Olli

Hi guys,

while I wait to take my first images I was wondering is there anywhere I can get raw data of targets that haven’t been processed yet, just so I can have a fiddle around with different types of software? As this seems to be the most complicated part of AP to me. If you could guide me to anything that may be helpful would be greatly appreciated.

Olli

As they say, the best scope is the one that you’ll use the most.  I do agree with everyone that dobs are great for the views especially the 8” though they can sometimes be a pain to lug around if you have a lot of stairs  and store if you don’t have enough space. If you are set on go to then the 130slt would be a good choice. If it is available to you there is also a skywatcher 130p with the az gti mount which is about £400, not sure how much it is $ though. 

48 minutes ago, doublevodka said:

Hi Olli, just for a little clarity, your title says 130P, the text above says 130pds, and sig says 130ps.

By reading between the lines I would guess you have a 130P with the basic single-speed focuser? the 130PDS is the one with the dual-speed focuser, not sure there is a 130PS.

For the price of a new focuser, you may be better off looking for a used 130PDS and selling the existing tube, just a thought? Sometimes they even come up with a coma corrector included.

For example - https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=185832

 

Hi , thanks for the advice after doing a bit more research it does seem a bit pointless to upgrade the focuser as the Sky-Watcher  one is nearly the same as the scope you suggested. Only reason why I didn’t  want to replace the scope  was because it was  the first one I had got and it was a gift so has some sentimental value. This was the one I tried to describe. Might have got  confused. I will have a further look into the imaging version.https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az-gti.html 

Hi guys,

im looking to upgrade my focuser for the skywatcher 130pds ( the one that comes with the az gti and az pronto not the imaging version  as I have had it for a while now and would like to change the one it came with which unfortunately feels a tad cheap.). What do people usually recommend? Are most Focusers usually Universal or are there limited options? I have seen that skywatcher make an official one open to peoples opinions.

Olli

Definitely on my bucket list to go there, great sketches!

58 minutes ago, badhex said:

Excellent! Glad you've managed to get up and running. The ZS73 is a fantastic little scope and punches well above its weight for the size. It's also surprisingly good for planetary views - the image is small but very crisp and detailed. 

You're going to have lots of fun with this scope 🙂

I wasn’t expecting much for the planets but I was pleasantly surprised. Really excited to try it out with other targets and use higher magnification with planets. Thanks for the previous help.

15 minutes ago, YogSothoth said:

I just received a Stellamira 80 f10 and like you have come from using a dob. I too was amazed at how crisp views of the moon are compared with the dob. It’s also a lot easier to carry out into the back garden as well, which is a bonus

Congrats on your new scope! One of the main reasons I switched was because of the portability really nice to be able to carry it with one hand. Hopefully you get lots of use out of it .

Seems like I’m missing out on planetary nebulae. Definitely need to give some doubles a go.

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

Autostakkert or registax process straight from the video to output a single image to tweak and sharpen

Thank you, will try and do more research. 

After receiving my new scope a couple of weeks ago I have been itching to use it with the az gti after having a few woes before with tracking problems with SynScan, and after a lot of help on here once again I think I have finally figured it out ( so he says!) 

it was only a short session today as the clouds were rolling in and wasn’t feeling that great after being tested positive for covid I thought I’d give the moon a try as it is one of my favourite objects to look at. 
 

after doing a 2 star alignment with the mount everything seemed to be aligned great and adjusting the slew speed  was a life saver. Wish I had found out sooner! I first put in my 24mm ES eyepiece in and the moon was perfectly framed in the scope and my first reaction was how sharp everything was. I could easily see a lot of detail across the moon and even across the terminator. As well as the non illuminated surface which was quite surprising!
 

Coming from a dob I was pleasantly surprised. Next I changed out the eyepiece for the 14mm and again  the detail was still great as using the 24mm nice and crisp. Tracking was great with the mount will hopefully get into sketching when looking at the moon . I definitely need to learn my craters as I wasn’t really sure what I was looking at but it looked great .

