Celestron4

I've been using some electrical tape to hold the zoom - I can't lock it so it's necessary to get any images at all. Even with it taped it still shifts a bit between imaging sessions which have been a bit sporadic recently due to bad weather. If I was to future-proof myself and go for a small refractor (probably 300mm ish - I would like to be able to photograph M31, NGC7000 etc without needing to worry about mosaics if I can) are there any in particular you think I should be looking at?

I am looking at options for upgrading my astrophotography setup and am unsure what my next steps should be. I am currently using a Tamron 18-400mm zoom lens attached directly via a dovetail to my Celestron AVX mount. I have got some good images with it but have found it limiting with the lack of guiding and effectively being restricted to only one nights worth of imaging due to the adjustable focal length. Example image: https://www.astrobin.com/574wgj/ I have a couple of questions and would be grateful for some advice. 1) Is it worth sticking with the current setup and looking into a dual bar setup to allow for autoguiding or am I better off replacing it with a prime lens or small refractor? 2) I have an Altair 60mm guidescope which I have been using with my Celestron C6 SCT. Could I use this for guiding the lens of would it cause additional issues? 3) If I was to look at upgrading the lens, would I be better off getting a Samyang 135mm F2 lens or a small refractor (Altair 60 EDF, Skywatcher Evolux 62, etc.)?

Has anyone got any thoughts on the Skywatcher Evostar 72ED or Evolux 62ED for Deep Sky imaging? They seem like great scopes at a very reasonable price. Also, I have a Celestron Nexstar Evolution mount that came with my C6 SCT that I am considering selling. What would be the best way of going about this?

I currently use a 6" SCT as my main imaging scope and am having some significant issues with vignetting and fairly nasty gradients. I've attached a couple of images as examples below - the first is an unprocessed single exposure and the second is the stacked and edited version. I know my flats could be better but still have a feeling that it is a limitation with the scope and may not be easily resolved. Does anyone know of any work arounds? Imaging scope - Celestron Nexstar Evolution 6 Mount: Celestron AVX Camera: Canon EOS600D (+ Celestron SCT T-adapter) Celestron f6.8 reducer/flattener

I was looking at the Skywatcher ED Pro range and William Optics Zenithstar 73 (so £500 ish budget, if it helps). Are there any others that you think I should be looking at?

Thank you very much for the advice, I'll definitely have a look at how much others are selling it for. I've been considering changing the telescope for a while - it's great for photographing galaxies but its large focal length is somewhat limiting when it comes to larger objects (M42, M31, IC1805, etc). I've been looking at refractors as they seem to be the most versatile for deep sky astrophotography but finding one that fits my limited student budget has not been easy. Do you have any thoughts?

I bought a Celestron Nexstar Evolution 6" telescope when I first started Astrophotography (5ish years ago) and have since upgraded to an equatorial mount which made a significant difference. I still use the SCT telescope itself but no longer use the Alt/Az mount that came with it and am now considering my options for what I can do with it. It is in good condition and was only used for a relatively brief period of time before I upgraded to an equatorial. I would be grateful for any thoughts or advice as to what my best options are at this point. If I was to consider selling it how would I go about doing this and how much could I expect to get for it? Is it even worth selling it at this point? The other option is to use it as an alternative to a Skywatcher Star Adventurer type mount as I have a DSLR and telephoto lens already. Is it even worth considering this?

Thank you very much for your help! Seems like it’s worth spending a bit more on the telescope. Is the Altair 72 EDF the WO ZS73 equivalent? Looks like a good price (£499) but out of stock at the moment.

I am looking at replacing my 5yr old MacBook Air and am stuck as to whether I should go for the MacBook Air or the 13inch Pro. I would be using it for editing my images (often 80-100mb file size) on photoshop when I manage to get the telescope outside (not as often as I would like to, British weather and University work gets in the way). Which of the two is the better option?

Thanks very much for the help. The ZS73 seems like the best option for a reasonable price (looking at FLO). I’ve heard similar things about the dovetail on the 72ED (possibly being too short to balance properly?). On a side note, I am currently borrowing a friends astromodified Canon EOS 600D which has worked quite well but will need to return it at some point (likely the end of the summer). Looking at cheapastrophotography.com there are quite a few to choose from, are there any in particular I should be looking out for? The other option is to move towards one-shot colour cameras which is the best to go for on a limited budget?

I am looking at buying a new telescope but have not yet decided on what to go for. I am mainly focused on deep sky Astro photography. My current 6” SCT works well for imaging galaxies but it’s large focal length (940mm with the Celestron f6.3 reducer/Flattener in place) is somewhat limiting for larger targets like M31, NGC 7000 (North America Nebula), NGC 1499 (California Nebula), etc. I am therefore looking at a telescope that is able to provide a decently wide FOV (with a modified Canon EOS600D or similar) to image these targets while having a large enough focal length to allow me to photograph some smaller objects such as NGC 281 (Pacman Nebula), NGC 7380 (Wizard nebula), etc. The best options seem to be the Skywatcher Evostar 72ED Pro, Skywatcher Evostar 80ED Pro or William Optics Zenithstar 73. Which one is my best option? I know I’ll need to get reducers/Flatteners either way. My budget is around the £500-600 mark, I don’t mind doing a little bit over that and am hoping to go for a refractor if possible.

