I was finally able to get out for imaging! Here's my first attempt at M31 from my backyard. Nikon Z50. 50-250mm kit lens at 135mm. 100 lights @90secs, 50 dark/bias/flat frames each. Star Adventurer GTi. Siril for stacking and processing. I started the imaging session right as the sun set, so by the time I set up and finished polar alignment and connected everything, it was already dark. The first 15-20 shots were a bit bright for some reason, I don't know why that was the case (I started shooting 1 hour after sunset), but Siril took care of it in stacking compared to DSS which had a worse sort of result. I took 15 darks right after that since the temperature was going to drop by about 4-5 degrees Celsius, so I took these around the beginning of the session, and the rest at the end of the session. Was that a good thing to do or did I waste my time? Also is there a way to go past 90-150 seconds of exposure with SA GTi, or do I definitely need a guide scope for that? I think my polar alignment was quite spot on, but when I was going through the pictures, I did notice that the center of the image has moved quite a bit in some of them. Which I'm guessing is tracking errors?

Thank you everyone! I had another go at the same target on a different night, but this time I went with 37x120 seconds exposures at 100mm F5 rather than 150mm. I used Siril to process the image this time and I am much happier with the result. I used Starnet to remove the background and for stars reduction, and it was much better! I did learn that this is not a very good target for unmodified camera in a light polluted area, so I'll try a different target next time, but overall I'm very happy with Siril. Here is the stacked image of this new attempt: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Veox_W6nJ9VU_MEnmZozeIl2Avygm5YG/view?usp=sharing If someone can process it their way, I would like to see how my attempt compares to experts here so I can understand what I am missing.

I finally got the chance to test my mount. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to my RPi because it wasn't connected to the WiFi and I didn't want to configure it to run its own hotspot again, so I decided to just go with the mount's (SA GTi) tracking. After polar alignment, I issued the goto for NGC7000, which seemed a little bit out of focus because I had the lens at 250mm. Ended up using 155mm, which was my first mistake; I believe it zoomed in WAY too much. Then halfway through clouds came so lost about 10 frames, and then lost about 30 frames because dew started forming on the lens and I didn't notice it and that was my second mistake. Nikon Z50 Star Adventurer GTi Nikon kit lens 50-250mm @ 5.3 132 x 30sec (including the frames blurred by dew) 39 flats, 20 dark, 92 bias frames I'm also bad at post processing, so any help would be really appreciated as this is just my second picture (first with a tracker). This was shot from a Bortle 8 area.

Thank you so much! I will try adjusting to north inside see if goto is working as intended. EDIT: I pointed it roughly towards true north, and now goto seems to be going in the right direction! I can't wait to try it out once this thunderstorm goes away! Thank you @Elp and everyone else here for all the help, I really appreciate it!

Thank you! That helped and it seems to be balanced on both axis now! Luckily I got my portable power station as well today (Talentcell 72W 100WH as you suggested), so I was able to connect to test if everything works and it seems good to go! I tried going towards a target just to test, but the goto was WAY off of it, and I believe that is because I didn't polar align it yet? It's day time, and unfortunately there seems to be cloudy skies throughout the week, so won't be able to do anything this week, but just wanted to test. Two things I wanted to confirm as I couldn't find them in the manual: 1. Do I need to tighten the RA/Dec clutches after they're balanced? Like tightened to the point where I cannot manually move them and let the motors do the work? 2. Attached picture is what I believe should be the "home" position of the mount. Is this correct? EDIT: One more thing, let's say my latitude is 65.123123, that means I need to skew the polar wedge to 65 on the polar scale, right? If that is the case, is this considered a low or high altitude? Because it says to equip the counter weights in a different position if your latitude is low. I tried finding it out but couldn't understand it.

So I got my SA GTi today (yay). Now I tried assembling the mount with everything attached, and I am having trouble balancing it in DEC axis. In RA it is okay, but when I tilt the camera 90 degrees on the DEC, it becomes weight side heavy. I have tried making the weight go as far up as possible, but it doesn't have the capacity to go above 70% as then it starts to hit the polar alignment dial and the body of the mount. I believe it might be the attachment I have for the camera to connect to the mount. I got this quick release plate: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p9348 . It doesn't perfectly sit in the mount's mouth (?) and I think this might be the reason why I cannot get it to balance in the DEC axis? It is also too low so the camera body hits the tightening screw that holds the plate onto the mount, so I have to put the camera not parallel to the plate. Maybe I am doing something else wrong? EDIT: I read @Elp's comment after I had ordered everything, so I'm more and more certain it is the attachment that is holding the camera. If that is the case, is this a good dovtail plate? https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p237_TS-Optics-Dovetail-Mounting-Bar-Vixen-style---100-mm-slotted-hole-and-1-4--screw.html

Oh, I'm dumb. It was right in front of me and for some reason my brain decided to ignore it. Thank you so much! I think I will go ahead with this setup.

