happy-kat

Hi

The ST80 is a very portable refractor and it gives nice wide field views, so large DSO like some clusters are suited but smaller objects much less so. The A in the name suggests it will have a 45 degree diagonal easier for terrestrial use (solar needs specific protective equipment), for night time a 90 degree diagonal is more comfortable but could be got at a later date. It does show chromatic aberration (blue fringing) on really bright objects like bright planets.

The star sense you might want to check what it does to ensure it is also what you are after.

Does feel like the bayer matrix in sharpcap is off. My ASI462MC is ok in sharpcap 4 and I collected raw files to stack.

As far as I'm aware the skywatcher wifi dongle (I bought mine sh) would work with your mount, with this you could then use a tablet or phone or laptop to control the mount using the skywatcher synscan app or software.

Great update thanks for sharing

@ags does the eyepiece holder end of the celestron erect diagonal unscrew please? 

Hi

This thread you might like to see is all about the az-gti

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/387014-skywatcher-az-gti-mount-owners-thread/

How portable would you want to be, move everything in one go or take apart and move it.

EDIT: original text removed. my error I forgot the bundle is the 130 ps and not pds, different arrangement and accessories on the pds variant to allow focus with a camera out of the box.

I place mine on the dew shield, though it's a lot shorter, try it and see.

For some ideas you might like to see what's in this section

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/283-imaging-challenge-24-android-vs-ios-now-closed/

Field rotation can be cropped away but if exposure isn't short enough the central target can become smeared.

Brighter DSO would be more suitable targets, globular clusters might be fun to try.

Good read interesting

Mask looks good, have you sorted how you'll attach it to your telescope when needed for focusing. The one I made slips over the end of the scope when needed, all card and I had insulating tape to hand to use (it only sticks the card together).

Focusing on a bright star is sufficient, I try to use a star in the quadrant of sky I'm using. If you are using a filter and change the filter you might want to check focus again 

Thank you. When the camera first came out firecapture didn't support it but an update release came out and I think it's all good now. I can't recall 100% but I think I did fiddle with it and firecapture just I get on better with sharpcap.

That third image is the one I'm taken with, it stands out.

What did you use for capture please? I used the sharpcap pro brain function and it threw out a gain of 300 (though massive difference in our scope size), but that was for 5 second exposure as more DSO but none the less I'm curious to know more of the what gain/offset you used to capture your first light with the camera please?

I made a Lord Y mask from using a  ruler and compass, pencil and scissors. The dimensions were clear so didn't need much to be able to draw it up for the diameter of the scope I was using. 

The pattern made (image taken)

8 here including Pluto but need a very visible horizon which I don't have. Be great viewing for some.

Nice report

Looks good for the coming early morning start, 8 planets on offer (including pluto), wow

Great report

1 - could make a simple lord Y mask easy out of card and works well with good strong spikes.

5 - nasa free fitsliberator open the fits and save as tiff and then edit at will in your image editor

I am on windows but use the 'the imaging source' driver, might that driver be worth a try if there is a linux version

I read that it shares same sensor mt9p031 as the QHY5P-II (and had read as above same sensor as DFK72)

I also read and found keep gain 30 or below to not get vertical lines on images

I think that's rorymultistorey 

oo I used that before as well

Astap is free I think. So could have a play and see what works. To bring out nebulosity then live stacking will show more than a single frame

Eyeball being use your eyes to access your images to decide which NC image you like the best. It would make an interesting software name

The last post OP uses an ipad and mac. Astap has a mac version and will plate solve and live stack. Sharpcap is windows only.

I've managed to connect a goto mount to a windows 7 tablet using synscan app, astap for platesolving and sharpcap pro with an asi462mc for enabling live stacking.

As these are NC I would say eyeball is the way to go to find the most striking or just make a video of the lot.

And a run with no cooling and no filters to get a control point to compare

12 hours ago, vlaiv said:

Snip

Either all subs were captured on same side of meridian - or it's not dew/frost/sensor window related.

The reply to this post was that there had been no flip, so doesn't this mean that dew/frost/sensor is still in the probability pot for cause of the splodges? @vlaiv