happy-kat

Also think about storage and setup location. A heavy mount, heavy telescope (refractors can be heavy) and guiding setup, cameras, cables and power can take a while to setup to take a first image if you don't have a permanent observatory. Some use more portable setups with small lightweight refractor or lens.

For star trails there's starstax. Timelapse I either use a quicktime pro or Windows 10 pro inbuilt video editor. Possibly seequator might also do star trails.

Then there's a wider field view from a camera lens like this thread.

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/333381-imaging-with-the-samyang-135mm-f2

It's amazing how stacking multiple frames leads to fabulous images far from what we can observe with detail and colour.

Have you looked at what gear was being used in the photos you like? 

I find checking a photo of the collimation line up with Al's collimation aid app quite helpful. I've the 130p flavour heritage, these are f5 telescopes so you don't get all the inner circles concentric as there is an offset from it being f5. Sorry I'm on the phone soon don't have a photo to hand until tomorrow.

Thanks for this, currently the 4th and 5th look hopeful for a clear sky plus a tiny Moon. I'll try to remember to improve focus though I'm not using an IR block which means I can't get sharp but close ish 

hard to decide which is an overall preference, I like the colour of the nebulosity of the second, both I would be very happy with

Welcome

The heritage optical tube could be taken off the base and put directly on a suitable tripod at a later date. I use mine either with it on the ground or with it on an upturned bucket, I sit on a garden chair. Here's a review of it, this heritage design now also comes in a 150P mirror size.

https://neilenglish.net/a-newtonian-travel-scope/

Looking good your FF nice stars to the corners

Made a Lord Y mask today, compass, protractor, ruler, card, black pen and tape. This'll help get fucus right. The sleeve is a good fit over the tube no white shows, through prior white homemade Y mask worked.

https://webb.nasa.gov/

This looks like their homepage for this project the where is it page is live showing distance achieved

Watched both on YT and there was live coverage on 503 which was good.

If interested this thread has been quite active on the launch

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/387776-jwst-countdown-to-terror-😳/

SIRIL had background extraction tool and it's free, plus other tools to use coupled with GIMP that you are already using.

This skywatcher USA gives an example of using the provided parfocal ring to reset focus when using a camera like your with it's long neck, around 14 minutes in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeCwuxSbeRo&t=1487s

A parfocal ring came in the box with the 50ED

When I used an imaging camera (not DSLR) I needed to use the extra part that came in the box (I was not using a flattener as was having a go at the Moon)

Are you using any of the 3 available flatteners for the 50ED?

With your mount imaging facing East and West are better as star trails would be stronger to the South and North.

Why not have a read of this thread before deciding on a filter. Bortle 5 is not that bad to work with. The thread is all images using an altaz mount and imagining within the capabilities of the mount, knowing the limitations helps. firsthttps://stargazerslounge.com/topic/228101-the-no-eq-dso-challenge

From memory user rotalux used similar to you re 130pds and the user posting at the end of the thread very recently uses a 130p heritage flavour. 

Did you do one using a master dark flat too?

unless you are not using the 50ED for something else why not leave the astro cam connected then your focus will be retained

2048 was the value from my Canon 1100d I tested bias files last night.

You can't link to a post within your messages

wide field views for skimming for objects to get closer to with the mak could use a bins something like 8*42 binoculars