StarGazingSiouxsie

On 28/02/2020 at 23:51, jeffmar said:

The image above was taken using about 25 subframes using a Sony A7III camera, a Celestron C8 EDGHD with a .7 reducer, and a Celestron CGX-L mount.

 

Early last fall I bought a C14 and put it on my Celestron CGX mount. That telescope with a diagonal, eyepiece, and a finder scope takes it just about to the limit the CGX can carry. I had to buy an extra 17 pound weight to make it work, but for visual astronomy it did fine. When I tried some short exposure, unguided imaging, there were a few issues. There was a slight wind and there were horses in a small pasture 50 feet away. Any breeze would elongate the stars. Every time one of the horses stomped its hooves, the photo looked like every star had an identical double right next to it. I don’t think any mount will keep a telescope stable with large animals making the ground vibrate but it might help with the wind. 

I decided to drain the rest of my savings on a sturdier mount. The basic structure of the CGX and CGX-l mounts are identical with a few differences. The CGX-L has a much more substantial tripod. The worm wheels for declination and right ascension have about a 50% larger diameter. The counterweight shaft is 31mm rather than 20mm for the CGX. After using my new CGX-L for a few nights at star parties I can say it is noticeably more stable with my C14 than when I was using the smaller mount.

The best part of my CGX-L mount is how good it is with unguided tracking. I did some imaging with my C14 with a .7 focal reducer at exposure lengths between 10 seconds and 45 seconds. Most of the the  photos had round stars and were usable. When I put my C8 on the mount and did some imaging it was better.  Nearly all the subframes were usable, and I was imaging, unguided, for up to a minute. From now on I will likely use my C8 for the bulk of my imaging with the CGX-L mount, and use my C14 mostly for star parties and staring at faint fuzzies, gas giants, mars and the moon. 

I recently upgraded my guiding system and haven’t worked out the bugs yet, but I can’t wait to try out the C8/CGX-L combination with guiding. It should come as no surprise that ta C14 that has a focal length of nearly 2800 mm, with a .7 reducer, is going to be less forgiving than nearly any other scope.

Overall I am very pleased with my new mount. The CGX-L has no backlash and doesn’t seem to mind if the balance isn’t perfect. I can’t tell you how well it works with auto guiding because I haven’t tried it yet, but I am hopeful that it works well. The only downside of the mount is the CGX-L tripod is three times as heavy as the CGX tripod and the mount itself is no lightweight. lugging the three 22 pound counterweights around is a bit of a workout. It is fortunate the mount head has carry handles that make it much easier to handle than other, lighter, mounts I have owned. 

 

Hey there

I am rather late on this thread..... 

I love your picture of Orion! Like you, I sometimes use my 8" Edge on a CGXL. I also shoot unguided and can sometimes get near 2 minutes when the atmosphere alllows it. 

Regarding your image, can I ask what length you exposures were and if you used any filters? I haven't imaged Orion yet but am planning to next time it comes round and I'd love to get an image similar to yours! 

Thanks & the clearest of skies to you!

Siouxsie 

On 09/10/2021 at 02:48, PeterCPC said:

Your set up will be good for planetary imaging and you will not need to Polar Align to do that. The flip mirror will aid planetary imaging but I would not use the reducer. BYE is a good capture programme for the Canon but for planetary you really need a high frame rate camera like an ASI224. You can use the Canon and it will give you nice widefield shots of Jupiter say that will include the moons.

If you are planning on DSO AP then the C8 might not be the best for that - I would consider getting a small refractor like an ED80. You will of course need to guide to take long exposures.

I have been using my AVX to take 120 sec exposures unguided whilst imaging with my Samyang 135mm and it works well.

Thanks, Peter, I appreciate your insights. 

What is your overall impression of your AVX, if you don't mind sharing? Would you buy one again? Have you had any issues with the dec & RA clutches which - even to my relatively inexeperienced EQ self - seem to be overly stiff/ Thanks

Hello everybody,

I am seeking the fruits of your experience please and would welcome any tips or advice you have for me please in using my first ever equatorial mount, a Celestron AVX. I have only had alt az mounts up to this point. I will be setting it up this weekend, it arrived a few days back. 

The reason for getting the AVX is to enable to (hopefully) broaden my astrophotography horizons - up until now I have only managed to get 10 second exposures before star trailing with my alt az mounts.

I am planning to do appx 70% photography and 30% visual. I will be mounting my Celestron 8" Edge SCT to the AVX. 

I have ordered a second counterweight, I saw some people in the past advise this. I might also use my .7 foocal reducer. I also have a flip mirror which has been very handy acquiring my targets for photography. 

I have a Canon DSLR camera running Backyard EOS to my laptop. I also have a Celestron Focus Motor installed, which I like very much.  

