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Showing results for tags 'skywatcher'.
Found 323 results
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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 -
COMPLETED - (SOLD) SW Evostar 72ED For Sale
AstroRuz posted a topic in Sold / Expired Classified Ads
£180 Selling a nice portable wide telescope with great glass and a great field of view I have two telescopes and I'm using the 80ED more currently and so this Telescope just isn't getting used anymore It has a longer dovetail (originally from the 80ED) so declination balance can be reached. Great performer for the price Collection only as P&P is like £40 (Northamptonshire - UK) Selling to fund a scope or mount upgrade. Selling -
Skywatcher 150/1200 f8 planetary Newtonian. Bought this originally intending to set up a planetary rig but circumstances call for sale. Will come with eyepieces and a collimation eyepiece. Not used by myself and has seen very little use. Mirrors in good condition Collection only £50
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Skywatcher 80 ED DS-Pro outfit including matched flattener and motor focus. Now only £350 This kit gives you a great introduction to astronomy and imaging, which is why it's so popular. You can see details over at FLO but there is: 80 ED Ds-Pro OTA (Objective Lens Diameter: 80mm, Telescope Focal Length: 600mm, f/7.5) SW Eyepiece (2"): 28mm 2”/50.8mm Di-Electric Star Diagonal 9x50 Finderscope Dual-Speed 11:1 2” Crayford Focuser (Backlash-Free) Supplied with Tube Rings & Mounting Plate - please note there is a longer black vixen type dovetail fitted, not the fancy new green short one you will see on the FLO site SW motor focus and fitting kit - I've never used this, hence it's not fitted (more details over on FLO) Dedicated SW 0.85x reducer/flattener (see FLO for more details) Aluminium Carrying / Shipping Case The RRP is over £720, so grab a bargain while you can. Collection from Nottingham, or DHL for £20 (within UK)- 5 replies
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I scrapped all the Oiii and Sii data I previously took during a full moon (about 15 hours worth) and retook it all when the moon was a bit smaller at 76%. Ha was taken during 98% and 67% moon. All the lights were taken on the following nights: 12th, 19th and 20th September 2019. Integration times, all in 600s subs unbinned: Ha = 28.33 hours Oiii= = 5.67 hours Sii = 5.67 hours The Ha data is really nice, and unsurprisingly the Oiii and Sii is not as strong (or nice). I'm missing that (vital) step in my processing routine of getting the Sii and Oiii properly stretched to match the Ha, before combining. I dont really know how to deal with the weaker data properly. Any pointers would be appreciated. What I do currently: All the data is loaded into APP into separate channels/sessions. The data is stacked and registered against the best Ha sub This produces individual stacks of Ha, Sii and Oiii that are all registered Each channel is processed with DPP in APP and then saved as a 16bit TIFF Each is opened in PS Stars removed with AA and any remnants removed and tidied up I then open a blank RGB document in PS I paste Ha into Green, Sii into Red and Oiii into Blue Adjust the selective colour settings to get 'Hubble palette' Adjust levels, curves, saturation until looks ok All the Ha Sii Oiii data is then combined together in a single 'super' stack in APP using quality weighted algorithm to create a 'luminance' That luminance layer is adjusted using levels, curves, and NC tools such as local contrast enhancement and deep space noise reduction (using masks to apply as required) The luminance is pasted onto the above colour layer, and incrementally added using gaussian blur Cropped and saved. Here it is anyway I haven't intended on any more exposure time for this one, but will consider it, if the expert opinion dictates otherwise! CS Adam
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Hi guys, having fallen in love with my 130pds, and seeing that I'm not the only one recently, I was thinking it would be nice if we posted our images made with a 130pds here. It gives a nice reference point as well, as to what could be achievable (with better guiding, better camera, better weather...). Well, here goes:
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Rather than add this test to my original thread regarding the scope findings I started a new thread here to describe my findings and measurements using a Baader M56 Click-Lock. Unlike other SW ED Pro offerings, the focuser unit that is supplied with the new SW ED 150 has no provision for rotation during use. In addition, I noticed that despite there being a total of 142mm of travel in the draw tube, the majority of my EPs focus at the near end of travel and I was concerned there may be a lack of in-focus provision. I contacted @FLO and asked them for technical details of the Baader M56 Click-Lock particularly the loss of in-focus during use. (I have previously owned a similar device for use with a 9.25" SCT which adds ease of use, a rotation facility and superb security to all attachments). FLO very kindly reciprocated and provided one for testing. Here I present some results of that test. