PEMS

I honestly that simply means that the people posting their great understanding of things on Youtube leaves a lot to be desired concerning their actual knowledge. Some are or were bad, one was nicknamed "The Coffee Grinder". So yes there are bad ones. Nothing recently has received that bad a name. You can check out the gear meshing and adjust. Would suggest that most people should do so. They are after all mass produced item and not to often talked of delicate, accurately set up items they get described as. The other is as said the noise comes at the fast slew rates, reduce the maximum slew rate down by 2 steps. Makes a huge difference. Finally if they were seriously quiet astronomers would complain they cannot tell if the mounts are actually doing anything.

It seems that as a genarallity the mono ones have an anti reflection coated glass cover and the colour ones have an IR cut filter as standard. Makes sense as your OIII should not be passing IR through to the sensor, and if you wanted to obtain IR images then you do not want an IR cut filter in place. lso saves ZWO money I would expect.

Any particular side of the M25, just curiosity. I would check that everything you have still works if you haven't already done so. If something has gone to the great observatory in the sky, then you consider replacing that first. Also means that you have something to start from or use or build on. Keep it simple and use the Star 71 - is it the Mk1 or !! ? If all is operating I would suggest you consider the camera as being the one to replace. Yes CMOS has taken over. But there are differences and you will have to learn or appreciate those. The one that is in a way biggest is that you do not need 600 second exposures, you will likely find that 120 or 180 second exposures will do as good. You may still need a similar total capture time. Seems however that the now old CMOS exposures are still suggested and really no reason. I suggest that if you replace the camera you plan on some relearning and expect changes. The Star 71 was a little tempermental it seems, so check the quality of the stars in images. Just thinking something may have moved and it needs some attention. The Mk1 of 5 elements was sensitive. No idea about the Skywatcher, seems big for imaging. So really your decision on that. Clubs would be the next aspect but we are not allowed out at night, it would seem.

I will suggest a different line. Search out a reasonable 80mm achro refractor, I suggest not the short tube ones that are 400mm focal length, they introduce too much chromatic aberration (colours around bright objects). Bresser in the UK does one called a FirstLight. It is 80mm diameter and 640mm focal length, so f/8 in technical terms. They come with a Nano mount and tripod, reasonable on stability. But at the lower cost end they save money by a slightly questionable mount/tripod. Also search out FLO offerings and Rother Valley offerings, the same basic scope can occur under different vrand names. Reason is they are simple and easy. Another plus is that the owner can fit a full aperture solar filter and look at the sun. Something different to do in summer. The scope mentioned if they get into the hobby more can be "enhanced" by purchasing something like the Skywatcher Az GTi goto mount. An 80mm will just be OK on one, no bigger then 80mm however. Then they have a goto system. Learn about the pros and cons of one before that occurs. So you start with a simple and easy scope, can make a small addition for solar viewing, and if they get into the hobby easy to add a small goto later. You end up with a reasonably do everything system. Would be visual only but that is not a problem. Many suggest keeping visual and any imaging separate entities. For a first entry in to this something easy to use is usually better. Cost I think is around £160 so fits the budget fairly well.

Get the 25mm, 12mm and the 8mm. I had expected to use the 5mm more but it is rarely used in a scope. The 25mm is to find targets, the 12mm and 8mm do the job of magnifing whatever. Don't worry or think about the worst as for some reason people need to identify the worst. And on the BST's I think I have read just about the 25mm, 18mm, 15mm and 5mm as being given as the worst. So best idea is just forget that classification. I find they work well at f/5, like it would seem all eyepieces they produce better result in slower scopes. However as said all eyepieces seem to do that. Better is something like the ES ranges and thay are close to 3 times the cost. Except for the ES52 range that is, but you lose field of view for the same focal length in eyepiece. With the three above a barlow is of limited use. It would likely only be useful on the 12mm. So maybe search out a 6mm somewhere - ES52's do I think offer a 6.5mm. Actually a usefule focal length if you later decide on a 5mm BST. A 6.5mm would sit nicely between the 5mm and the 8mm.

