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Showing results for tags 'help'.
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I was given this equatorial mount and pier a few years ago, but never got around to setting it up. I'm thinking about using it with my RC6. The RA and declination axes are free and seem fairly smooth, but it seems to have an awful lot of balance weights on it. From the height of the pier, I am guessing it was probably used with a Newt, so I will probably have to extend the pier height or buy a tripod. Can any of you nice people give me some advice and guidance on setting it up, please or tell me if I would be wasting my time and money with this, but I would prefer to get it working as it was given to me by someone who is no longer with us. It seems to have setting circles on one axis, but not the other. I know I will need some Vixen dovetail mounts and will have to drill the mounting plate on the mount. Are these what I want in the link below? Please keep in mind that I have never used an equatorial mount before, so I am a complete beginner. I understand the basic idea and know I will have to polar align it, but the rest is pretty much a mystery to me. https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/adm-vixen-style-dovetail-plate-adaptor.html -
Hello! I was looking at an UHC filter as my next upgrade for my 70mm f/10 refractor, but at the same price I found that I could get a Celestron Skymaster 15x70 binos w/a tripod(Having weight capacity of 5kgs max). SO, having same aperture isn't consider an upgrade but the large FOV will let me see the wide nebula and star cluster BUT I could get UHC filter which will improve my views, but the FOV will be tiny, so what would you do in this situation? (Also, other upgrades are welcomed) Thanks for reading my query! -
Hi everyone, I'm using for the first time PHD2 and after connecting my mount and guide camera (Star Adventurer pro + ZWO 30mm f/4 + Orion Starshoot autoguider), the calibration process fails all the time. I've watched Peter Zelinka's tutorial, but in the end, after 60 west steps, I always get the same "the star didn't move enough" message. Why does phd2 wants the star to move anyway? isn't having stars as still as possible the purpose of guiding? I must obviously be too much of a dummy to be able to use a program called Press Here Dummy
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Hiya, I'm looking a bit of advice / opinions on a telescopes for a beginner, but useful, telescope. I've gone through tonnes websites and now seem to find my self going round in circles....... I've read that an 8inch dobsonian type will do pretty much everything I want without breaking the bank too much / me outgrowing it very quickly. Main issue is that I'd like to be able to take imagery, whether thats with phone or camera to start I don't know. I understand tracking can be easier with something motorised rather than by hand..... Budget wise, I don't want to spend a small fortune, or, get something I'll need to replace too soon. I'm based South in Manchester, UK, not sure if that has any bearing on choices. It probably needs to be something with low maintenance requirements too. My budget is low at around £300...... Not my decision on this one Cheers in advance
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Hello everyone, I have been looking at a Meade LXD55 Schmidt Newtonian telescope second hand for around £280. In good condition. is this a good deal? And how is this telescope for imaging with a DSLR (I know it’s quite old)? Also, what is the weight of this telescope? Many thanks Josh -
I have a nikon d5100 and I have just purchased the samyang 14mm f/2.8. when I try to capture an image with these the product image is very bright and not the correct aperture of 2.8 that I set it to. Can anyone recommend settings for me to try and capture the night sky with this camera and this lens?
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Hey there guys, My name is Andrew and I've just recently got into looking at astrophotography and I must say it really blows me away. I am currently selling a current telescope that I have and saw a new rig I would like to possibly get, Mainly shown by astrobiscuit. It's got a 72 ed refractor with the eq mount and everything and if I do sell my current setup I'd be able to afford it. Trouble is there is no off axis guider, nor any guide scope mentioned. I'd really love to start astrophotography, with a small, motorised rig that has everything I need, but would I need any guiding? If so could I have some suggestions on any budgety off axis guiders / guide scopes, and guide cameras. If not I'd be looking at using around £1000 GBP, any other setups I could get for that? The rig I was looking at was in the region of £880.50 but I'm going to read his blog and prices again and tally them again to confirm. If I won't require guiding it's even better. Seriously any help would be appreciated as I am very new to this. Hope everyone has clear skies, Andrew.
