AstroMuni

Its still available in 3.6.1

One more Kstars user here. Love it! You have the option of running - Kstars on the RPi itself and controlled via tablet/pc/phone - Kstars on a PC (win /mac/ linux) with indiserver on RPI/or an old PC running linux If you are going down RPi route then you have a few options there - install your own (if you are techie)/ astroberry/ Stellarmate. So take your pick 🙂

You have a very stable NEQ6 mount so you should be able to get 30-60s easily unguided. As you have the ASI120mc I would have used that instead of DSLR (without barlow) to capture M33. I have the same scope and here was what I managed to get using ASI224mc which has similar sensor size to 120mc. As I used 120s, depending on longest exposure you can get, you would need more images to get to this level of detail. Good luck!

Definitely in right direction. As others have said it would be useful to know what is goal of your project. Take a look at the free Siril software too. It has some tools in it to reduce background gradients etc.

Would like to add Kstars to that list. It has a great options that allows you to plan for the night, aids to star hopping & record your observations. I too prefer to use paper instead of the tool 🙂

For planetary imaging and the use of filters, I would recommend taking tips from https://www.youtube.com/c/RefreshingViews @MarkRadice the author is on this forum too

This is what got me interested. I am more into DSOs at the moment...https://satakagi.github.io/IR-imaging-of-galaxies-under-light-pollution/.

And the 150pds doesnt have that issue?

Just the aperture ....esp since I would like to try IR imaging

Sorry, didnt understand that bit. I am using a 130/650 scope at the moment and perfectly happy with the FOV with the ASI533. The Samyang is definitely on the cards but thats a separate parallel track 🙂 One of the reasons I want to stay with the reflectors is wider aperture and an ability to go down the track of doing IR photography. JWST has inspired me in that direction.

So are you suggesting I would get more bang for the buck if I opt for the 130PDS instead, and upgrade the belt etc.?

As this was equipment related I posted it here...but seeing the lack of response I guess it would be better suited for the imaging section 😞 @admin if you think this is more appropriate for Imaging section could you move it please?

Hi, I have some experience of doing AP with my Astromaster 130, ASI224mc/ASI533mc on HEQ5Pro. I have purchased the Baader MPCC Coma corrector and that should be arriving this week. The weak link is the Astromaster hence wish to upgrade. I DONT have an obsy so end up carrying the equipment in and out of the house. I have limited time to image due to work, lack of obsy and Clouds, hence need to make best use of the moments I get for imaging. So after a lot of reading (and getting confused) I believe I need to look at 6inch aperture. Anything larger would make it too heavy for the HEQ5. I have deliberately stayed away from refractors at this point in time. The choice that I have narrowed down to is between: - SW 150pds vs TS Photon 6 f5 (Chris from FLO tells me that TS has a better focuser) - SW Quattro 6 f4 vs Stellalyra 6 f4 (I would love to go for these but the question is what are the chances that it will lose collimation when I carry it in and out) I have restricted myself to look at products available on FLO at the moment, but open to suggestions. Need your advice please.

You can certainly get a scope in that budget range. Take a look at https://astrobiscuit.com/best-budget-telescope/

Did you get any further with this? I am also interested in these and couldnt find much info.

When you are doing astrophotography with a DSLR or astro camera you dont need an eyepiece. But if you are using a phone camera then you would attach it to the back of the eyepiece. You might need to add lenses in between (eg. barlow to zoom in or a focal length reducer to zoom out). Hope this helps.

My take on this starfield using the ASI533mc and Astromaster 130 on HEQ5 pro managed by Kstars/Ekos on RPi. 40x60s subs (no flats or darks) processed in Siril and star reduction done in Gimp. This was taken on Fri night when the moon was quite bright, lots of patchy clouds and plenty of dew. The fireworks galaxy is 22 million ly from us and is named so because of the number of supernovae that have been observed in it. There is plenty of coma around the edges and focus is not perfect, but I quite liked this image. Comments welcome.

Welcome! - Buy a second hand mount+tripod OR weigh down your existing tripod with sandbags/ milk bottles filled with water to dampen the vibration. You can hang these from centre of tripod by strong string/rope. The other option of building a Dob base (as mentioned by others) is another good option. - Get a Rigel or Telrad. I have the Astromaster 130EQ and I purchased a 2nd hand mount and Telrad. I purchased a HEQ5 as I was trying to get into AP, but for taking images with phone an EQ3 should be fine. Also purchase a decent Barlow for planetary work. I have the Baader 2.25x. Good luck. EDIT: You can get decent images using the milk bottle route btw. Here is a picture of the moon taken on iphone 8 attached to holder using that technique 🙂 Just remember to put a long delay for system to stop vibrating after you have pressed the button to grab the picture. I had set this for 2-5sec.

Stacking needs lots of RAM & Disk space. Compute power is also good to have, but if the other 2 requirements are adequate then a slower processor with less cores will just take longer.

Check how much travel is left on the scope (at the moment) when you reach focus. Then you can approximately work out how much extra distance you need to add/minus depending on equipment added. Thats the approach I took before I purchased my ASI224 for a scope that wasnt meant for AP (the Astromaster 130eq) @FLO a wishlist to add a calculator for focuser travel distance please 🙂

I think I understand, you are using the ASI224 with fisheye just to show us how it looks right? And not for actual AP! I was thinking why is he using fisheye to image? Duh 🙂 I have the ASI224 too and so very familiar with it.

And the 662 is the next gen, I guess. No amp glow.

I appreciate that you have concerns on security....You dont need to have cables running into your house, btw. If you have an external powerpoint then thats a good start. You have options of ethernet over powerline or a wifi extender. Laptop and you can stay inside. I use the extender option and sit in a position where I can see the scope through windows. Yes. Keeps the heat in. Any old cardboard box will do too

Have you considered the ASI224MC? Small sensor but great specs for planetary AP. Of the 3 you have listed the 662 would be better as it has faster frame rate which is good for planetary

Out of interest how & why are you using the fish-eye lens for this?