Stickey

I agree with the advice you've had so far. There are multiple options for you and which one is best, only you can decide. A couple of things to consider in your search for what to pair with your camera. The first thing is that it's a camera and the fixed size of the sensor affects the angle of view that you'll get with whatever you attach it to. It's not like changing an eyepiece to change the angle of view. The 2nd thing is that the other parameter in angle of view is the optical component's focal length. These 2 aspects constrain the angle of view that you'll get with the combination. I once tried to image Mars with an APS-C camera and a Skywatcher 200PDS with a focal length of 1,000 mm. I got a microscopic dot. I learnt a lot from that embarrassing incident. I can get the whole of M45, the Pleiades in the frame with my 72ED, 432mm f.l. refractor, but only part of it with the same camera and the 200PDS, 1,000 mm f.l. reflector. Similarly I can get the whole of the Moon with the 432mm f.l. refractor, but only part of it with the 1,000mm f.l. reflector. So, you're question of what's the best for your camera is highly dependent on what images you'd like to see. The 127 is a Maksutov-Cassegraine design, which has a longer focal length and suited more to planetary astronomy than deep sky. It requires good alignment from the mount at the start to ensure your objects don't drift across the frame while you're imaging. But I've seen gorgeous images of constellations and associated Deep Sky Objects taken with a camera and good lens on a tracker mount. I have a Sony a5000 and I love it and I use the right optical component depending on what object I want to image and that, my friend, only you can decide what will interest you more BTW, Ian Morison is a good friend of mine, I've learnt so much from him. I totally support the advice to read his Astronomy Digest

It might be that the instructions cover the mount as well, but the image is definitely for a different scope. It seems that Maggie has a half decent scope for a fiver. The scope is a 114mm (4 1/2") REFLECTOR, not a refractor. That's a lot more aperture than 60mm. The mirror seems reasonably clean, but the issue is whether the mount can be sorted. It seems to be missing its legs, but it's difficult to be sure what it needs until the whole thing is laid out and a picture or 3 taken. If you can arrange that, Maggie, then the good people on here will be happy to offer advice on where to go next

...It would be far more useful for him to spend some time getting used to the kit he's got then spending 15 quid on a smartphone adaptor and seeing what results he can get with his current set up... I agree. My first scope was a very similar set up, albeit with the EQ3-2. It was amazing what I could see with it. The OP's setup is a very respectable one and should give them years of enjoyment, so no need to rush out and replace it at significant expense. I retro fitted the pertinent motor drive to my mount and had some quite satisfactory results with a mobile phone adapter for exactly the same reasons as the OP - to have something to show friends and family what I could see. As with all astrophotography, you do need some control over the camera, so it will depend on which phone and whether there are any camera apps available that extend the level of user control. Mine was a Samsung Galaxy which offered some manual control as standard and there's a Open Camera app for other Android phones. I'm pretty sure there's an app for Apple phones too. Phones won't show what a DSLR or astronomy camera could do, but they'll provide a decent image similar to what our eyes would see through an eyepiece. A phone adapter costs about £20, a modest expense to provide the OP what they want, the ability to share what they see. It will also encourage them to get to know their set up well and to try to use it to is best extent. And simply making a drawing of what you can see is also a very cheap way of getting to know the night sky and having something to show others.

All my astronomy gear is kept in the house when not in use. The telescopes are kept temporarily in the unheated dry front porch overnight to dry out after a session. Longer-term, the RVO wide-field refractor is kept in the flight case in which it came and the SW 200P-DS is kept in the porch, open end downwards, covered in a large plastic bag, with dessicant sachets on the rear of the 'scope. The mount and tripod dry out in the hall and then stored in their shipping boxes. Apart from the 200mm, between sessions, it's all kept in "dad's junk room", much to the chagrin of my better half. 😏

Welcome Bogmonster from a fellow Irishman. Best views I've ever had of the Perseids was from my uncle's house, with a panoramic window looking over Lough Swilly. They just kept coming. Enjoy your new 'scope.

Isn't that random movement a known issue with AZ/GTis? Maybe there's a known solution, or at least a known cause?

Sounds like loads of fun ahead for you both but have you considered a pair of binoculars to get you started? Cheaper and great for spontaneous "grab 'n go" observing, which is always good for impatient youngsters. Not so good for pointing at a specific object and letting someone else can quickly jumping in to have a look. As for telescopes, previous responder has asked what type of objects you'd like to view? There's an element of horses for courses when it comes to telescopes.

Welcome to SGL, you're among friends. We in the UK know all about being frustrated by clouds, we share your pain 😉. Hope you have clear skies soon 🤞

Hello and welcome. Getting into imaging is another stage on the great adventure game that is astronomy. Enjoy the ride. 🙂

It might be worth checking the manual of your camera to see if it supports Region of Interest (ROI). This is a common feature of astronomy cameras that allows to to select a smaller area of the sensor to capture with. That has the effect of making the target look bigger in the resulting image at the expense of resolution. Capturing video and stacking the frames can counter that to some extent and it's mainly used for planets. It's of no value for DSOs, where resolution is important.

