Nigella Bryant

My top price to spend is£3500

That's what I was thinking, along with USB 2 and 3 connection, GPS and WiFi built in. Keep thought's coming, lol.

Welcome, I live in Bristol too under bortle 6 sky conditions but you'd be surprised how much you can see. I've only just taken up astrophotography and I'm amazed what can be done. Here are my first examples from my Bristol back garden. I use a 12inch newtononian.

How are you getting on with the eq8. I am thinking of getting one.

Hi, I've no idea at the moment just came across it so I'll download this week and see what it can do.

Hi all, wanting some opinions on mounts. It will be the last mount I'll buy having turned 60 last year and retired. I currently run an OO12inch f4 Newtonian on a neq6. It's at the top of weight capacity for that mount at 20kg with guidescope, etc. I did rebuild and tune the neq6 with rowan belt mod, upgraded bearings on worm gears, added the upgrade counter weight bar plus weights. It is sweet as a nut and after two or even three star alightment puts the object within the field of view of my Canon 1000dm camera. I can also do unguided images for 45 to 60 secs which is enough in Mt light polluted sky. That's the background. Now I know my mount is way over capacity for imaging and in the next couple of years before I go into the heavens myself I'd like to own a 16inch VX f4 Newtonian. So I'm thinking of going for a new mount this year for keeps and I'm looking at either an EQ8 or a CEM120. The cem120 would be at the top of my price range. I'd love opinions please. BTW, telescope is housed in an observatory a 2.7m pulsar dome.

Thanks

Welcome Dave, hope you don't sucume to aperture fever, lol. Enjoy.

It's free so worth a shot. No pun intended, lol.

Yeah, people did modify the tucam, they were great camera's of their time and a forerunner of today's imaging community. Just how far we have come. Building up my equipment after having to sell everything 12 years ago.

Hi all, I've been away from the hobby for a long time, posting an image of Saturn I took about 15 or so years ago with a made 10 inch SCT and a Philips tucam, a blast from the past, lol.

Came across this if peps are interested in having a go. AstroZero Imager was originally called Budget Astrophotography. You will see Budget Astrophotography at various places until it all gets filtered out. AstroZero is a full featured free astrophotography imaging application. Features: Integrated plate solving with Platesolve2 or All Sky Plate Solver Mount control of any ASCOM capable mount Connects with PHD2 for dithering. The PHD2 guide graph is built in to AstroZero so no more having to switch between apps to monitor the guiding performance Integration with Stellarium And much more At this time, AstroZero only fully supports Canon DSLR cameras. ZWO support is in place but may not function fully. The application is close to entering BETA phase and will be available here to download.

Sorry to high jack the thread, so if I was imaging planet's at say f20 with a 5X power mate I'd still have to put my cc in the train too?

Okey dokey, I got it wrong. I thought as it was above f5 it was okay, what a numpty. Glad I said it though cus I was going to have a go sometime at f8 with my 2X Barlow so I'll have to use my cc as well with my f4 newt. Thanks, you learn something each day in this hobby. Brilliant.

Love the wider field of view, seems to frame it better from an artistic point of view.

My understanding is that you don't need a coma correcter if working above f5 so if you're imaging with an f4 Newtonian and adding a 2x Barlow that'll give you imaging at f8. So all you need is a 2x barlow lens. I may be wrong, I'm new to imaging and haven't tried my f4 Newtonian at f8 yet for those tiny planetary nebula, but I'd love to have a go one day.

One image, unguided exposure for 30secs, right? I can do that as a newbie lol.

Thanks, it's very interesting. I think I'll go for shorter exposure but more of them next time I'm out under my light polluted skies. Would a 2inch Idas D2 filter be worth considering? Just to throw another spanner into the conversation.

To dark then, is the best, in my mind during those sleepless night's whilst my beating heart shivers. I will endeavour in a session of next night of clear cloud's to engage in the sphere of the heaven's as my scope penetrates the darkness.

Now I'm confused, to dark or not to dark, that is the question.?

Thanks, I'll have another go at the layer's.

Hi, what is dithering, I thought it was at the supermarket not knowing what to buy, lol. Seriously how does one go about this technique?

I hadn't noticed the double star problem but is more likely due to layering one image of a shorter exposure on top where I didn't match the layer's of the core properly. I really struggled to understand the techniques of layering in photo shop, I still do. Sorry I didn't mention that I tried layering a shorter exposure of the core of the nebula.

Yeah, seems bright and big but took me ages to process and lot's of looking at YouTube instructions, lol. I know it's far from brilliant but a start. Yes guiding not perfect not aligned with pole star correctly and unguided sub's. I love the newt but a steep learning curve to be honest with that and getting the mount right, Neq6. All equipment is second hand, lol.

This is my first DSO, taken in January with my Canon 1000dm and 12inch f4 newt