BS269
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Posts posted by BS269
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On 01/08/2020 at 08:20, feverdreamer1 said:
Visual will be extremely helpful when you get a gear for AP, it means spending less time on stellar maps or apps like Stellarium. Also, it's just really fun to picture something you know is there (but cannot see) and see it pop up in the camera. Simply extraordinary.
The image was a stack of about 10 images of 25 seconds each at f/3.5 and ISO 1600, I think. It was very lightly processed, but I plan on working on it again.
Hope this helps,
Clear skies!
I ended up buy a 12” skywatcher GoTo Dobsonian only a couple days after ordering the camera. I think this will probably end up being my only visual Scope as by the sounds of it, they are by far the best visual scopes (except for bigger dobs ofc) so hopefully I’ll learn my way around the sky as I use that.
The camera arrived on Monday, got it checked by a friend who’s a professional photographer for sensor scratches who doesn’t think there are any. It’s currently in a shop for a sensor clean and if that turns out okay with no revealed scratches then I’ve gotten very lucky! I got the camera, 18-55mm kit lens (autofocus doesn’t work but no problem for AP), camera bag, 3 batteries, 2 chargers and a lightweight tripod for £110. Touch wood everything goes well!
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6 hours ago, Snoani said:
I don't own a 550D, I have a different Canon, however, I would personally check Astrobin if you want to see images. Worked for me when picking a scope.
Literally just Google 550D Astrobin and is will give a lot of results. It'll give you a good idea about the type of images that you can take with the camera using different combinations of equipment.
I've have a quick look and it didn't take me long to find some nice images with a 70-300 Sigma lense.
I’ve looked on there before but never for pics from a 550D, I was set on getting the 600D for a while. Hadn’t thought about looking in there for the 550!
cheers
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11 hours ago, feverdreamer1 said:
Another 550D here!
I'm too a newbie in AP. I have some experience in photography and astronomy, but astrophotography is like learning a whole new subject. This forum will provide you very good information on any question you might have.
As for the modding part, I've not done mine yet, as I plan to use it for daylight photography too, but I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction.
The only decent photo I've managed for the moment (between recent pandemic and clouds I sadly haven't got much time to spare)is a wide field of the milky way at 18mm in a bortle 5 (closer to 4 than to 6):
The moon pic I attach is from a bortle 7 zone, that's why it's kinda washed out (I think, not really sure)
Any advice from more experienced users is much appreciated.
Yeah it does seem to be a hell of a lot to learn, I’m trying to juggle starting out in visual, AP whilst saving up and preparing for what gear I’m going to get. I’m seriously obsessed with this website currently though so I’m constantly learning things, even if they aren’t relevant to what I need yet.
that Milky Way shot is actually very useful for me, as I’m bortle 5, edging on 4, and was wondering what one of these images would look like. Is this one single image or a stacked one and post-processed? I Don’t really know what you mean by washed out but I think the moon pic looks great!
cheers!
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Looks like I’m going to be a new member as I’ve got a canon 550D after finding a nice bargain! Hopefully be here next week... I expect it will be solely used for astrophotography; deep space, planetary, and wide field Milky Way shots. I have the kit lens and I am going to buy a 75-300mm zoom lens to start me out with deep space photography, and I want to get it modded.
By the looks of what I’ve found, full spectrum mod is the best one, but then there is problems with using lenses with it. Is there any way to get around this? If not will just the IR removal work with lenses? If anyone has any other advice with this camera please let me know!
if anyone has any images with this camera they are willing to share, then please put it in here!
Cheers!
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Ahh okay nice! When I come round to retouching and doing the finderscope I’ll keep that in mind to do. Thanks for letting me know!
when I say a snug fit, I mean I have to give it a bit of force to shove it all the way in, so it is a very good fit, I think I even tested it upside down and it didn’t move. And that’s a big bulky baader Hyperion zoom mk iii.
i may give the motor a shot, I guess it is worth trying. But if it doesn’t I’m not really interested in fixing it. At least for now anyway; maybe one day when I’m more Experienced and fancy a challenge.
cheers!
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25 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:
nice!! Well done too on getting a new foot made for it, they're a nice stable setup and very solid. I see yours is the motorised model, hopefully that all works too.
My 1995 TAL-1 with manual mount is in fairly good condition with only a few marks in the original off-white but I'll maybe refurbish it one day too, once I've completed work on the TAL-M that is along with a couple other bits I'm fiddling with. I did replace the focuser on mine for the later 1.25-inch version and shifted the main mirror up the tube using longer screws and springs rather than cutting the OTA, might be a worthwhile mod later on.
