happy-kat

It might be too thick but what about trying insulator tape instead of ptfe

Hi

Nice to see you got a Moon mosaic from your first go. Another approach is, as the atmosphere is not always steady for the Moon, videos can be used and then software picks the best images and will create an image from that, and you could repeat that for each panel to make up your mosaic. Do you have video ability with your camera, a quick search suggest it does, this would increase the chance for more resolved images. Focus is also key, to help know you have the best focus you could make a homemade Lord Y mask out of cardboard then focus on a bright star then swing to the Moon. If you are processing the output images then here is a list of software that might be used I've assumed windows:

Moon or planetary Registax,  autostackkert 

deep sky stacking DSS, SIRIL

general - GIMP

With a static mount this keeps exposure length short but you may find some star clusters/globular cluster might work, you would need to stack lots of very short exposures of possibly 1 or 2 second duration (down to personal tolerance of star trailing distortion), the final stacked image you'd crop the edge rotation stacking artefacts off then tweak what was left. Have fun experimenting not forgetting have a go at Jupiter.

In my using of the synscan app  unlike the other options 1 star alignment used as soon as I turn on does go to the object, so I'll carry on with the set up I do as it I'm assuming helps the mount know where it's starting from (virtuoso v1). The other alignment options don't go to the first star chosen and need me to press the arrows to move the mount.

if like virtuoso v1 - mount level, N icon on base pointing north, telescope horizontal with tube opening pointing towards north, turn on

Try port 11882

Have you loosened both clutches

You could try adding more reference point particularly around the edge in the stacking software you used.

I wonder if winjupos would derotate these individual files.

Nice to see the meteor images. Set mine up the last two nights and caught 7 over 3 hours and 11 last night. There were some strange really bright orbiting objects that were not the ISS or planes with lights on, quite strange.

13/08/2022 

14/08/2022 

As Jupiter is so bright you could stop the lens down with a home made aperture mask out of cardboard to say 60mm, or if it has a lens cap with the middle bit that can be removed try that. You might find you get a smaller but clearer image with little CA. The quality of the night's observing also effects how clear the image you see is.

Hi

If you are losing connection to synscan you could try using a different wifi channel from the default which I think is 6, could try channel 13. That's done from the app.

I think it's possible to use an eq1 like an altaz with left right up down movements which you might like for observing, there's probably a YT on how to do it. If you already have a photo tripod and suitable camera ball head you can also fashion that as an altaz pushto mount.

That's a beauty. I like your compilation image, I'm assuming you used a mono camera as it's picked up so many. I've yet to look at last night's captures.

cracking image, well done all

To auto save the stack as a fits file this is an option to pick on the Output tab in the stacking options.

Please post an example of one of the light frames as a jpg to your post so we can see what the stars are like.

the heritage 130p would be like a sail I would think on the SA, even if within payload my heritage 130p OTA weighs more like 3.4Kg from memory

Hi, there are two members using this OTA for imaging, as the trusses don't have to be fully extended it can reach focus with a camera. The focuser can be made more stable with ptfe plumbing tape and you would need to make a light shroud, it's all here it you were thinking to use what you already have. 

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/228101-the-no-eq-dso-challenge/?do=findComment&comment=4185739

Edit: I didn't twig you didn't have a mount

I'm testing inside as it's not dark early enough yet, so the mount is on the table inside. I'm using alignment stars that would be visible for observing if it were dark. It's a shame that the auxiliary encoders aren't on by default in altaz mode.

Added a 4th edit to my post above as I tried changing the wifi channel.

I'm not aware of a pushto flavour in skysafari but if alignment has been performed then I found in skysafari plus 4 that the map view did follow my manual movements so I could see where I was.

I'm using the first virtuoso mount with the synscan dongle hopefully someone else will be able to add their experience to this using the current virtuoso mount.

Just used a virtuoso v1 and synscan dongle. Connected and aligned the mount. Want to skysafari 4 plus and connected. The map updated to where the telescope was pointing. I then undid a clutch and moved manually the telescope and the skysafari map dynamically updated moving as I moved the telescope. But synscan after soon bombed and lost alignment. For freedom find to work with the synscan dongle in advanced settings I had to turn on auxiliary encoders. I've got a newer release of skysafari I'll try that.

Edit 1: need to use synscan pro app, auxillary encoders are not an option in the other version.

Also I used one star alignment twice as minimum to align first. I use this option as the mount goes to where it thinks the star is, of I use 2 star alignment the mount doesn't move and waits for me to direct it.

Edit 2: skysafari 5 pro behaved the same but didn't automatically move the map view to keep pace with the manual adjustments I made (might have been a setting I missed) unlike skysafari 4 plus.

Edit 3: to get around the dropped connection when in skysafari select ok at the prompt go to synscan pro and reconnect, select again auxiliary encoders, back to skysafari and connect. Alignment was intact.

Edit 4: changed the WiFi channel in the synscan app to 13, this was behaving better than the default 6 for me but it did still drop quite a lot but it's quick to reconnect again. Tonight's play and both 4 and 5 of skysafari did slew the map as I manually moved the mount but this wasn't all the time, though it's easy to pan the screen by hand to find the current position. I have a visible box for where the telescope is currently pointing as I've got a camera as my selected device in equipment so easy to see.

Edit 5: I'm using Android and synscan pro 2.0.6 with the synscan wifi dongle on the latest firmware and a virtuoso v1 mount.

Your mileage may very.

Hi

If you need to enter a date it would be mm dd yy American format

If it's a eq2 then @bobromight know what size screw it is.

20 frames is not very many but you can make out m51, have a look and see how many frames other people generally use for this type of imaging. If you are using sharpcap pro you could have a look at the sensor analyser tool which can be run when it's daytime it works out what settings for your camera. It will be interesting to read your replies as they'll help me too.

Hi

After you have already aligned the telescope and are using goto and the telescope is tracking if the telescope tube is for example knocked or  nudged then freedom find means you can select the same observing target and the telescope will re centre on it or you might choose a different target again the telescope knows where it is. You might loosen the clutch and manually move the telescope tube and once you redo up the clutch you can use goto to go to a target. Freedom find it great when sharing observing as the telescope tube is more likely to get nudged. And lastly if you are out observing and your power dies then you can loosen the clutches and carry on observing manually. Freedom Find enables functions you don't always get with a goto mount.

if you change your sharpcap settings you can both live stack and save frames, so can at a later time decide to stack/process the set of frames yourself.

Sky conditions are not the same every night