That's perfect, thank you. So that means it can be done without the cable? Over WiFi I believe?

I don't see that in the manual on page 4: https://inter-static.skywatcher.com/downloads/sagti_manual_rev8c.pdf I believe my question wasn't clear. What I wanted to ask was that do I need a special plate/equipment to mount my camera to the head of the mount?

I'm not sure if it transmits data over that port. I've tried looking into the manual but can't find any info. Searching through internet I couldn't find anyone who uses it with a cable. I guess I'll just have to figure out a way to connect it somehow through Bluetooth or Wifi.

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions. At this point, I'm thinking I will go with the SA GTi. The kit comes with a tripod and pier extension. And I feel like this is a very good investment that will last me a while, and it is much easier to operate (from watching the YouTube videos at least) and offers a lot of features out of the box. There are a few things that I wanted to clarify if possible: 1. I use Nikon Z50, and apparently it is a very bad camera in terms of connectivity. It doesn't even feature external intervalometer (at least the wired ones), so there is no way to connect it to a computer or mount to increase the exposure times from 30 seconds. Is there a way I could connect it to a computer/mount to increase the exposure time? I have a RPi 4, and I was planning to connect everything with it using Astroberry, but this seems to be the only problem I am facing. There are no cables available for it as far as I can see. 2. SA GTi does not come with any sort of plate (I don't know what it is called) to attach the camera with, would it be possible if someone can help me understand what exactly do I need to buy for it? Something from here would be nice just to give me an idea: https://www.astroshop.eu/mountings-accessories/mounting-plates-and-rails/15_55_50?page=1 3. What other cables would I need other than a USB -> RJ12 to connect the mount to a computer? 4. Would I need to invest in a portable power bank other than the one I have (https://www.anker.com/eu-en/products/a1268?variant=41510216335550)? I'm sorry for all these questions, but looking at all the options, I don't understand what to get and what not to get.

Thank you everyone for such great input. I do want to mention that I do not know what future has in store for me, but for now I am very much invested in this, and hopefully will be in the future as well. When I was a kid, I saw milky way patch/belt one summer night when I was visiting the country side, and it was etched into my memory until recently I was able to see it again, and that is when my interest in this hobby developed. It was a Bortle class 3 area, and I wanted to capture what I was seeing. I started getting more and more interested the deeper I went into research for that. Anyway, so reading through all the great suggestions, this is what I have understood: 1. AZ-GTi mount is a good portable mount that can later be converted into an EQ mount by using some add on accessories. It is going to be better in long term compared to Star Adventurer 2i. 2. Star Adventurer GTi is an alternative of 1, except it is dual axis tracker, and goto capability out of the box, but does not have the expandability route that mount 1 has. Did I understand that correctly? If not, please correct me. Otherwise I have the following questions if you guys don't mind: 1. Is AZ-GTi out of the box a better option than SA 2i? Like this one for example: https://www.astroshop.eu/alt-azimuth-with-goto/skywatcher-mount-az-gti-goto-wifi-with-tripod/p,55177 2. Since SA GTi is an EQ mount, do I need to have a computer and/or guide camera to track on the second axis? If yes then it means without a computer and/or guiding, it will only track on one axis and there is not much difference between this and 2i? To be honest, AZ-GTi seems like a lot of work to make it function like the SA GTi. If that is the case then I'm more between SA GTi and 2i. Otherwise please correct me if I am wrong.

Are you sure it is 12V and not 5V? https://www.astroshop.de/fotomontierungen/skywatcher-montierung-star-adventurer-2i-wi-fi-photo-set/p,68887 According to this, it requires a 5V power input. Plesse correct me if I am wrong. This is the power bank I have: https://ankerbd.com/product/anker-powercore-select-20000mah-18w-fast-charge-power-bank/ It seems to provide 5V and 9V, and 12V at lower Ampere. Do you reckon this would be enough to power it up?

Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it! Star adventurer sounds like a very good option. A question I have is, can it be run through a generic power bank? I have one that I use to charge my phone, I believe it is around 16000 Ah, will that work? What other accessories should I be looking for? Or does it work out of the box and I only need a tripod and a camera?