I would say both Yes and No. Seems little in this hobby is straightforward. The wifi on the Az GTi works fine, you will find it better with an Android phone or tablet and if you purchase Skysafari (the Plus version is adaquate). iPhone systems operate it seems slightly differently and you may find you need one for the Synscan app and another for the Skysafai. The basic steps are to set up the mount, connect with the Synscan app and align, bring up Skysafari, connect, then run from the Skysafari interface. That is a quick idea. So that is the good side. Not so good side is that both mount and phone or tablet need power. Not a great problem if only out for an hour or two. After that one runs down. Next is the phone or tablet needs to stay connected to the mount. Again fine if at home but if at a club or event it would mean leaving the phone or tablet with the mount if you went elsewhere. I would have thought the 127 was at the heavy end of the mount capacity and the general narrow field of view could create additional work at alignment and even getting objects in view. Your field of view would be limited. One simple option I suggest you keep in mind it obtaining a simple 80mm achro of say f/8 and having that available to swap out the 127 at times. Would mean 2 scopes but I would keep it as an option.

Rather unfortunately if you want to do astrophotography then the mount needs to be equitorial. Also getting to a reasonable set up can be costly. Can be done at lesser cost but compromises are to be made. The Evostar 90 will be a nice general visual scope, not ideal for astrophotography. Just a bit too big. A scope for astrophotography tends to be small and usually an ED is the start. Could you swap to a 72ED. They will cost more. Mount would need to be something like an EQ3-2 but a goto. Astrophotography needs a driven mount. In honesty an EQ5 would be better, much better all round. Just more expensive all round. Can I suggest a simple scope like the Evostar 90 and use that for visual. A slightly smaller one would be the Bresser Firstlight 80mm 640mm refractor on their Nano mount. I think it is a better mount. Again for visual only to look around and see things and get familiar with everything. Like finding targets. Then consider astrophotography as a separate aspect. In a way the minimum is around a goto EQ5 and a 72ED scope, or 80ED. You could use a 72ED and an EQ3-2 but it is back to making compromises again and the EQ5 is overall safer. Wait until we can all go out, find a club and look and talk to people. Where are you, if possible add the approximate area to your details.

I assume you refer to the 72ED. If so the focuser travel is limited. Will say the Az GTi is not recommended for DSO AP. It is not intended for that use and will I expect deliver poor results. Or need a lot of work to get results. Exposures will need to be short even with a 72ED. 420mm focal length I understand.

Looking at the adverts it is a reflector on an Eq mount. So in a way a high eyepiece sounds and looks right, at least right in assembly terms. Have you set the tripod legs up as short as possible as in fully retracted? That seems about all that could be suggested. The eyepiece will be the tripod height plus the EQ head height plus around half the scope OTA length. That all adds up. If when the legs are fully retracted, fully spread to lower a little more then if eyepiece still remains too high I cannot think of a great deal that can be done to reduce the final height. An alternative tripod comes to mind but most would have a similar problem. The Skywatcher Az GTi tripod is short but I have no idea if the Eq head you have would be a straight and simple swap.

One question: Are you only intending to look at planets? The 90 Mak will show Jupiter and Saturn and the moon. it is very likely too small for Mars in any detail. In a way that is 3 objects. There are 110 Messiers, same Caldwells and many double stars. Would it not be more applicable to buy a scope for the majority of objects. A 90mm Evostar will show Jupiter and Saturn and the moon. The negative of an achro is the presence of chromatic aberration. However the Evostar is a 90mm 900mm focal length so at f/10 should be reasonable in the CA aspect.

Any standard type lead acid battery has the problem that they are intended for what could be described as a short intense discharge - starting a car engine. For astronomy use you want one that is intended for a long slow discharge. Standard lead acid batteres will discharge to around half capacity then the internal plate damage by possible deformation or caking on the surface. After which they damage more and quicker. Batteries for mobiliuty scooters and golf trolly's are better but both cost more. One I did read of was a Lithium Motor Cycle battery. Small and I think the capacity was 4Ah so somewhat smaller, cost was reasonable however. May be an option to search for slightly larger ones but I would expect the cost to rise rapidly. A normal lead acid would be OK if you could go out and after a set time pack up even if the sky was good everything running fine. In effect a good night and you pack up early, Unfortunately that doesn't happen. Having reread the initial post are you only observing or imaging also? 90 minutes seems short and even the mentioned motor cycle Lithium I would have expected the same or longer as a reasonable amount of time the HEQ5 should be just tracking. I have noticed the term "Deep Cycle" used on many however it seems a little suspect as some read a AGM and that may not be 100% a deep cycle.

I would have said you need to do some level of polar alignment. An equitorial mount is intended or meant to be polar aligned so has to benefit from some polar alignment. For a quick observing it would seem to be of use to at least aim the correct leg at Polaris, level the mount at least slightly and if polaris is in view then at least place it in the polar scope circle. In the centre it will be close enough for visual and would add minimal additional time to the general setup. If the mount is a goto then at least set poaris in the centre. Otherwise the system may be too far out for it to run.

