AstroMuni

If you have an RPi/Mac/Linux you could try PA with Ekos. Works for me

Its all in the semantics 😉 Bands, rings

@MG01 There is a Starquest 130p scope on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255815751638?hash=item3b8fce97d6:g:TX0AAOSwGtJjaUeH&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoLIgO0USoth4AT5vwXYMr8eGweQlJ901ybDQPRjr0xpDxBgjL36HG559sqnaKgbxcDpVSxhPEwy0t9KDLYSb4fh%2Ba5HTI39CaTtIvMOaZOCeWH7TYQvYOsytC5YKXRfNWSpesiBdplKiBOlzse7nMsh0Rd3A1Kidpn3amjV3CJa9MXVxCf62sTBm7z9Cmbx40WnfA6X8vtNePMKzzQIGosY%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6jivbmLYQ And the SW 130p too https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334618851482?epid=2255631135&hash=item4de8d6789a:g:JBUAAOSweO5jaAI1&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoEFvchG4ZFtAlZBXgHIKaL62CP2h7Q8m9YmBxkoyDWFeYLugYspBzVso2RJ%2BlgRJz7uN8WKJaO6a%2FpjhH%2Fnk0MOI0Pk03E9zkStJ5pb3RtuwTxRv2T9WCTwZbobUNV%2F0FrwQjFXv9oGMTDie%2Fy6VgGlBDPClWHuwI4L13IP5omk64grNpjNjNNUG3CGxNXzWTNBfkciFO91e6KN3MEETebQ%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6jivbmLYQ

If he insists on buying something of his choice, its not a bad scope even for AP (see my signature). The option provided by Peter is probably your best bet for the budget.

It would be good to know details of the equipment you already have. Some of it maybe perfectly reusable for DSOs. I am guessing he still wants to continue capturing planetary images. If so the refractors may not be suitable. I started small with equipment I had bought for my daughter when she was around 14ish. You can see details in my signature. My suggestion is to do the purchases in stages as - its easier to learn in steps AND it will soon be time for your son to go to Uni etc. and you will end up using the equipment like I am doing (and enjoying!) 🙂 Get the best mount - like an HEQ5 or HEQ6 ! PS: I know some of us dads are eager to research & supply all the materials to ease our children's journey, but it can sometimes dampen that thirst for knowledge in them. I find that when they discover something else they need to improve their journey and they receive it after they have looked at options, it gives them more joy.

Thats a shame 😞 I started down the Astroberry route a little over a year ago using an RPi4 and I find that it works quite reliably for my needs, managing the mount, camera, platesolving and guiding. Ekos does have its quirks but its quite suitable for me.

This is when I wish we had not left EU 😞

Wow. But as OP is in UK, unsure if it will incur customs charges?

The ZWO capture software is OK, but there are several other much better packages out there. For planetary you have Sharpcap, Firecapture and for all round management of mount, camera, guiding there is Nina (windows), Kstars (Mac/Linux) etc. I have listed the free ones only. ASTAP is a much faster software for platesolving btw.

The RPi cant provide high frame rates for planetary imaging capturing videos. I tried with Firecapture and its pathetic in low 40s. The laptop goes much higher. But for regular DSO imaging RPi works a treat. I use Kstars/Ekos for that.

If you are running Windows then you need the software drivers (link has been provided by @StevieDvd. Detailed info is here https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/manuals/ASICameras-software-Manual-Windows-EN.pdf. If you are a Mac or Linux user then it should work straightaway. What is the other ZWO camera that you have? Some of them come with a wideangle lens and that should help you 'see' images. Otherwise you will need to attach it to a scope to get clear images. Without either of these you will be able to only see hazy patches of light and dark when you move your camera around. As you have ASI Studio click on the ASI capture software, it will tell you which camera is connected. You just need to click the connect button and set exposure and gain to Auto to see the camera in action. Good luck.

As others have said - mainly for lunar, planetary, splitting doubles and collimation (to get the airy disk, if you have a newt)

Take a look at this site too https://astrobiscuit.com/best-budget-telescope/

Great shot. And this is without a flatner?

Thats a beautiful image. I would love to see your image in hubble palette too.

Great image and as Olly said, it does look bluish on my screen too. I notice you have taken darks too even though you used the 533. Do you find that makes a difference to your final image?

It does have noise in it but doesnt detract from bringing out the squid. And as you said, it would need many more hours to swamp out the noise

Thats a lovely image. How many hours is that?

Nice shot. How did you stitch using Gimp. I have always struggled.

The way I understand it, flats are mainly taken to help correct issues as a result of artifacts in the optical train (eg. dust etc.). I find that the focus doesnt alter too much, if you havent altered the optical train, hence I literally take flats once every few months. If I do find residual artifacts after an imaging session then I know I should get a new set done. Perhaps its just me not being too particular and pixel peeping, but I dont find any great advantage by taking flats after every session as I cant visibly see any appreciable improvements.

Its a combination of fans and peltier cooling. So as the sensor heats up during imaging, the cooling kicks in to maintain the temperature. Having a lower outside temperature means that the cooling doesnt have to work so hard. Over and above the reasons mentioned above by others, one other reason folk prefer the cooled cameras is that its easier to take darks & flats. Hope this helps

I had purchased for my daughter who was interested in Astro. I didnt do much research at that time and chose the Celestron as I had heard the brand name. It was in my budget, came with an RA tracker, 10 year guarantee and had a few decent reviews on the site I purchased it from. We struggled for a bit with the stock red dot finderscope and thats when I bought the telrad. After that it was a joy to use and as a family we have enjoyed great views of the stars and planets. I even managed to get pictures with my phone attached to eyepiece (attached below). So all in all a decent beginner scope for the price. It does have its shortcomings but hey it has brought joy to my family and continues to amaze me even today when I manage to take images of DSOs with it (its on a much better mount now)

JWST is bringing them back in fashion 😉

And that can be said for questions on Imaging scope as well. You will see a definite leaning towards fracs even though the Newt is better value for money. 🙂

Does the camera come with spacers? Some of the ASI cooled cameras tend to come with spacers, hence my question.