tooth_dr

That is a CMOS not a CCD 😉 I would say because it isn’t cooled, it wouldn’t be enough of an improvement over the DSLR to justify the investment.

A DSLR is a cheap, light way of starting AP. You may have misinterpreted my point about extra stuff. It wasn’t weight but cost. A DSLR is the complete package (more or less) for a beginner. I havent weighed my canon cropped frame DSLR but I guess around 600g?

It is a good one Rodd. Colour looks spot on.

A DSLR can be used at the scope, without any extra stuff. Once you buy an astro cam you will need a laptop, 12v power supply, software. You may end up using these with a DSLR anyway but at least you aren’t tied. A used DSLR for astroimaging can cost as little as £100-120, which gives you a nice big sensor and ease of use. Most people start with a DSLR, and I think this is the right way to go. Some people may suggest starting with a dedicated astro camera but this may be a step too far if you interests don’t lie principally in astroimaging.

I use one on my 250PX, it screws directly onto the metal draw tube once the other adapter is removed. If wont affect coma correction or spacing. All this will do will mean that the draw tube has to be racked in further, since the clicklock effectively takes the place of a few cm of the drawtube. I've mine set up so that the coma corrector (baader MK1) goes right into the click lock, and the edge of the clicklock butts up against the EFW. I had to move my primary mirror up the whole way to get enough inward travel on the focuser, I do have only about 1mm space. Since you have no EFW I don't think this will be a problem for you, and should just be a straight swop over.

Yes, to get adequate cover for my stuff (just the main items), it's coming in at a similar value.

Thanks for the info on this thread. Im currently renewing my insurance and my experience is £3000 total limit in outbuildings, but that is for theft. Fire, Water, accidental damage etc is covered to the full amount. This is with the usual main firms in the UK. TBH my concern is for all the risks, but theft is up there. I’d hate to be getting just £3000. Im waiting to hear back from my local firm and should do tomorrow. They might offer better terms. I now wonder why I bothered buying expensive stuff, as I just worry now. Any one else have any other updates?

Cheers John. Have it now. Many thanks Adam.

Hi John. Nothing arrived yet.

Thanks John, that should be helpful. My engineer is a guy I know, he welds heavy stuff at work, so should be able to source materials and do the work. He said can get it painted too. Can you PM it over? Cheers Adam.

I'm trying to get my pier made up, and have decided to go for a modified version of the Pulsar pier. The mesu base plate is 220mm diameter which is consistent with the OD of 8" pipe, so I'm going to go with that. I was planning on keeping the base 450mm, as this will tie in with where my ducts are run to in the centre. I was thinking of 10mm base plate, 8mm fins/supports and 6mm tube (schedule 20), and get the steel painted black (or maybe galvanised) I will weld the mesu adapter plate directly to the top of the tube, and have an opening to run wires though and to access the bottom of the bolts. How does that sound? Also pics of base, just waiting on concrete to harden for 2-3 weeks before drilling it.

Great result Sean. Looking forward to more pictures from you. Adam.

Lol it was easy to sort the panels in order as they were captured in a serpentine fashion, and I have tried stitching rows and gave up after 3 hours with uneven joints. I deleted the data last night and will try again.

Hi Ciarán! Thanks for the tip. It was the first thing I did when it did not align. Still no joy. I think it was too optimistic trying 40+ panels.

Cheers Rodd, bit early for it, but it was clear and the moon was out, and this was about as far away as I could get. Then I ended up spending another two nights on it. I have a lack of imagination I think.

One hell of a dew heater

Thank you @MarkAR I found my previous NGC7000 attempt, and out of curiosity made a comparison to it and this one. At least this is proof that my investment has been worthwhile.

This was taken on the 5th, 11th and 14th May 2020. It is comprised of 10 hours Ha and 5 hours Oiii, some Ha taken during bright moon. Equipment: SW 250PX/QHY9 and SW ED80/ATIK383L+, on Mesu e200 Software: APP and PS.

The technique is good, but perhaps use the sky rather than a light unless it's very diffuse. Since you are using an ED80, a computer monitor or even an ipad/tablet, would be a good even light source. Also there is some new dust and moved dust, so try to take your flats straight after imaging, or at the very least, dont move the camera or focuser if you take the kit indoors. Set the camera to AV mode and it wil detemine the correct exposure. You want it maybe 1/100 so if it's 1/2000 then the lights too bright, so use more fabric. I just ran it through Astro Pixel Processor. I didnt procees it other than remove LP and stretch. You are off to a great start though, get the flats sorted and the image processing will be easier

Hi Tom The fact that you have dust bunnies and light/dark patches in the image means that the flats arent working. If the calibration data is right then processing is much easier. It looks pretty decent what you have done, especially from very poor skies. I remove the light pollution gradient, and stretched it heavily to reveal the dust etc, attached below.

At the risk of 'pestering' your man, I would be inclined to get what you want firmly decided and then just proceed with the final design, and send this over. It obviously depends on how well you know him though.

Yes I know, just confirming what John said. If it's not much dearer to buy premade, it would save any hassle.

I was going to say, it's hard to find long M8 or M10 bolts that are tipped in brass or nylon, with the plastic knobs on top. Most are 55-60mm max.

Agreed, I wouldn’t contemplate drilling that depth of steel at home. I do work with aluminium often for little brackets for telescope parts, but steel is a different ball game. I try to do as much work as possible but I recently got my own CWs made up by someone else, for the Mesu. I converted EQ6 weights to fit the mesu shaft, with chamfered edges on the plastic liners.

Really nice, huge improvement and the kit you now have will give your years of enjoyment! I’ve had my ED80 10+ years and I still use it all the time. Processing is the hardest bit but you’re off to a great start.