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Hi, first post so please bear with me, having issues with autoguiding, looked at numerous forum threads and cannot find the issue specific to my setup and the issue I am having. Equipment in question: ZWO 224 using as guide camera plugged into raspberry pi running Astroberry via USB3, Lynx Astro EQDIR cable plugged from USB on raspberry pi into hand controller port on AZ GTI. Configuration: Synscan android app successfully connected to AZ GTI via wifi and can control via mobile phone, AZ GTI setup to connect to raspberry pi (so it's on the raspberry pi network) AZ GTI connected successfully as it is recognised in PHD2 and EKOS, In PHD2 the mount is setup as INDI mount (AZ-GTI) and connects. Issue: PHD2 is unable to guide in either RA or declination (see screenshot error showing up), it is always one or the other. I have tried setting up multiple times, tried using the network cable which came with the camera directly from the camera into the hand controller port and setup in PHD2 as "on camera" (I suspect this setup is wrong anyway and was one of the first I tried). Polar alignment has been checked multiple times, the end result is always the same, the star field within PHD2 window will always drift in one direction so any star chosen will eventually disappear out the field of view as the mount isn't moving to follow it. Looking at the PHD2 graph I know it is trying to send pulses to the mount but either the movement is too much for the mount to move or something isn't happening as it should, in the example screenshot provided I tried this indoors on a fairly fast (compared to in the field) rotating star field looking at a screen so it will fail, though the mount didn't adjust at all, no matter how I've setup prior the AZ GTI refuses to adjust to follow a guide star. I have tried manually moving the mount in PHD2 and it doesn't seem to move in any direction, manually moving however does work in EKOS so the hardware seems to be plugged in correctly. EKOS even knows where the mount is pointing and can issue go-tos (although it is slightly off target at the moment). I am kind of at my wits end to why autoguiding isn't working, if anyone can help please assist. On another note if someone can advise how to configure PHD2 so the off yellow warning box colour can be changed so the error message can be read clearly - I know theres a line of code I can use in the terminal window which refers to a resource file to change to the default PHD2 colours and launches the software but the changes are never saved. -
I recently bought a Meade Polaris 130mm telescope Newtonian reflector and I am quite disappointed. I know that with a beginner telescope you should have low expectations with planetary and deep sky viewing, is which I did. However, I noticed that even with collimation, good atmospheric conditions, allowing telescope to cool to air temp, appropriate magnification (around 120) , not viewing over rooftop and viewing when Jupiter is high in the sky, I still could not see any of the cloud belts in Jupiter nor the Great Red Spot, which I heard should be visible. I currently live in a bortle class 6 area, but my viewing area is relatively enclosed in my garden so not much excess light can enter. So, my question is whether these eyepieces are of poor quality (and If so, which should I buy), is this telescope not good or if I am just doing something wrong. many thanks, josh
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Found a old Celestron 21066-wos-a
Revilo posted a topic in Getting Started Equipment Help and Advice
Hi all, was just going through the garage to find something and had come across my dads old Celestron telescope the ,model of the scope says it’s a 21066 wos a. The focal length is 900mm and aperture is 2.3”. Was wondering if any of you knows something about this telescope? I’m guessing it’s not that great. here’s a few pictures of it. Olly. -
I'm about to order a Redcat 51 and a ASI224mc and i'm just wondering if I'll need spacers and if so what ones exactly. Im very new to this and this will be my first refractor and astrocam. Also will I need a filter? I like in bortle 5 skies and I plan to try my hand at emission nebulae and of course planetary with this cam although it will mostly be used as a guide cam as I'll be using my unmodded nikon most the time. -
Hey Guys, Recently i startet to try Astrophotography. First untracked with my Olympus Camera and an absurd amount of frames to stack. Then a friend offered me his equipment, because he can't use it anymore. This equipment is a Skywatcher EQ6 Classic (the black one with the very simple hand box controller) and a i think 8" (maybe 10"??) TS optics newton telescope. This Skywatcher Mount has caused me some Problems. At first pretty much nothing worked. Now its working fine, except for some random error in Tracking. Most of the Times i can get 60-120 seconds Subs, but then sometimes inbetween the mount just starts to fall behind. After a few Minutes its working perfectly fine. Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem here? The mount is obviously pretty old, could it be just that simple, that it needs a rebuild? Wormgear spacing is already tuned, the mount has no Play in any axis and feels very solid while handling, slewing etc.. Im very thankful for any tips. Cheers
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Hello. My name is Luiza, I am a student of Computer Engineering in São Paulo, Brazil and I would like to ask for your help. As yesterday was the super pink moon day, I, at about 22:50, decided to take several photos of the moon using my phone and my non-digital telescope. And, analyzing the photos now, I realized that in some of them there are certain objects that I can't say exactly what they are. Could you help me identify them, please? I am not sure if they are satellites, ISS, Hubble, etc ... and I am very intrigued by themphotos.rar. P.S: the objects are in the lower left corner of the images -
Powered usb hub or repeater cable
Leewfc posted a topic in Getting Started Equipment Help and Advice
Hi I'm after some advice please... I've got a heq6r mount and I'm looking for some ideas to connect my camera and guide cam to my laptop. Would people recommend a powered usb hub 3.0 mounted to the mount or would I be better using a usb repeater cable. I have the asi120mm as my guide camera and my canon 600D so would only be 2 cables to the laptop. I'm looking for cheap and quick and easy options ready for thursday/friday night. I'm struggling to get a powered usb hub without having to order online from local pc stores. So I'm thinking cable route would be better. Thoughts please thanks -
Good evening everyone, I'm looking into buying my first telescope. Interested in planets and DSOs. I've narrowed it down to 2 scopes: the Orion SkyView Pro 8" reflector and the Celestron Omni XLT 150 refractor. A few people on here highly suggest the SkyView pro 8", but I'm curious as to how much maintenance is going to come with it? I'm American living in Sicily, so it's not easy for me to go to a shop and ask for help! From the price and high ratings of it, it's very appealing. But on the other hand I understand the refractors require almost nothing, just keep the lens clean. Any comments?? Thanks -
