Varavall

Well my twopenny worth is go with a SW 200pds and a 2.5x o 5x powermate for the planets. Works for me! However you would also need a guide camera and scope and possibly a coma corrector. My first solution was a QHY5L-ii C used with the 9x50 finder. Works well and the camera should cost around £75 secondhand . We all started that way! My journey started with an unmodified Nikon D5300. Just practice and as you get better invest more money when you have it for electronic focuser, etc.

Hi Astrophotgraphy is a way to make a small fortune by starting out with a big one! That aside, some sort of fixed mount in an observatory, or clamshell cover, in your backyard in my opinion would make your life easier. I used to cart my imaging kit in and out the house spending time doing polar alignment, balancing etc. each time. TIRING!!!! So now I leave my setup in place, and when it's clear skies, open the lid, flick the switches, connect the computer and load the target sequences into NINA (all takes about 10 minutes and no back ache), then watch a film, go to bed, or whatever, then in the morning all the images are ready for processing (hopefully). As for cameras, I use ZWO mono with Astrodon filters (get the best you can afford such as Chroma or Antlia if you can) and for guiding I use a QHY5III462C because of it's near IR sensitivity it functions almost as a mono camera with the IR pass filter and it makes a great planetary camera too. Ask 100 astronomers and you'll get 100 different opinions maybe with some overlap in places. Good luck!

Hi I think you need an M48-M42 F-M adapter like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Astromania-Thread-Female-Telescope-Adapter/dp/B01DIRJ72I/ref=pd_lpo_3?pd_rd_i=B01DIRJ72I&psc=1 , plus maybe some spacers to get correct back focus, but maybe someone with this setup would know more about that!

Very nostalgic. I used to live on the south eastern part of The Lizard with its dark skies. I now enjoy stargazing from the cooler climes of Spain 😆

Hi, I have a 200pds and I have used a 2.5x Powermate and obtained some pleasing results, but I sold that and bought a secondhand 5x Powermate for 150 euros (about £125). Keep am eye on the sale ads! You can stack the Powermates so maybe a 2x and 3x could be an option giving you 2x, 3x and 6x. Of course you can start out with a cheaper Barlow and see how it performs. If you say what camera you are using, then I am sure there are plenty here with experience of Powermate/Barlow with that camera. I just use a cheshire and I have no problem collimating the scope. Just remember that when the locking screws are tightened, the collimation changes, so there is a bit of locking and unlocking to do during the adjustment. Have patience and do it slowly!

Hi Nice image for something raw. I hope you post a processed version once you have your darks. Being an astromasochist I am working on a 12 panel mosaic using my SW 200pds and ASI1600MM and I would find a comparison very interesting. Just need 2 or 3 more clear nights and a few hours/days at my computer! Adrian

Hi Pseudo Hubble for me. It seems more contrasty, thus the detail is easier to see.

Hi I had this once with my HEQ5 Pro mount. The problem was to do with the park position. I used a custom position to park the scope, but when I restarted from park the following night what happened to you happened to me. The problem was the mount hadn't recorded my custom position and it assumed it was parked in it's home position (pointing to pole star-ish). I was using a laptop connected via the hand controller RJ11 port. When I connected via EQMOD problem went away. Just a thought.

Hi Just a thought. I have seen PHD2 graph similar to what you have a couple of times on my rig. One was caused by a cable snag and the other by one of my cats trying to sit on the mirror end of the Newtonian.

Hi That inspired me to have a go while waiting for my main target of the night. SW 200pds, 0.9x coma corrector, ASI1600MM-cool, Astrodon LRGB, Astrodon 5nm Ha. Optolong 7.5nm Oiii and Sii.. First night, 5x300s each Ha, Sii and Oiii and second night, 5x300s L and 3x300s each RGB. Aligned and stacked in ASTAP and processed in GIMP. This is my humble effort. As always any constructive comments welcome 😀

If £249 isn't too much, then I would look at the QHY5III462C with expansion kit; has all the filters you need in the box. It also makes an excellent guide camera as it is very sensitive. I am very happy with mine 😀 In any event I think you would also need to use a barlow with any of the cameras.

For my two penny worth I use a QHY5III462C (price around £250 with full filter kit or £219 without) on a TS 80mm guider/finder attached to my SW 8" newtonian on HEQ5 pro rowan belted. With its near IR capability it works virtually as a mono camera and gives me PHD2 RMS of 0.3-0.8" depending on viewing. When not guiding it makes an excellent planetary camera.

It was an error in the alignment of the luminance images, now it looks much better. I blame the long, grueling day I had sitting on the beach before processing 🤔

Thanks. I'll check that.

While I was waiting for the main target of the night to be in position I gave 45 minutes to Panstarrs. Not bad in my opinion, but constructive comments always welcome! There seems to be another fuzzy object above the tail. Any ideas? SW 200pds, ASI1600MM-cool, Astrodon tru colour LRGB, 15x120s L, 2x120s for RGB, manually aligned and stacked in ASTAP and processed in GIMP.

Yup, had a read and they had just as well have been written in Manadarin, so I clicked around for a bit and got nowhere. I find some software so easy, but this one draws a blank. Just how my brain works. I have considerable expertise in organic chemistry which I find so obvious, but for others it's a black art. Everyone's brains are different!

I have now had a look at Siril and after spending 2 hours of my life that I will never see again, I uninstalled it. It doesn't resonate with me, I'll look for some other software that I find intuitive. Horses for courses and this one isn't mine.

Look here https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=188930 as it's not far from you

Where are you hoping to be staying?

Correct. Totality is at 20:30 with sunset at 20:58. So it's not worth coming, best stay home. I live on the centre line of the eclipse in the mountains of Tarragona, so it would be best to leave the area clear for us locals 😝

Because I like to sleep. NINA does all the work whilst I sleep, so taking flats that same night is not feasible. However on the argument of temperature changes, my imaging could start at midnight at 30C dropping down to 20C over 4-5 hours, so taking flats before or after imaging, or indeed after each filter change, cannot avoid any effects temperature may have on the final image. Taking a flat after each sub may help, but that would be lunacy!

I have virtually the same setup as you have, except I don't use an OAG, I piggy-backed a TS 80mm guider/finder scope with a QHY5III462C as guide camera and made a counterweight extension bar to balance the extra weight and all on a homemade pillar. I get RMS 0.4"-0.7" depending on seeing. For the wind problem I cemented 2m lengths of 50mm plastic drainpipe into concrete blocks and attach garden windbreak fabric between them. Works a treat, movable and is cheap.

Ah.....🤣

Hi I run a 10m Startech active USB 3 cable into my house and computer from my ASI1600MM-cool. I attach the mount EQDIR cable and filter wheel to the camera USB 2 ports (I found PHD2 guiding worked better when attached to the camera) The ZWO EAF and guide camera I run over a separate powered 10m USB 2 cable. Works a treat for me once I got the cable run worked out!

Thanks for that. I'll give that a go. I'd love too, but the nearest lights are 6 Km away and I don't think the town council will be obliging 🙄