I have a generic tripod for DSLR camera. I am not sure if it can handle the weight these mounts. Edit: this is the tripod I have: https://www.amazon.de/Neewer-Camera-Tripod-Aluminium-Cameras/dp/B07N9YY8SM/

Hello. I only have a DSLR camera with kit lens. I've been advised to get a mount so I can get longer exposure pictures. I'm mostly interested in DSO's. I don't want to spend TOO much, but I want to get something that will give me a little room to grow in terms of equipment. If the mount has tracking with goto, that would be ideal. And something around 500eur would be ideal. Here are some of the mounts I looked at so far: The reviews for this one aren't nice, seems to be buggy with it's tracking: https://www.astroshop.eu/equatorial-with-goto/explore-scientific-mount-iexos-100-pmc-8-wi-fi-goto/p,61886 Skywatcher EQ3: I've read some good things about this one. The only big con being the weight limit: https://www.astroshop.eu/equatorial-with-goto/skywatcher-mount-eq3-pro-synscan-goto/p,11663 Here are some other mounts: https://www.astroshop.eu/mountings-accessories/mountings/equatorial-with-goto/15_55_10_40?sort=1#pagination-top I can get Eq5 listed there, but it is way too expensive. If I don't have to, I'd avoid spending that much on it. But if the difference between the first two mounts and eq5 is huge, I'd consider getting it. But as it is 1k, and with other equipment I need to get it with like battery pack, cables etc it would go way above my budget. I don't want to spend more than 1k. The less the better. I live in Germany, and I couldn't find anything in the used market so far. Which ones of the listed mounts would be better for DSO's astrophotography with room for upgrade? P. S. Portability would be nice as I don't have a car, and not everything is visible from my backyard due to it being surrounded by houses.

Thank you for your input! The skies are clear tonight so I'm planning to go to a nearby park to get something easy to capture. Andromeda is in a really bad spot to catch, so I'll refrain from that, but I'll try a star cluster or a nebula. I'll play around with the settings as you mentioned. Z50 does have a built in intervalometer and that's what I used, as using an external one isn't as simple as plug and play for this camera. I really want to have a mount, but being a student, no job and 2 terminally sick cats who have very high vet bills, I have decided not to go through with the mount for now. I'll keep doing what I can with what I have, and I really enjoyed doing it. Once I hit the limit of what I can do with this equipment, hopefully I'll have a job by then 😂. Thank you for the tip for choosing the ISO. I did not know that was possible (I'm not very familiar with my camera, or any sort of cameras). I'm planning to go out tonight as it seems like it will be a clear sky tonight. Hopefully I'll have good luck again 🤞.

I have been looking into trackers, and I was able to identify difference between azimuth and EQ mounts. I'd rather just spend on an EQ mount than a star tracker so I don't have to worry about the mount for an unforeseeable future (I know nothing is future proof). Speaking of which, I found this deal: https://www.astroshop.eu/equatorial-without-goto/omegon-mount-eq-500-x-set-with-tracking-motor-polar-finder/p,78169 Is this a good mount? It is in my budget, and I feel like it is much better priced for all the features it has. It even has a GoTo mechanism. Is it bad for me to use GoTo at this point?

Thank you! I'm very happy with the results! 🙈

I am trying to look into used EQ mounts, but I haven't been able to find anything used so far for a good price (or something good in my range). I want to get something that will last me a good while as I want to get some sort of telescope or lens designed for astrophotography later on, so maybe something that can handle a good amount of weight? I've been trying to look for a EQ5 mount as you suggested in my other post earlier this week. So I used the NPF rule for calculating this; one online and one in Photopills app. And both of them gave me exposure time of about 2-2.5 according to 100mm lens and that is what I rounded down to 2. I do have another lens which is 15-50mm @ 3.5-6.3 aperture, and this lens' lowest focal point is at 50mm at 4.5 aperture. I'll try both of them next time and see how it goes. Thank you for the suggestion! I have also did the post processing again for the image, did I do it too much this time? I have played around with levels and curves, and added a little bit of saturation.

Is it better to use the entire 250mm of zoom on the lens and have higher aperture of 6-6.5 or around 70mm with 4.5? Also I had read in one blog that for untracked photography, it is better to go with higher ISOs compared to lower as it is usually recommended? I believe I can increase my exposure time to 3 or 4 seconds if I play arihnd with the lens. How big of an impact would it be going from 2 to 3-4 seconds?

Wow. May I ask what did you use to bring these colors out? I'm new to post processing and photo editing in general, so I just followed a YouTube video that showed how to post process galaxy a little bit. What exactly did you change/add to make it like that?

Unfortunately Andromeda is not visible from my backyard until very late night due to houses in the way. This seemed like an easy target as this was straight up above. Is there anything else you'd reckon be an easy target for me? I have the following targets I can see in Stellarium that are straight up or close to straight up these days: North America Nebula, Messier 5, Herculeas Globular Cluster, M94 galaxy are amoung the few. Maybe if there is something else you know that is an easy target? I live in Germany so there is no Orion here these days, which I believe is the easiest target?