I have a telescope that I received from a teacher. I know it's a celestron but I can't find any info on the model/type, and I can't find the name of the telescope anywhere on it. Can you tell me what type of it and if I need the electrical parts to make if work? Here's a link to a photo of it. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZtBm1pe1fTszG9FQ8 I don't have a manual for it as I don't know the model so I can't figure out how and what I need to fix it, or make it work(if it's missing a specific piece or something) I need to know what model it is so I can find the pieces for it and learn what it needs to work. -
I live in south Wales valley so what planisphere do I get
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So I am very new to gazing the night skies and I have a very important question about equipment / lenses for what I'm trying to do. PLEASE keep in my that I have tremendous respect for the entire universe (whatever and however I may see it, it's just amazing) but my preference in my new hobby is just to view the Planets & our Moon. I'll start off by first saying that I bought the Celestron 8se Goto Scope (8") from Amazon along with 8mm to 24mm Baader Planetarium zoom lense, 2.5x & 3x Barlow lenses and a new Telrad finder scope. I spent over $1,800 and tried for the past week in the evening under clear night skies viewing Venus & Mars. Then at about 4:00am to 6:00am in the morning viewing Jupiter. In all cases for the past week and a half Mars, Venus & Jupiter were clearly seen and they were correctly centered and focused in my eyepiece. I had no success in seeing any features on either planet with using 6mm up to 24mm lenses (with and without the Barlows). I did see Jupiter focused and managed to see three moons. However, very in focus but still just no features! Obviously, the Moon was seen with great features in every case. (Simply incredible for the first time!) So of course I hit the Google button and searched this forum for hours! I ended up sending everything back to Amazon for a refund. I know by this point you must think I'm very impatient but 95% of my search results stated that I do not need an 8" scope or this type of scope just for viewing the Solar System if I'm not really interested in viewing Deep Space objects (which is my current preference). And I pretty much don't need the Goto features of the 8se (which is very difficult to allign anyhow) as I can easily identify any planet and of course, the Moon in the night skies. For the money I spent, I was really hoping to see alot more than just focused colored circles. However, it was very cool just knowing I was viewing these planets for the very first time but not worth the $1,800. Finally, the reason for this post is to ask the more experienced Astronomers to recommend the best sensible telescope / lenses to purchase for just viewing Planets. Thank you in advance for any help and taking your time to read this as I'm very anxious to purchase something new this week. (I got back my $1,800 but I'm not looking to spend it all, lol) Please, give me your best recommendations!
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Hello, I have been wanting to get into Astronomy for quite a while now, and I need some advice for buying a telescope. I want something that I can look at nebula's(my personal favorite thing to look at), as well as planets, at a high resolution. I also need something that is decently portable, something that could easily fit into a truck. Do you have any suggestions for a good high resolution telescope? P.S. Sorry if I say anything stupid, kind of new to this. -
Hi, I have just bought my scope and am a beginner. I am struggling to focus the telescope with either 25mm or 9mm. I find objects ok with the 25mm but that's it. Also, my viewfinder has a dot (basic I know) but not sure what I am doing wrong.... Your wisdom will be appreciated!!! -
so i got out my celestron sky prodigy mak-cass and took a look at neptune, but i only saw a little point of light. it had a definite bluish tint, but it did NOT look like a planet. is this just normal or is something wrong? i didn't get a picture of it, i was going to try but i forgot. any tips?
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At 22:15 BST this evening I was taking a tour of the terminator and, as I was studying the vicinity of what I think was Sinus Iridium I saw a very bright smudge to its North West. I managed quite sharp focus on the crater edges but the bright smudge woukd not resolve. Studying my lunar map I beleieve the smudge was either on the edge of Foucault or Hacpalus (Foucault if Hacpalus was disected by the terminator). I have no idea what I was looking at but, it looked almost like ejecta catching the sun as it settled back to the lunar surface. Madness I know but.........
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Hello there, My synscan V3 handset is having issues in the goto settings, for example, it may be over 10 degrees out in azimuth and a few degrees out by altitude. For troubleshooting purposes and to save you from asking unnecessary questions, I have tried different locations and made comparisons, I have also tested multiple different targets. My location, date and time are also correct and to make sure, I have tried different variables to see if there is a difference but there is not, the handset is still out. I should also let you know that the difference between the real value and H.C. Value is not fixed and does vary. Help would be greatly appreciated as this has really puzzled me. I have updated the firmware and went to older versions - same issue. I have searched for this topic on the likes of YouTube and other forums and cannot find some information. Fingers crossed one of you can help me with this. Thank you, Cai -
Probably a stupid question... Heyyy soo i am a begginer and about to buy my first telescope.A Skywatcher 200 p. I ve just though of something , Since i know filters can be stacked i ve been wondering if i could take visual RGB filters and stack them.Specifically blue green and red in order to create a visual full colour image ,like photography. I know its probably a stupid question because people all over the world would have done this by now .But i m just curious. -Kronos
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National Geographic 90/1250 maksutov is my telescope and thanks for all the replies and support of my previous post it helped me alot and i figured out how to see the moon for example in beautiful quality but there's the problem i have. I can only see good views and a sharp sight of the moon but that's about it. Do i need a better lens that can zoom even more out or is this the limit of my telescope? Please let me know if you know a solution to this.
