dannybgoode

What do you mean by twice the kick? The scope might not be the thing to be upgrading

I wanted to check that your actual scope settings - focal length, aperture etc were correct as well as the sensor settings - resolution and pixel pitch - are all correct. I use Astroberry but with an AZ EQ6 GT and it skews and tracks perfectly

Possibly a stupid question however have you set up a new, bespoke profile for your actual scope and camera. I see CCD Simulator on the first tab and your scope and guide specs look perhaps a bit squiffy.

Agree with Stuart. For what reason are you plate solving Polaris. If it is to improve your PA it will not do this as you need to fine tune the alignment of the mount to improve PA and not the telescope sat on the mount

Didn't need to be any longer to be fair

Agreed - and it always surprises me how so many different but equally compelling versions of the same data are created :)

Having used Astroberry/KStars/EKOS I cannot imagine paying for a piece of rig control software again. Coupled with the fact it'll run on a Pi3 or Pi4 so no expensive computer equipment to leave out it's just brilliant. Fully built in WiFi hotspot as well so can use portable no dramas at all. When I can find my laptop charger I will give NINA a go too but it will take a lot for me to move back to a laptop/full fat PC.

Great stuff. Thanks as always - you're a big asset to imagers of all levels on this forum

Make your own? Can be made smaller and lighter with a smaller battery or go big and image all week

That's a handsome little setup

My occasional series of possibly stupid questions is in danger on not becoming occasional but hey ho - I'd rather ask than have it right in my head and be wrong . So, I have a 2x barlow. If I plop that in my 105/650 which is c. f6.2 does it, to all intents and purposes, just become a 105/1300 f13 when putting details into various software packages to work out FoV etc? In my head this is what it should be but as I say I would rather check.

@tooth_dr I keep looking at 3D printers thinking 'I really want one of those but can I really justify one'. And then people post some really handy looking stuff they've created and I edge a little closer to getting one I want to make an adapter to mount my Bahtinov mask that i got for my 105mm frac onto my Sony RX10 and a 3d printer would make that a doddle too...

Beat me to it. I can probably quote that whole film line by line even having not seen it recently

What will be my chosen site is about 40 mins drive. I could find darker skies closer to home but this will be a private, gated field with parking right by where I will want to set up and it has pretty much unrestricted 360 views of the sky too so all in a decent spot...

Well restrictions are lifted it will be, to astro image in. Bortle 4/5 skies, secure locked gates and parking right by where you want to set up. Unrestricted 360 views of the sky as well . I can't tell you where it is though - then I would have to kill you

@Jasonb - I love my 150P. Such a versatile scope and much underrated IMO. People seem to overlook it in favour of either the 130 or 200 when in fact I think it is the better choice than either if you could only have one telescope; particularly the f5 version.

I have been thinking of trying something like this. Am I right in assuming you have bought an EOS Lens to M42 adaptor to get the lens mounted? I am keen to give this a try...

I was out for an hour and a half or so testing whether I could get my Sony RX10 to be fully controlled (bar focussing) by KStars/EKOS. Got as far as getting it to plate solve and successfully saw M81 and M82 on-screen before a couple of random technical issues killed the connection to Astroberry from my workstation. My the time I had got them resolved the clouds had rolled in. Still, an interest bit of experimentation - I am really interested to know what data I can pull in using it

Well proof of concept has been tested and it works - managed to set up a routine, plate solve M81 and start imaging however the clouds then came in. Also I need to work on focus a bit - nearly there but was visual and handheld so was very tricky. Need to make an adapter to fit my Bahtinov mask onto the camera. Shouldn't be took hard Trouble is clear nights are not in abundance and want to do some 'proper' imaging as well so will have to fit this playing around in somewhere...

*Puts on sinister but inviting voice and whispers* Try PixInsight. Go one - you know you want to *end voice effects*. Genuinely though, makes processing LRGB images at least very straightforward. Particularly in situations like this where you have the subs all pre-processed and stacked etc.

Fantastic first attempts - much better than mine. Great job

Windows - APT works well and there is a fully featured free version although the licensed version is very cheap. I cannot remember exactly how to get plate solving working however there are some excellent YouTube videos on the subject. You can get it working fully offline too. KStars/EKOS is predominantly a Linux based solution and with Astroberry will run on a Raspberry Pi so great for portable work but it is also an excellent control package in its own right and is what I use. Again it will run offline but having a data connection is useful.

Well, it is interesting if like me, just for fun and just to post pictures on various Sony RX10 Facebook groups that are not humming birds, eagles and insects; to discover that EKOS recognises the Sony RX10M4 as a Sony DSLR and will control it accordingly. I had been struggling to find something that would talk to the camera and I could not even get EKOS to work and then I realised I had the camera in 'Control with Phone' mode which knocks out the USB port for control by PC and only allows it to work in mass storage mode. This setting changed and bam - all seems to be working properly and it even pulls down Sony RAW files into the image preview. Now, I am not saying the sensor will be any good or up to the job of much but it will certainly be fun to play with, particularly for larger DSO's. I can only fit the core of M31 in my proper imaging setup for example so this will be fun to try out . That said the RX10 is a massively capable camera so I may get something at least half reasonable out of it and it will make a change from BiF Photo is KStars/EKOS and the image in the bottom left of the sim racing wheel is evidence it works!

@barbulo - in that case plate solving is the answer. No need for a guidescope etc and you can do it all with your current kit. With a narrow FOV a visually aligned PA, even carefully tweaked, and then relying on the mount's goto routine is unlikely to be accurate all the time, certainly not accurate enough to properly frame DSO's. Plate solving on the other had is accurate to a handful of arc seconds - I have mine set to resolve to an accuracy of 4" which it does every time without fail. I could got even further if I really wanted but I don't see the need. I may test it down to 2" though just for fun (the 4 and the 2 being arc seconds - 4" is 1/18 the distance between Polaris and its companion star). My routine is as follows - visually align Polaris in the polar scope, focus, plate solve target, image. As per my earlier posts you just need a cable to link your mount to the computer. Also re: guiding - a small guidescope and camera do not weigh much and I doubt will tip you over the payload threshold. With an EQ3 mount you're going to struggle to get long unguided subs anyway but at least using plate solving you will very quickly and easily be bang on target every time.

The 150P is a great scope imo and often overlooked. Much more light gathering than a 130 whilst staying a very sensible size, unlike the 200 which is starting to get a bit cumbersome - especially to beginners. I've got many of my astronomy firsts with my 150P, it's never going to be sold