I have never Polar Aligned before but am planning to use Star Sense All Star Polar Alignment routine.

I have never used an autoguider before, either - will I need one?

Any tips / help / advice / thoughts or cautions would be very gratefully received, thank you.

Stay safe and happy and may you do so under Clear Skies!!

Siouxsie 

The reason why I wanted to use CPWI was so that I could contol slewing and focusing from my laptop whilst also watching the image from my planetary camera on screen.

Does anyone know of another option for me whereby I could get aligned user my HC, then be able to control my slewing and focus motor from my laptop screen.

Thank you!

Hi 

This is what I want to do - is it possible?

I want to do my usual StarSense (SS) User Auto Align using my hand controller (HC) connected to my mount.

Once aligned, I want to connect to CPWI to be able to control slewing and my focus motor. I don't feel confident enough yet to my SS alignments through CPWI.

Questions -

1. Will CPWI recognise my alignment when I connect to CPWI, will I still be tracking?

2. Will I lose my alignment if I connect the HC to my laptop to connect to CPWI?

Any insights, advice, tips or suggestions would all be gratefully received, thank you.

Siouxsie 

Hi,

I am just starting out with astro imaging. The Celestron Neximage 10 is my first planetary camera.

After a shaky start, I can now acquire my tagets (Jupiter & Saturn) consistently, thanks to the GREAT advice I saw on this forum to use a Flip Mirror to help acquire the target easily in the camera. I ma taking time to get my foucus as good as I can.

I have been watching Warm Weather Guy's Youtube videos (channel wwgeb) for guidance and have found them very helpful.

I am using a 64 bit laptop with Windows 10, Icap to control the live camera and Registax for initial processing / stacking. 

I have taken a few videos lately and I now have subsequent questions to which I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can give me in answering, thank you.

1. I have been recording using the RGB64 setting. What I have noticed is that I have recorded 4 minute videos (which Icap saves as AVI files) yet when I play them back they are playing 4x fast? IE 58 seconds instead of 4 miutes. Any idea why?

2. Which setting do you recommend I use in Icap? RGB32, RGB62, Y800? etc Would changing to any of these affect the length of the final AVI?

3. The advice I have had thus far is to record my videos with as high a frame per minute rate as possible, as long as I don't excede the exposure settings. Is that good advice? I have been recording with a low resolution setting (something like 720x480) to give me the highest frame per minute rate.

4. I have imported some of my videos into Registax for processing but have been disappointed with results. Using the wavelets function seems to not make any noticeable difference. 

Thank you

Siouxsie

1 hour ago, Cornelius Varley said:

I think it is a Guzzi Ambassador

Thanks Peter! In the UK, my home, they were sold as V7 Special which is how I knew them.

On 12/09/2021 at 10:14, Cornelius Varley said:

I think most imagers would discard the diagonal to reduce any aberrations caused by the diagonal.

Possibly. The instruction manual should give you that info.

Another option would be to use a flip mirror. The camera is mounted on the back of the flip mirror and the eyepiece attached to the top port. The mirror can lower/raised to allow viewing through the eyepiece or imaging. The flip mirror also has the added advantage  in that the eyepiece and camera can be made parfocal so no need to readjust the focus between centring the target and switching to the camera. 

Thanks for your insights & advice, Peter, it is appreciated. 

Btw, is that a V7 the guy is riding on your avatar? I'm a big Guzzi fan. No bike at the moment but previously had a Le Mans Mk1 & a lovely V50 Monza

Hi,

I am a beginner at astrophotography although have done visual for a year or so. I will be using my CPC1100 tonight.

I have a few questions to ask you, please - 

1. Do I use the NexImage 10 with a diagonal or straight through? I currently have a Baader prism installed for my visual work. I have a 1.25" reducer on it

2. When taking videos of the planets, how long should I make the videos for? (Assuming average to good, fairly steady seeing conditions.)

3. Can the camera also take stills? 

4. I was thinking of doing my alignment with an eyepiece in my diagonal, getting Jupiter centered and tracking steady in, say, a 12mm eyepiece and then pop in the camera so that I don't have to hunt around for him too much. Sound OK??

5. Any other tips you can give me, please?

I am also hoping to film Saturn, too

Thank you, wish me luck!!!

Siouxsie 

13 minutes ago, Nik271 said:

Yes, I have the the 180 Skymax from Skywatcher and I highly recommend it for planets, double stars, globular clusters, basically everything small that needs high magnification.

As for double stars there is a lot of interesting history and information about them. This book for example is a good starting point without being overwhelming.

Double & Multiple Stars, and How to Observe Them  by James Mullaney

Clear skies!

