Peter_D

I finally had a break in the weather. Seeing was still quite bad with high cloud drifting continuously past the Moon. It was my first time using my new Zwo asi224mc camera. Very easy to set up and use (I used Sharpcap to control the camera). Definitely looking forward to using it on more lunar targets in better seeing. I had a good view of the crater Stadius and its satellite craters. It's an area that I haven't looked at in detail before. Equipment: Meade 2080, Zwo asi224mc 215 frames, best 25% used. Pipp, Autostakkert!3, Registax, Gimp.

Hi, I've found this webpage to be invaluable: https://astronomy.tools/ It will give you a simulated field of view of lots of astronomical objects in binoculars, telescopes and cameras. What's clear using it is no one telescope can be expected to be used on the full range of celestial objects. With the Mak 180, I'd use it as a planetary and lunar detail scope, double stars as well as smaller, compact DSO objects. The Mak 127 would be used for similar but would be an ideal grab and go set up. For larger objects (eg. M31, M45 etc) these Maks will offer too much magnification i

I installed SharpCap and I'm getting a live image - really happy - thanks again everyone (in previous thread also).

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I see it now in Device Manager! Sorry, for some reason, I had expected it to appear in the Windows Explorer. And I see it in the documentation now too! Maybe I need some fresh air. Ok, feeling a bit foolish now, thanks so much!

Hi, I'm not having the greatest of experiences with Zwo today! Thanks to some friendly help here, I was finally able to access the Asi camera drivers and installed them. I have also installed the Ascom drivers. I shutdown and restarted the laptop. When I connect the supplied Usb3 cable from the Camera to the laptop, I hear the little 'connection jingle' but am seeing no update. The laptop is not recognising the camera. I have a Dell Latitude E6440 running Windows 10. Carried out an update this morning. I would really appreciate any pointers. I would be tearing my hair

It works using your link! Excellent, thanks a million for sending it.

Thanks for the feedback. I just tried on my mobile also and I get the same error so it's not machine specific my end. I've sent them a mail too. It's frustrating - I'm all for getting rid of download CDs but at least make sure your (new) customers can access the online files. PS I'm in Germany. Would my location have any bearing on why I can't gain access?

Hi, Can anyone confirm if they can access the Software and Manuals sections from the homepage? I get an access denied message (since yesterday) and just wondering if it's the same for everyone. I bought a new asi224mc and I'm a little disappointed I can't set it up Clear skies Peter

Hi, I've been dipping my toes into DS imaging - because I don't have Goto and quite bad LP, I've concentrated on M42 for now. Yesterday was my third attempt. (I'm using a Celestron 6SE Ota (f10), unguided Vixen GP mount with SW upgrade motors and an unmodded Canon Eos 60D.) Yesterday, I did 110 10s lights and 20 darks@ ISO 1600. I didn't do bias frames (a mistake!). For processing, I used DSS and then Gimp. As you can see, the first image didn't work out well. Today, I created 25 bias frames inside in my dark basement and reprocessed the images. It made a big difference. I'm m

If you have ruled out doing visual, and are more interested in Deep Sky than Planetary, I would choose a refractor. Next, you have to think about how heavy you want the mount to be - will you be travelling to a dark site or not. If you can observe from home, I would actually advise you to spend more than half your budget on your mount and less on your telescope. You can always upgrade the telescope later. Having a good mount is key for Deep Sky. If you want to do a mix of Planetary and Deep Sky, I would choose a SCT.

Hi, Has anyone noticed really large price discrepancies between astro suppliers at the moment? I was just looking at ZWO Asi224mc astro camera (both USB3) and the price difference between the two big astro shops in Germany is 70€! They are both marked as being in stock and deliverable. Peter

Sorry Moderators - didn't mean to repost this, please delete

Thank you very much Nerf_Caching!

That's a terrific image! What's your setup?

Thanks for the pointers and suggestions! Much appreciated Peter