What prevents you from imaging?

[Monty]

Bought the CPC800 to do both at the same time. I'm planning to piggy back a CCD next year when funds are available using a wedge and guide scope.

[Prador]

I think there is a misconception that you can either observe or image. For DSO imaging yes you are not really observing as the camera is "downloading" data but with Planetary and lunar imaging you are observing a living breathing object on screen whilst recording the data.

The detail is far greater than at the eyepiece especially atmospheric effects which give it such a "live" appearance. After observing and processing you then have an even clearer recorded image of what you saw that night.

I disagree with your comments that DSLR imaging is not observing of a sort

Does not matter how you capture photons (be it with a camera of some sort or your eyeball) you are still "observing" an object in the night sky. The only fundamental difference is the frame rate. Several per second in the case of webcam/planetary imaging and several per hour for DSO's.

DSO photons have been travelling for potentially millions of years, what's a few more minutes between friends?

[boabsta]

I think Ive been a big bit lucky and a wee bit wise in that I have got the setup for both visual and ap in the same setup.

I bought the Heq5 pro as it was a no to bad price 2nd hand and I knew it ticked a lot of boxes for me both for visual (goto) and ap (tracking).

I then added the 200pds as I was going to get a 200 anyway and once I had wrangled a no bad discount out of telescope house it wasnt that much dearer and somewhat future proofed me.

I am still new and yes, I want to try ap but nothing spectaculer. I want to be able to show my freinds and family what it is that I see when I'm out, not what someone has taken a 3 day exposure of and then number crunched it for a week.

However I feel if this is an avenue I want to take at a later date then I can.

For the now tho I am over the moon with my first proper images I got last night and look forward to more of the same.

I will probably share equal amounts of time between the dslr and viewing but even when the camera is using the scope, as I'm still new I am more than happy using that time just looking up and trying to remember where everything is.

[Space Cowboy]

I disagree with your comments that DSLR imaging is not observing of a sort

Does not matter how you capture photons (be it with a camera of some sort or your eyeball) you are still "observing" an object in the night sky. The only fundamental difference is the frame rate. Several per second in the case of webcam/planetary imaging and several per hour for DSO's.

DSO photons have been travelling for potentially millions of years, what's a few more minutes between friends?

Sounds a bit like observing a tree growing in my garden.

[tich]

I love doing both as I've only had the scope since December & managed a few webcam shots of the moon & some planets which got me drawn into it some more. A wedge of money later & I'm almost ready to have a go at some DSO's although I have managed a couple of reasonable single framed shots with my DSLR recently

I still love observing, looking at detail on the moon plus looking at the planets especially when you've got company as not only does it give you the wow factor but others too. The first time I saw M42 I was blown away, even more so when I was at SGL7 as it looked so much better there, the same goes for Saturn & I've gazed at that for hours. I am thinking about getting a decent sized Dob in the future so I can do some observing but the plan is on hold till my funds start to recover.

[Spec-Chum]

I didn't really have a view about imaging either way when I ordered my 200p dob. I loved looking at images on-line taken by amateurs but I thought actually seeing them "live" would be more my thing. Now after viewing a few DSO's through an EP I'm really interested in imaging; it's the colours, the detail and the "I did that" factor, I think.

I'm thinking of going the webcam approach for a while, just to grab some planetary stuff, but it's the DSO's that I yearn for; however doing so would require a very robust mount for tracking my 200p which are megabucks, or something like an ED80 with a smaller mount, but again more ££ than I have spare. I don't even have a SLR!

In short, I'd now love to do imaging but it's the cost, plain and simple, that's stopping me.

[scarp15]

I like the more immediate and 'naturlistic' experience gained through visual observation, seeing a specifc object, framed in various eyepieces, presented at a particular location and time. The image or images are then later embelished into your minds eye - I also like looking at drawings for the same reason. I also enjoy being outdoors and taking time to just look at the sky and your environment, in between time observing.

[Davey-T]

I have my permanent setup in obs' running imaging, pretty much left to it's own devices while I do visual in the garden with another setup.

Dave

[Ganymede12]

Low budget!

[dweller25]

I tried imaging the planets for over a year and then one night realised I had not actually SEEN a planet during that time - which I regretted . So back to visual observing (and trying to draw) for me which I find more rewarding.