Realtime plate solving setup for finderscope?

[matd]

Hi, I'm attempting astrophotography using a Star Adventurer mount (no goto) with a Sony camera (which doesn't play nicely with most astro software). So finding things in the sky is a bit of a problem for me!

I've read that plate solving can be very fast on low-resolution images - I was thinking I could use a separate low rez camera and scope, and rely on plate solving to tell me where it's pointing.

So - how about a webcam (or other low-rez imager) attached to my finderscope, with Astrotortilla (or PinPoint?) doing real-time plate solving?

Does anyone have experience of using a similar setup, or know if it's even possible? Are there any particular webcams etc that might be suitable?

Many thanks for any ideas.

-Mat

 

[michaelmorris]

I find that, when using a DSLR with camera lens with Camera lens for Astrophotography, a simple red dot finder mounted in the camera's hot shoe will very easily show you exactly where you are pointed. Simples.

[dannybgoode]

3 hours ago, michaelmorris said:

I find that, when using a DSLR with camera lens with Camera lens for Astrophotography, a simple red dot finder mounted in the camera's hot shoe will very easily show you exactly where you are pointed. Simples.

Nice-I like that. Will have to hunt one down

[Davey-T]

i'm with Michael, I just filed down the RDF to fit in the hotshoe, once aligned using live view it's easy to see where you're aiming.

The whole point of the SWSA is it's portability so no need to drag a laptop around.

Dave

[matd]

Thanks guys - I'm using a 50mm SkyWatcher finderscope at the moment, so maybe a basic red-dot finder would be a bit more forgiving of my limited knowledge of the sky!

I'm still intrigued by the possibilities of fast plate solving though....

 

 

[michael8554]

Hi Mat

You don't need a separate low rez  camera and scope - just switch you Sony to lowest res JPG and highest ISO, and take a short exposure.

This will show you exactly where you are (separate scope will inevitably be slightly off) and your  framing.

Michael

 

[cjdawson]

I'd have thought that plate solving would only really be useful in a scenario where the mount is computer controlled?

That way, the plate solving software can make corrections to the mount and retest  to ensure that the frame is setup correctly.

In a manual scenario like that, surely it would be simpler to compare a frame against a previous image - split screen comparitor maybe... if you really need that level of accuracy.