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Polarie/AstroTrack - Just what can they do? - Show us your best shots.

Waylandscape

By Waylandscape
in Getting Started With Imaging

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Waylandscape

Waylandscape

Posted
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I'm a Landscape Photographer at heart but I'm looking to combine Astronomy images with some of my work.

Castlerigg-Circles.jpg

I've tried a bit of work with star trails and eventually I'd like to take things a lot further with something like a HEQ5 Mount and an 80 -100 Apo Refractor set up, but in the meantime I keep coming across references to Polarie and AstroTrack mounts.

I realise they have limitations compared to a "proper" set up but I can't help wondering just what they are capable of achieving with a bit of patience or imagination.

So if you have an image you're proud of taken on an AstroTrack or similar mount I'd love to see it. I suspect there are a few others out there that would be interested as well.

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StuartJPP

StuartJPP

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That is a very nice star trail image of Castlerigg stone circle I presume?

I love my AstroTrac, pity the weather isn't playing along otherwise I would have a bit more to show what it can really do. Can't say I have had much luck with the landscape versions due to poor weather when being somewhere interesting. Polarie is very compact, AstroTrac not so much but allows much heavier payload which allows longer exposures at longer focal lengths.

8077715220_ee8f2c63a4_b.jpg

The Milky Way by StuartJPP, on Flickr

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JB80

JB80

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My Milky Way shot was a stack of 10, 130 second exposures.

There are numerous reports of the Polarie tracking fine with a 300mm for 3 or 4 minute exposures, I have had success with 30 second exposures but have'nt had the chance to try longer.

edit: Yes you can set up the Polarie straight out of the box and it will work brilliantly, however the polar scope has to be bought separately.

The ioptron does come with a polar scope though.

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Psychobilly

Psychobilly

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Just rember for earth and sky shots if you track the sky then the ground objects will rotate but you can just use a single exposure and sort it out in the Post-processing...

The polarie has a half sidereal tracking rate mode which is a compromise tracking mode for single exposure shots...Both the stars and ground objects will show some trailing...

I have made an ST-4 port switch box so i can use the variable guide rate on my EQ-3 Pro to see what's achievable...

Peter...

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Digz

Digz

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Just rember for earth and sky shots if you track the sky then the ground objects will rotate but you can just use a single exposure and sort it out in the Post-processing...

I've often thought about this and the best way to combine, I guess using the last frame is key?

I've just ordered an astrotrac and can't wait to try it out. I needed to order the polariscope as well. I've heard the polar scope is one of the best around although the mounting could be better. I favoured it over a polarie for the amount of load it can take vs how light weight it is.

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Waylandscape

Waylandscape

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Just rember for earth and sky shots if you track the sky then the ground objects will rotate but you can just use a single exposure and sort it out in the Post-processing...<Snip

Peter...

Thanks for checking that. I had worked it out but it's the sort of thing a greenhorn like me could easily overlook.

The shot above used the last light of the sun on the stones as a simple layer blend above the star trails taken when it was darker in much the same way.

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skysculptor

skysculptor

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The Astrotac has been on my would like to have list for a while now, and from my research into it and from the examples of what it can do, i think its the best of these type of systems, It buy far the most expensive but can handle a lot more load, i.e you can put an imaging refractor on it with the right attachment, and i believe the newest version can be auto guided as well if you so desire.

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StuartJPP

StuartJPP

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As mentioned already, the Vixen Polarie has got a 1/2 sidereal tracking rate that attempts to produce half the blurring of both the landscape and the stars. Of course the longer the exposure the more blurring there will be. It is quite difficult to get both in focus with long exposures without merging two images, one with the stars sharp and one of the landscape.

If you are only going to use very short focal lengths, then you don't need a polar scope, but anything reasonably long will need one depending on exposure time.

In this image with the AstroTrac, which is 88 seconds long and at 10mm, the foreground is starting to blur, would be interesting to see the same type of exposure/FL with the Polarie at 1/2 sidereal tracking rate:

8079672345_0a83f67712_b.jpg

The Milky Way by StuartJPP, on Flickr

I've just ordered an astrotrac and can't wait to try it out. I needed to order the polariscope as well. I've heard the polar scope is one of the best around although the mounting could be better. I favoured it over a polarie for the amount of load it can take vs how light weight it is.

Make sure you collimate the AstroTrac polar scope, I bet it won't be collimated when you check it (it wasn't for two that I have checked), quite simple to do, but I can't understand why they aren't collimated straight from the factory.

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DaveS

DaveS

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This guy has probably pushed the Astrotrac harder than anyone else in the world. If you haven't seen a Takahashi FS152 in the flesh you may not realize quite what you're seeing here!!!

http://cosmicbug.fil...tt320-glee1.jpg

Olly

Boggles the mind. Hmmm 150mm Tak. I suppose it's case of "If you have to ask how much..."

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