Jiggy is correct - it needs both Polar alignment then the Goto aspect needs to be performed. Never found a good idiots guide. Everything is either too simple or too complex. You need to get the mount on solid ground and then level it. Set the Latitude scale to 52 for where you are, and aim the leg with "N" on it at Polaris. Then you do fine adjustment through the polar scope. The better the Polar alignment accuracy the better the goto alignment will perform and go. So do it well. Goto alignment relies on Data. For N Herts you would be around 52N and 0.25W. Timezone is UTC 0. Date and time is whatever the day you do it the handset asks for that each time on power up. The handset should maintain Location and Timezone. DST is not On. For goto you use the main scope and I believe the home position is the scope aimed at Polaris. Then request the 2 star alignment. The mount should select the first alignment star. Think it will slew to the star although more correctly "towards the star". Many Synscan ones are not well known. So expect strange ones to appear. Data is generally the problem, and that is therefore user error. Be careful of the date format and the entered order of Latitude/Longitude.

As Fozzy says, check the adaptors in the focuser. It seems a common problem in that the 2" adaptor is left in position and so the usual 1.25" adaptor sits at the wrong place and focus is impossible. Would seem to be an arrangement that commonly causes people a problem. So seems to be in the arrangement adopted by Skywatcher.

From what I can find you are in Somerset. Would say find a club but I expect that like eberywhere they are all closed down. So have a search and identify a club within reash and maybe make email contact. Are you getting 1 image and expecting that to be "Saturn" in all its glory? It is not done like that. Process is that you put camera on or in, focus the planet and take a video. Lets say just over a minute or 2000 frames. You then load the video into your stacking software - Registax or AS3 I understand are the common video items. Once in the best frame is identified, apparently by yourself. You then instruct the software to identify the best 10% or 200 frames that best match the good one. You could decide on less and say 100 frames. Only those frames are stacked, only the good ones. Then you process and sharpen the final result. If you are focusing with an eyepiece then replacing the eyepiece with a camera you will be way out of focus. You will have to spend some time readjusting if the scope is an SCT with the usual focus adjustment. I would say enough time for either planet to drift out. Unfortunately clubs are not possible at present, but I think it could be worth finding where ones are in your area.

Redcat no need as it is in effect flattened and adding a reducer makes little sense and would counter the in built flattener system at the rear. 2 flatteners do not result in flatter, they result in curvature. On a Z73 there is a dedicated flattener - worth getting the WO adjustable - and WO do what may be a reducer/flattener. They say flattener but the images of the item have 0.8 on the side also implying it flattens and reduces. Do you need to reduce? Often seems people think they "have" to reduce but have no reason to do so, except to make a system faster and even then you need to ask Why?. Many seem to assume they have to do so because they read about the items.

No direct experience of that specific mount but for a wifi controlled mount you have 2 negatives: The phone/tablet needs to have sufficent power for the whole session and for AP that may be a number of hours. Will the tablet run the app and the display and whatever else for say 4 hours? Mine would not I expect, especially if cold. The second is if you take the tablet or phone out of range the connection is lost and you have to start at least the alignment and target acquisation all over again. Neither prevent you using a tablet but on a mount wifi is not necessarily as good as it is around a house. And it is too easy to slip up. Unsure what you mean by does away with the need for a separate computer. I doubt a normal tablet could collect and store the total mass of images from an imaging session. So for that I would expect you still need a computer.

It is very likely going to be difficult with a Meade ETX 90. There is no polar scope on them so any polar alignment will be approximate. Using the scope itself is not correct and invalid. Then the scope is a long focal length so what errors present gets in a way amplified and the scopes is therefore slow. You have I suppose very little that makes your life easy for gathering images. If using a wedge have you a Wixey for setting the angle correct and I know of little equipment that will align the mount - note, not the scope - to the NCP.

