real help and davice needed

[firefox]

Hi I really have run before I can walk, I’m one year on and still have not produced any near decent photos, my wife finds it funny, and I’m getting to the point of wanting to find a bridge,(only joking)I have spent, spent and spent again on the advice of different people, (shops over the phone), there are no clubs here and even after putting an ad in the local paper for like minded people found no one so I am really on my own. and now feel as if I need to sit down with a Physiotherapist, and let it all out.

At the moment I am having to drive up to the top of the Brecon’s, as. Builth wells are a bowl and we have mist/fog most night, and now rain.

the trouble is I don’t know if I’m one the right track, with the equipment, one person says one thing and the other dismisses it and say an entitle different thing. I need to know what to get rid of, and what to put aside for a later date, my aim is to start off with the planets and work outwards to deep space.

This is the equipment I have bought; I have included all most every item to give an overall picture.

What I am asking is a two part question the fist is do I have the right equipment, and second where I begin, then the how bit will follow.

Celestron CPC 925 GPS Telescope fitted with a Starlight Instruments Feather Touch Micro focuser.

Celestron HD Pro Wedge

Celestron NexGuide Autoguider

Celestron NexImage CCD Camera

Celestron f/6.3 focal reducer

Nikon D2X

Celestron Eyepiece and Filter kit 1.25- 6mm ,8mm,13mm ,17mm& 32mm

Ethos 21mm Eyepiece 2”

william optics swan 40mm”

Baader Mark III Hyperion 8-24mm Clickstop Zoom”

2” Carbon Fibre diagonal

Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium

Many many thanks for any advice

Dave

[Ratlord74]

hi i am new to this also

but what i have worked out so far is you dont need to spend a fortune on equipment.

and it seems you have plenty of that.

What software are you using for imaging? the threads here seem to lean to sharpcap for capture and registax for stacking your images both of which are free.

www.astronomie.be/registax/

SharpCap

and then some image proccesing software like Photoshop.

i will be making my first attempt soon so i wish you luck.

clear skies.

[firefox]

good luck also, I have photoshop, and rexstack, we will have to push each other along!

Dave

[starman1969]

Sounds like you have a few toys to play with. I'm just getting going myself.

I would use as minimal equipment as possible to start off and find your way round the scope at first. After a few goes you may want to start adding bits like different eypieces, wedges etc.

In my six months with a telescope all I've used so far is a 25mm plossl eyepiece to find objects, and bolt on a 2x barlow when I find something interesting.

Got some great views of Jupiter and Saturn with that set up.

[UnderTheRain]

I've recently joined hsastro in Hereford with the intention of learning about astrophotography I'm still saving for my first scope. But 5/6 weeks ago hsastro had a presentation on astro imaging by Gordon Haynes from Imaging The Heavens - Home Page Gordons images were spectacular and he gave a great talk on imaging. Mark from the club asked at the last meeting if anyone was interested in doing a full days workshop with Gordon one Saturday in possibly January covering scopes/software/cameras/post processing etc there seemed to be quite a bit of interest (myself inluded). Builth isn't to far away you might want to email the club for info etc

Brian