MY Yau

it's not the natural orientation. i rotated the camera so i can fit the width of the sensor to the width of the moon.

Just found out I received a v2 manual with my v4 Synscan handset. Tried doing 2 star alignment and then polar alignment a few times. Results are a mixed bag. Most likely because I can't get a low altitude star for alignment.

I must have missed it on the manual. I do have the latest version.

Hi. Thanks for the input. From my understanding, HEQ5 handset can only align the stars for goto, not polar alignment. As I can't see the pole from my location, I have to rough it out and depend on drift alignment or other software to fine tune. I do have a filter. IDAS D1 as mentioned in the gear list. I also have a intervalometer but didn't set it up. I plan to use backyard Nikon in the long term.

Hi, This is my first attempt. First cloudless night after scope purchase 7 weeks ago began with trying to get PHD2 to work and alignment. My problem at my house is limited view and in light polluted city and no sight of Polaris as I am near the equator. So I level the mount, roughly point the tripod North and adjust the latitude with leveler app on my iPhone. PHD2 stars are overexposing so I use 0.5s exposure (only to be pointed out later that I can adjust the gain.) Frustration at getting the DEC to level but getting it quite close in the end. In the end FB forum users kind enough to flood me with tips. Went ahead to test guiding with 30" exposure of the DSLR. Unable to expose longer as the trial Backyard Nikon expired while waiting the clouds to clear. Lolz. Manage to get roundish stars so I am stoked. Looked up Stellarium and point it to Lagoon + Trifid Nebula. Fire a test shot. It's on the edge of the frame, so I adjust the framing. Start guiding and snapped up roughly 1 hour of 30" subs. Took some darks and bias at the end of the run. Didn't take any flats as I was not prepared to do anything more than just trying to setup the guide scope. DSS the subs and curves adjustment in PS and final crop with adjustments on LightRoom. Second image is what I taken 3 years ago with DSLR + 300mm lens with no tracking mount. Stacked 400+ of 1.3s exposures. The bug has bitten me then and now I can start imaging with a tracking mount. There's still a lot more to learn but one step at a time. Thanks to the users here for tips and comments on the gear selection when I was deciding on what to buy. Gear as follow: Skywatcher 80ED + 0.85x Flattener/Reducer Nikon D750 William Optics 50mm/200mm fl Guidescope + ASI290MC Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro IDAS LPS-D1 Please give me tips and guidance. Thanks.

thank you all for the praises. still working on guiding. hard to get rough polar alignment without polaris.

1 hour of good seeing and cloudy till today. Lolz

Hi Peter, What documented issues that I need to watch out for?

My first lunar shot. Taken with Skywatcher 80ED + HEQ5 Pro + ASI290MC. Frames from video, AS!S best 800 frames. Two frames stitch and sharpen in Photoshop CC, final processing in Lightroom. Location: Ipoh, Malaysia

michael, thank you for your input. putting aside the current camera issue, which one will have more potential in imaging?

Thinking of adding solar imaging to my rig. Should I pair a Lunt with my current ASI290MC or pair a Daystar Quark with a future mono camera? The Lunt and Daystar + UV filter is about the same price. I only have the ASI290MC and DSLR to image.

Hi, I have a Skywatcher 80ED + HEQ5 Pro. Thinking of getting a Quark for Solar visual/imaging. Questions: 1) I have a Color Camera (ASI290MC). Would color cmos or DSLR work well with Quark HA imaging? 2) using prime focus with the ASI290MC, the FOV would be very small. Would it work if I use eyepiece projection via camera + Baader zoom + Quark? That's all for the moment.

Hi, If I am to perform drift alignment using PHD2 via the guide scope, how far off the alignment between the main and guide scope can be? Hope you understand my question.

I think you can get the voltage readout from the handset

what's the purpose of the other guides other than the cross hair?