AE Imagemate X4 Barlow & Skywatcher 130P

[SCOOB_81]

Hi All,

I’m new to the Stargazers Lounge and wanted to say ‘hello’ and ask some friendly advice, please.

Before I do, I’d just like to say thanks for everyone sharing their experiences and images. It’s because of what I have read and seen here that I bought my first scope, which is a Skywatcher 130P Supa Trak Auto – Thanks again!!

I’m a patient fella (probably helps with this hobby and northern climate) and really enjoying the experiences, but struggling a little with imaging using the Philips SPC900. I’m getting much better at working the settings for a detailed image, but have recently bought an Astro-Engineering Imagemate X4 barlow and can’t get any detail at all. I find even large eyepieces like the 25mm give very blurred images, even of the moon. I noticed that out of focus with a bright object in the background that there is contamination on the lens, with large specs and smears. I’ve tried very carefully on several occasions to remove these, cleaning the top and bottom surfaces, but if I had to say, they look to be on the inside surfaces and so I will be unable to improve the clarity.

Can I ask if anyone else has had a similar experience, please?

I have included a few shots of Jupiter (well, trying to put them onto the thread) stacked from 3min clips, with the smaller image using the included Skywatcher 2x barlow and the larger with the Imagemate. Contamination aside, I’m a realist (I’ve a 130, not the Hubble J), and so is it just that the Imagemate is pushing the limits of my scope? I’ve spent a long time trying to focus the image, but that is the best I can manage.

Thanks!!

Scoob.

(I've posted this into another catagory, so apologies for multiple postings. I think it was posted into the wrong section.)

Jupiter 1 15-10-11 (3).bmp

Jupiter 12-11-11.1.bmp

[Stephen]

Have you checked the collimation?

Can you post some images of the "contamination"?

[SCOOB_81]

Thanks for the reply, Kh3ldar.

I'll see if I can take a shot of the smears on the lens. I'll try again to clean it though, just incase I've missed something. I work in a lab, so I'm pretty thorough.

I've not tried a collimation, just I'm new to astronomy and not sure that I'm experienced enough. I'll read more about the ins and outs of how to.

Thanks.

[Morris Oxford]

Hi, I've had some problems with specs on an image recently which seem to show up more using higher powers i.e 5x barlow.

Tried cleaning barlow inside and out, cleaned UV/IR filter inside and out with no joy.

In the end I tracked the contamination to the camera chip cover which on an SPC900 is a real sod to clean. I used a q-tip and lens cleaning fluid.

To find out which part is contaminated you could turn each piece in turn keeping all others still to see when the specs move on the image - if that makes sense.