Xsubmariner

Just to get back on topic a picture of my latest Frac 😍 and yes it came with a handle should you be interested. 😏

I’ve just purchased my 2nd ZWO1600mm pro and until ZWO market a better mono cmos for less than £2k it is still a very good value for money camera.

Reviewing the list of equipment your father was building a very nice imaging setup and it is great that you intend learning to use the equipment. May I offer a simple review of the equipment and it’s function. Eq6-R-Pro : Ideal Editorial (EQ) Mount well suited to the chosen equipment weight and portability, able to deliver the necessary tracking accuracy to support long exposure imaging for Deep Sky Objects (DSO) ie galaxies, Nebula. Also a good imaging mount with Goto (ability to automatically put the telescope on a chosen sky object - once aligned) capability. William Optics 132: A high quality imaging/visual scope. It is designed to give a colour aligned, high contrast and sharp image, viewed or camera. ZWO guide scope: can be used with an eyepiece as a finders scope or as a guide scope with a suitable camera. ZWO 294MC Camera: Good sensitive single shot colour imaging camera with built in cooling ability to lower the sensor temperature, well suited for DSO imagery. ZWO 290 mini: Ideal guide camera for guiding the mount when long exposure imaging. Can also be used as main imaging camera ie planetary. ASI Air: simple complete imaging system controller software on a computer- once configured for the fitted equipment it enables automatic control of the Imaging System (alignment/goto/tracking and guiding and sequencing of image capture and stacking) user interaction is enabled via an App on an iPad/smart phone or other WiFi enabled device. In summary, you have a great set of equipment that will ably support either visual or long exposure DSO imaging operation. There are many videos and tutorials online that will improve you learning and this forum is a font of knowledge with many willing members who are keen to help when/if you get stuck. I hope you take up this hobby and get as much pleasure as we all do. Should you decide this hobby is not for you and you decide to sell, may I suggest that you review used prices online before parting with your inheritance. All the equipment you listed is highly desirable and there is good demand in the used market for your equipment. Good luck and clear skies

Hi Adam, absolutely agree that the choice of calibration frames collected is down to personal preference and what an individual wants from their images.

Yes, I use the last focus position for all my filters. Yes it is a compromise to the perfect world, but one that is acceptable to the quality of image I am seeking. The problem is there have been so few ideal clear nights available these last couple of years and I am getting no younger.

All my filters were clean and clear of dust when I closed the filter wheel and yet all of them have collected some dust on the filters, some more than others. Note my kit includes Atik, ZWO and Starlight filterwheels, note none are immune. It depends on what level of imaging you wish to achieve. I always create flats for each of the filters in the wheel that were used in the data collection. If I am too tired to create the flats at the end of the collection night, I generate them the next day before the system is used again and focus altered. There are many threads on the forum that go into detail about calibration frames, it is worth reading a selection to understand better the role of calibration frames in image processing. .

Hi and welcome to SGL.

Hi Steve and welcome to SGL, you will find the world of Astrophotography exciting.

Windows 10. All I want is a computer operating system, not one that constantly tries to integrate my accounts, data and grab information disguised as a software update at inappropriate times, even outside the scheduled update slot I have set.

Wellcome to SGL, you will find a wealth of Astro knowledge and expertise resides in the forum.

I have booked a pitch for the period and look forward to meeting the group. Martin

Hi Ross from another in South Wales, your images are great and clearly show your photographic skill. I must warn you that Astrophotography is an addictive hobby that will likely stress you bank balance and sanity at times, but definitely worth the commitment. Welcome to SGL, I am sure with the pedigree of your images you will have a great time. There is a wealth of experience on this forum that will alleviate the many frustrating periods you will encounter. Martin

Hi and welcome Kevin. You will find this is a very friendly forum with a good depth of experience and knowledge willingly offered when required.

Nice picture rob, beware you aren’t seduced by the Dark imaging force.

Hi Richard, and welcome to SGL. What mobile visual/imaging system do you use?

Hi Steve, welcome and greetings from South Wales UK.

Stunning image of an impressive Comet.

Hi and welcome to SGL, you will find plenty of information for beginners.

Hi, The fine and course adjustments are with the same three bolts. Using a Polemaster I found the PA was within 20 arc/secs. So far I have found the mount tracks ok without any further adjustment. Once I boot the system I unpark the mount and command a platesolve and sync which takes about 20 secs, following the solve I have found the mount takes 2, very occasionally 3 platesolves following a slew to centre the target. Note I use SGP centre to target and have set 2 pixel accuracy. Enjoy your new mount you won’t regret it.

Great to see you have resolved the problem, look forward to reading how the rest of the commissioning goes.

May I ask what is the problem with the QHY163C. Martin

Hi John, It looks to me like your dome or sidewalls are not quite circular which is causing the drive motor to to skip. Can you disengage the motor and try rotating the dome by hand to check for tight spots. While my dome drive mechanism is different I have a couple of tight spots that were overcome by increasing tension on the drive wheels.

Wonderful image with great detail. Thank you for sharing. Martin

I have a TS130 photoline 3.7 and AA130 telescopes and they are both very good scopes for AP. If I could only keep one it would be the TS due to the focuser and camera rotator facility. Good luck with your search.

Hi John, Sorry for the slow response, been busy building a very large retaining wall. Dave’s representation of the Mesu Mount points above is correct with my experience. I used the same spreadsheet to get initial settings, but in application had to adjust the GEM offset value to get the best scope-dome slot fit in my Dome. My values are only representative of my mount centre line position giving N/S, E/W and U/D offsets and the Gem offset value to the centre line of your scope. There is no risk to your equipment other than the scope not aligning with your dome slot. I used Ascom POTH to set AZ&EL goto commands for the scope and mount to check the alignment initially. Let me know if you have further questions. Martin