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Showing results for tags 'astrophotography'.
Found 234 results
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Hi Guys, any one had any use of a Technosky Apo or know anything about them. I am looking at getting my first apo as usually I am Astrograph man and seen this 70/478 mm quadruplet flatfield for £482. It seems a good deal but was just wondering about the build quality? As this seems cheap for a quadruplet!!! https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/tecnosky-telescope-ap-70-478-quadruplet-flatfield-ota/p,57327#tab_bar_1_select -
I am going to upgrade to the skywatcher 250/1200 pds telescope and i can't decide which mount i should get. The main (only) purpose is astrophtography and i am considering either the eq6-r- pro or the cem60 The cem60 can carry more weight but is also more expensive, my inner debate now is about if it is worth it What's you take on it?
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The Horsehead Nebula in Orion. This is one of the first deep space objects I saw in a book as a child and it captured my imagination - I’ve been intrigued by this incredible Universe ever since. As a small child, I’d have been blown away to think that 40 years later, I’d capture this image from my own backyard. I've only been astroimaging for less than a year so would appreciate any constructive comments/ criticism. Higher resolution version at: https://astrob.in/393553/0/ I tried something different with this image as I was severely restricted by time and conditions - battling last months full moon and a small cloud free window of about two hours each evening where the Horsehead appeared between some large trees and the edge of our house! I took mainly Ha because of the moonlight but then blended in some Lum and Blue data to one master image. This brought out more detail in some of the nebulosity. The resulting Master was then processed through the red channel only in PixInsight and Photoshop: Ha 36 x 240s Lum 25 x 60s Blue 20 x 60s Scope: Altair 130ED Triplet Mount: Celestron CGX
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Hello, I own a Vixen ED-80 refractor which is used with a custom focuser by Telescope Service. (pictured below) A Celestron f/6 SCT reducer corrector did not provide decent images either because it is not appropriate or because I did not maintain the correct distance. I am thinking of buying the Sky-Watcher .85x Reducer/Flattener instead, as it is made for similar ED80 telescopes. I do not know what is the correct distance of the SkyWatcher reducer for my setup and more important, I do not know if it will focus with the custom TS focuser. Do you have any similar setup that you have used successfully? Clear Skies! Paul
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Skywatcher 100 ED Pro Esprit - Great Performance
Selborne posted a topic in Member Equipment Reviews
Hi Guys, I thought I would share with you my first hand experience of the Skywatcher ED100 Pro Esprit Telescope, I have only had it a few months, but so far I am extremely happy with the results, it is so sharp and the contrast is very high. I live in a small town, Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK, where the light pollution is not to bad, but still I have to be cautious with the direction I choose to point the telescope. All my astrophotography is done from the back garden on my patio. I have had a few different telescopes over the years, but I always found myself moving more and more into astrophotography, so after some research I selected the Skywatcher ED100 Pro Esprit, as many of the other users had commented on the sharpness and contrast. As I wanted to focus on more wide field astrophotography the F5.5 speed giving 550mm seemed the right choice, I also use an ED50 Skywatcher Guide Scope with an Altair Astro ASI130mm camera for the guiding and of course PHD2 software, all mounted on my Skywatcher HEQ6 mount. Here is a shot of the Andromeda Galaxy, 20 x 30s stills at ISO 800 on my Sony A7Rii, no filters just RAW images processed with Photoshop, Stacked Mean option. I used the Trevor Jones video on his BackyardAstro You Tube page for processing DSO's and it seems to work very well. What