Nik

Thanks Nik I'll take a look at that and I hope enjoy my Mak as much as you enjoy yours!! I kinda see it as a halfway house between a refractor and a CST - has the the qualities of (better) contrast and sharpness that a refractor will bring but in a more manageable CST folded optics CST format (aside from secondary mirror being different)

37 minutes ago, Nik271 said:

I observe double stars, they are quite resistant to moonlight or indeed all forms of light pollution.

You can also observe the Sun with appropriate filter in place, so not even have to wait to get dark 🙂

Hi, thanks, yes I want to look at more double stars and doing some Sol work is good on not too hot days. 

Looks like you (?) might he cradling a Skywatcher Maksutov there? Is it the 150 or 180? I have a 180 on backorder

Hey there

So I was wondering how my fellow visual astronomers use their clear sky observing opportunties every 2 weeks of each month when, like now, the Moon is very dominant and bright in the evening sky?

I am very much into DSO observing so, for me, when the sky is lightened by the Moon most of my favourite targets are washed out or extremely faint.

So when the Moon is up I find myself spending about a third of my observing time doing Lunar and the rest I use as an opportunity to experiment with alignment techniques, calibrations, goto approach experiments, etc. I actually enjoy experimenting with my OTA and mount as much as obseving itself, I have to be honest. 

So, aside from Lunar observing, and assuming no planets have risen yet, what do find yourself looking at when the Moon is up?

Siouxsie 

2 hours ago, Captain Magenta said:

............. despite having a bullet-hoie in the primary!

 

I bet they'd been lookinbg at the Pistol Star  

1 hour ago, Captain Magenta said:

A member of my local astronomy group (you know who you are @PeterW) mentioned, after I reported a not-dissimilar experience to yours buying an expensive but scratched mirror from a popular UK company,  that a largeish mirror he knows of shows no discernable visual defects despite having a bullet-hoie in the primary!

I feel for you though, neglect/negligence is one of those things I cannot abide, and it's so unnecessary.

M

Thanks Magnus, I appreciate your sentiment   

47 minutes ago, Highburymark said:

No doubt your views won’t be harmed Siouxsie, but as Stu said, the resale value will be. Surely Celestron will look after you here - particularly if you didn’t ask for any work on the optics, and the scope was poorly packaged! 

Hi Mark,

Thanks, I am relieved to hear that. Luckily for me resale values won't be an issue as I will never sell Cubs, I love him too much, but I hear what you're saying.

30 minutes ago, Robindonne said:

Celestron is doing a nice job with all the scratched and broken optical parts of their sct’s.  
 

If they devoted the same resources and care to their customer service as they do to their marketing campaigns they'd be a great company.

14 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

Apart from complete breakage, it's hard to find anything that is more detrimental to a SCT's performance than poor collimation.  The only marks that can be seen visually are those within the focus of the eyepiece.     🙂

Thank you! 

2 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

If you need any further assurance  I concur with what Stu has said.  I was a CAT specialist and had agencies with both Meade and Celestron before retirement.  You have every right to be upset as a result though.       ☹️ 

Thank you very much, Peter, that helps a lot. 

So what level of damage would affect the final image? If someone scratched their primary mirror cleaning during DIY cleaning (not guilty) would that have an effect?  

35 minutes ago, Stu said:

Ignoring all other aspects of your post and just focusing on this question, I would say you are highly unlikely to notice any impact on the image you see through the scope. They are small scratches and are a long way from the focus point so won’t be visible.

Coming back to how it happened, I would certainly pick this up with Celestron directly and send images of the damage to them. If you sell the scope then the scratches will have an impact on the resale value you get, that is the main issue you will face.

I’m sorry you have experienced this, I think all of us can relate to how you feel as any damage to a scope is hard to take and can be very upsetting.

Good luck.

Thanks Stu, I very much appreciate your reassurance.  I've never had a damaged corrector plate before so I had no idea of the impact this would have on photon gathering and eyepiece image. 

Although he's damaged now, he's back home and will hopefully be as much of a joy to use as he ever was. 

Thanks, Siouxsie 

Hi,

I'll make a longer post about my nightmare experience with sending my CPC to Celestron for repair when I've calmed down but in the meantime I would like some advice please on this situation. 

My CPC1100, Cubble, has arrived back home with me after having a broken power socket repaired by Celestron under warranty. The repair seems OK but they have damaged his corrector plate. It seems they collimate larger scopes when they're in for repair, even if you don't ask them to (I didn't). I know that they collimated him because they said they did on an email to me. 

So there are 3 scratches on his corrector plate. I am devastated about this as I treat my telescopes like my children. Also for the record, Celestron just literally chucked him into a box with no extra padding or protection except the foam from the factory. The box arrived here split, damaged and Cubble was on his side in the box with corrector plate cover off and foam protection displaced. I just could have cried & cried.  