I've also flocked the inside of the OTA on the TAL-M by using a sheet of acetate and applying the flock to that, to get a darker path to the main mirror, the internal of the OTA seems a touch greasy or unwilling to adhere to so this seemed an easier option and simple to revert from. I'll probably do the same for the TAL-1 at a later date but otherwise I find mine performs very well.
I was given the cables for the motor the other day but they don’t look particularly safe. I haven’t tried it but I don’t think I’m going too tbh. Maybe one day when I’m mentally prepared to face mains electricity (not for the first time) 😂
I have pushed the mirror forward by about 30mm, I just forgot to say! I haven’t changed the focuser though, just stuck some PVC tape in it so it fits my baader Hyperion zoom quite snug now. I will soon be buying an EQ6-R so I will fit the scope on there also whilst learning the mount and saving up for a bigger scope.
i probably won’t end up giving this set up enough time before upgrading, but I’ve spent that much time doing it up I won’t just be leaving it to rot again. Heard many people say the optics are good on this scope so once I get the collimation right I’m sure I’ll be blown away with the views!
I did spray paint the OTA Inside a Matt black colour but the picture doesn’t really show it. I did the best I could with it but I couldn’t reach my hand inside to do the middle so it is probably quite uneven and not fully covered. Never heard of flocking before what is it? Will the reflectivity of the inside affect the performance much?
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Been some time since I posted on here about my TAL-1 that I was going to strip down and refurb. Well here it is - got some before and after pictures for comparison... had many people say it looks like a old rocket launcher so thought I’d stick with the idea and go for military green colour!
Definitely gave myself a hard task giving my first ever telescope, made in 1993 (I think) new life. Haven’t done the finder scope and there are some scratch marks due to lack of proper storage and I was missing a leg, which I got made, so some retouching is in order. But overall I’m very happy it’s finally in full working order!
Gave it first light a couple nights ago. Turns out it has pinched optics. So need to get that sorted and make sure collimation is spot on, but I got some nice views of the moon, which was good enough for me! I gave Jupiter a shot and I think more accurate collimation is in order, but I’ll get there.
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On 08/06/2020 at 09:24, Astro-Geek said:
..That went down well... 🙂
I've found a work-around however.
My main wish to be able to run other planetarium applications through the SkyFi III was to enable me to use it through my PC, as well as my Android tablet.
...because SkySafari only runs on Android and IOS.
I've now discovered that my Android emulator on my PC (Bluestacks), runs SkySafari perfectly and connects to the SkyFi via wifi with no problems.
As it's also happy to run in a window alongside other PC apps, I can now use SkySafari to control the scope and Sharpcap to run the camera, on the same PC at the same time. 👍
Not only that, but the hand controller is still in the loop and can be used for manually nudging the scope whilst looking through the eyepiece.
....not only that, but the whole caboodle works with my Starsense autoalign for Skywatcher too, (with the SkyFi plugged into the Starsense's USB socket in the handset.)
At last (famous last words - again), I can run any of my goto mounts via my Android tablet or my PC and still have the hand controller operational.
I must admit, I'm really moving over to SkySafari Pro from Stellarium, the interface and display seem even nicer, and there's a lot more pro-active "suggestion" content for what to look out for at any particular night's viewing.
...and I've even now discovered that I can import my own panorama background into it too, just like Stellarium, so I can actually see when Planets are visible to my slightly obscured Southern horizon (nearby houses), when the ecliptic path is so low in the Summer.
I’m really interested in running everything via WiFi through my phone/PC, and from what I know (which isn’t much..) about skyfi and starsense this sounds like you’ve achieved it? I’ve just bought SkySafari 6 plus and it looks great, and connecting it to the skyfi III looks like a really straightforward way of using it for visual, which is what I’m interested in to begin with.
I will eventually go into AP tho, which I know requires a much more complicated set up. Do you do any AP and if so does your WiFi system work for it all? Such as autoguiding, camera control etc.
If the skyfi is useless for AP then I probably won’t get it. If it can be used I will almost certainly get it, unless there are better other WiFi options of course.Ben
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Thanks for the advice everyone! Managed to find a good shed 2nd hand which looks like it’ll do the job well, and for about 1/4 of the price from new!!
will still make sure I will buy covers and cases for extra protection, but will take some pictures once it is assembled!
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22 minutes ago, Craney said:
Depending on the security of your location, get a decent lock on it !!
My "shed-obsy" ( I won't copy-write that !! ) is only 10m from the house and so is more a staging post than a self contained unit.
It basically keeps the items that I need at hand...errr.... close at hand, and saves me running backwards and forwards.
