AstroMuni

Here is my quick attempt using just Siril using a cropped version of your image. As alacant said there is plenty more there waiting to be teased out.

It looks like the unmodded camera will filter out quite a bit of red 😞 (courtesy https://www.spencerscamera.com/astro-filter-options.cfm)

The red elements seem to have been lost/reduced here. Feel free to post your stacked Fits file here and folk can look at the art of the possible.

There are distinct advantages of using a camera - save the image, process in Photoshop etc. to enhance it, and the ability to see colour on fainter objects (eg. M42) But the charm of seeing visually is a very different feeling as you get a feeling of having done it with your own eyes!

Find a local buddy astronomer, get together and service your scope together 🍻

Thats a good shot actually. If you use a lower zoom you should get better images. Beginner scopes like yours (and mine) are not geared for taking close ups of the planets. My best phone images came out when using a 25mm eyepiece. Another tip is to set a delay of atleast 2 secs, so that scope and camera get a chance to stabilise from vibrations after you have pressed the image capture button.

I have the ASI224mc and happy with it. The only difference I could spot was the included wideangle lens on the ZWO. At the moment due to discount offered by ZWO these are cheaper than Altair

Wow! Its an amazing image. And when you zoom in to the nebula and increase the local contrast, it begins to resemble a rose more than a ring.

Have you tried the smartphone with an adapter? Here is what I managed to get sometime back with an iphone 8 attached to my Astromaster 130, so dont give up hope 🙂 Good luck!

I am assuming there is nothing between the camera and the focuser? i.e. Remove any diagonals etc. You could try using a barlow to increase the FL. EDIT: It looks like you meant that you need it to come further out, hence ignore what I said.

I buy the same and I wish their review of equipment could be a bit more objective (as in clearly pointing out the pros & cons). At the moment it looks like its almost like an advert for the particular equipment 😞 I am waiting for the day they become like the Ziff Davis ZD net publications of old.

I tried downloading to my Macbook Pro (M1 chip) and it works. Also managed to successfully launch it. I used the link posted by @LaurenceT

Welcome back. My advice, just go with what you have and know for now! Once you find that you have outgrown the capabilities of your camera look at purchasing the best that your funds will allow. I started with an ASI224mc as I didnt have a DSLR and used it for a couple of years. Its worked quite well and taught me a lot about AP. Good luck.

And before I forget, it was a pleasure dealing with @nephilim. Thank you Steve 🙂

I acquired my ASI533MC Pro from @nephilim last week and here are 2 images I managed to grab over the weekend. Love the camera and looking forward to learning to use it to its fullest capabilities. Images taken using the Astromaster 130EQ mounted on HEQ5 Pro, 30mm guidescope & ASI120mm. Images captured using Ekos on RPI and processing done in Siril. NGC5906/7 Splinter galaxy - 60 x 30s at unity gain, no cooling, darks or flats NGC6995 Bat nebula - 12 x 300s at unity gain, no cooling, darks or flats

Hi Ash, Cambridge astronomy association have quite regular sessions on astronomy and you could join them. Here is a list of previous talks with links to their Youtube http://www.caa-cya.org/catchup.php You also have https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-live and NASA broadcasts all their events so thats another source. I dont think you will find a single source to get all your requirements in one go 😞 Good luck

Thats a great image. Others have provided the choices available to you. I use the RPI to do all my imaging but with an astro camera. My scope is the bigger brother of yours, an Astromaster 130 and you can see my journey in my signature link.

Welcome to the forum. I have the bigger brother the 130EQ and the scope itself is not too bad, but I found that the mount was not ideal for AP, vibrating at the slightest touch. In the end I plumped for a 2nd hand HEQ5 pro. My journey is in my signature link. But my policy is get the most out of your existing equipment before moving on! So have fun.

Beautiful image @Thorney. I wish this was taken by me. And your raw data did give me a chance to practice my processing skills 🙂 in Siril and apply the local contrast suggested by Olly. Thank you

I use Siril. Its free and the tutorial is here https://siril.org/tutorials/tuto-scripts/ . Others who are users of DSS maybe able to help fix the problem.

If you join a local astro group, you will get to know the folk who are car pooling.

See if this article helps in your understanding https://www.edmundoptics.co.uk/knowledge-center/application-notes/imaging/understanding-focal-length-and-field-of-view/. The diagram explains it quite nicely.

Welcome to SGL. As others have said get the best mount for your budget. The next choice is of platform - windows vs Mac and/or Linux. The learning curve lies first in gaining experience of controlling your devices thro software and then the artistic bit of processing. Slightly more choice available on Windows at the moment but thats a changing landscape. Good luck!

Get it to the lowest value that will stick and proceed. After all the laptop is not going to lose time at such a rapid rate that the figures will be meaningless. Once you get the adapter you can perhaps just do another round of calibration. Enjoy the hobby in the meantime !

Thats a great image. The learning curve for processing is the next hurdle but once you get the hang of it, its apparently a breeze ....I am not close to that stage yet 😉