Benklerk

Hi Michael The 174mm is about the same sentivity as the lode star but at 2/3 the cost. The Lodestar 2 is almost $1000 over here. The issue I had is, I could see the stars, but non of them we usable. They where comet looking shapes. Even a field flattener didn't help, and yes I made sure it was in focus. The other problem is the ZWO OAG mirror is half the size of the 174mm sensor.

Thanks for the replies, looks like OAG is the way. Few things, the G4 16000 has its own OAG and I think it’s the only OAG that will fit it. Without spending even more money I will be using my 174mm as it has a larger FOV. I’ll be aim to do 10 second guide subs, so that could be enough time to pick up faint stars. I can even bin it to improve pixel arc sec. https://www.gxccd.com/art?id=436&lang=409

I have read longer focal lengths better for OAG, but one down side is. Finding a star can become a problem. I stopped using my ZWO OAG on my 6" RC because it didn't find a guide star. I can guide 10min subs with no star trails using my guidescope.

I'm in the process on building my fixed setup. GSO 14 RC with a Moravian G4-16000 camera. I'm using a Skywatcher 72ED on my portable setup as a guide scope with a ZWO 174mm mini guide camera. I live in Bortle 3/4 skies and my seeing can get as low 1 arc sec avg is around 2", live around 1000m above sea level. The mount i'm getting will be the new JTW friction drive mount. I have attached the image scales using different setups. If I don't get the OAG adapter I can get the 290mm mini guide camera instead as they cost the same. So my question is, is going OAG worth it? The mount im getting will be very solid and I can do longish unguided. So when I do guide I can set guided pulses to 15 or 20 seconds or longer?

First Light using my new scope, Skywatcher 72ED APO. IC 2944 Ha 8 x 10min No darks, flats or bias done, still working on them.

I live about 1000m above sea level. So we do get fog and low cloud often.

Last image using my GSO 6" with the ZWO 1600mm (mono) camera. I'll be using my new wide field telescope with the 1600mm camera from now on. This is a quick image done over 1 month, because of weather and clouds. The Carina Nebula is a large, complex area of bright and dark nebulosity in the constellation Carina, and is located in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm. The nebula lies at an estimated distance between 6,500 and 10,000 light-years from Earth. The nebula is one of the largest diffuse nebulae in our skies. Although it is some four times as large and even brighter than the famous Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is much less well known due to its location in the southern sky. Eta Carinae is a highly luminous hypergiant star. Estimates of its mass range from 100 to 150 times the mass of the Sun, and its luminosity is about four million times that of the Sun. GSO RC 6 HEQ5 Belt mod ZWO 1600mm with Filter Wheel LUM 1hr RED 1hr GREEN 1hr BLUE 1hr Ha 2hr OIII 2hr Total time = 8hr

I'm just going by what my local distributor said, who is helping with JTW.

The OGEM will official be release at ATT later in May.

I'll be doing remote log in from my warm room.

Hi Guys I'm in the final stages of planning my backyards Obs in semi rural Australia (Bortle 3/4). Just making sure I have covered all the basis here. Max budget is 40k. It this moment I can get everything with Australian warranty though local distributors. Im upgrading from my portable 6" RC to a fixed setup. The reason I'm doing this, 1) I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 29. 2) I have benign tumours that could turn cancerous and surgery isn't an option because of the location of them. 3) I would like to do this as it’s something I love doing and want to improve. Observatory 3m x 3m * Power * LAN * Shed with movable roof * Pier * Table * Computer ( Laptop that I use now for my portable setup) Telescope gear * Telescope - GSO 14RC (I have all the tools to collimate it) * Mount + adapters (JTW OGEM friction drive mount) * Camera (G4-16000) * Filters + G4-Filter wheel (Baader LRGB, Ha 3.5nm, OIII 4.5nm, SII 4.5nm) * Light shroud * Focuser (Heavy duty from teleskop) * Auto focuser (Senso Sesto which I already have) * G4-OAG * Guide camera (174mm which I already have) I'll also be using my wide field scope Skywatcher 72ED with my ZWO 1600mm. Dew heater maybe? Camera FOV will be 45x45 arc min and 0.65 arc sec/pixel. Skies are between 1" and 2" FWHM