Manual tracking tips anyone?

[Lee85]

I haven't got the money to buy a motor or new mount but I'd like to try and get a few snaps of dso like Orion nebula and maybe andromeda. Is there anytips I can use to help me. Also I know that using a webcam for planetary imaging I best but for dso should I still use the webcam or should I use my slr?.

Thanks :-)

[kenmyers]

Webcams for Planetary and DSLR for DSO's.

(I have an SLR but the thing defeats my enthusiasm) A lot of people suggested I upgrade to a DSLR, the Cannon 1000d or something is apparently brilliant for DSO wide field shots.

[Cornelius Varley]

For nebulas etc you need long exposures, for that you will need an RA motor drive. Standard webcams don't have the sensitivity to do DSO imaging without further modifications.

Peter

[Williams]

You don't have to do long exp of Orion, although if you want something amazing it's worth while, you can take single shots and stack them, Single shots are still rewarding with the right gear. Orion neb looks great with my 200p and 32mm eye peice.

[themos]

What mount do you have?

[themos]

If you could get a webcam onto your finderscope (possibly with added Barlow in the path), you could try your hand at manually tracking in RA while watching a guide star with the webcam. It won't be easy. You could try just your DSLR and a lens to make the pixel motion less.

[Atlas]

My advise for manual tracking? Don't drink any coffee.

[patomlin76]

I have tried my hand at manual tracking before and it is tricky to say the least. Firstly you have to make sure the polar alignment is spot on - the guiding star really has to stay very central in your EP. Also because the RA is moved with a worm gear, every now and then the star tracks back then forward again.

The image below is my one and only attempt so far, and it was two 30 sec images stacked, taken with a D90 at wide-ish angle. Zooming in a lot will show the tracking inaccuracy even more.

[huggiebear]

Thats a really nice picture.

[rfdesigner]

I started out with manual guiding onto film for 1 hour shots (mount motorised in RA only), crosshair eyepiece.

I don't reccomend it. (oh my back!)

Motorising a mount need not be a massive expense, if you're happy to keep the focal lengths shorter (~500mm) and have moderate tracking you can do quite well without it costing the earth.

Try using your DSLR with a 50mm or so lens on a tripod or similar. Take shorter shots (say 5 seconds) lots and lots of them then stack them together. You can do suprisingly well, and you'll learn loads of processing skills that will be valuable later once you've motorised the mount.

Derek

[Mikejh]

Will just a motor on the RA be adequate as a minimum?

[themos]

Yes, RA tracking will do to start off with a short focal length.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Best thing for DSOs is to use piggyback photography, not the main scope as a rule. A short telephoto is much more forgiving (and faster) than your scope. Otherwise: practice and patience. I did some manual tracking on a 114mm F=900mm Tasco reflector with my SLR and 135mm F/2.8 telephoto on 800 ASA slide film. Tiresome, but I got an OK shot of the Double Cluster and one of the Pleiades. Not good for your back, as has been said.

[Moonshane]

I'd think the cheapest route to manual tracking would be wide field with a barn door tracker. I am no imager though, preferring visual only.

[swamp thing]

Best thing for DSOs is to use piggyback photography, not the main scope as a rule. A short telephoto is much more forgiving (and faster) than your scope. Otherwise: practice and patience. I did some manual tracking on a 114mm F=900mm Tasco reflector with my SLR and 135mm F/2.8 telephoto on 800 ASA slide film. Tiresome, but I got an OK shot of the Double Cluster and one of the Pleiades. Not good for your back, as has been said.

Blimey! Michael, that sounds familiar. Did this many times myself years ago. Like you I got some OK shots. Very, very boring though.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Blimey! Michael, that sounds familiar. Did this many times myself years ago. Like you I got some OK shots. Very, very boring though.

It was a scope a friend of mine bought, with my camera piggybacked. Mine was a home brew 6" F/8 on an alt-az mount (cast the concrete base of the mount myself, aged 17). Tracking manually was very boring work indeed.

[Wobbly Bob]

I'd think the cheapest route to manual tracking would be wide field with a barn door tracker. I am no imager though, preferring visual only.

You beat me to it, yes a barn door tracker will not only occupy your DIY skills through these cloudy days, but should be good fun using it when completed. As I remember they are called Scotch Barn Doors.