Thank you very much for the detailed reply! My DSLR is modified and does pick up a lot of the red is this helps. My skies are a bortle 4 (according to the clear outside app but shows as nearer to a 5 on the light pollution maps). Couldn't you use the filtered images as luminance data - isolate the red and green channels in photoshop and apply them to an unfiltered RGB image?

I have a Celestron Nexstar Evolution Alt-Az mount which has sat unused and picking up dust for the last year or so. I moved to an AVX equatorial mount so have had little need for it. Would it be worth keeping to use as a tracking mount for a DSLR (Imaging the milky-way etc.)? Would the EQ Wedge be required to get long enough exposures? Or would I be better off selling it? If so what could I expect to get for it?

In terms of focal length, ideally wide enough to get decent images of larger targets (M31, NGC1499, NGC7000) without having to worry about creating mosaics (I’ll have a go at some point but don’t have the time or enough clear nights at the moment). From what I’ve read refractors tend to be best for image quality but can get hugely expensive. What would be my best bet? A focuser is a good call, I might look into that but will depend on the telescope. I’m basically aiming to get my setup in a position that I can set it up leave it running (when I have clear nights) to maximise available image time and to avoid lugging a lot of heavy equipment inside during the early hours of the morning if at all possible.

Also worth adding, I’m looking at automating (in a loose sense) my setup a bit to allow me to leave it running overnight. The DSLR can be powered with an AC adaptor and I might move towards using a Raspberry pie to run the imaging setup. Is there anything that stands out as potentially helpful to achieving this?

I have been thinking about a wider field telescope and wondering whether it might be a good idea. The mount does the job at the moment but could a shorter focal length scope help get more out of it? Would the Optolong L- Enhance be a good option in terms of a tri-band filter?

As I am now coming to the point in the year that University finished for the summer and I can finally turn my attention back to astrophotography, I figured that it might be a good time to spend some money on new equipment. My current equipment: Celestron Nexstar Evolution 6 SCT (with celestron f6.3 reducer) Celestron AVX mount Altair 60mm guidescope and GP-CAM 130C guide camera Canon DLSR (modified EOS 600D) What would be best to spend some money on? My budget is limited (ideally around the £500 mark, I know this isn't very much) and I would ideally like to keep the SCT if possible but would be open to any suggestions for telescopes if the SCT is a significant limitation (I have had collimation issues earlier in the year). I have bortle 4 skies (light pollution is noticeable from nearby towns) if this is any help. I have attached an image of NGC7380 captured with my current setup. It may be slightly over processed but would be interested in any suggestions on what I need to improve it!

Thanks very much for the advice! The filter would mainly be to deal with the moon rather than light pollution. Could you not also produced HaRGB images by separating out the Ha from the OIII?

I am looking at filters to be able to improve detail and contrast in my images and have my eye on the Optolong L-eXtreme/L-eNhance. I am using a Canon EOS600D DSLR attached to my telescope. I have Bortle 4 skies if it is any help. Which would be the best to go for?

I am currently having issues with my Celestron Nexstar 6 SCT. My collimation is a bit offend has led to odd shaped stars in my images of M42. I have tried to rectify the issue but am still not convinced its quite right. Should the shadow of the mirror (dark circle) move as you move the across the field of view or has something gone horribly wrong with my optics I am also looking at getting a wider field telescope to allow me to image objects like IC1805 (Heart Nebula) without having to worry about musics for the time being. My budget isn't huge (ideally below £500). Are the Skywatcher Evostar 72ED /Evostar 80ED worth looking at or should I be looking at something else?

I would power the DSLR with an AC power adapter rather than using the battery. Some will charge off USB so shouldn’t be an issue. My current scope is. 6” SCT so shouldn’t be an issue with meridian flip. How do you deal with dark frames? Is it still a manual process?

Good point. I hadn’t considered the meridian flip. Does Astrophotography Tool not have a feature designed to automate the flip?

I am considering making some changes to my imaging setup to allow me to leave it running overnight to maximise my imaging time and need some advice. My setup is currently: Celestron Nexstar 6 SCT (with f.6.3 reducer), Celestron AVX Mount, Canon EOS 600D (Astro modified), Altair 60mm guide scope (guide camera is Altair GPCAM 130C) all controlled with a very old laptop (on camera connection - I have tried ASCOM but have had some issues). I know that it is possible to remotely control/monitor the setup (I wouldn’t need much more than a 5m range) and am therefore considering replacing the laptop with something more compact. What is my best option on a tight budget and would I need anything to allow me to remotely control the setup? Should I be considering looking into/upgrading anything else? (I am looking into dew control - I have a dew shield for the SCT and need something for the guidescope).

I have the Celestron SCT T-Adapter so the spacing shouldn’t be an issue. I’ll have a look at the collimation, I haven’t done it in a while so may be the issue.

I have had a go at imaging M42 Orion Nebula and the result is one of my best attempts so far. However, the images seem to show some tracking/guiding issues. I have now had the same issues for a second night running and am struggling to identify the cause. I am using a Celestron Nexstar Evolution 6 SCT (with Celestron f6.3 focal reducer on a Celestron AVX mount, a 60mm guidescope and a modified Canon EOS600D. Could the issues be a limitation with the scope itself (field curvature etc) or is it likely just a guiding issue?