It is amazing what looking at the stars does for your well-being even if it’s only for a quick session. I think this scope will probably last me a lifetime and can’t wait to use it more especially for imaging and DSO. ( hopefully the repairs go okay with Flo next week!) 

Clear skies 

Olli

11 hours ago, Stu said:

My big favourite DSOs are the Veil and North America Nebulae. Whenever I’m somewhere dark enough and they are well placed I have a good look at them.

Plenty more old favourites I regularly revisit though. I never tire of the Double Cluster, Auriga Clusters and M35, M42, and the bigger globs M13, 3, 5 and 15.

When the Milkyway is well placed (late summer say) then all the lovely stuff down there is fabulous. Nebulae such as M8, M20, M16 and M17 are excellent, plus the big glob M22. Trawling up the Milky Way brings you to the Wild Duck cluster, M44 too.

Because I have lived under fairly poor skies until recently, galaxies have not been a target for me. That said, when under a decently dark sky they do look amazing, particularly groups like Markarian’s chain.

So many, but those are just a few favourites.

Some good ones there, I do remember the Orion Nebula being one of my first deep sky objects.  Haven’t really observed any clusters yet but they are definitely on my list. Will have a look at the ones you mentioned.

17 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

I've found it different and used registax for stacking the DSLR frames I had taken (it had been the Moon I had taken) though video is generally used.

What DSLR do you have?

I currently have a canon 250d. Is it harder when stacking frames to using video?

Hi Everyone, 

I have been doing some reading on imaging planets and was wondering if it’s possible to do it with a DSLR? I know people usually recommend an Astronomy camera to take videos ( I think?) Is it a completely different method to imaging deep sky?

Thanks in advanced 

Hi all, 

Thought this might be an interesting topic always looking for new things to observe, what are some of you favourites and why do you keep going back to it?

Nothing to exciting but hopefully my back will thank me later. Bought a nice bag for my mounts. 

Thanks everyone for the advice/input. Have managed to book a collection with Flo where they will take a look. Don’t want to do any further damage to the scope so seems like the more sensible choice. Hopefully they can get it out.

24 minutes ago, Shimrod said:

If you have to go for the drilling out route as described by @wulfrun you might want to consider a set of these damaged screw extractors  

I had the same problem removing the focuser on my ED80 when upgrading to a Baader Steeltrak. One of the screws came out cleanly, the other two (soft metal) screws just ended up with stripped heads. For me these were much easier than trying to drill the screws out.

Thanks both for the advice I ideally wouldn’t want to drill them, just ordered some hex drivers hopefully this will help. 

Hi,

 wasn’t sure where to put this but could use with some help. I was trying to take apart my scope so I could fit in my flatner, to do this you have to unscrew these small Allen key type screws. Two of them have come out fine but I have been struggling with one and it just doesn’t seem to come out and is starting to strip the thread. What is the best way to get it out? The Allen keys that it came with don’t seem to be doing much. I’ve tried to find the photo of what I mean. Any help would be great as I don’t want to damage the scope!

All the rest of the equipment came today , did a quick dummy run and couldn’t be happier with the set up. Wasn’t as bad as i thought it was going to be. Just need to practice polar alignment and balancing. Hopefully will get my first image soon! Once again thanks for all the help.

27 minutes ago, carastro said:

If you are feeling overwhelmed l would take one step at a time.  
 

1.  Get used to the mount first and polar alignment routine. 
 

2. Take simple shortish images and see how long you can go before you get trailing. 
 

3.  Add finderguider.  See what improvement you get over non guiding.  I have an HEQ5 and do all my imaging on it.  Great mount.  I used to own an NEQ6 and did find l could do 900 and 1200 secs on it whereas the HEQ5 tends to give slightly elongated stars if l go over 600 secs.   My HEQ5 has been belt modified in last couple of years. 
 

4.  Once you have mastered the above you can think about adding mini PC etc. 

My motto is don’t try to do everything new all at once it will lead to failures and frustration. 
HTH

Carole

Thank you, that’s a good way to go about it. I think what I’ll probably do is start with my camera by itself without the scope just to learn the process and once I get more comfortable start adding on the additional equipment like guiding ect. Will follow your advice.

