Dinglem

@dtastro if it's the newer version the hex key will be used to alter the integrated camera tilt adjuster. As to a quick start guide mine didn't either, there are plenty of youtube videos to look at.

@fwm891 Francis, can you please stop posting about how good the ASI294MC is. I keep looking at your results and get the urge to buy one, I've recently purchased 2 new scopes and using them with my DSLR is going very well but your pictures are soooooo much better than mine. Also my sweetheart may blow a gasket if I spent another grand on a camera. Lovely pictures by the way and soon to be adding a RASA8 to your collection, I can't wait to see your results from that combo. But then I'll want a RASA too 😭

I recently got one of these they are just the right length to attach the tube rings which could be a problem if you are stuggling to get it all balanced. I aquired a 2nd hand Altair Astro dual Losmandy mounting bar which made setting up quite easy. I will warn you though that the Skywatcher Losmandy bar is slightly narrower and if I hadn't been next to my scope I could have had a very expensive accident, I'd mounted it and thought I'd tightened it up fully, but I was picking up my guidescope when I heard something creaking, on looking back at my mount I noticed the scope's dovetail bar was sliding down the clamp. Luckily I grabbed it in time, I now have to really lean on the locking screw to ensure it is safe, I think I'll purchase a new dovetail bar to replace the Skywatcher one.

My first DSO with my new scope (Esprit 100ED) taken over a couple of nights this week with a modified 450d. It was stacked with only a little bit of processing in AA6, 42*300s subs, darks, bias and flats all captured using APT. PA was done using Sharpcap Pro and guiding is with a ZWO 60mm guidescope and an ASI224MC. I dither between each sub so don't know whether I should stop using darks, also I need to sort out my guiding as it could be a lot better. My processing skills need to be improved a lot, I'm considering getting Pixinsight, I've seen lots of great pictures using it, how easy/hard is it to learn the basics to get a reasonable result from? Here it is let me know what you think good or bad.

I've recently had similar issues, thought it was because I'd changed my scope and I have missed some setting. Tonight my Goto++ just would not solve any subsequent image even though the target was almost in the middle of the frame. It's out there capturing subs so not going to stop it now. I'll have a play with the latest beta version tomorrow. It's also stopped doing AMF's always fails to platesolve image, I presume it is associated.

That looks very good to me.

I recently got a new 100ED from @FLO only had it out once, as I've been away, it is a nice scope and looks lovely on my EQ6 R. Obviously I spent quite a bit of time fettling trying to get the balance sorted and the cabling tidy so only managed about an hours worth of imaging before APT decided a meridian flip was required and everything then went pear shaped, which was a surprise as it usually works fine. I gave up for the night. I stacked the 12 300s subs with the usual darks, flats and bias frames and only a little bit of post processing and got the following which looks quite promising to me. I will mention that I had my mind set on getting one of these for a while and when I saw Ian King was selling a flattener for it at a very reasonable price I snapped it up, sorry @FLO but it was a good bargaining point to persuade my sweetheart that we'd be saving money overall.

Are you using Ascom/EQMod to connect to your mount, if so have you tried POTH Hub as that works fine for me with APT and CDC.

I keep thinking about getting one as I have always only ever been able to see properly out of one eye, now I need glasses to read but nothing else. Also as I generally do most of my observing in the dark, on my own, who's going to see me with it on?

Sat on my patio still in shorts, very clear here testing out my new scope on Andromeda as I can't stay up too late as I have to be up early for work. I keep mentioning thr R word to my sweatheart but she says I can't until she does 😢 May go in and watch the cricket highlights again to keep awake 🏏

@fwm891very impresive for such short integration on each target, were you using any filters?

I recieved my new toy on Friday but didn't get time to set it up till Saturday, to my surprise it remained clear, so went to try it out. Everything went so well I polar aligned in no time using Sharpcap. I slewed over to Alkaid and focussing with the Bhatinov mask was a doddle with the very smooth 3" focusser. I use APT and CDC/Ascom to control everything from a laptop next to my mount, I used Goto++ & PlateSolving to move to my target NGC6960 (The Witch's Broom Nebula). PHD2 quickly calibrated and appeared to be guiding very well. I then set APT off capturing 300s subs with a dither after each one. I thought to myself if this is how it's going to be everytime with my new scope this pastime is going to be so easy from now on. I retired inside RDC'd from my other laptop to keep an eye on the progress and relaxed. After about an hour APT started it's automatic Meridian Flip process, that's when everything went pear-shaped, it failed to platesolve it's image and timed out, so I tried forcing it to flip and it just would not platesolve the 30s image it took. I then did a Goto++ on my target, the mount did a flip took the image and platesolved it first time then happily started taking 300s images again. It got to about 01.00 and I was getting tired so I stopped it capturing thinking I'd better go to bed, but then I noticed Cassiopeia had appeared from behind my house which meant M32 would be in view and I wondered what it would look like captured through the Esprit. I slewed round and looked at the sub then did the stupid thing of rotating the focusser to try to get it across the corners of the sensor to capture as much as possible, I took 4 subs, then a few darks and packed everything away. It wasn't until the next day when I took some Bias and Flat frames and tried to process it all that I realised by moving everything I had ruined the flats. We live and learn. Anyway I managed to just stack the 12 lights from before the flip and cropped it with no further processing until I get some more subs. I'm very please with my new scope.

Thanks to @FLO mine turned up on Friday, and what a superb scope it is, very well made, I will say the staff there are very patient answering my stupid questions.

Excitement levels are increasing, hope we get some clear nights and 🌑

They say "Absence makes the heart grow fonder "

@DarkLane welcome to SGL, you missed "patience" from your list as you will need it, at least when you do get a clear night later in the year it will be a long one.

+1 for NFU, I'd been with Aviva for years, in fact would still be with them but they informed me earlier this year they were no longer doing the policy I was on. A mate pointed me towards NFU they were really good and very competitive, I also like the fact that there is a local branch I can drop into. I shall be ringing them when my car insurance is up for renewal.

Very nice indeed, such a wonderful image makes me feel I need to get to grips with the art of processing.

They just do, I thought mine were faulty and asked earlier in this thread why my clutches wouldn't tighten, and was told they are designed like that to prevent an ham fisted idiot like me from breaking my new mount.👍

@Ivan Hancock you will be very welcome in the club 😀, I've had mine for almost a year and love it, it's fairly heavy to move about but that makes it very stable. It's also fairly quiet when slewing so doesn't disturb the family or neighbours. My next purchase will be an Esprit can't make my mind up between the 80 and 100. It will also be a bonus for all us up here in Blighty as you will be sucking all the clouds down under with your new toy, I haven't seen a clear sky in weeks. 🌧️

So have I, hardly seen a star for ages let alone a planet 🌧️

It's showing in both clear outsde and the BBC that it will be clear here from 17:00 to midnight, now all I have to do is remember how to use my gear it must be covered in cobwebs.

Hi @Jerkey welcome to SGL, as everyone else said there's no such thing as a stupid question, there is a chance of a stupid answer though.

Today would have been a good day for a marketing push on these ?

Can you judge coma looking at clouds ☁️