Getting stuck with exposures and movement

[ThePounddollar]

So I received my T-ring and adapter for my skywatcher 114 on EQ mount. I set it up and tried taking long exposures of Jupiter and various other things, only to find out that the picture was 'streaked'. Is this because of Earths rotation or is my telescope moving? Probably the rotating since all locks are tight. My guess is I can only fix this by buying a motorised mount. Am I right or is there any other way to fix this issue? If so am I better buying a new scope?

[ronin]

You need a motorised mount and than you need to perform pretty good polar alignment.

The alignment you can get away with when doing visual is not good enough for imaging.

[Sam]

Yes the earth rotates so there's apparent movement in the sky so you need a motorised mount to keep up with this movement. Without this you can really only take very very short exposures assuming the mount is polar aligned. If you put only a camera on the mount it'd be only good for about 30secs before you'd see star trails.

A non motorised mount is really good for observing.

[stem1989]

one thing to remember jupiter needs short exposures as its extremely bright, and webcams will be much more successful than a DSLR as its capable of recording many frames a second. As for 'other things' you would need a motorised mount or limit your exposures to no more than 30 seconds. Good luck and have fun!

[VigdisVZ]

Yeah, the DSLR's multitude of pixels is redundant on Jupiter. The magnification needed introduced so much noise youre better off with fewer pixels but in a stream of frames (movie).

For long exposure AP you need mount that tracks the sky like the HEQ-5 for instance.

Also use exposure delay to not introduce vibration into the system when pushing the trigger on the camera, or use a mirror lock if you have.

For a non tracking mount and a DSLR, your best target is probably the moon. It''s large enough to be able to use a multitude of pixels, and bright enough to avoid any streaking if done right.

[ThePounddollar]

Is there no cheaper alternative to the HEQ5 mount. I'm only 15 and definitely am not 'loaded' with money. £20 a week with my paper round is what keeps me going, and other money too. The point is I really don't want to spend that kind of money on a mount. I can afford it I'd just prefer not to do that

[VigdisVZ]

Is there no cheaper alternative to the HEQ5 mount. I'm only 15 and definitely am not 'loaded' with money. £20 a week with my paper round is what keeps me going, and other money too. The point is I really don't want to spend that kind of money on a mount. I can afford it I'd just prefer not to do that

Yeah thats understandable. Either stick to really short exposures on your current mount, or simply do like I did when starting out, take widefields with just the DSLR and standard lens on a tripod. THere is still a lot of astrophotography to do even if you dont have an EQ-mount.

[ThePounddollar]

Say I were to buy a new telescope with a 1.25" eyepiece holder (for the t-ring adapter), and already came with a motorised mount attached. 1) would it have the ability to track the object whilst it's 'moving'? and 2) does anyone know of such a scope? Preferably not a huge dobsonian just a 'medium' sized one

[woodbob123]

your next and cheapest step would be a barn door mount plenty of designs on net that would give some tracking. At it's simplest 2 peices of wood a hindge and 6mm bolt, easily built if you or somebody you know has some DIY skills.

[garethmob]

I decided on widefield images only but you need it tracked. With mounts it's best not to put no more than half the mounting weight on there. You can get really good images just with a camera and lens (try the cheap m42 lens with adapter) their all I use and are great but u doo need to focus as well. What camera do u have?

A barn door would be ideal for you. Would need a bit of DIY but works great iv got the commercial version the astrotrac

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[ThePounddollar]

I decided on widefield images only but you need it tracked. With mounts it's best not to put no more than half the mounting weight on there. You can get really good images just with a camera and lens (try the cheap m42 lens with adapter) their all I use and are great but u doo need to focus as well. What camera do u have?

A barn door would be ideal for you. Would need a bit of DIY but works great iv got the commercial version the astrotrac

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk please ignore any spelling typo thingys

I've got a Nikon D3200 with 18-55mm lens. It came with a remote too so that makes things a little easier. I've already done some wide area shots but any tips and tricks are welcome. What exactly does this barn door mount do? Is it essentially just a tripod with full 360 degree movement?

[garethmob]

It's prob best to have a google as I'm on my phone ATM so I can't link

Effectively it tracks the stars near perfect (at a certain time frame) using either a small motor or by hand. The same way the big mounts do it but you will only be able to do a camera and lens

Sadly Im not familiar with nikons but hopefully a Nikon guy can come around but the timer is very useful for bulb mode.

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[PorkyB]

I have had some good results with my EQ5 (which has a polarscope and the RA motor) http://stargazerslou...727-new-camera/. It's not a cheap mount but a lot more affordable than a HEQ5 especially if you can pick one up second-hand.

[Gonzo]

I would say start saving for an EQ3-2 (under-rated mount in my opinion), in the mean time enjoy your telescope to do some observation only, lean the sky, lean how to do star hopping.

Buy the book "every photon counts", I just got mine and I can tell you it's a very informative book to read.