LaurenceT

1 hour ago, imakebeer said:

Thanks for the offer 👍 I have an EQ1 at the moment so I understand how to use an EQ mount and what it's doing, but I imagine the EQ3 & 5 are rather more weighty and so less portable. But by home much?

I was looking at your list of gear in your signature block - do you by any chance mount the Explorer 130PDS on your EQ5?

Specifically my current top of the list is an Explorer 150PDS on an EQ3/5 GoTo, but I'd like to see one in action just to be sure before I fork out. The scope performance will be dictated by location and seeing at the time, but I'm more interested to see in exactly which postcode the eyepiece will end up depending on the orientation of the scope! 😂

Also on my list (and still looking at your signature block 😉) was the Skymax 127 Maksutov (thermal issues? Newtonian delivers more bang for buck?) and Startravel 120T (refractors = chromatic aberration?)

My EQ5 copes very well with the 130PDS. With the 150PDS plus all the ancillary bits of kit you will be probably over the load limit of the EQ5 of 6.5Kg. My camera, Asiair and guide scope add up to 5.3Kg.

A quote from that thread:

"My first set up was the EQ5 and SW 150pds and I quickly realised that it was too heavy when the camera and guiding was all attached"

Welcome to this forum. You say that you want to have a look at an EQ mount, I have an EQ5 mount, certainly not the strongest around but then neither am I!

I'm fairly close to you in Camberley so if you want to have a look at mine I'd be happy to oblige.

Just a question about the Point and Track feature in the Synscan app. For instance, if I enable Point and Track for the moon and then use the app arrow keys to point the scope at a slightly different part of the lunar surface will it still continue to track or do I have to re-enable it?

I fitted the focuser about a year ago I think.

I decided to fit it to eliminate the annoying trembling in the eyepiece when focusing, it works very well.

The finished product

1 hour ago, TheThing said:

I'm going to hang the Motor off a L shaped dovetail them use a belt drive and toothed cogs to actually turn the focusing know.  I've seen a YouTube on it, I think from Cloudy Nights, which seems to work quite well.  I struggle to find focus for solar system imaging, even with a clothes peg on the focusing knob. I'm hoping that the motor focuser with an old HiTechAstro controller will do the trick like it used to on my old newt.

 

I would be interested to see the video you suggest though.  Might be easier then trying to find a L shaped bracket long enough but not too heavy!

I tried a couple of times with an L bracket and had big problems, I then found this fellow on YT who makes a 3D printed adapter kit that suits Mak127's with a fixed dovetail, just make sure that the orientation of the dovetail on your tube corresponds with the one in this video. If it doesn't then he also makes a kit that is suitable for the other orientation.

How are you planning to connect the focuser to the Mak127? I tried a few methods that didn't work but eventually found a fellow in Portugal who makes a great 3d printed system.

If you're interested I could post a link to his YouTube channel.

On 29/10/2022 at 19:23, TheThing said:

I want to add a L shaped bracket to hold a motor focuser.  I won't be removing the dovetail, just taking that bolt out to then bolt the bracket on.  Possibly will have to try a longer bracket and use one of the spare holes  instead.

What motor focuser will you be adding?

1 minute ago, Ratlet said:

Looks good mate.

What scope/camera?

WO Z61 with ASI533mc pro camera.

I managed to get 50 minutes of imaging done before the clouds rolled in, I thought I'd try guiding but my camera slipped out of the guidescope so abandoned that project!

50x60 secs, lights only, no calibration files.

I got a little further with APP but still a long way to go, doesn't look a lot like the images I've seen elsewhere😅.

51 minutes ago, SzabiB said:

Last night was 3.29 which came with. Now I updated to 3.40 and waiting for darkness, sitting on needles... 

There are 2 versions of the 3.40 firmware, which one did you download?

1 hour ago, GalaxyGael said:

You're off to a really good start for a first image. Read up on APP tutorials because the all important stretch is handled there really well, and might be an easier entry to good stretching that more manual options which you can also learn and master once you get a feel for various degrees of stretching, which are useful for different types of targets down the line. Olly outlined the things to watch for in a stretch but APP takes care of that for you, to different levels of stretch. 

Learn and practice light pollution removal tool and star color calibration to get a well corrected background and object color, and then the tips for the right hand side sliders to get a first round of post processing. 

The red button with a question mark on it in APP brings up the how-to dialog for all those sliders. It gives a great starting point to have an image for further processing, especially if you are using APP to stack. 

Very good start by the way

Very useful, thank you.

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

Good start. Here is the number one key part of stretching and you must get it right. This is your first image with the histogram opened in Photoshop Levels but all processing suites have the same. Look at the bottom left of the graph. There's a gap before the start of the data line. You must move the left hand arrow in at least as far as that flat line before the big peak.

