Hey all,
I'm slowly building up my OTA and I have an idea for a next step. I'm using a Celestron Nightscape CCD, this camera has no live view functionality at all to my knowledge (not in built-in software/SGP crashed trying the live view button). This makes finding anything inconvenient as I have to maneuver around to look through my StarPointer Red-Dot at often weird angles. Now the goal with my telescope is to essentially sit next to it and operate it from my PC. Additionally, I want the telescope to be somewhat accessible, I'm starting to attend club meetings and have my mount connected to a flight stick for intuitive/easy remote movement for visitors.
So, I had an idea but need some help on picking the right pieces. Would it make sense to use a webcam or cheap electronic eyepiece with a refractor finder scope as a sort of live view to be able to see in real time if I'm pointing at a few stars. I don't want to use the live view to actually observe, although that would be cool, I really just want to use it to point at stars for alignment. A bonus would possibly be plate-solving but I know almost nothing about that and have no idea what sort of camera is compatible with it.
As far as plate solving goes does it make any sense to do it with the finder? Or should I attempt to use the main camera and accept the delay(~2-3s)?
Basically I am seeking advice on a finder scope that can be viewed in real time through a camera. What kind of finder scope is ideal for this application? What are the minimum specs of a camera to see stars in real time and/or do plate solving?
Equipment list:
Celestron 130SLT
Nightscape CCD
Logitech Attack 3
Nexstar SLT computerized mount
Laptop (Windows 11)
Hey all, I'm slowly building up my OTA and I have an idea for a next step. I'm using a Celestron Nightscape CCD, this camera has no live view functionality at all to my knowledge (not in built-in software/SGP crashed trying the live view button). This makes finding anything inconvenient as I have to maneuver around to look through my StarPointer Red-Dot at often weird angles. Now the goal with my telescope is to essentially sit next to it and operate it from my PC. Additionally, I want the telescope to be somewhat accessible, I'm starting to attend club meetings and have my mount connected to a flight stick for intuitive/easy remote movement for visitors. So, I had an idea but need some help on picking the right pieces. Would it make sense to use a webcam or cheap electronic eyepiece with a refractor finder scope as a sort of live view to be able to see in real time if I'm pointing at a few stars. I don't want to use the live view to actually observe, although that would be cool, I really just want to use it to point at stars for alignment. A bonus would possibly be plate-solving but I know almost nothing about that and have no idea what sort of camera is compatible with it. As far as plate solving goes does it make any sense to do it with the finder? Or should I attempt to use the main camera and accept the delay(~2-3s)? Basically I am seeking advice on a finder scope that can be viewed in real time through a camera. What kind of finder scope is ideal for this application? What are the minimum specs of a camera to see stars in real time and/or do plate solving? Equipment list: Celestron 130SLT Nightscape CCD Logitech Attack 3 Nexstar SLT computerized mount Laptop (Windows 11)