Tripods are fiddly critters to move long distances , they take up a lot of house-space if the legs are spread, annoy the local management and with mount attached can be quite heavy.
I do run a powerlead from the house, but keep the 12vPSU on a shelf inside the structure just in case of a downpour.
I built this off the top of my head without too much planning, thinking about a "big door-little door" design. The big door opens up to provide a wind-break. the little door provides access to counter-weights, masks, bits and bobs.
Tanalised wood, good quality felt on the roof and try to ensure good drainage in the ground below the structure. ie support on slabs or bricks. Although only a shed, try to make allowance for moisture because on hot days, vapour will rise from any damp at ground level , get trapped inside and condense on the cooler metal of your kit.
Here are some pics of my "Mount-House" before I put the padlocks on it.
Hope this helps.
A good lock is a good point!! Generally where I live it’s a safe place but I will definitely be taking precaution on that sense.
nice little set up!! Mine will definitely be more of a workshop, as I’m looking for a 6’ x 8’ shed which allows me to have a table for scopes/accessories, somewhere to sit for any work to do or imaging, and some extra room for an eventual dob purchase. It then saves me going forward and backward by a lot less!
There is also a chance I can get mains power in there too, which would allow me to use an extension lead to power the mount instead of paying another couple hundred quid for a portable power pack. It would also allow me for potential heating in the shed, though I think my dad would kill me if I had a heater on 24/7 for telescopes!
I’ll keep in mind the shed details you suggested, I don’t want to buy the cheapest shed possible. I want to make sure it’s a stable environment for them. I’m thinking it might be worth looking at an actual workshop. Could have better storage options and potentially better weatherproof designs as well.
As I will most likely buy cases for the scopes and put accessories in containers, I guess it’s mostly the mount I’m worried about, as dismantling that entirely to fit in a case would take quite a while I suppose. Is it okay to just buy a cover for it? I’ll look to make sure the shed/workshop is well ventilated. Though I’m not sure how it can be this and water right as I don’t really want any windows (for safety purposes). I’m guessing insulation is a possibility but I want inside to be similar to outside temp, to reduce cooling times of telescopes.
i don’t know if I’m overthinking all this and a decent shed and covers/cases will suffice 😂
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Apologies, I know this isn’t about an observatory but I don’t know where else to put it.
I want to store my equipment in a shed as where I observe is about 35m from my house. Included in this equipment will be a brand new EQ6-R pro. I know I need to get it pressurised so it’s waterproof, especially as it’s quite windy and rainy where I live. Is there anything else I need to consider to make sure the equipment will be in safe and top condition? e.g. covers, shed extras etc? Please let me know what would be needed as I don’t want to spend a lot of money on stuff for it to get ruined!
cheers!
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When I was about 13/14 years old and wanted to buy a telescope, but I was recommended to buy a pair of binoculars instead, much cheaper and good to start out on he said. So I got a pair of 10x50’s and I loved them. The only annoying thing about them was that I couldn’t get a stable enough view with my hands. If binoviewers are a love or hate thing then I’m pretty sure I’d love them. I will definitely look for a way to mount my binos on the EQ6-R, if it’s possible. Talk about wide field!
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4 hours ago, Paz said:
Of the 3 scopes you mention, I would recommend not going for a newtonian. Setting up a 10" newt on an eq mount will be a major undertaking that will lose it's novelty quickly, and for visual the eyepiece will swing all over the place forcing you to do a lot of "scope-yoga" and rotating of the ota in the rings to be able to use it.
The 180 Mak and c9.25 force you to make choices about observing/imaging objectives. If you want to keep more options open, and there is a lot to be said for that, then the c9.25 wins (it's extra aperture is also winning). But I'm a big fan of maksutovs so don't tell anyone I said that!
If I was looking for something like this now I would be very interested in the classical cassigrain, the reasons being cool down time and that they potentially entail taking less of a flyer on quality control.
I agree I’m not fond of getting a newt for it. I think the CC and the C9.25” have similar focal length so they should provide similar field of view. If I could use a reducer on the CC that would be great, but without by the sounds of it I’ll get better planetary views.
the CC is my top choice right now, with the mak in 2nd place. Which one I choose between the 2 will depend on How much money I want to spend!
thank you very much everyone for the advice, really appreciate it!
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27 minutes ago, Paz said:
When the planets are low there's only so much you can do, but it doesn't mean they are not worth observing, just that they won't be as good as when they are higher. There will still be good and bad nights of seeing and with patience and perseverance you can get lucky on any given night.
You can also pick the times when they are at their highest to make the best of it.
...but a maksutov will still do things like lunar, doubles, and smaller/brighter dso's very well.
