Pitch Black Skies

You're welcome. To go a step further than levelling the focuser, align it so that it is perpendicular to the opposite side of the tube. In fact this should be done before ever collimating the telescope IMO. This gent does a great job at explaining it. It starts at 27:15. Have you verified that the doughnut is centred while you had the primary out? It isn't really connected to the problem you're having with the off center laser dot, but it's good to know for that extra level of accuracy. I've had to recenter the primary spot on every new telescope I've bought so far. The template included with the Cats Eye by Jim Fly is a useful tool for this. BTW if the spider vanes are over tightened they can pull the OTA into an oval shape. Not a deal breaker, as long as the focuser is aligned and the secondary is concentric to it. Keep at it, you will figure it out.

No. Tilting the primary doesn't move the dot out of the doughnut at all. The dot location on the primary is determined by how the secondary is reflecting the laser beam. To get accurate collimation one must always ensure the dot is in the centre of the primary prior to using the Barlowed laser technique for the primary alignment. Having said that, sometimes a laser can have one believe the secondary is collimated by showing the dot in the centre of the primary. Under closer inspection one might find that the secondary is slightly rotated and tilted more on one side to account for it. I was a big fan of using a laser for collimation too but after more experience I am now wary of them for the reasons listed above. IMO a very accurate way to collimate is by using a Cheshire sightube for the secondary alignment, then ensure it is rotated properly and that the three primary clips are even in the secondary. Then simply use a collimation cap to ensure the primary is collimated. As you peer through the collimation cap everything should look completely concentric. When you know everything is completely concentric, then pop your laser in to see if it agrees. If it does, there might have been a slight tilt in your secondary. If it doesn't, the problem is with the laser, and from experience it is possibly with how it is seated in the holder.

Despite starting with a 6" dob myself, and progressing to an 8", and then finally to a 12". I think if like you mentioned your main interest is the moon, Saturn and Jupiter. A better choice for these targets would be a mak. I would still echo what the others have said though, dobs are a great beginner scope. They are good at a lot of things and give plenty of bang for the buck. Either way, I hope you have fun with the hobby, and welcome to the best forum on the internet! 🤝

To be honest a lot of that has gone completely over my head but I will revisit in the future and can hopefully make some sense of it when I have accumulated more knowledge and experience. For my image I just copied this gentleman's tutorial on YouTube. That is all I am really capable of at the moment.

"ASIAIR PRO is a smart WiFi device that allows you to control all ASI USB 3.0 cameras, ASI Mini series cameras, and Mainstream DSLR cameras. (It can not support ASI120MM/MC camera)" Does that mean the ASI120mm Mono guidecam is not supported?

I don't know enough about it but it seems like a great piece of equipment. Maybe it is something I will progress to.

I would opt for the WiFi adapter over the cable for the luxury of controlling the mount from indoors, however I am restricted by 1m camera usb cable. My camera has Bluetooth and WiFi capability but I can't seem to get NINA to detect it other than connecting via the USB cable.

Wow, thanks so much! That is absolutely amazing. I had a suspicion that my coma corrector might need to move a mm or 2 closer to the sensor. I think I had the focuser thumbscrew lock too tight which was tilting the focuser tube ever so slightly. I'm waiting for a clear night to do some more experimenting. How did you get so much detail? Could I do this myself in Startools? (Cranking out 5sec exposures like an absolute madman 😂 that got me).

Thanks Richard 🙂 I used DSS and then Startools. I'm not sure what happened, I think I screenshot it.

Hi, as mentioned I'm just using the polar scope on the mount. I'm not familiar with any astrophotography software, it is all new to me. I don't intend to image away from my home location. At the moment I'm just setting a series of exposures on an intervalometer. I go back inside and when it's complete I return to bring everything back inside. It appears the most logical move for me would be to learn how to polar align through NINA as the only thing I require for that is an EQMOD cable.

Ah I see, and the EQMOD cable basically just connects my mount to my laptop correct? I've heard something about a WiFi adapter too, would that do the same thing?

I don't have the USB port. My camera is a Canon 800D. Sharp cap sounds great, but I was wondering if that would even be necessary as alignment can be achieved through NINA. Would I be getting the ASI 120 colour or mono, or does that even matter? What 50mm guidescope could you recommend? I think SVBONY do one that's quite cheap. Is the ZWO mini 30mm too small? I'm currently eyeballing the Astro Essentials 50mm or 32mm guidescope.

Exactly what I was thinking. If I was planning to progress to guiding in the next couple of months, that would make Polemaster redundant as I could achieve perfect polar alignment through the guidescope and guidecam through NINA.

Do you guys have any experience with Polemaster? Would it be a waste to buy if I was planning to upgrade to a guidescope and guidecam anyway in the future? I believe I can platesolve with a guidescope and guidecam.

Excellent! Thank you

Looks great. So there is a way I can do this through my DSLR and OTA?

Thank you so much 🙂

Haha, thanks Ady, I have Windows 11. Does APT do the same as NINA, but maybe a little easier to use?

I made the schoolboy error of not adjusting the ISO back down after finding my target. It's 52 x 120s, and my first ever 20 flats included with 20 bias, no darks. ISO 25, 600

What are my options for a more accurate polar alignment? I'm just using the polar scope on my EQ5 pro. Attached to the mount is a 5" reflector and a DSLR attached to that. Please note, I don't have a guidescope and guidecam. Is there a way to polar align through my OTA and DSLR using a laptop and a software program?

Hi there, It seems to have sorted itself out after I relieved some pressure on the focus position lock thumbscrew. The sharpness is likely down to the ISO 25600 and my post processing skills and software. It's one of my first astrophotography images.

I'm using it. I think I'm suffering from both. I'll try again tonight and won't go as heavy with the focuser lock this time.

First light on M31 with my 130P-DS! It took about 2 hours to get polar aligned, star alignment, etc. Nothing was going right for me. Fumbling in the dark makes it all the more difficult. Finally, I managed to get it going. I set it to take 2 hours worth of 120s exposures and then scurried for a warm cup of tea for my numb hands. I later returned only to find I had left the ISO setting on 25, 600! I carried out an ISO experiment earlier in the evening and completely forgotten to change it back.. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Anyway, I managed to get this after a bit of editing ⬇️ In the corners it looks like a bit of radial distortion in the stars, more noticeably in the top left. After reading an article I think it might be because my coma corrector is positioned too far from the camera sensor or maybe the focuser thumbscrew lock is tilting the focuser tube?

Thanks! The little mod really helps to keep everything centered. If it's something you might consider doing you will just need a 3.3mm drill bit and an M4 tap. If it's something you're not comfortable doing yourself I would be glad to help if you post it to me 👍

I use that exact 2" compression ring to hold a coma corrector and it is super secure and plumb. However, I have modified it with the addition of a 3rd thumbscrew for equal pressure. 10 minute job if you have the tools and makes the world of difference. HTH