Spider-Man

Cool!

Cheers!

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

I have Solar PV panels on my house so all electric is solar when the sun shines, so charging any sort of portable power tank isn't a problem.

I'll definitely look into the cost of storage; deep cycle batteries Vs the more fashionable Solar generators.  I've also seen some Lithium based mobility scooter batteries on eBay which might do the trick as well. 🤓

Cheers, will do

Cheers, I'll look into it.

Hi, I'm interested to know how people power their Mount and telescope accessories (dew heaters, cameras, etc.) when out on location.  I've seen mixed reviews of the Skywatcher/Celestron Power Tanks 7 & 17Ah battery packs and was wondering if anybody has any experience using Solar Generators like the Allpowers 372W Solar Generator or similar, which contain Lithium Polymer battery packs.  The Lead acid type Battery packs have their limitations and it would be nice to power the mount on electricity derived from solar power.

https://www.youtube....h?v=4C4yp4-aL_I    

or search Amazon for Solar Generators, and you'll see various alternatives

Any advice or constructive comments welcome.

Peter P.

Hi all, as a complete beginner, who is gradually getting some kit together, the question of which Polar Alignment App I should get for my Android phone is exercising my mind.  Looking at the android play store there seems to be a myriad to choose from, which do members recommend & why?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to get a reasonably portable goto mount for a William Optics Z103 refractor, I'm just starting out but, my main interest is astrophotography.  My budget is limited.

I spotted the Explore Scientifice exos2-gt with pmc-eight goto system, which looks like quite an elegant solution, as it does away with the need for handcontroller & separate computer, everything being controller by an app on a tablet, and wondered if anybody in the forum owns this mount system and what they think of it's performance & usability?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to get a reasonably portable astrophotography set-up, using a 60-100mm refractor, with a suitable goto mount.  I spotted the Explore Scientifice exos2-gt with pmc-eight goto system, which looks like quite an elegant solution, and wondered if anybody in the forum owns this mount, and what they think of it's performance & usability?

Thanks for all the info.

Hi I have an opportunity to acquire for visual imaging, a 2nd hand (manufactured 2000) Russian TAL1 reflector telescope for about £60.  Is this a reasonable price,?

Being new to astronomy & not currently owning a telescope I've no idea whether TAL is a quality product, so I'd welcome your thoughts.

Cool, & thanks

Sky-J, thanks for the info

4 hours ago, vlaiv said:

From what I've read so far in this thread - I think it would be best if you started with your goals and expectations and build on that.

In the first post you said your interest is in AP of galaxies and nebulae.

With full frame sensor and small refractor there are in fact just a couple of galaxies that are good fit for that. M31 - our closest neighbor and M33. Such setup is very wide field (nothing wrong with that - as long as you know it will be).

For that reason, maybe best thing to do would be to go to:

https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/

And check out some targets with scope of your choice and build on that.

For example - Let's take famous pair M81/M82 and see what sort of FOV can you expect if you use 70mm scope with FF/FR and your camera:

You see that small smudges in the center? Those are galaxies that you will be imaging.

Btw - these specs you should use when working with above field of view calculator - 4.88 um pixel size and 7360 x 4912 resolution with custom camera as Pentax K1 is not in database:

Ok. Once you have that covered and decide on best FOV - or Scope to match your camera - then you have further parameters for choice of your mount:

up to few kilograms of gear (that means 3-4) you can go with Star adventurer or AzGti mount in EQ mode - this is really suited for small focal length and scopes up to 70-80mm that are light - wide field imaging - but are highly mobile platforms.

Eq3 - Eq35 class mount is still good for wide field imaging and scopes up to 5Kg (maybe up to 6Kg on Eq35).

Eq5 you can push up to 8kg.

Heq5 you can use with - 10-11Kg of gear.

As you go up in "class" of mount - mobility goes down as bulk and weight of mount go up. But if you want to work with longer focal lengths and get close up images of targets - that is really requirement.

EQ6 type mount is really heavy. I've got Heq5 mount and it is manageable - I set it up every time and tear down and it is a chore, no question about it.