Good point.. even a planet at low altitude with a mak would still beat my best viewing experience on Jupiter I’m sure... so I don’t think I’ll be too disappointed with it 😂
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4 hours ago, mikeDnight said:
I'd say go with your heart! With the Mak you don't need complex eyepieces, so you could invest in a binoviewer and a good diagonal, so as to really get the best lunar and planetary views out of it. And even though the field may be narrower than a Newt', the Mak will still give some superb deep sky views.
I never considered a Bino viewer, do they really enhance the viewing experience that much? I’ll take a look into it!
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4 hours ago, Captain Magenta said:
7-8" is certainly enough for very good views of Moon and Planets. The two scopes each have similar aperture, and are both "centrally obstructed". The mak slightly loses out on both counts to the newt, likely not at all noticeable to the eye though, but maybe wins out in collimation quality. The mak should not need recollimating from its factory settings, whereas you will have to do the newt yourself, and regularly for the primary. If you're happy collimating a newt, then that's not a problem.
The newt is far more versatile at 1000mm, you can go very wide-field if you want: for example a 35mm eyepiece gives you 29x magnification. But the newt will be a bit more unwieldy. As to how the views might differ, the aperture etc being similar suggests the views mag for mag should be similar. I haven't done a side by side comparison of my two, they live in different places, but I might bring them together soon and compare them.
It sounds to me though that in your heart of hearts you really want the mak...
M
I’m not sure I’ll go down the Newtonian route until I get a dob. I was certainly leaning toward the mak, until someone has suggested the TS optics 8” classical cassegrain. Had a look at that and I’m very impressed by the look of it. Is about £300 more than a new 180 mak though but I’d be happy with either, as I think I’m getting a little greedy for my 1st “big” scope, especially given I’m not made of money and saving up for travelling next year 😂. If I see a second hand mak I will most likely snap it up, but if I decide to go that bit further with my money then I will go for the CC.
I’m pretty sure either way I’m going to be blown away with the view. My 2nd scope bought will be a small apo triplet for AP but hoping to also get some nice wide field views with that too. Can’t wait to finally get viewing!
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37 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:
The lower the object, the more atmosphere the light has to travel through, and the shimmering caused by the atmosphere is correspondingly worse. Have you noticed how stars near the horizon twinkle more than stars near the zenith? And the lower the object, the more the atmosphere disperses the light into colours, acting like a prism. This last can be fixed (reversed) using an ADC but the shimmering (=bad seeing) can't be fixed in an amateur situation. In past years I have obtained useful images with planets at altitudes of 12 degrees or less.
Planets near the horizon can also be blocked by buildings and trees. That's another issue altogether, but one you should check before investing £££'s. You can check the altitude of the planets at any given time using websites like this one: https://heavens-above.com/PlanetSummary.aspx?lat=52.0406&lng=-0.7594&loc=Milton+Keynes&alt=110&tz=GMT
and use a planetarium program in conjunction with what you can see in the southern night sky to estimate the height of any obstacles.
Or get up at 1 to 2 am this coming morning and take a look. 🙂
Sounds like it’s definitely still possible then! To be honest the most detail I’ve ever seen on Jupiter is Barely being able to make out the Red equatorial bands (is this the right name?) and even then I was blown away 😂 so there isn’t exactly much competition to beat.. I’m just being greedy for the best view possible.
sounds like an ADC is a worthy investment! And my views from where I observe I’d say are very good! There’s one tree that blocks a bit of my view but besides that I can see a lot of the sky in all directions.
thanks very much for this advice!
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54 minutes ago, johninderby said:
Can’t buy it in the UK but Telescope Express is a great dealer and delivers to the UK in about two days.
Not much needed in the way of accessories except of course for a diagonal and a finderscope. Don’t know of anyone using a reducer although an SCT type should work.
As it uses a crayford focuser that is an advantage for imaging and the fixed primary also helps and has a large illuminated image field of 45mm.
I stumbled across your thread of when you first bought this scope and I have to say you’re really selling this to me! Now you’ve had more experience with it would you still say it surpasses the mak 180? I was thinking if it was possible to use a reducer I could still get some wider field DSO Use out of it, with possible AP as well in the distant future. Does a reflector scope like this need a corrector?
This scope seems to be a nice mid-way between the mak and the C9.25 XLT.. take away the long cool down time and dew build up. And it’s currently £200 cheaper than usual.. if I had the money I’d buy it right now.
Does the scope have anywhere to put a piggyback mount on? I’d like to make more use of my tracking mount and do some Milky Way Photography too. I’ve seen a Celestron one but not sure if they fit all scopes.