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-click-lock-2956256-m56-celestron-skywatcher.html Essentially, use of the Click-Lock with EPs (+/- a TV Powermate) results in a loss of 12.5mm of in-focus. For the EPs tested here that was not an issue. The stock SW focuser comes with a 2"adapter with two grip screws and a locking ring. Please note that removal of the locking ring when using the Click-Lock does not assist with reducing loss of in-focus since the Click-Lock internal flange sets before reaching the locking ring. You can see that my ES 14mm EP inserted into the 2X Powermate was the only combination that did not reach focus (it almost did but not quite). The 2X is a 2" Powermate and I had to use the 1.25" insert which adds about 8mm of depth. the Powermate also does not seat fully in my WO diagonal. I also tested two planetary cameras (+/- 2" TV Powermate) which focused well within the full range of the draw tube extension maximum which is 142mm. Use of the Click-Lock provides a very secure and flexible adaptation to the standard SW focuser adapter and most importantly allows easy rotation of diagonal and camera. For me, this is a must have accessory for this scope. Its easy to use with gloves too! Standard SW set up: Click-Lock set up: Addition of a 2.5X Powermate: Planetary camera and 2x Powermate set up: In addition I used the locking screw whilst observing the live star image of Alpheratz on screen through the Bhatinov mask. There was absolutely no change in the focus position as I tightened/loosened the locking screw. This last set up I also tested at near vertical (Deneb) and there was no slip at all in the focuser control. Action was firm and smooth throughout the length of the draw tube. For the original scope test go here:- 5 replies
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Hi to everyone, I used to do some astrophotography in the past with a Celestron AVX and DSLR but after few month had to give up for several reasons, including light pollution (I'm living in zone 3 east London), and also working shifts. Now I want to start again, and this time more serious. I've been searching around for a couple of months to choose all the gear and I'm quite happy with the list so far although it's a bit over the price I planned at first. I will get an William optics Z73 with his 50mm guide scope, a flattener/reducer 0.8, light pollution filter IDAS D2 and as camera I will use a Canon 600D modded and I will buy a ZWO 183MC Pro, after so much research, I'm very happy with the scale and framing I will get with this combo, but I'm starting to get confused with the mount. My first idea was to go for an HEQ5 Pro, as my previous experience with the AVX has been awful, then I realized that the FLO, sells that mount with belt modification and also some cleaning and tuning if required, I heard that it's a big improvement over the stock one and the price it's ok, but another important factor for me it's portability. Unfortunately, my garden doesn't allow me to do much so I will need to carry around on trolley, for a km walk, I'm a strong person and been doing plenty of time with the AVX, so my confusion came recently when the iOptron mounts entered my radar. I start comparing the heq5 pro with belt, with the iOptron cem25EC and the CEM40 without encoders, and I'm so unsure of which to buy, the cem25 seem to be the equivalent of heq5 at least speaking of payload, but in some threads I read people saying it's a bit fragile so kind of remove it from the equation although the weight it's interesting for my situation, then the cem40, seem to be quite similar on weight to the heq5 but with higher payload and that's interesting too as I will buy a C11 at some point. Now it will all come down to the accuracy of tracking I guess, how the heq5 and cem40 would compare on tracking and guiding? If the cem40 it's better, I would probably go with that since it holds more and would last longer as I don't plan to get anything bigger than a C11, but if the skywatcher it's better, I could decide to go for that, and when I move to a place with better garden then get a second mount with higher payload. Apologise for the long post and my english. Kind Regards, Giovanni.- 7 replies
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Hi all, for my next upgrade on my Skywatcher Startravel 120mm refractor I'm thinking of upgrading the focuser to a dual speed 2" Crayford focuser http://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-focusers/sky-watcher-dual-speed-2-crayford-focuser-for-sky-watcher-refractors.html A couple of questions though before I possibly fork out for one in the next month or so; 1) Does it need any other adapter ring or anything to fit OK into the existing place where the stock focuser sits on the ST120? It is just a straight swap right? 2) Does the two speed focuser action significantly improve the action to get a sharper focus much better and easier? I currently have a Skywatcher Auto focuser fitted to the stock focuser on the scope, but find the constant small jabs back and forth you have to do on the keypad a little annoying to get good focus, and hope the finer focusing option on the Crayford focuser might be easier to achieve by hand again if fitted to the scope. Regards, Gus
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Hi all I'm a newbie here but not totally new to astronomy. I've had a telescope since I was a teenager (over 30 years!) and only ever had 1 telescope - a Tasco 40x40mm reflector. I expect members my age are familiar with it - thin and white with a thin metal tripod and a push and pull focuser. It's still functional at more than 30 years old although the thread on the eyepiece is worn so the eyepiece falls off regularly! I've only ever used it to look at the moon, Jupiter and Saturn and that's always been good enough for me. Now I have been thinking of getting a new scope. I have a very limited budget and so I am wondering whether I will get any significant improvements on what I can see. My earliest memories of the Tasco from childhood were that I could see the rings of Saturn as a line across the circle of the planet. Having rekindled my interest in the last few years, I have started to use it again, and nowadays, when Saturn is visible, I can clearly see the rings 'as a ring' and the gap between the planet and the rings, which I don't remember seeing as a kid. Vieing Jupiter I can usually see about 4 moons. I've heard that the Skywatcher Heritage 130P Dobsonian is a good 'budget' telescope, and great for casual use, which is what appeals to me most. I don't want a telescope with complicated setup or one that takes up a lot of space. TheSkywatcher seems to fit the bill, and it also fits my very limited budget. What I am most interested to find out is whill I get an improved view of the things I have already experienced? I have read some reviews that describe what you can see with this scope and it sounds like it's pretty much what I can already see. And it's maximum 65x magnification doesn't seem like much better than the Tasco's 40x. But will the wider aperture make a bigger difference than the magnification? I'm also interested to know if I could use this scope for basic astrophotography - I have numerous cameras - phone cameras, compacts and DSLR's (photohraphy is my main hobby). I'm not talking about hour long exposures of dark sky objects, just what can be seen easily through this scope. I'd love to know what people's opinions are, especially if you own or have used this scope. I'm also interested to hear recommendations for other scopes, but please remember I have limited budget and space. I know that an 8" or more is better and I would love one but they are just too expensive and too large for me. Cheers Andy -
