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breakstuff

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Everything posted by breakstuff

  1. Got the Rosette Nebula last night. Loving this little scope.
  2. Hi all, been a while since I posted in here, so thought I'd drop in as my Seestar arrived on Saturday and I got my first session in on Sunday. I'm so impressed with how simple it is to use. Literally five minutes between getting it out of the case and stacking images. It's a total game changer for me. I had the grandson staying over so had limited time but managed thirty minutes on the Triangulum galaxy.
  3. I made an extension pillar/adapter to fit my AzGti onto my AZ4 tripod.
  4. I too made my own extension pillar/adapter for my AzGti and AZ4 tripod, which has the same thread as the EQ5 as far as I know. I made a 80mm dowel and fitted a long M10 nut to the bottom and a 3/4 bolt to the top. Wrapped it in black electrical tape just to make it look a bit better and it's good to go. Very solid and I can mount my SW extension tube on top if I want a bit more height without extending the tripod legs. Cost me a couple of quid.
  5. I have the same camera, and I set mine to continuous shooting. Didn't work when set to remote, but works perfectly on continuous.
  6. It's a great grab and go set up, isn't it? I keep mine set up ready to lift into the garden in one trip. A quick level, check finderscope is lined up, and I'm ready to go. If everything works ok, I can be imaging in ten minutes.
  7. Hi @grjsk it's just a flattener, no reducer. This one, in fact. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reducersflatteners/ovl-field-flattener.html I bought it second hand and it's a great bit of kit. Does exactly what it's supposed to do, with the added bonus of strengthening the connection to my camera as I don't trust compression rings or grub screws to not fail if you're not paying attention.
  8. Thanks mate. I'll head off to Ebay to have a look.
  9. Thanks for that, I might give that a go. Out of interest, how long is the bolt that you use?
  10. I've been wondering this too. Was trying to image M51 the other night and was getting slight star trailing so am looking at any anything I can do to improve things. Was using batteries so maybe that was the problem. I have since ordered a rechargeable power pack so will see if that makes a difference. The main problem with the counterweight is that, like most gear, I can't find any in stock anywhere.
  11. This is my set up @LeeHore7 I'm using Gimp for processing. Look forward to seeing your images of M101.
  12. That's still a great pic @LeeHore7 Very impressive. I too had a go a couple of nights ago as conditions were perfect. Unfortunately I was getting tracking issues, so by the time I'd finished trying to sort it, I only got 40 x 30 second subs plus darks and bias frames. Still got some issues and my processing still needs a lot of work, but still managed to capture something.
  13. Got out last night to try imaging M51 for the first time as conditions were perfect. No cloud, no moon, absolutely spot on. Did my alignment, took a test shot on Procyon which was perfect, then slewed over to M51, took a test shot, and got star trailing. The only difference between the two shots is that M51 was a lot higher in the sky, hence my scope being more vertical. I messed around with with the balance and things improved a little, but still had star trailing. Previous attempts on Orion, lower in the sky have been perfect, so I can only assume my unit doesn't like taking photos when near vertical. Anyone got any other ideas where I could be going wrong as I'm really keen to have a good crack at M51. Thanks.
  14. Wow, fantastic image. This place is so inspiring.
  15. Great picture, I'd be well happy with that.
  16. Thanks guys. The camera is totally standard. I'm new to this photography lark, so I surprised myself that I managed to get a half decent shot. YouTube and this forum has been a great help. I never knew any of this was possible without an EQ mount, so discovering this thread was a complete game changer for me.
  17. My first proper go at Orion since getting my AzGti, Skywatcher 72ED and Canon 450d, comprising of twenty two thirty seconds exposures with ten darks and ten bias frames at ISO 800. Processed in Gimp. This is my first proper attempt at astrophotography, and I'm pretty chuffed at how it turned out.
  18. My first effort with Orion. About thirty 1.3 second shots as I didn't have tracking. I've since bought an Az Gti, which I haven't got round to using yet, so hopefully I'll be able to get some better shots soon.
  19. Congrats, that's a great price for that scope, especially during a period when even second hand prices are sky high. I must admit, I'm a little jealous.
  20. Clear Outside predicted clear skies last night here in Grimsby, and to my delight, the sky was perfectly clear for hours. Unfortunately due to my neighbour leaving their garden spotlights on all night, an inconsiderably placed streetlight and a VERY bright moon, I gave up after an hour. Forecast is the same tonight but I don't think I'll bother. Just bought an Az Gti and I need to fabricate an adapter over the weekend to make it fit my AZ4 tripod but, I suspect by the time that's done the clouds will be back with a vengeance. Patience is definitely a virtue with this hobby 🙂
  21. Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'll have a good look at them all properly this afternoon when I've a bit more free time. And just to clarify, it's the 1.25" holder I'm looking to replace, not the 2" to 1.25" converter. Thanks again.
  22. I'm getting sick of the rubbish thumb screws on the shonky eyepiece holder on my Explorer 150p, so I'm looking for an upgrade. Can anyone please recommend a suitable replacement that is a step up on the standard holder but doesn't cost a fortune. I've had a good look on FLO, but can't be sure of the required fitting, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
  23. Oops, didn't think of that. Looks like I've made a rookie error 🙂 I'll try again tonight when I can hopefully focus on something further awat. Thanks a lot @Cornelius Varley
  24. I've just bought a new scope after recently getting back into the hobby and having received my mount today, I put my Sky-Watcher Explorer 150p on it and started on checking everything by focusing on a few things at the bottom of my garden. The problem that I'm having is that even with the focuser all the way out, I still can't make focus. I did discover, however, that if I loosen off the eyepiece and draw it back about 12-15mm everything comes into focus. It seems as if I'm running out of travel with the focuser and don't know how to rectify it. Do I need an eyepiece extender or is it more likely to be something to do with the collimation? A few years ago I had a 130p and didn't have this problem but my knowledge of the subject is not massively extensive so I thought I'd ask the question here. Thanks in advance.
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