But not this far!!!  This is the histogram of your re-process and now the peak is jammed up against the left hand side of the graph. This is 'black clipped' meaning you have discarded your faintest data.

 

The sweet spot is between the two. A black clipped image cannot be rescued but your first one can be improved by moving the left hand slider in a little, removing the gap and reducing the flat line without eliminating it.

These is, as I say, the number one starting guidiline when stretching. Refinements will follow but this is the basis.

Olly

 

Brilliant, thanks

Thanks for that, particularly that I could use the star diagonal that usually lives on the 102.

I should still be able to do plate solving with my Asiair and AzGti, lighter and quicker to set up, my main reason for wanting to have a go at EAA.

I have acquired an ASI224mc planetary/lunar camera but I also want to experiment with it for EAA. I shall be mounting it on a Startravel 102 with a Baader 2.25x Barlow to image objects like the Crab nebula or Dumbell nebula for instance. I've been using Astronomy Tools to see if this combination is viable for certain size objects. I'm aware that I shall (probably) need some kind of extension tube to connect this setup to the telescope but I don't know where to look for this or whether there is a fixed measurement as with back focus or just pot luck.

This is the only thing I've managed to cobble together from my collection of bits and pieces that fits together:

11 minutes ago, Roog said:

Does anyone know of a published/accessible schedule showing weights of astro gear please?

I ask because lots of manufacturers just seem to quote the shipped weights which often come out much higher than I would expect.

I'd be interested to know this, weight of gear is something that exercises me both in terms for what I can carry and what my mounts can bear. I normally just google for "<name of item> specifications" and fingers crossed the specs include nett weight.

38 minutes ago, AstroLearnerWill said:

It really does seem like a hobby that you can as far as you want to, both in terms of complexity but also the strain on your wallet! I think that only adds to the allure.

That's fantastic you were able to get your first image. I'm not sure if you've already shared anywhere but I'm sure we'd all love to see how you got on.

Yes, the strain on finances can be extreme especially when you're no longer earning any money. I've financed the new hobby mostly by selling off my photography gear that was sitting in the cabinet unused.

You asked for a link to the first ever DSO image:

The learning curve is indeed incredibly steep, even as a lifelong hobbyist wildlife and macro photographer with all the attendant complexities I've been absolutely floored by the technicalities of astrophotography and astronomy.

My age of 75 has somewhat been against me as a beginner and it may sound weird but I was actually concerned that I would pop my clogs before producing a deep sky image, I managed to get one last week!

I certainly will have a look at your blog and welcome to this brilliant forum.

34 minutes ago, Craig a said:

That’s a really REALLY good first image, it’s much better than any first image I got, what’s even more impressive is there’s no calibration frames either, you can darken the background a little bit though if you want abit of criticism but apart from that you should be extremely proud of that 

I've had a little play with the image, it's darker but have I overcooked it? I've darkened it and reduced the blown out areas.

I'd also appreciate some criticism, without that I'll learn nothing 🙂.

I finally got everything together last night and managed half an hour before the clouds rolled in. The "processing" is really rudimentary, opened APP for the first time and simply followed my nose to get some sort of image. Then processed a bit in DXO Photolab with a bit of Topaz denoise and sharpening.

WO Z61 with FF, asi533mc pro, asiair pro, asi AEF, EQ5 mount. 30 x 60 second lights, no calibration frames and unguided.

Welcome Mark

Beautiful images Lee, meanwhile I'm at Center Parcs with grandchildren 🤣, not quite the same thing!

Lanzarote certainly should be on my list to visit.

On the plus side, I did bring a scope and had good views of the moon this morning.

1 hour ago, AstroNebulee said:

I think this will be the 6th time we've been. It's nice and quiet in Matagorda, enough to do and not to bright with lights, nice to sit out and just gaze at the night sky with your eyes. Really nice to go to the airport side and get images of the places coming in too. Thoroughly recommend that if in Lanzarote. 

Lee 

Sounds fantastic

The setup of the mount and scope performs very well for solar system objects, the pair are frequently bundled together. The main issue I had was the stability of the tripod that can be part of a bundle. The standard tripod, in my humble opinion, is not particularly stable for the combination of Mak 127 and Az GTi. I found that when I adjusted the focus of the scope there was an unacceptable amount of wobble in the eyepiece which took a while to settle down. My solution was to buy another tripod:

Sky-Watcher Stainless Steel 1.75" Tripod with 3/8" thread | First Light Optics

and also an electronic focuser:

Sky-Watcher Auto Focuser | First Light Optics

Using this setup I find it much more satisfying. If I were to start over with this combination I would buy the items separately but of course it's up to you.