CraigT82

You will be able to see Pluto's movement over a series of days... see this excellent gif by Carlos Faribairn using a DSLR with 200mm lens over 8 consecutive nights: https://giphy.com/gifs/3oEjHBbpWeFcnV5kvC?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Fdslr-astrophotography.com%2Finterview-dslr-astrophotographer-carlos-fairbairn%2F

That's a great image! You've come withing a gnats whisker of capturing the polar hexagon.

First things first... Whats your budget?! And how portable do you need? Fit in a backpack? Or fit in the back of a car?

😂

I've never bought in to the one-scope-for-all approach... Rather I dream about my one-setup-for all, which would involve a Mesu 200 Enhanced with a dual scope load: A 10" F20 planetary cassegrain on one side and something like a TEC160 on the other. I wouldn't underestimate the faff of switching the hyperstar kit in and out when you want to switch between visual and imaging.

Lovely! Have just sold an SXW with starbook which was a superbly portable yet capable mount, this sx2 shoul be great to use. Just FYI if you need a tripod tray it's exactly the same as the SW az4 alloy legged tray, which pop up on astroboot now and then

Have just been wondering this myself. TV produce a chart that shows the 2x barlow produces 3x mag with and extra 6.5cm of extension. If the 3x barlow is 6.5cm longer than the 2x then I'd say that the barlow lens element itself is the same one in both.

Recieved my 3rd place prize mug yesterday... I love it! My wife has put it up on a shelf next to her work award Thanks @FLO

Looking good! Have you tried the 1600 on the moon? The big chip should create stunningly large lunar surface images

GRS transits at 12.05am tonight

Definitely feasible, Uranus up at at around 51 degrees altitude this opposition so a good target. Neptune a bit lower at 32 degrees but still worth a shot. I've read that using an IR pass filter can help reveal cloud bands on Uranus. Finding the planets and focusing can be a challenge at high powers. Gave you used a filter wheel/barlow combination before on your 12"f4? If not you might want to check you have enough in-focus, though should be fine if it's an imaging newt with loads of in-focus.

Reflection in the lens somewhere, due to the bright Jupiter being right at the edge of the frame?

The issue isn't so much the bolts themselves, it's the lug that they bear against inside the mount. It's soft cast alloy and it's at a daft angle which suits lower latitude observers but not us more northerly people. Trouble is if you increase the force you put through the bolts (with an allen key for example) you will almost certainly damage or overrun the lug inside. Lot's of people upgrade the bolts for stronger stainless ones with plastic handles (expensive) to make them easier to turn, and some people have modded the lug inside to provide a better surface for the bolts to bear against. On my EQ6 I have the standard bolts which I have greased to make them move a bit easier. I also never try to adjust them with the full weight of the scope and weights, I hold the weight off with my right hand whilst adjusting the bolt with my left, they turn much easier this way (takes a bit more time to get the PA right though as when you release the weight the PA sometimes shifts a little)

Certainly looks like you've captured it, would be interesting to see the same patch tomorrow night to see how it's moved across the field

Superb images,some of the sharpest I've seen actually! Really showcasing your skill in capture and processing. The dynamic range in the piccolomini image is awesome...Well done👏. PS your daughter( I'm assuming that's your daughter) has amazing long hair she must be very proud!

I revisited the processing this afternoon, re-run the stacking with more frames and tweaked the curves in gimp, along with a bit of de-noise also in gimp... better? New version on the right. I feel like I've got some more contrast on the globe at the expense of the faint rings

Yes I often find that too. I find it easier to nail focus on saturn than jupiter as the Cassini division provides a nice visual focusing aid. ADC = atmospheric dispersion corrector. A nice little gadget than corrects the blue/red dispersion you see when the planets are low down. Good info from Martin Lewis here... http://skyinspector.co.uk/atm-dispersion-corrector--adc

Thanks Stu, yeah you should definitely give it a go, the outlay isn't too much (assuming you've already got a laptop). I think I paid £185 for this refurbished gpcam3 290m from altair, they often have refurbished cameras for sale on facebook of all places!

Thanks, not too shabby for a 40yr old scope!

Nothing like the image unfortunately! Visually I can make out the Cassini division (just) and maybe some slight banding on the planet but that's it. Ans that's using an ADC too!

After last nights first light (lunar) for this setup, I got a couple of vids of Saturn for second light tonight. Again I think this setup shows some good potential for when the better conditions return. Fullerscope 8.75" f7.5 newt on EQ6. GPcam3 290m. Baader IR685 filter. ES 2x focal extender. 10,000 frames captured, stacked 3,000. Sharpened in registax.

This is the first image produced with my new imaging setup of Fullerscope (8.75" F7.5) on EQ6 mount and Altair GPcam3 290mm. Collected at 6pm on Thursday during full daylight. Fairly quick set up and collection due to the moon disappearing behind the garage, so only approx 5000 frames collected and stacked the best 250. Moon at around 18 degrees altitude so used a Baader IR685 filter along with a EX 2x focal extender. The long tube of the Fullerscope bounces around a lot, I think I'm going to do some experimenting with a Hargreaves strut. I'm pretty happy with this, the conditions were poor (and processing is a bit aggressive to counter the daylight lack of contrast) but the set up shows potential for when the moon is a bit higher this winter. Sharpened in imppg and gimp.

With a budget of £150 I would look no further than the skywatcher heritage 130p. Great little scope!

Rother Valley Optics, near Sheffield. Great place to have a look around some of the options youte considering.

The ring around the planet certainly look like an artifact, possibly a reflection from the barlow. I'm fairly sure it's not possible to image the rings of Uranus with amateur kit. Here is a page describing imaging the rings in IR using 1m scope in Chile... https://britastro.org/node/8591