you will see from the image is just how sharp it is, something that really surprised me when I processed the images. This has inspired me to spend more time outside in the garden to photograph more objects, plus I have recently purchased an Astronomic CLS Filter for my Sony A7Rii, so I am looking forward to using this to see if it improve the contrast. I will keep you informed. Also I am looking forwarded to trying my Olympus EM1 MK2 camera, yes I know it does not have the capabilities of the Sony A7Rii for light gathering, but it does have a really clever mode where it can stack the images in camera to reduce noise, so I will also let you know how this went as well. Best Regards Jamie- 53 replies
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I have an EQ5 telescope mount which i use for astrophotography. I have modified it with a motorised RA axis using a bipolar stepper motor - my thread for the build is here . I want to expand the mount's tracking ability by motorising the DEC axis and using a guide scope/camera. I generally use the mount in fairly remote locations so would like to use a raspberry Pi for portability. I understand that I'll need to use a Raspberry Pi Camera Module for the guide camera. The capability I want is: 1. guide the mount along RA and DEC axes using a guide star as feedback 2. track the mount using the RA axis only, and if possible continuously take 20-30 second exposures on the guide camera (this functionality is optional, but would assist in polar alignment of the mount) I don't want any GOTO capability. I am very new to RPi and need some help: - do I need to write code for this, or is there existing programming available for what I want to do? - is it possible to avoid the use of screens (in the field)? My preferred option would be to flick a switch to start and stop the guiding, with another switch for alignment mode (or something simple like this). - do I need to use any particular stepper motors/drivers for raspberry Pi? I'm using a bipolar stepper motor running quarter steps, with an A4988 stepper driver - is the RPi 3 Model B+ the unit I should buy? Thanks
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Hello everyone! Im having issues regarding dew during colder nights while imaging. I’m aware of how to solve the issue of dew forming on front elements of scopes/lenses using dew heaters, however I’m also concerned with the dew that forms on my non-weatherproof DSLR body and imaging laptop. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to combat this? Thanks!
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Hi folks The group I am part of, called The Flame Trench, recently got a lot of interest in building a remotely accessible AP setup for people who follow us to get involved with. We'll be looking into using it for a lot of outreach, especially with a second telescope carrying out some live observing. More info on the build can be found here. I thought I'd make a thread to show the build as we start to get hardware in and watch it progress! Currently we have a Celestron 6SE w/ EQ-wedge, and a canon DSLR - looking at hooking that up to some web tools to enable some live observations to get the outreach part kicked off early. We'll be looking at somewhere to make the setup semi-permanent or entirely permanent once it's built. I've attached our planned kitlist for the AP setup: Thanks for having a look Ben -
Hi everyone, just looking to get into astrophotography but looking at a DSLR as I'd like to use it for daytime use too, I know usually it's better for them to be modified but I've seen this can be done to allow use for both with only white balance adjustment. I've seen 1300d's going around £200 on eBay with the 18-55mm lens but the 4000d is a couple of years newer and there is currently one with 18-55mm + 75-300mm going for £350 at Currys. From what I can work out there isn't much difference between them besides a smaller screen on the 4000d and the release date. I'm just wondering if there is some reason people go for the 1300d instead or is it just because of it being older it turns up cheaper? Sorry for the long winded post but I'm doing lots of research to make sure I get the best one that'll last me the longest, thanks for any help.
