getting set up

[greealilee]

Looking for some advice please. Having started out with imaging a short while ago, I have stepped it up a little and gone with guiding as well. Yet another thing to learn, but what I am interested in is what is if at all the right work flow/ set up.

1. Set tripod up level and pointing north.
2. Set mount and polar align using pole master.
3. Mount scope and balance.
4. Align scope (celestron AVX 2 star, calibrate or not!)
5. Locate target, with eye piece.
6. Switch ep for camera.
7. Focus camera.
8. Locate guide star, focus and set PHD2 running?
9. Start to image
10. Clouds roll in, break it all down and go to bed! My last nights session.

[Demonperformer]

You can merge 5/6/7 if you use something like Astrotortilla to find the target with the camera. I think APT also offers an option to do this, but have not tried that one.

And the final step is much too quick. Should be something like "Clouds start to roll in, causing just enough obstruction to your target to lose the guide star repeatedly and ruining this sub, Repeat for five hours messing around but capturing nothing. THEN break it all down ..."

[wimvb]

Step 10 can actually happen at any time AFTER step 6. 

My flow is a little different:

1. set tripod and level

2. set mount and rough polar align with polar scope

3. mount scope and guide scope. I have markings on the dovetails of both the primary and guide scope. No need to balance. (Balance shifts anyway when you switch from ep to camera. You may have to rebalance if your imaging train is heavy.)

4. Align scope with synscan and barlowed ep. Polar align with synscan.

5a. Park scope and switch from ep to camera. Switch from synscan to eqdir.

6. Start INDI/Ekos. Focus camera (guide cam has fixed focus, this is not as critical).

7. Select target, frame.

8. Start guiding

9. Start imaging

Yesterdays variation:

5b. Search for replacement fuse because the mount won't power up. Repeat 3 times, until it's evident that the eqdir cable is kaput.

5c. Where did I put that spare eqdir cable? Search for ... minutes.

10: No clouds until 4 am!

 

 

[PeterCPC]

Step 4. At least 2 calibration stars - I do 3.

I do 5, 6, and 7 a bit different. My 5 would be centre on a bright star and swap eyepiece for camera and focus using bahtinov mask. 6. Slew to target and frame. 7. add guidecamera and set up guiding.

Peter

[greealilee]

I seem to have little faith in my step 4 hence why I leave the ep in until have seen the target that I intend to image and then go through focus. Which can be problematic at times. Have had better success when focusing on a bright star but seem to lose the target when slewing to it.

[rigradio]

13 hours ago, greealilee said:

I seem to have little faith in my step 4 hence why I leave the ep in until have seen the target that I intend to image and then go through focus. Which can be problematic at times. Have had better success when focusing on a bright star but seem to lose the target when slewing to it.

No need step 4, 5 & 6.
SGPro + PlateSolve2: framing, centering, & start imaging less than 5min.
Imaging the same object on multiple night or mozaic is so easy.

[Demonperformer]

Full disclosure: SGPro is $99 - Astrotortilla is free.

OP may well decide it is worth the cost, but (IMO) cost needs to be considered.

[PeterCPC]

17 hours ago, greealilee said:

I seem to have little faith in my step 4 hence why I leave the ep in until have seen the target that I intend to image and then go through focus. Which can be problematic at times. Have had better success when focusing on a bright star but seem to lose the target when slewing to it.

If you align/calibrate correctly then you should be pretty much on the target when you slew.

Peter

[spillage]

I do 5-9 in apt. Run of a blind platesolve-choose target from either the list or from previous image then platesolve again-image. APT is also free but you can pay the small sum of around £18 to get a few extra bits and donate to the project.