43 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

There is no single aspect of astrophotography which is inherently difficult. (It isn't like learning to play a musical instrument, in which almost every aspect of the process is difficult!) The only issue is that a considerable number of fairly straightforward procedures have to be in place at the same time. If you're feeling overwhelmed, start with those procedures which matter most and leave the less critical ones till later.

You need

- to track the sky, (so driven and preferably equatorial mount, polar aligned.)

- to capture focused images with the object on them  and to file these in a place where you can find them. (Focus, use Bahtinov mask.)

- to have and understand a software program for stacking.

- to have and understand a post-processing software package. It used to be Photoshop, mainly, but now there are dozens. If you don't like being overwhelmed, stay away from Pixinsight.

You can begin without

- Guiding, but make it a priority ASAP.

- Dithering if using an uncooled camera. With a cooled one it is no big deal despite all the hype it gets. With a DSLR it should be part of your guiding routine.

You do not need

- to throw your brain in the dustbin and insist on controlling everything via a PC.  Plate solving, robotic focus etc., are luxuries at best and when they work. At worst, when they don't, they are a total waste of time. Use your own eyes, your own fingers and your own brain.

Olly

Thanks Olly appreciate the help, will hopefully be able to set everything up today during the day and get familiar with all the equipment.  I’ll try and get a guide set up as soon as possible. Seems like it’s the last piece of the puzzle!

Thanks everyone for all the help. Still feel a bit overwhelmed by it all lots to take in. Will probably have to write a list what I’ll need In the future.. but for now though to get started with imaging what targets do you recommend I should try and shoot for the first time this season?  For using a dslr I’ve seen that darks and lights are used. Is this a necessary process? Do you then stack it all with the others?

1 hour ago, alacant said:

+1

Keep it simple. Control it using your 'phone. 

Good luck and here's hoping it's not too much of a struggle.

Thank you, will hopefully get to show some first photos soon!

8 minutes ago, Pitch Black Skies said:

+1 for AAP

It's worth it's weight in gold. Makes life so simple when starting out.

My only grievance is that it doesn't allow PEC training, so your guiding is forever compromised.

Can I ask what PEC training is ? AAP sounds like a firm favourite will definitely see if I can get one. 

1 hour ago, Padraic M said:

Nice gift! I think you should sell it to me and save yourself the bother of astrophotography. 🙂

All the important points are given above. Whether you go with ASIAir, mini PC or haul your laptop outside, you will need a EQDIR cable to connect to the HEQ5. Lynx Astro ones are great. Just make sure you order the one for HEQ5 Pro as the mount models have different connectors.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-cables-leads-accessories/lynx-astro-ftdi-eqdir-usb-adapter-for-sky-watcher-eq5-pro-heq5-syntrek-pro-az-eq5-gt-az-eq6-gt-and-eq8-mounts.html

My objection to ASIAir is that it locks you into ZWO products. Now that they've launched their own mount I wonder will they even lock out the Skywatcher mounts in a future version??? I use a Windows mini PC running NINA for capture control, but as mentioned above APT is great for DSLRs. I've used APT with a DSLR, but I believe NINA also supports them but it may depend on make/model.

You can polar align with your imaging PC. It's easy if it's a dedicated astro camera, but as you have a DSLR you need to jump through a few hoops to get SharpCap to work with it. There's some discussion elsewhere on the web on how to do that.

I'd suggest that you start with what you have and use your laptop until you know your way around; keep your subs short and stack them with DSS. Next priority would be to get yourself a guide cam and scope asap. They're not expensive and are a huge step up in performance. After that I'd look into an ASIAir or mini PC to avoid taking your laptop out into the cold and dew. The same EQDIR cable will work. In the meantime get a big plastic storage box to keep your laptop in while outside.

This is incredibly helpful. I have heard a lot about Nina after looking at videos. Everyone seems to use it. I will have to research a bit more on the pcs.