My first attempts at imaging with an incomplete setup

[Snoani]

Hello all

I’ve been visiting these forums for a little while now and have recently taken the next step in astrophotography and thought that I would step forward to introduce myself and share what I consider a recent successful outcome, despite the limitations of what I am currently imaging with.  

To give you a little background, I have been interested in astrophotography for a number of years, with a particular enthusiasm for deep sky objects.  However, I have been hampered by a very limited budget until more recently.  

I originally started imaging with a Meade ETX 80 and DSLR with limited success due to the limitations of the scope and built in mount.  I’ll come back to this scope shortly.  I then purchased an iOptron Skytracker, which again gave me limited success, partly because I was asking a little to much of this.  I intend on returning to the ioptron this summer to capture the Milky Way.  

My astrophotography endeavours have taken a back seat for the last couple of years after I moved house and having spent most of my spare time working on it and being tired by the end of the night.  However, living in a home that has dark skies, which I can image in almost all directions, and with my finances somewhat improved nowadays, I decided to take the leap and purchase my first proper guided mount setup in the form of an HEQ5 Pro, SkyWatcher StarTravel 120, field flattener, ZWO Mini Scope, ZWO 120mm mini guide camera and modified Canon 1300D.  I understand the limitations and pitfalls of this scope, but it is very much a beginner setup while I learn the craft and hone my skills, and once I am worthy I will upgrade it in year or two to an apochromatic.  I can also edit CA to an extent in the early days

However, with the world currently broken as it is, everything has arrived with the exception of the Startravel, which I am told is stuck in Chinese customs.  So I have a guided setup without a scope, which I still await with anticipation.  However, not perturbed by this setback, I decided to test the rig during the last new moon by fashioning a homemade attachment for my EXT80 to see whether I could at least guide successfully.  

In addition to this setup pushing the balance, actually finding the targets was initially difficult.  Don’t get me wrong, EQMOD and Catres Du Ciel amazingly worked perfectly without the need to troubleshoot (lot of hours reading sites and forums in advance) but because I have a scope with a goto mount that can move independently of the guide setup, and which doesn’t particularly lockdown very tightly, I had to position the scope independently once the mount was locked onto the target.  However, once I got over this hurdle, the modest images that I obtained have really filled me with enthusiasm and encouragement for the future and I look forward to the next new moon.  

Both of these images are taken with the above setup and a Nikon D7100, PHD2 and APT and stacked with DSS and edited with Photoshop CR2.

22 May 2020 
Leo Triplet
60 minutes of lights (20 x 180 secs) at ISO 1600 and 10 dark, 10 flats and 10 bias 

 

27 May 2020 & 27 May 2020 
M81 & M82
154 minutes of lights (21 x 240 secs and 14 x 300 secs) at ISO 800 and 10 darks, 10 flats and 10 bias  

 

I still have a lot to learn but with patience, practise and research I hope to build on these early successes and produce further images to share soon, which if my scope arrives in the next couple of weeks will be a crack at the Eagle nebula this month, weather permitting.

Anyway, this is rather a long introduction and I appreciate your time.

Jem

 
 

[Mick H]

Hi Snoani, and welcome to SGL.

For a first attempt I would say you have done well.

Lovely pics.

[fozzybear]

Jem

A warm welcome to SGL nice pictures. As you say at the moment you sometimes have to think out of the box. whilst waiting for the scope to arrive

regards

Andy

[des anderson]

Considering your limitations they are great images..and your first attempt, well done. Des

[Snoani]

Thank you for your kind replies.  I certainly thought outside of the box, and that setup was my second attempt.  The first attempt was hugely imbalanced in comparison.  However, while these images are far from perfect, they have blown my previous attempts out of the water and it has reignited my passion for AP.  

Jem

Edited June 2, 2020 by Snoani

[Kyle Allen]

Hi Snoani, great images! It proves that a good mount is most important for astrophotography. Hopefully your StarTravel arrives soon 👍

[MarkAR]

You've done really well with a "beginners" scope on such an unwieldy looking set up. 

Well done.

[happy-kat]

You'll enjoy EP1 and EP2 of stargazine, though the second is not yet on YouTube as it was only Sunday night but did have a CA tip for post processing.

[Snoani]

Thanks for the tip.  I will check it out.  

[fozzybear]

5 minutes ago, Snoani said:

Thanks for the tip.  I will check it out.  

Jem if you like what people have posted you can click on the blue heart symbol on the far right as well.

[fozzybear]

I started out with the little brother etx70 and still have him albeit he is still tucked up in his rucksack and tripod attached to the back memories...  

[Snoani]

I very much suspect that the same will happen to mine very soon.  

[fozzybear]

6 minutes ago, Snoani said:

I very much suspect that the same will happen to mine very soon.  

you will keep on getting it out even with your new scope when it arrives to compare I did. Or take it away on holidays.....