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- 61 replies
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I've upgraded my focuser so have a Skywatcher Dual-Speed Low Profile 1.25/2" Crayford focuser for sale £70 delivered to UK only. Bank transfer or Paypal F&F preferred. -
Been looking for neat solution to taking small scope abroad using my stuff and not paying out for a dedicated set up. Have a skywatcher finder which with a barlow and 90 * gives good results. I was looking at an Orion mini eq tabletop tripod but hard to get hold of. Play a bit of music in a band and have a few microphone stands so got to work with a hack saw. I used a mic holder as in photo they are about £3 and cut the holder part off and filed flat. Drilled hole through to accept large camera thread (£3 screw bolt) this allows shortened micstand to fit to the alt az mount. (Mic stand 15 of ebay. ) the dovetail was expensive as i wanted green and got from germany £30 with couier the white finder bracket from tring harrisons £6 so thats £60 but if i went for black dovetail less than £40 seeing i had mic stand already quite a cheap solition the stand is very stable and provided the telescope is moved clockwise when rotating freehand the threads stay tight with the fine controls either direction works well overall wiegt is bit over 3 kg and will fit in a standard aluminium camera case hope this if useful Mark- 5 replies
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Hello everyone, As you can probably tell I’m brand new to the community. While I’ve been passionate about space related topics for my whole life, I’ve finally taken the leap and I’m about buy a simple astrophotography rig. Ive done a fair bit of research and, like many, I’ve decided that the William Optics Zenithstar 61 APO refractor is best suited for my situation. I plan to use my canon 600D/T3i as the main imaging camera and I also plan to use the Skywatcher Star Adventurer as a tracking mount for this scope. However I have a few questions: 1: I seem to be confused about how I should connect my DSLR to the Z61. As far as I’m aware, all I need is a T-ring and the WO Flat 61 Field flattener and I should be good to go. Is that correct? 2: will I need a dovetail bar to mount the Z61 to the star adventurer? Or can I directly mount the z61 to the base of the star adventurer? (This was demonstrated by Trevor Jones from astrobackyard with his Z61 and the ioptron Skyguider Pro.) Sorry for such a long thread; I’d just hate to finally get all my gear together and find out that some gear is incompatible. Thanks for the help! -
Hi everyone, as the title suggests, I've noticed that the RA axis of my HEQ5 pro mount has some give. I don't notice it while the clutch is unlocked, but it's very obvious with a locked RA clutch. Any suggestions on what could be causing it/what adjustments need to be made? Thanks
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I've been getting started with an EQ3-2 GOTO / Skymax 127 combo, and had a couple of queries / concerns about the mount; advice would be greatly appreciated. With the clutch released, rotating on the RA axis the mount meets resistance when the counterweight bar approaches horizontal. It's enough that sometimes the motor drive can get stuck; there's no clicking from gears skipping, but movement stops. If I undo the RA setting circle screw the resistance is gone so I thought that was my error as the manual says to unscrew when locating, but as tracking is on the RA axis and the screw would normally be tightened at that point, is this an issue with the mount? I'm not expecting to use the circle so I can leave the screw loose and it seems that it'll be fine, but I'm wondering what the issue is. I've looked at badger's teardown, but I really don't want to take it apart yet as it's new and there isn't much backlash and no slop (if I understand the term correctly). I'm also wondering whether the DEC circle is set incorrectly at the factory and needs adjusting, or is this a misunderstanding on my part. After polar aligning, I assumed that having the arrow on the side of the mount head point to 90 on the DEC circle would have the telescope pointing correctly home positioned, however with a 1 star alignment my home position was clearly incorrect, and after doing a 3 star alignment (and getting good tracking after that) and returning home the DEC circle was around 78. Using a spirit level on the head, if the edge of the mount head that's parallel to the scope mounting plate when it's tightened and horizontal , the DEC circle is around 12 (or 78 if vertical), however if the edge of the head that has the two screws that secure the plate is horizontal, the DEC circle is 0. So it seems as if the DEC circle was set based on the orientation of the side of the head that has the screws, which doesn't lie parallel to the scope mounting plate, rather than the edge that lies snug against the mounting plate. Does that sound plausible or should the DEC circle be at 12/78 when the scope is horizontal or vertical? -
Looking for the 2" low profile extension tube that is provided with most of the skywatcher scopes. I have a used 190MN that didn't come with the extension tube and need it to get accurate focus. I believe Orion scopes may have one too.
