AstroMuni

It is still essentially using a camera to get an image. And you are NOT going to be at the end of the telescope but in front of a computer. So you can do platesolving to figure out which part of the sky you are viewing. No need for a starsense. Software like PHD2 can do the PA for you.

If you are going to be using it for astrophotography then you would have your guide scope etc. to platesolve and figure out the alignment. If you are going to use it for visual observation, you would need to set aside some space for you to view it Either way, I think there will be times when you will need to physically get to the scope and fix /realign manually. The finder (eg Telrad) can be a temporary fixture which you remove once all setup. So seems prudent to leave a but of wriggle room.

@bluesilver The Synscan Pro app on android has the option to show the position of Octans in Southern hemisphere. There is also an app called SynscanInit which can do the same. The developer is on this forum @monaghan

Thats one of the best tips I have seen! There is lots of info on adding a wedge to make AZ work like an EQ, but not much mention of the other way around 👍

You have hit the nail on the head 👍 Starsense at that stage would be overkill. Even if it lost alignment, you could realign using a couple of stars

Great video Chris. Its worth putting in a small section about the challenges of viewing from our urban homes and the weight considerations if you have to carry and setup your scope outside.

I have the motor for the 130eq and its a pain to use. Once you enable tracking you cant move the scope using the RA cable unless you disengage the motor (and unscrewing the nut to disengage in the dark is not enjoyable). And in some positions the motor just gets in the way of the scope. But I have heard that some folk have had success using it.

You mentioned there is no electricity at this site, so guessing you meant you cant carry a phone either. And I am imagining you reading this Atlas with a torchlight?

@Alan64 looking at your signature you do have a lot of scopes. I envy you 🙂

You could shine a torch at the opening. It just needs enough light so that its visible when you look through the hole.

May the force be with you next time, Andy 🙂

In addition to the books, Get an app on your phone such as Skysafari or Stellarium. BTW, what kind of finder does your scope come with? Older versions of the 130 (I have one) came with a hard to use red dot finder and made it frustrating for me. But newer ones have a decent one, I am told.

If you know which constellation the DSO is in, you could just set an alert for that. Or you could use the closest star too!

Welcome to SGL. Wow, that looks like a good collection. You should be able to see some beautiful views of the stellar objects. Here are a few quick pointers to get you started: - Read the manual and get to know the scope and eyepieces (ask questions here if confused 🙂 ) - Get an app on your phone (eg. skysafari) to help you quickly get around the sky - Get out there as often as you can and start viewing the sky using the eyepiece with lowest magnification (50mm or 32mm). Enjoy the beauty of what is out there! Its a joy to see the thousands of stars in a patch of sky. - Take a look at the planets & moon - Jupiter and Saturn are visible at night and Mars and Venus much later. - Join a local astronomy club - And last but not the least, you will read and hear that your scope needs to be properly collimated etc. Dont worry too much about it at this stage, unless you are seeing very blurry stars. Just enjoy! Have fun 👍

If its a new scope, suggest you speak to the vendor and get replacement slow motion cables. If you have spare screws which are a bit longer, I would try them out to see if they will grip

🙂 Cause thats the bit that goes ouch !

You beat me to it, John 🙂

Skysafari app gives you notifications for popular objects

As you have an older laptop and had issues with Stellarium, take a look at Cartes du Ciel too. Its not that pretty but its also not that CPU hungry. A lot of the folk here use ASCOM drivers as you get a lot more functionality and you can also do the polar alignment with it. Here is a good link https://www.lightvortexastronomy.com/tutorial-setting-up-an-equatorial-mount-on-ascom-with-eqmod-stellarium-and-cartes-du-ciel.html#Section3.2 HTH.

Theoretically you are right, it should be foolproof. But in practice there are challenges - Understanding the mount & how it works (manuals are not the best written either) and the fact that in urban areas we cant necessarily see all parts of the sky (sometimes not even the Pole star). This can be very frustrating during initial alignment when the mount wants to select a star in a corner of the sky and that part is blocked by a tree Ofcourse knowledge of the sky also helps esp when it offers a star for alignment and you havent got a clue which direction its in and to make matters worse, even if it slews to the star, you are unsure if its the right one! There are tools out there like StarSense which can help in this regard, but not everyone has these.

EQMOD is a driver for certain mounts. Other drivers are available under ASCOM for other mounts. Stellarium does offer a direct connection to the mount, the main difference is the way in which the cable from the PC connects to the mount. If using directly thro Stellarium, the cable needs to connect to the handset, which then connects to the mount (i.e PC -> handset -> mount). But if you use an EQdirect cable then you would connect directly to the mount and control using ASCOM drivers.

Ha ha... I use a spectacles cord and that way I can remove the tray altogether

I love it....and only wish I could get things so cheap in the UK 😞

Adding to what Pixies has said - as the model you have chosen is the short version it can be used as a collimation cap. With the longer versions it would obstruct your ability to see all the way to the mirror clips, hence need a separate collimation cap (if it doesnt have the detachable kind)

I use this app quite a lot on Android and love it. Thanks FLO. I have a feature request - that when the cloud coverage is below (say 5%), the colour is shown a deeper blue and black when its 0. Would make it more user friendly 👍