Hello and welcome to SGL. I how you'll have a lot of enjoyment in astronomy. But to help with that, before you spend any money, feel free to ask for advice from the many friendly people on here. 🙂

Not quite as bad, but I managed to leave the mount head at home when I was trying to set up at a dark site. 30 mins each way 😳

Hi and welcome to SGL. Let the adventure begin🙂.

You can get camera sensor cleaning wands from the usual well known online retailers. They should be specific to your sensor size - APS-C, Micro 4/3, Full Frame etc. They're like miniature spades but the blade is soft and acts like a gentle scraper on the sensor. They're intended for use on sensors that still have some form of cover glass over the actual sensor, not for direct application to the sensor itself. I've used them on my unmodded Sony a5000 along with a Jeweller's Loupe. After a 1st cleaning attempt, it was only with the loupe that I was able to see the microscopic grains of dirt that resisted the initial efforts. I then used Baader Wonder Fluid and cloth with the wand to ensure even spread over the window and that pretty much sorted it. I'm now obsessive about making sure I don't let dust into the camera body when changing lenses or attaching it to my telescope, but I have a cleaning technique that seems to deal with most dust so far. Hope that's helped. Mike

Hi Shontay7, Congratulations on your new telescope, I'm sure it will give you many years of enjoyment. Your eyepieces are pretty standard for such a 'scope and you're right, they're OK, but not really the best. The challenge with small targets like Mars is the magnification you need. For planets, you want to be in the x200 range. Your 130mm 'scope is f/5, which means its focal length is 650mm. With your 10mm e/p that gives you x65 and with the Barlow is goes up to x130, not quite high enough for Mars. The problem will be that to get a good planetary e/p, e.g 5mm or less, it will cost nearly as much as your 'scope in the 1st place. Similarly a good Barlow. Also, higher magnification creates problems with focusing and finding. The tiniest touch in the mount makes the image jump around like a ping pong ball in a fountain. Bigger planets like Jupiter and Saturn are easier, but the latter is too low from the UK now. Just enjoy astronomy with what you've got but be realistic and don't try to compare it with a 'scope costing many times more. Mike

A salutary lesson for all of us. Sorry to hear about your misfortune Paul M. I keep all my image data, including processed images, on an external SSD - quickly ran out of space on the laptop 😳 - and I have a separate HD that backs up both the laptop and the SSD on separate runs. I've heard that professional photographers will have 3 independent backup devices, ruggedised ones if they're out in the field a lot. Mike

Hi and welcome to SGL. You're in good company, let the adventure begin. Mike

I have an Omegon MiniTrack 2 that I've used to good effect. I just need to carry my camera, tripod and MiniTrack. Pros: No need to carry a battery pack to a dark sky site; get multiple "charges" by simply winding it up again; lightweight; simple; cheaper than the battery ones Cons: doesn't last the full hour, 45 mins more realistic; need to realign the camera to the target each time it's wound up; basic kit doesn't include a ball head for the camera, but one is necessary (in addition to the one on the tripod). Hope that's helped. Mike

Hello and welcome to the wonderful adventure that is astronomy. I how you have a great expertise with your telescope. Mike

In principle you could achieve some decent AP, the Orion nebula springs to mind at this time of the years. But as the previous responder implied, it depends on your mount. AP needs a tracking mount . With a focal length of 750mm, the least bit of relative movement of the stars across the sensor will cause star trailing and blur the image. On the plus side, once you have a tracking mount, you can also capture nice wide field images just using the camera and normal lenses.

Beautiful image 👏

I echo previous comments, you can make a good start with the kit lenses. I've done exactly the same, but for a tracking mount, I started off with an Omegon MiniTrack on a standard photo tripod. It's clockwork and cheaper than the usual camera tracking mounts and I picked it up from one of the astro market web sites. Not as good as a proper tracker, but doesn't need batteries or power supplies and got me started.

Not bad at all 👍

Club mate of mine tried last night found his mount wouldn't work, but he'd left the tripod out earlier in the day and it was frosted up by the time he attached the mount head. UPDATE: The problems continued in the warm. It looks like the mount is playing up.

I use an Asiair pro and it's brilliant. It removes any pfaffing about with various pieces of s/w and just works. I'd rather spend my time fighting to get the best image than with the software. Once I'm mechanically set up, I can be polar aligned and bang on target and imaging in 10 mins. No, it's not as flexible as a pc, but for getting up and imaging fast, it's hard to beat. The original ASIAir doesn't do planetary, the ASIAir Pro and the Plus do. The latest v2 of the firmware gives much better control over planetary video. I'd suggest getting one 2nd hand and enjoy your recent acquired set up. JMHO