Lee_P

Which software are you using?

Nice shot, lots of detail and so many stars! I can see some walking noise in the darker areas -- dithering would fix that, but then you'd need to be guided.

Very atmospheric 😃

Cracking shot, you should be happy with that as an initial effort! As others have suggested, a longer total integration time and a bit more experience with processing, and I reckon you'll have something to hang on your wall 😁

11 minutes ago, rl said:

This review makes the Askar 400 look like the mutts proverbials for AP..in fact I'm very tempted myself..

However it makes little mention of the visual performance which is part of the op's requirement.  The FLO site makes the following comment:

Thus it's good visually for wide-field viewing. This is often a euphemism for "not good at high magnification". I might be overly suspicious but if the op is looking for an all-round instrument then this scope might be a disappointment on planets while excelling in its intended role for wide field AP. Owner input required!

I wrote that review 😁  It is a good choice for wide-field astrophography. I'd say that it punches above its price point, and its Petzval design and wide-field nature make it a forgiving instrument to use. More info and example photos are on my website. I haven't used it much for visual, but I'd say that your assessment is accurate: visually good for wide-field, but not designed for planets. It is a 72mm 400mm f/5.6 astrograph, after all.

I really like this. The mosaic approach has let you get a cracking composition.

3 hours ago, StuartT said:

I wondered about something like this, but surely those would only work in a closed system? A scope under a hood is open to an endless reservoir of moisture containing air, so wouldn't they just be absorbing all the water from the atmosphere (and hence be overwhelmed)?

I don't have a power supply outside, so I have been trying to find a rechargeable, low power heater. But so far, I've not found one.

I'm not sure about the theory, but I had one under the cover and it took three months to fill up with water. During that time I didn't have an issue with condensation on the mount. Maybe the air circulation is good and the dehumidifier is just a placebo? *shrugs* In any case, I've ordered a can of ACF-50 thanks to the advice in this thread as well!

I use an Askar FRA400, which I find to be excellent for astrophotography. (I'm in the south-west too). Quite a forgiving instrument to use. It's bench-tested from FLO too, although stock levels tend to be quite low. I can't comment on its quality for visual use, but I expect it's good

1 hour ago, Knighty2112 said:

I would caution spending 5k out on this initially. Get a cheaper scope and mount that is easy to get in and out of your home and get to know the sky, planets and the moon first, then extend out to looking for some brighter galaxies, globular clusters, open clusters etc. If you still have the passion for it after this then you can look into spending the vast amounts of money us astronomers splurge out on this wonderful hobby!  

Very wise!

Hello and welcome 😃

Looks fantastic, thanks for posting this.

7 minutes ago, Rustang said:

Its that difficult situation of buying to future proof yourself but also trying to spread the money you have as far as you can!  

https://astronomy.tools/calculators/ccd_suitability  <--- Scroll to the bottom and put in your potential telescopes and cameras. Then you'll get an idea of what's a good match.

Just now, Rustang said:

Its a good choice to consider, I just cant get my head around all the tech stuff to see if it would be a good upgrade, my brain just goes, smaller aperture, not a good upgrade but i know that isant the case I just wish I fully knew the in's and out's of why!

Lots of example photos on my website. You would be able to get a higher quality instrument if you were to spend your full initial budget though!

13 minutes ago, Rustang said:

I guess at 400mm it would give me a little more room than 480mm so I could cut off more of my crappy vignetting corners!!  

Haha, well I figured it would be light enough so that you wouldn't need to change your mount; and sufficiently below budget that you could afford to invest in other upgrades

This doesn't quite match your specification so perhaps isn't helpful, but I upgraded from a SW80 ED DS PRO to an Askar FRA400 and found it to be a big step up.

Worth the 4-month wait I'd say!

With regard to condensation, I put one of these next to the mount, under the cover.

For anyone interested in an alternative to Telegizmos 365 covers, I have and can recommend a Cygnus Astro cover. I haven't owned a Telegizmos so can't make a direct comparison, but my Cygnus Astro cover keeps the water off and costs less.

Wow, that's vibrant! I like the framing too

I like that composition, and the colours somehow seem to be vibrant and subtle at the same time!

That's a great picture, and interesting to hear your journey up to this point too. 

If you want to play about with your processing your image some more, I highly recommend this tutorial from SLG member @Luke Newbould about making Hubble-style pictures from L-eXtreme data. 

Very respectable pictures! How dark are your skies?

Not sure I've seen this DSO before. Thanks for sharing!

Oh wow, there's a lot of detail in there!

I tend to recommend kit that's similar to what I use, so you should definitely gather more opinions than just mine -- but with that caveat in mind...

* A ZWO ASI 533MC-PRO seems to be within your price range and is currently on sale. It should be a good match for your telescope according to CCD suitability.

* I'd also get an ASIAIR PRO to control both the 533MC and your ZWO-branded guidecam. Then you've got remote automation sorted, plus no issues with USB traffic.
* I'm a huge fan of the Optolong L-eXtreme filter for OSC cameras, as you'll have gathered if you've perused my site 😛

You're right in your original post that things snowball quickly. You may need new power sources, cables etc. to run the kit I've suggested, so budget accordingly. It's easy spending other people's money 😂 

It would be good to hear more opinions on this, maybe someone with broader experience than I have will suggest something even better!