nephilim

The 72ED will be fine.

I'll shortly be buying my first dedicated camera (The ZWO ASI 533MC-Pro) & have spent quite a bit of time researching everything I can about them aswell as the differences between them & using a DSLR. I came across this YouTube video which I found very helpful. Its nearly an 1hr 40mins long. So put your slippers on, grab a coffee & a pack of biscuits 😂. It covers just about everything you would need to know & probably a few things you don't, there's a lot of science in it which I quite liked as I'm a bit of a nerd 😀 Have Fun Steve

For flats just set the camera to AV so it can decide the shutter speed settings. Take a look at this https://astrobackyard.com/how-to-take-flat-frames/#:~:text=Luckily for DSLR astrophotography shooters,to properly expose the image.

As has been mentioned above about getting in practice setting up. I'd also suggest getting setup I'm the daytime aswell a few times. Having to set up at night with only a red light to guide you (I say red as it will preserve your dark adapted eyes) is a lot more time consuming than you might think to start with. In the daytime you can get used to knowing which cable goes where, which USB plugs into which device & which device should be powered up first etc. There's nothing worse than having a clear few hours forecast before clouds are expected to roll in only to waste valuable time in the dark trying to remember how that tangle of cables all comes together, and it always always gets tangled 🙄 Talking of cables, a lot of people overlook cable management, it's far from the most glamorous side of AP but imo it's a very important one as snagged cables can unplug from USB ports, a slewing scope can pull on them etc. Having good cable management is a good way of avoiding these things. I bought a pack of reusable velcro cable straps & have my cables strapped together in two's & three's & then strapped to my tripod legs but make sure to turn the mount head manually in all directions to make sure these cables are loose enough for the mount to slew without obstruction but not too loose as to hang & become potential hazards. Little things such as the above can help make your routine slick & free up valuable imaging time. Believe it or not there are plenty of YouTube tutorials on this & I'd recommend having a look at a few. Steve

The clear glass is (I'm 99% sure) just there to protect the sensor as it will be open to dust etc & it'll also be easily damaged.

+1 for PA using Sharpcap Pro, quick, easy & well worth £10 per year. Also if you didn't already know, Sharpcap is a very good piece of lunar & planetary imaging software.

Hi Gary & welcome back. I'm sure any form of trolling on this forum would be swiftly dealt with. Ive being interested in astronomy for nearly 40yrs & still consider myself as a 'newbie' 😂 Also feel free to post any 3D printed astro related projects in the DIY section as I'm sure they'll get a great deal of positive interest. Steve

@Quatermass Hi Mark. As you know, I followed your progress with your original EQ5 & 200p setup waaaay back in 2011/ 12 (or there abouts) & the images you were getting with less than ideal kit were outstanding. I'm sure this time around with the added Synscan upgrade you'll be back up to speed in no time at all with equally impressive results. All the best Steve

If your wanting a good power solution for dew straps, DSLR & mount, you wont go far wrong with this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dew-prevention/lynx-astro-4-port-dew-controller-with-dslr-power-supply.html you would need a power tank iwith a car cigarette style output. The Celestron power tank I linked has one as do many other power tanks. You plug the Lynx Astro into the power tank, the mount can also be plugged into the power tank (or into the 12v output on the Lynx. For the DSLR you would also need to buy a dummy battery which is then plugged into the other 12v output on the Lynx, this then powers your DSLR. This is the dummy battery, you'll have to check the whole web page for the one that matches your DSLR https://www.firstlightoptics.com/batteries-powerpacks/lanparte-lp-e17-dummy-battery-pack.html . If further down the road you decide to buy a dedicated cooled camera you'll also need a separate 12v supply to power the cooler, the Lynx will also power this. I think I've provided all the correct details here but I'm sure if I've missed something out someone will point it out. The info I got was from FLO when I was looking for the same solution, I've now decided that I'm getting a dedicated camera which now makes my purchase unnecessary 🙄. This isn't a shameless advertising plug to benefit me but I will be selling my Lynx soon as I now have no use for it although I'm not 100% sure when that will be. Steve

Once I've finished building my imaging rig I'll be using this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/batteries-powerpacks/celestron-lithium-lifepo4-powertank-pro.html Its expensive (Its worth it for the quality/ reliability) although I was lucky to grab it just before it shot up in price everywhere by around £35. But its very lightweight @ 2kg & comes with velcro straps to attach to your tripod & keep out of your way, very reliable & unlike lead batteries it doesn't need to be constantly re charged every couple of months if its in storage (if you let a lead battery run down its an right pain ITA to get it recharged) it can also be run all the way down during a session where as a lead one can only be run down to (I think) around 30% remaining before you have to turn it off for re charge. The Celestron will easily power my mount, ASIair Control Box, Imaging camera, dew heater straps etc for a full nights imaging. It also has a very useful big red light (or white if you wish) which is perfect for keeping your eyes dark adapted. Steve

@Spile I think that the Telrad is the best finder on the market, so simple to use & so effective, using it combined with the Telrad reticule plug in on Stellarium made my first time navigating the night sky an absolute breeze.

Not all bridge cameras shoot in RAW format which would probably make them unsuitable for AP. Some do but i'm not sure which models.