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The weights from my NEQ6 are beginning to look scruffy. Is there a good colour match car type spray that anyone would recommend for sprucing them up.
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Posting in this forum after too long! One of the first attempts at taking photos of the moon. All photos taken using skywatcher 90mm refractor with eq2 mount, Nikon DSLR and 2x Barlow here and there. No exposure. Basic editing in cellphone. Thank you! Suggestions highly appreciated!
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Hi, i'm looking to by the 127 Mak next year for Moon photos, i awtched a short review of the scope and the guy briefly mentioned that AZ mounts may not be the best for astrophotography. He didn't go into it at all, what are the reasons for that? I've not even held a proper mount so only have a vague idea how they rotate. Happy new year -
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Hello all! I just picked up a Skywatcher Evostar 80mm Doublett and LX70 (EQ5) mount. This is my first refractor and EQ mount so it took me a while to put it together (if you all notice anything out of place please tell me!). I still enjoy my 8” dob but wanted to learn. This type of scope. It had good reviews for general viewing, but I'm not sure what to expect. The EQ mount took quite some time to figure out and one of my questions is do I operate the scope with the counterweight horizontal to the ground? I noticed that in that position I can use the control cables to move up and down and left and right. Any advice is appreciated!
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Hey guys!i need to make this quick! I want to get a new 6mm eyepiece.I have a 8" f6 dob and i want to get a nice 200 mag and put the telescope to its limits at 400x The most i ve seen with is 240x for Jupiter and Saturn .i ve heard they looked stunning at 400x and i am keen on trying it.Ive got my eyes on a 6mm Skywatcher UWA eyepiece.and i have a Bst Starguider 2z Barlow lens.And i seem to be having problems with my 8mm Bst Starguider (300x in total).the bst has a 16mm eye relief and a 21mm lens diameter,but when i barlowed it and look at the moon yesterday,it was hard finding the right spot to look through the eyepiece and when i moved the image disappeared.I dont know if it will have that effect on planets,when I looked at mars it was fine but i definitely want to avoid that from happening again.Will it happen? The Skywatcher eyepiece i want to buy has a 16mm eye relief too.I dont want to make the same mistake now , i want a 6mm eyepiece at the price range of 50-70 euro either from flo or amazonuk.If the Skywatcher will have similar results,can you suggest another one?
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Hi all, Thought I'd share the clip I designed to fit a Right Angle Finder to the polar scope on my Star Adventurer mount. I designed it to work on my Neewer RA Finder but it could possibly work with similar ones (that have the removable adaptor plates for various camera types). My finder came with a few different adaptor plates and I chose the metal screw-together type which was labeled for use with the older Nikon F series cameras. As you can see from the photos, this just screws into the printed clip allowing you to leave it in place on the Polar Scope but remove the RA Finder easily. It is best oriented with the clips at the top and bottom (rather than on the side). I've made it available for download from Thingiverse, there's a printable version of the adaptor plate on there too (along with instructions and pics) should you need it. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2762334
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So my birthday just past so money to splash on astro stuff , i will have my 1000D modded by juan at cheapastrophotography and also have ordered an autofocuser from deepsky dad https://deepskydad.com/autofocuser i know they can be done DIY but this is a neat package and costs about the same as a SW autofocuser and a hitechastro focusmaster and i`m no electronic wizard and pavel seems to have a good product and works with ascom and confirmed it works with APT i will update in a few weeks time when hopefully i will have received and tried out .
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