Getting a new mount

[Tozza Hen]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place but I just needed to share with like-minded people. 

Well, after spending 6 months getting into the hobby, learning some AP, and taking my EQ3-2 mount to its limits (see attached picture for my final photo with this mount) - I'm finally getting an NEQ-6 Pro. Soooo excited ? 

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nightfisher]

Tony, in your report you ask for pics to be removed, just to clarify is it this single image to be removed?

[Stargazer33]

That's a very good pic for an EQ 3-2! Was it guided? If you're getting that sort of shot before I look forward to seeing your pictures with the NEQ-6 Pro. Enjoy your new mount, and the free cloudy nights they come with any astro-equipment related purchase! 

[Tozza Hen]

Hi nightfisher - please ignore the removal request - originally it uploaded about 7 pictures of my cats but I managed to edit the post lol. 

Tony

[Tozza Hen]

Hi stargazer, yes it was guided and a really really one in a million shot - this was my one and only 8 minute exposure.

 

Tried every night for a week to replicate it and couldn't get more than 2-3 minutes before my stars turned into eggs. 

 

But that one shot was enough to convince me to upgrade the mount. Fingers crossed it was worth it ...

[ollypenrice]

17 minutes ago, Tozza Hen said:

Hi nightfisher - please ignore the removal request - originally it uploaded about 7 pictures of my cats but I managed to edit the post lol. 

Tony

Any mount which can track a cat is doing well...

Olly

[tomato]

Hello Tony, Nice shot of the Dumbell. Many posters on SGL have expressed the view that  a decent mount is key to imaging DSOs and the NEQ6-pro certainly falls into that category. 

Apologies to all Stargazers up North, but with Tony investing in his new mount and me on the other side of the Pennines about to buy a new camera, there will be ten tenths clouds for the next 6 weeks or so.....

Steve

[assouptro]

Hi Tony

Welcome to the forum!

thats a great image, and from an eq3-2 at 8 minutes? Wow that's impressive! 

Its a dangerous hobby, if you get the bug it becomes an addiction, you have no choice but to max out the credit card or sell the wife and kids to fund the next upgrade! 

I'm waiting with baited breath to see what you achieve with an NEQ-6 pro! (Sorry for the over use of exclamation marks but I'm excited for you!) 

Unfortunately, Steve is probably right, what with you and your mount, steve with his camera and me with big blue, we are unlikely to get many clear moonless calm nights for the next few weeks.

what camera did you use for that 8 min image? 

Cheers

Bryan 

[Tozza Hen]

Hi Bryan,

Yes I've already how expensive this hobby is but it's nothing compared to the fun at being outside in the middle of the night staring at trend lines on PHD ?.

The kit I have been using is:

Skywatcher 150 parabolic Newtonian,

Eq3-2 mount with the dual axis motors and hand controller with ST4 port,

Orion starshoot autoguider with 50mm guidescope

Canon 450d (not astronomised - yet)

 

Its been great to learn with but as time has gone on I have tinkered more and more. Totally stripped the mount down and cleaned and regreased with lithium grease and tweaked both work gears until no backlash detected but it's the motors... so much backlash within the motors. It becomes so time consuming trying to get the guiding as smooth as possible that I'm not actually getting any photos anymore. 

 

Sorry to everyone up north for the cloudy nights which are inevitably coming ?

 

Tony

[Tozza Hen]

On 03/05/2017 at 18:52, Stargazer33 said:

That's a very good pic for an EQ 3-2! Was it guided? If you're getting that sort of shot before I look forward to seeing your pictures with the NEQ-6 Pro. Enjoy your new mount, and the free cloudy nights they come with any astro-equipment related purchase! 

Well - my NEQ6 Pro arrived and what a mount. Absolutely love it. Last night I literally did a quick polar alignment and a 3-star alignment and that was enough to be able to guide accurately - no messing. Just enough time to get this 10 minute shot of the Witch's Broom Nebula before the clouds rolled in. Very happy with the shot - I need more so I can stack them - and an astronomised camera - and a 2"Barlow. - oh the list goes on... and on...

[Tozza Hen]

Eqdirect cable on the way - pulse guiding begins next week ?

[assouptro]

7 hours ago, Tozza Hen said:

Eqdirect cable on the way - pulse guiding begins next week ?

Oh, I love an optimist! 

[assouptro]

Great start on the broomstick! 

I'd love to see more data on that one, it's one of my favourite dso's