I would say the start of RA is perfectly level and Dec is at 90° is wrong. I would say the RA should be your Latitude something like 54 degrees, but that is somewhat of a guess. Dec I am unsure of as you in effect aim the scope at Polaris. Although that even if perfect makes you about a degree out I think you are setting up maybe as equitorially with regards the wedge then setting the scope kind of Level and North as the Alt/Az initial reqiuirements. The Alt/Az is not applicable. Concerning the end stops the scopes has a limited movement and I think it is a slightly strange rotation of around one and a half times round. So you cannot start in what would be described of as "In the centre". Read the manual for certainty but I think that you have to release the clutch, manually move the scope anti-clock until it hits the end stop, then rotate clockwise until it is pointing forward. It seems a slightly odd start position, more one way then the other, caused it would seem by the inability to have a full 2 turns. I believe the smaller ETX70's just rotate round and round meaning no end stops and a different internal mechanism and/or connections. I think that you are mixing the Equitorial set up and start positions with some of the Alt/Az requirements. Friend say that there is little real clear instructions on the equitorial setup. It amounts they say to knowing the angle that has to be set and pointing the axis at polaris with little or no accurate method of doing so as you are aiming the axis of the mount at polaris which may or may not be the scope. Email from friend says set the timezone to -0 UTC, says they do not like 0. Seems there is a difference between -0 and +0. Might help.

At a very quick guess I expect they are remains of activity of the central black hole. It will have been active and will likely go through periodic meals of stars and material. The result is a outflow of energy in the form of jets and the jets in simple terms push and drag gas out as well. The gas interacts and slows and expands out forming what is described as 2 bubbles. Being energised gas they are visible in the radio bands. So a radio scope detects 2 large and roughly spherical areas above and below the galactic plane emitting at radio frequencies. Likely not "new", expect them to be say 1Bn years old. Timescales are different. Had a talk on Starburst Galaxies and at one stage they were discribed as short term and transient. That meant around 200,000,000 years. As I pointed out the human race wouldn't be around in 200 million years. So was "transient" really the best description.

As it seems these will envelope the globe what do China and Russia think of what are in effect multiple US satellites over them? Out of even 200 are all commerical or are a small few CIA. Nice disguise in a way - hide a few surveillance satellite in a crowd of 200 communications ones. US will not have Huawei phones and hardware so maybe China will be against orbiting "US" satellites. Becomes the same arguement: Huawei phones "spying" for Chinese Government and Amazon Satellites "spying" for the US government.

As the scope would sound like a 90mm Maksutov then simply a wide field plossl eyepiece. The Vixen NPL range are considered good and not as costly as the TV offerings. The NPL 30mm would be good. On FLO at £35. Would give them the widest field they could reasonably expect, would deliver about 1.2 degree view for some of the bigger objects. Something like the BST Starguider at 25mm would give the same. They are at the £50 mark. However would I think be a better eyepiece for a future scope. The Starguiders are an eyepiece you could collect the full set of and use for some years. Could consider that at each birthday, christmas or whatever you buy them another one. But for a Maksutov I suggest a low power eyepiece as the most useful. Budget is yours to decide. Also they come in a box so easy to gift wrap.

Really do need to know where you are in terms of location. Then more relevant options can be made. There is a list of possible places: https://gostargazing.co.uk/ Appears to be at least a start. Presently not many planets around in the sky, well not easy ones. In June Jupiter and Saturn are I believe closest to us, however then days are long then so reduced nighttime and often clubs go quiet for that time of year. The other point to consider is that whereever you are and go to the night you go has to be clear, and that could be a more relevant problem.

Was considering making a trip down to Astrofest, so looked for the dates, Jan 31 and Feb1 in case interested. Out of the search came a second European Astrofest conference on Feb8 and 9. So I looked at what it said. Reads as "European Astrofest" also says Astronomy Now and at the same location, has talks by Astronomers - not named however. However the wording in the introduction says "Astrology" not "Astronomy" . Half the wording seems to come from the "real" Astrofest. Just wondering if someone has created a false site hoping to gather in some money. So in case it appears on a search read carefully. If it is real and astrology is your thing then, there is a weekend for you to enjoy. If it is real, however too great a mix of the words Astronomy and Astrology to make me think it is not 100% real and above board. Link if wanted: https://www.expohour.com/european-astrofest-conference

If the information I have is right the Canon 6D has a distance of 44mm to the sensor. So you need an additional 11mm, approximately. EF lens on a full frame Canon DSLR all I can see is 44mm. My information is not by camera but by lens type or fitting. The Flat61A has an adjustment of 0 to 15mm according to the WO site. So if the T-mount adds 11mm as given previously the Flat 61A should it seems need to be set at 0mm. As you would have 55 from 44mm in the 6D and 11mm from the t-mount. So 55mm with the 2 items already so the Flat61A needs to add 0mm. The glass filter may add 1mm, approximatelt 1/3 of the filter thickness. Which I presume from previous is 3mm thick. You need the mechanical data of the 6D to come to a better or accurate answer.