AstroNebulee

Yes it's a good idea to play around with what you have first before you fall down the imaging rabbit hole. I started out with a dslr in az mode on my AzGti and had some very pleasing results. The 1.75inch steel tripod really is a must for serious imaging with the AzGti in EQ mode, but as before I dud use the supplied black tripod unextended for a few years and served me well. The steel one though really cuts down vibration and wind buffeting and helps guiding. The 2 mounts your suggested were the ones I was looking at too. Lee

Hi Your ED80 will be to much really for the az gti in eq mode, along with the length aswell as the weight. The 127 mak would be ok but with the focal length with the zwo 120 attached wouldn't be worth it for dso imaging. Best stick to az mode for the 127 and do planetary and lunar imaging with your zwo120. I don't think you include the cw when working out the payload capacity of the mount. Though I happily run a sw 72ed with zwo asi294mc pro for imaging, zwo asi120mc-s and guidescope, with asiair pro for imaging. This is slightly over the 5kg but I can guide at around 0.7 rms. All on a sw 1.75inch steel tripod as this makes it much studier. Lee

Great result! You coukd put the output image from autostakkert into a free piece of software called registax. This will enable you to sharpen and tease more definition out. Check the linear and gaussian boxes and moved the top (number 1)slider all the way to the right. Then tweak the sharpen and denoise values by moving up on the sharpen to increase sharpness or if to much noise and over sharpening you can put the de noise up a bit. It's a fine balance. Just don't overdo it else it looks over sharpened. Sometimes just moving the slider all the way to the right is enough. Then click do all and save. Took from the August sky at night magazine. I know this is on Saturn but I'm sure this workflow will work on lunar images too. Or just slide the slider 1 up as far as you think you need to sharpen. Lee

Sounds perfect to me. Plus you'll do a grand job at blending them in 👌

It'll be definitely worth the drive next time if you can stay for a while too, it's a long way but hopefully you'll be rewarded with amazing images. Those 2 trees in the distance look potential candidates for framing, if the farmer will let you. And thank you for your kind words 😀

Nice images and what a perfect location to image from Lee

I've just measured one of mine and it's 9mm of thread. Lee

Thank you Dave, that was good of you to try it on 3 different screens. I shall try your advice and take a closer shot of the lone tree next time or when it's next dry and not blowing a hoolsy as is at the moment. Thank you again. Lee

Thank you, it's much appreciated and I'm pleased you like the image too. Clear skies

Simply stunning Paul. That is such a magical image with Aurora and the windmill, I can see why you were dreaming about it. Now I'd buy that! Magnificent. I do really enjoy your posts and videos, I can't wait for the next one. Clear skies my friend

Thank you. That's good of you. I may lighten it up a touch. Lee

Thank you Paul that's very kind. I'm pleased you like Booted in the image. Like you say I didn't want to over busy the sky to much as it is mainly the tree and plough I was keeping a eyecatchers and now with Booted spotted. You don't think the image is a bit dark as I'm having trouble on various devices? Lee

Don't worry Paul I'm an idiot and probably went to husky and hot on the lens 😂. That's great to hear you've been out this week with your dslr this week, maybe Auroa captures? It'll be worth the wait you just do it in your own time and pace.

Thank you Paul. I wasn't quite sure of this process. I do like the colours of the stars in the plough and the double star Mizar. I have always seen this tree on the way back from the better views at Green Lane and thought, I'd love to try nightscaping it. I expect it's the only decent lone tree without LP in the village. I tried your tip of breathing on the lens to create a star glow but in my idiocity I just dewed it up even with a few heater. 😂I'll try again. Hope you are well and you've been out and about with your camera 🙏

A brief clear spell last week led me to dash out to a place with a very low northern horizon and I have always spotted this tree/bush and thought the loneliness of it would make a nice Nightscape and with Ursa Major flying over would give some visual to the sky. There were faint colours of Aurora low down before the dew built up quite a lot and the clouds fully descended. I light painted the tree with my head torch 4sec @3200iso and the sky was 10x13secs at 3200iso too. Taken with Canon 600D and Samyang 14mm f2.8. Processed in Sequator then photoshop. Lee

That's a good deal for 2 power packs.

Thank you. I saw M31 but that's a great spot on NGC 752 and M33 I never saw them in there before.

It connects via a 2.1 jack cable (I use a lynx astro silicone one) from the battery pack to the AzGti. This then pops into a little lens case pouch strapped to the tripod,to keep the dew off. Lee

I cannot comment on the cheaper versions of the talentcell battery packs but I use this one. Had it for a couple of years now and it's brilliant. It doesn't run out quickly at all (I've never had it run out, though I've kept it down to 4 hour sessions observing and planetary imaging. They don't lose much power and so portable that they go in your pocket. I thoroughly recommend these for AzGti users. Lee

Thank you Paul, that's lovely of you to say. I'm not sure if the building is to dark as I had to control it a bit and lots of devices and software show it differently. I thought if it was lighter it woukd look plonked on a background? But if you give it a click will brighten a bit. I did use a bit of artistic licence and removed the telegraph pole and wires that is on the right hand side behind the time office as I like the buildings to look how they were a long time ago. I'll attach an image of what the bell looked like that stood outside the time office. I remember you could hear that bell all across the village and was sounded prior to blasting the slate too, massive explosions that rang through the village. Regarding the Aurora it was just a shame that the Tuesday night was clouded out here. Will try again Your the inspiration that is getting me out there to try Widefield Nightscapes Paul 😊

Wow Paul. As I said in YouTube absolutely stunning, such clarity and details. You were really blessed during your holiday with some fantastic views and captures. So worth the effort on all of them and your quality shows through. A genius! The Cove View and From Granandella beach are my favourites. But all are stunning. Lee

This is the Delabole Slate Quarry time keeping office that was used many many years ago and now is bricked up and disused. There used to be to cone part of bomb that landed on a house in Delabole during the war, that was placed on a tripod suspended by a chain that the time office manager used to bang with a hammer to signal to the workers of the quarry to start work, dinner and go home. Taken on 13-9-23 before the village urchins and reprobates turned up. A composite of using the light painting technique for the building using my headtorch 10 sec at 1600iso F4. The sky was 10x13sec at 3200 iso f2.8 Taken with Canon 600D and Samyang 14mm lens Processed in Sequator and photoshop. This image is taken facing North to East and there seems to be a faint hint of aurora in the far background. Cheers Lee

Like I say the more gotos it does the more accurate it becomes. Make sure your mount is level too. If you can use a spirit level to level the mount and scope as the bubble level on the mount can be a bit off. It's beautiful down on the Lizard tho nor been in many many years. When it's right on your doorstep here you take it for granted. Lee

I am really enjoying reading your thread and how the whole project and garden have progressed. It's brilliant to see and you've worked so hard and it shows in your excellent garden and observatory. Lee