AstroMuni

Siril is not that good with planetary stacking. You could try PIPP and AutoStakkert or Registax. EDIT: Just read again that you are using the Mac so maybe a challenge getting these to work. I use Linux and PIPP & AutoStakkert work under Wine.

Lovely. Did you use a phone adapter?

If you look at the payload capacity on skywatcher website you can see that 250P weighs 12kg. And the EQ5 mounts can carry only around 9-10 kg. So straightaway this rules it out 😞 You would probably need to go for HEQ6 to allow for extra weight you are likely to add to the train (eg. eyepieces etc.)

I am sure vlaiv can provide a detailed explanation but In a nutshell the faster the exposure the less chances of capturing any disturbances contributed by atmosphere etc. So each frame is as crisp as possible and anyway we stack several hundreds of frames to get final image so the detail is not lost.

Another alternative is Siril (a free software) that has the stacking ability and image manipulation tools. EDIT: There is StarTools as well which doesnt have stacking capabilities but good post processing. And Affinity from Serif which has both.

Welcome to the club The process of setting up and learning to get that first set of images is a steep curve but once done, its more or less a repeat of doing the same steps. But in the case of post processing there are many more variables and the learning curve is far steeper as there is a lot of jargon to be understood too.

That is so very true. But I guess thats what keeps this forum vibrant and alive 🙂 After all its a complex topic and I can appreciate that not everyone can comprehend the full implications. When my kids used to ask me questions, I used to find it hard to explain the why aspect, even though I knew how to solve their problem.

Try this https://www.stelvision.com/en/telescope-simulator/ It shows realistic images of what to expect visually.

Have you tried the Live Stacking option available in the ASI tool. Some of the brighter objects will begin to show colour after a while. Orion nebula is one such object.

Which software are you using to do this? PhotoShop or Gimp - I am guessing?? There are several good tools out there that are made specifically for AP. eg. PixInsight, APP, Startools and Siril to name a few. I use Siril which is free and you can read the tutorial for that here https://siril.org/tutorials/tuto-scripts/

I should read the timing of the posts too 🙂

As others have said there is nothing to fix. But just to add to your knowledge - a barlow increases the focal length of the scope therefore you will get more magnification with the same eyepiece after attaching a barlow in front. Hence the 2x or 3x notation for them.

These days when we are using laptops, phones and other tech to tell us where we are pointing to, the dials that were bread and butter in the good old days are now there only to remind us of what their original purpose was

Thats one to frame and also send to one of the Astro magazines 👍

Try it out. If you still can see objects clearly you know its in good nick Fingers crossed for you. Good luck.

Could you post a picture of your mount? That would help us give more relevant advice.

Take a look under the area marked with a circle in this image. Its driven by a worm gear and sometimes the plastic covering on the scale can get tangled in it.

Simple answer is that tracking is following objects as they move across the sky and that speed is constant for stars and different for the moon. So your F ratio has no bearing on the speed. If you had the same eyepiece on fast vs slow scope all that would change is the FOV as someone has pointed out already.

Welcome to SGL I have the same scope. As has been already mentioned by Philip if you move it too far it locks. Another reason could be that the black knob that holds the axis in place is too tight. Suggest you loosen it, move the scope about that axis and retighten the black knob. Now try and see if the slow motion knob moves.

To understand EQ in simple terms all the stars appear to rotate around the NCP (Polaris is close). Therefore if the mount's axis is pointing to this NCP then a nudge along RA should get your scope to follow this trajectory. This article explains it very well https://www.spaceoddities.eu/2018/08/astrophotography-what-is-an-equatorial-mount-and-how-does-it-work/ The main benefit to achieving PA is that once you have latched onto an object, you should be able to follow its journey across the sky by nudging only the RA knob. And if you attach an RA motor then that will do that nudging. If you find your having to nudge both RA & Dec then your PA is not good enough.

You are not alone. I am in same boat 🙂

So in a way I guess we are saying that if there is a reasoning behind the colour scheme and it looks pleasing to the eye, then its an acceptable entry for a competition?

I am in agreement about the fact that we should all be able to achieve the 'right/true colours'. But what are your thoughts on the hubble palette? That isnt a true colour but is acceptable to many is it not?

I use a Celestron 130/650mm OTA so quite similar to your 130PDS. I had an EQ3 type mount and found it inadequate. After doing some research I opted for a secondhand HEQ5 pro and it has made a big difference. See link in my signature for my AP journey. Hope this helps you decide.

Hi CBear, I went through the same journey a few years ago with my daughter, so understand the challenges. I also didnt wish to spend much on a scope that might soon go out of favour as kids that age can change their tastes quite quickly. Here is what I did - I bought the Celestron 130EQ (very similar to the Astro Fi) and our journey started. As others have suggested join a local club and then you should have a few more folk who can teach your daughter on getting started. They might even be able to loan you a scope and you can try it first before you take the plunge to buy your own. At the end of the day what grabs your kids attention is the sheer joy of being able to point and see a glimpse of an object thats thousands of miles away and in the case of galaxies as many light years away! Kids are quick learners and soon you will find her teaching you how to do astronomy