All the info you need you will find either on here or online, there are numerous YouTube channels dedicated to everything AP related. I've pretty much learnt everything I know from the & above & the power of Google 😀

I bought my 120 solely for guiding although I did take some shots of the Moon to test everything was working as it should

The 120mm-s also has a faster transfer rate (I think) with it being USB 3.0 & as it's mono it has a more sensitive sensor so its better at picking out guide stars. Also I think a finder guider would be less stable than the set up I've gone for although there's probably not much in it. I prefer the 50ED as it will also be more suitable for guiding at longer focal lengths, so it gives me more options later on.

@Anthony1979 It seems a very popular choice. Yesterday I ordered the ZWO ASiair control unit, this will then Pair with my upcoming ZWO ASI 533mc-Pro so it should be a fairly decent setup.

I'm using this ZWO ASI 120mm-s USB 3.0 paired with my Evoguide 50ED.

20yrs ago I thought owning a telescope would be out of reach for me, how times have changed, some for the better & many unfortunately for the worst.

+1 for the book linked above by @wimvb It has a great deal of invaluable information for every budget & most set ups. It'll also save you money in the long run when it comes to buying the correct equipment etc so you don't end up buying twice.

I built my own PC which was pretty easy with all the online tutorials & a lot cheaper than a pre built system. I think another monitor is on the cards now 🙂

Your not on your own mate 😒😂

That's a bit expensive for a Bahtinov Mask does the fact it'll have WO on the box add 40% to its cost 😁. I think I'll just get one for £10 as there are quite a few people making these on a 3D printer.

Hi @Oldtimer Before you spend a lot more money on a GOTO system there is a much cheaper alternative to try first. Firstly I recommend buying a Telrad finder as I find this is the best finder on the market https://www.firstlightoptics.com/finders/telrad-finder-astronomy.html It has a sticky back strip which is used to just stick the device onto your scope. Then just align the Telrad to your scope as you would any other finder (Red dot, finderscope etc) The reticule is an illuminated bullseye which helpfully has a brightness control so it doesn't blind you & enables you to see the night sky very clearly through it. Secondly, download Stellarium to your phone (for when your observing) and if you have one also download it to your PC, laptop or tablet for when your at home planning observing future sessions https://stellarium.org/release/2020/06/22/stellarium-0.20.2.html You simply input your location & Stellarium brings up the night sky as your seeing it from where you are in real time (You can also alter the time for seeing what will be visible in the coming hours, days, weeks or even years which is great for planning future observing sessions) the other bonus with it is it has a 'Telrad' option, so it will bring up the bullseye reticle on your phone the same as you'll be seeing it through the real thing on top of your scope. Simply type into Stellarium the object you want to see (say, M31, M42 etc) & Stellarium will 'slew' the reticule on screen & centre the bullseye on the phone. Its then a simple matter of doing the same with your Telrad/ scope, you can also use it to star hop on the brightest stars until your nearby. It takes a bit to get used to but is a great way of finding your way around the night sky & will save you a fair bit of money not having to buy a GOTO system, which means more money for better eyepieces. Talking of eyepieces, I owned the same scope a fair few years ago & like most new scopes the eyepieces that came with it wont be the best quality so I would replace those. BST Starguiders https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html are a really good mid range EP at a very reasonable cost. Another thing that Stellarium does is it has a list of popular EP brands & their sizes & a list of popular scopes. Simple add your scope make/ model & any EP & it will show you the view you can expect in the sky from that combination. All the best Steve

As most have already agreed, an 8" dob is a great starter scope, my first scope was an 8" newt but I only bought that instead of a dob as the newt was 2nd hand & at a good price. If your wanting your children to also use it & if that includes setting up if your away then I would say a dob will be easier for them to learn as an EQ mount isn't the most intuitive mounts to use to start with & they may lose interest fairly quickly if they struggle to use it. One thing I always say to anyone buying their first scope when they ask about GOTO systems (as in punch in the object you want to see into the handset & the GOTO does all the work for you) is to go for manual. In my opinion, using a GOTO is obviously very easy & gets you to your target straight away BUT it wont teach you how to find your way around the night sky. Doing it manually will give you the satisfaction of getting there yourself & you'll also end up seeing things that you wouldn't necessarily have known were there if you were using a computerised system Also its a lot cheaper to buy a manual scope meaning money left over for some good eyepieces as the ones that come with scopes are usually pretty poor quality, (I recommend BST Starguiders, they are really good quality & well priced for mid range EP's), You can also buy a good finder, my favorite being a Telrad & as mentioned above, a good book such as 'Turn Left At Orion'. I'd also download the free app ' Stellarium' available on PC'c & phones/ tablets, which will show you what's in the sky from where you are at either the correct time or you can use it to plan future viewing sessions by looking at whats coming into view in the coming weeks/ months. Stellarium also has a good feature where you can input any type of eyepiece, match it with your scope & you'll have a good idea how it'll look in real life, so a great way of deciding what size EP's you want. Those are just my opinions so good luck with what ever you choose to buy. On a side note, regarding the rep who imo wasn't in the least bit helpful or truthful, it sounds as if he either knew nothing about telescopes or was just wanting you to spend more money (I'd say the latter or even a bit of both), I'd stay well clear of that shop in the future if I were you. Steve

I've just seen this thread & that price is absolutely outrageous & a cut & dry case of taking advantage of a shortage in scopes brought about (in part.....a big part) by a deadly disease, that's a disgusting way to trade. Its over £250 its usual RRP. I'd never heard of these rip off merchants before & most definitely will never use them .