If you need mount in Heq5 class and have the funds - there are other lighter options available if you put high value on mobility and plan to image from remote locations. Have look at iOptron mounts like

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ioptron-mounts/ioptron-cem40-center-balanced-equatorial-goto-mount.html

Btw - if you see mount weight limit - use about 60-70% of that as weight limit for imaging. For example Heq5 can hold something like 15kg and indeed I've mounted close to that weight on it but for smooth operation you really need to limit the weight on it to 10-11kg

Mount is the most important thing in AP.

 

Valiv, thanks for the comprehensive advice I'll definitely check out the astronomy tools page to ascertain what sort of telescope size is appropriate.

Hi Len1257, I live in Barnstaple North Devon, in a quiet close on the edge of town, which has reasonably dark skies at night and no streetlights.  However, Exmoor national park (A national Dark sky reserve) is literally 5 miles up the road.  There might be mileage in getting something like the SW EQM 35 Pro, which i understand is lighter than the EQ5 but can be configured as a camera tracker with greater load capacity than the Star Adventurer.  decisions decisions!

Xsubmariner, I agree everything thing I've seen and read suggests that the WO telescopes are amazing, good quality products and things of beauty.

Thank you all for your welcoming messages & messages of advice, it's going to be an interesting new hobby. 🤓

1 hour ago, Xsubmariner said:

I have TS, Altair and WO triplets which are all very good. There is so much choice today which is daunting at first but great as none of them are bad. Enjoy the journey.

Are modern APO telescopes like modern DSLRs, they're all quality products, just offering a slightly different feature set?

18 hours ago, happy-kat said:

Hi

Some galaxies are quite big so if you've any nice prime lenses I wouldn't rule them out.

What mount are you intending to used your gear on?

Hi,

I'm torn between getting a beefy goto EQ mount (SW EQ5 or similar) or going down the more portable tracker route (SW star adventurer, iOptron Sky Guider pro, or similar) haven't really decided, what would be your recommendation & why?

Any advice gratefully received.

7 hours ago, rwilkey said:

Hi Peter, a good place to start is to buy a book called 'Making Every Photon Count' by Steve Richards, it may save you from making some expensive mistakes, found here: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html

Cheers

47 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Using full frame sensor is going to be an issue as not many scopes are fully corrected for that format - especially smaller scopes.

Are you limited by your mount in some way (star adventurer or AZGti or similar?) - if not - look at 80-100mm range of refractors with good field flattener.

I have TS 80mm F/6 APO and it is indeed very nice little scope. With Riccardi reducer you will get nice F/4.5 scope and about 360mm FL - however, for imaging of galaxies I would choose something with a bit more oomph - maybe this scope:

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p11871_NEU--TS-Optics-PHOTOLINE-115-mm-f-7-Triplet-Apo---2-5--RAP-focuser.html

I linked that one on purpose (there same model without discount price) - because I believe discount price is worth having since these are supposed to be showroom models at lower price. One of member recently purchased one and impressions were good (search the SGL - there is topic about it).

Hi, do you know if TS have UK retailers, if so i'll check them out?

1 hour ago, Floater said:

Just read something about a new launch of StellaMira scopes that might fit the bill! 🙂 (See FLO post.)

thanks, i'll check it out

9 minutes ago, Floater said:

Welcome. Definitely ‘a good place to start’.

Hope you have lots of fun on the journey. 🙂

So do I, astrophotography seems a natural expansion of photography hobby which i already enjoy.

30 minutes ago, carastro said:

Welcome to SGL.  You have come to the right place for advice and you look as though you might have already investigated what equipment to buy.  But if you are not sure please ask before you make an expensive mistake, especially regarding the mount.

Photographers often have a bit of a shock when they try to get into astrophotography, as it is far more complex than they had expected.  But it's a great hobby once you get the hang of it.

Carole 

I appreciate that the mount is just as important as the telescope as stability is key for taking quality images.  I'm torn between getting a substantial tracking EQ mount (SW EQ5 or better) or, getting a lighter more user friendly and portable set up like a SW Sky Adventurer or iOptron Sky guider pro set up. I'd welcome your thoughts. 

Hi, I'm keen to buy a small good quality refractor primarily for astrophotography of galaxies and nebulae.   I'd like to use my Pentax K1 full frame DSLR with the telescope.

Reviewing YouTube & Google the; Altair Astro 72 EDF deluxe & William Optics 71GT look like they might be good models to go for.  I'd welcome the community's views on both, and any other alternatives people recommend.