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Hey everyone! I’m after some pretty wide-field DSOs that can be captured with an unmodified DSLR without too much struggle (apart from the Orion Nebula.) I can push my exposures up to around 3 minutes with no major star trailing but that’s about as far as I can go. Also I’m in the Southern Hemisphere so don’t have the luxury of choosing between many relatively bright Messier objects. Your suggestions are much appreciated! -
So, I have gone and got myself a Skywatcher Star Discovery 150p, which has so far proved to be a very good little scope and I've had some very good results. I have now got the bug for imaging and have gone out and got myself a second hand Nikon D5100 and verious other equipment needed to do this, only to now find I can't get Prime Focus!!!!!!!! So the only way I can image is using a barlow x2 which obviously changes the F ratio from F5.5 to F11 slowing everything x2 this isn't to bad for planetary imaging but for DSO images not so good!!! After searching through lots of videos on to do this all I can find is...... I can either butcher the standard rack and pinion focuser that's fitted on it by cutting it down and rethreading it or by moving the primary up by 20-25mm, which seems a shame to do a brand new scope still under warranty! The only other option I have come up with is changing the focuser to a Skywatcher Low Profile Dual Speed Focuser For Newtonian Reflectors. Could anyone out there shed any light on this before I spend another £130 on the new focuser. Thanks
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Cheap Mount for SW Heritage 130p
Kronos831 posted a topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
Hey guys! Its me again... I know what you are thinking there is not such thing as a cheap mount for astrophotography...and i agree with you! I just want to know if there are any significantly cheap mounts (under 100 pounds) for my skywatcher heritage 130p that can give me maybe 15-30 sec exposure time max. Thanks Kronos -
Hello, I noticed the sky was clear enough to get the telescope out for the first time tonight since getting it for Christmas (newbie), my phone mount to take images properly hasn't arrived yet but with my Note 9 pointing straight upwards I took a few photos (max 10 second exposure, F1.5 and ISO 800) and believe I have captured M45/Pleiades and California Nebula, please correct me if I am wrong though. Thought the second photo was also cool. Feedback and tips would be greatly appreciated. Spencer
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For sale 450D camera modified for astronomy, the IR filter has been removed to allow the important red emission nebula to come through. This camera has a low shutter count of 3977, in very good condition, comes with 1 battery/charger, USB connecting lead to computer and manual, I don't have the original box, but will pack, very well. The price is £165 and includes special delivery. This is for the camera body, no lens. Any questions please email me any questions........ -
Hi I have just purchased the Skywatcher Alt Az GTi mount from FLO mainly because of its built in wireless control and weight and more importantly its portability for possible holiday use. Due to the usual amount of cloud and rain at this time have only managed to set it up indoors. It looks like when doing an alignment the mount slews the altitude and you are then left to slew the azimuth which is ok as far as I am concerned. The PC 'app' is a bit buggy but the IOS app works fine and I managed to get Skysafari working as well. My main question is this: can anyone tell me why I cannot find this product on the Skywatcher website Is it really that new? It seems reasonable quality especially for the price and I intend to use it with my Atik infinity for EAA so tracking accuracy is not paramount. I am loading it with a tec n sky 65mm apo refractor which is roughly one and half kilo's but I think it takes up to five so there are possibilities of a small SCT or larger refractor being supported. Would love to know what any others are using with it and any good / bad experiences? Cheers Williamnohair (Bill)
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Hi All, So I am new to astrophotography and was looking for some advice on what to buy, mainly the mount as I don't have a huge budget. I am currently using a SkyWatcher 102mm Telescope (500mm Focal Length) with a Canon 550d along with a EQ2 mount, so no motors as of yet. Any advice on what mounts to get would be great. Thanks
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From the album: Mike's Images
30 sec subs @ ISO 800 Guided Sykywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian Baader MPCC Mk3 Coma Corrector Skywatcher AZ EQ 6 GT Mount Orion auto guider on 80mm f5 guide scope Nikon D300 unmodified© Copyright Mike O'Day 2014 - all rights reserved
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From the album: Mike's Images
Cat's Paw Nebula - NGC 6334 ( aka Bear Claw Nebula ) An emission nebula in Scorpius (near the scorpion's tail) RA 17h 25m 39.6s ; Dec -35deg 43' 48" . 7th August 2015. Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian. Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount Orion 80mm f5 guide scope and auto guider - PHD2. Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector, UHC-S 'nebula' filter. Nikon D5300 (unmodified). Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90. ISO800, 14bit NEF, Long Exp. NR on. 28 x 200sec (starting at zenith) no moon, 3deg C, 70%RH, moderate LP. PixInsight© Copyright Mike O'Day 2015 - all rights reserved
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Hi, i captured orion nebula with nikon d5600 and nikon 18-140mm lens,the images it took was shaky and look like small star trails but i kept only at minimum shutter speed...what is wrong with the image? i hv attached sample image..pls help
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From the album: astrobiscuit pics
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From the album: astrobiscuit pics
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From the album: astrobiscuit pics
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From the album: astrobiscuit pics
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From the album: astrobiscuit pics
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From the album: astrobiscuit pics