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2 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:
Because it's a specialised scope with a small FOV? There is not much you can do about the planets being low other than observe close to meritian transit, and use an atmospheric dispersion corrector. I'd rate an ADC as an essential accessory this year.
Well I don’t know how much them being low down obscures the view. I don’t really want to get a mak and then the planets not even be worth looking at due to their position. I’ve just heard about an ADC though so maybe it’s still possible to get good views?
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2 hours ago, johninderby said:
Having owned a couple of C8 SCTs and now the 8” CC I do prefer the CC. As well as the far quicker cooldown and no dewing problems also has a fixed primary and a proper crayford focuser so no mirror flop as well as the Crayfords 1:10 fine focus. Holds collimation far better than an SCT.
I fiited a Baader Steeltrack refractor focuser which has loads of focus travel. 👍🏻
Looks like a great scope! Do you know which UK sites you can buy one from? Also can you still use a reducer in this type of scope? What kind of accessories would you say are necessary for either visual or imaging?
sorry for all the questions, this seems like a great option and just want to know more about it before making my decision.
cheers!
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3 hours ago, dweller25 said:
The big advantages of the CC over the SCT is that it has no front corrector so the scope will reach ambient temperature much faster which is vital for best planetary performance AND it will not dew up like an SCT does.
Also the optics are made from quartz which improves thermal stabilty.
Sounds good! I’ll definitely look more into it!
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3 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:
I can't explain that in a brief reply - you'll have to read the 'small print'. Performance is similar to a SCT but (for instance) there is no corrector plate to get dewed up. And the secondary mirror is hyperbolic (which used to be difficult to make but Chinese technology seems now able to do it affordably.) There are one or two reviews on this forum from guys who have bought one.
I’ll have a look for some reviews then, Sounds like a good scope though!
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43 minutes ago, dweller25 said:
You might want to consider the TS 8” Classical Cassegrain.....
This looks good! But I don’t fully understand the difference between that and an SCT, besides slightly longer focal length it’s fully reflective. Will it give better views than the SCT?
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1 hour ago, Cosmic Geoff said:
I'd go for the Celestron C9.25. I have read very positive reports of these, and suspect the negative reports could be over-fussy, or refer to older scopes made in years of poor quality control. By the 66% rule, £800-£850 seems a sensible price for a used one.
You could be adventurous and buy one of the new 8" Classic Cassegrains.
Or get the Mak 180, which by all accounts is an excellent planetary scope for its size.
I would not recommend a Newtonian, unless you really need to shave a few hundred pounds off your budget. The SCT has a much greater depth of focus, so there will be no problem attaching imaging accessories such as atmospheric dispersion corrector, flip mirror or filter housing. Not so the Newtonian where you may have as little as 20mm focus range to play with. Also the more compact SCT has an eyepiece conveniently placed that does not move around as much as that on the Newt.
At my location, the 'seeing' seems to be the limiting factor for planetary viewing or imaging.
How long ago was the years of poor quality control? Just incase I do go for it so I know what years to avoid 😂 I do like the versatility of the SCT, I was just very concerned about getting a bad one.
I haven’t considered a classic Cassegrain, and I know nothing about it. What are the advantages of one of these?
I am very interested in the mak but worried it’s the wrong time to buy one, given the position of the planets being low. Is there something to help improve viewing with this problem?
a big newt on a EQ mount I don’t really like the sound of if I’m honest. I always thought one day I’d get a nice sized dob and if I have one of them I don’t see the need for another big newt. I like the idea of a more compact telescope on the mount.
this is too hard of a decision to make. Could really do with winning the lottery right now..
The canon 550D club
in Getting Started With Imaging
Posted
How have you found the dual Astro/daylight mod? I would like the option of being able to use it for daytime, but it’s not the end of the world if not. It looked far too expensive for me initially, but if I just got the IR mod then in order to use it I’m thinking the addition of filter comes to roughly a similar price? I don’t know if I’d need to use a white balance filter for planetary?
do you have to use any filters for any photography purposes you do? Have you found any problems with this mod? Feel free to add more pictures as well I’d love to see them!
The capability for good planetary imaging as well is another thing that sold this scope for me. It’s something I’m very interested in. Also my photographer friend has convinced me to only use prime lenses, as they are generally faster aperture and much better quality. So atm my plan is to get the canon 50mm f1.8 and the Rokinon 14mm f2.8. Prime lenses at 200mm seem to be stupid money so instead I’m just going to buy some small Apo refractors instead. They seem to be cheaper, far better for AP and can use them as a telescope too! And I’m going to get either the star adventurer or the ioptron skyguider.