Two of the scratches are about 2mm long. The third bigger one is about 4mm x 2mm   They are all about half way between edge of secondary mirror housing and the plate edge. (They are defs scratches, btw - I've tried cleaning the corrector twice already.)

My question is this - what issues should I expect now in my visual astronomy (I don't do imaging) from these scratches? IE will I notice them or the effects of them in my observing?

Thank you,

Siouxsie  

Hi,

I am thinking of getting a Skywatcher 180 mm Maksutov. 

Thinking of how I'll mount it, I'd like to use the Evolution mount that I currently own. It sits atop the heavy duty CPC tripod, not the regular Evolution tripod.

I really want to avoid having to buy a another mount. I will be using the Mak for visual only, no photography.

The stated weight of the Mak OTA is 19lbs and the length is 22". This is in contrast to the current OTA (8" Edge) that I have mounted on my Evolution which is14lbs and 17" long. 

Celestron have a suggested weight capacity of 25lbs for the Evolution mount.  

Questions - 

1. Have you mounted a SW 180 Mak on an Evolution mount? If so please share your experience with me

2. If you have any general observations / comments / advice regarding my propsoed set up I would welcome those, thanks.

Thank you,

Siouxsie

27 minutes ago, dobblob said:

Well yes they do sell used/returned/repaired equipment but you find those under the "used " dept. I had good experiences here too.

My one and only  new purchase, out of dozens, and not just "small" items, that turned out to be used, in no way persuades me they "routinely" sell damaged goods.

I have bought three major OTA'S and mounts from them plus many EP's filters etc. All perfectly fine. Everyone makes mistakes.

And as someone has noted, if enough of your early purchases were unsatisfactory why did you continue buying from them?

For me what is important is the response of the seller to complaints and returns and willingness to put things right.

I have lived on four different astro forums for several years now and when the questions come up of of "Which is the Best Retailer to Use"  this NYC company usually rates up there with the best.

This is the first complaint I recall having read about them. 

Hopefully there will be more (routinely) unsatisfied customers out there to shoot me down.....

Read up the thread and you'll see my response as to why I bought (foolishly) from them again

I'm not out to persuade you of anything, just drawing attention to a seller who sells used goods as new 

I posted about my experience on another very well known astronomy forum - and - guess what? It's happened to others, too, from the same company

I do agree with you that **** happens in life and it's more a case of how does somooen react when things go wrong? But that's not what we're talking about here, we're not talking about innocent mitsakes. 

13 minutes ago, dobblob said:

They don't sell rubbish and prices are fair, even fairer than some dedicated astro retailers.

 

I agree their website is great, also purchases of smaller items has been very good. 

But when it comes to purchasing telescopes from them, I could not disagree agree with you more strongly about them not selling rubbish. My experience with them has been that they routinely sell customers damaged / used / repaired / returned telescopes held out 'as new' when they are obvioulsy not. Unless I am the only one this has ever happened to from them, of course - which I am clearly not as you yourself were sold used goods as new.  

 The time before last that this happened to me with them, I took my case up with a senior customer service manager who told me they never sell used goods as new -  that - which I know now to be blatantly untrue.

As they say - buyer beware.  

1 minute ago, newbie alert said:

Ok, I take it you're in the U.S. 

I'd suggest you buy from a dedicated astro shop, such as OPT.. as you can get all the information you need from a shop with plenty of experience.. when I bought my first proper scope I wanted to see it, so I could judge on its size.. the shop owners first question was what I wanted to do with it? I'm sure it was obvious that I really didn't have a clue but he guided me through and I still use the scope today, yes I've added some friends along the way...

There's a few astro outlets that i have complete faith in, and others that won't see a penny of my money..

So,  if you give OPT,  or someone like them a ring I'm sure they will help.. it's best to use a dedicated shop, rather than a huge retail outlet where all you are is an invoice number

https://optcorp.com/

Yes, thanks, that's what I'm doing. I do have a trusted source at a specialist astronomy outlet and they are going to source me a new CPC 1100 Edge and inspect it before shipping it on to me.  

And yes, in the USA. Like my avatar says, 38° North  

4 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

Not a good thing to hear but, why buy something of such high value from someone that you have lack of trust with from your previous purchases.. don't add up to me 

Hi,

That is a fair question but it's also easy to be wise in hindsight. I probably also gave them too much benefit of the doubt regarding my previous purchases. 

I think the answer is because for all other items, such as eyepieces, batteries, etc their prices are usually the lowest, usually free shipping and their customer service service is actually really good.

Regarding telescopes, I think / feel when supply is plentiful they will ship new, unused items. But when supply is tight or non existent then they probably cobble together returns / repaires to make seemingly new items and then ship them out. I certainly won't be buying telescopes from them again, that's for sure.