Advice on travelling and imaging

[5haan_A]

Hi,

 

In a couple of weeks time I am going to be driving down from the sunny Yorkshire to sunny southern Spain. I am aiming to spend two- three weeks down there and thought it would be great to travel down with the full rig. The place where I will be staying is private and I should have no issues leaving the mount and scope set up. Where we will be staying is Bortle 5 sky, so not the best but still I'm looking forward to having some clear nights and actual night time, not this semi dark sky rubbish we have here in the UK over the summer months. 

 

It would be great to hear ANY advice on travelling and imaging, because this is the first time my scope will be leaving my back garden and shed. 

 

I will be taking down my eq6 mount, Esprit 100 refractor, a ZWO camera (not sure yet which one I will be bringing as I have one up for sale here), power supply, plus all the cables and what not. I also just picked up a WO redcat 51 and plan to use this with a canon 5d and skywatcher star adventurer. 

 

I have never imaged in a warm country before, so I am not sure how the air temperature will affect the quality of my shots. Dew is usually what I have to worry about in the UK.

 

I have also never used the star adventurer mount, I was hoping to guide it with PHD2, but can I use the same laptop to guide two different mounts at the same time?

 

I am hoping to take some milkyway shots using the DSLR and a wide lens mounted on the star adventurer, however I have never taken full milkyway shots before so I would be grateful for some pointers to any good bits of info on this, even if its just recommended exp time etc. 

 

As you can tell, I am quite excited about taking this trip and getting some lovely images at the end of it. It will also be great to learn some more about the craft. Please do share anything you think might be helpful on your experience travelling and imaging.

 

Best,

 

Shaan

[rickwayne]

I would heartily recommend developing and using a checklist if you're going to be out of your customary context. Super-easy to forget something!

lonelyspeck.com has a series of articles on Milky Way imaging for the novice, that's how I started. If your camera is ISO-invariant over a range, favor lower ISOs to maximize dynamic range. And of course test when you get there, if the skyfog peak of the histogram doesn't touch the left edge then that's the right exposure.

Sounds like a real winner -- enjoy! swagastro.com if you want to see what the imaging possibilities are in Spain. >;-}

[carastro]

I've only taken a portable set up to Spain with me.   Make sure you have a UK/Spain power adapter or two, and as said above write yourself a list so you don't forget anything. 

In the UK I regularly  take my full rig to camps and a list is vital, as is a decent cover to protect your kit from rain, Sun probably and prying eyes. 

A long enough cable to power your kit from wherever, you may have to make do with slightly higher cooling temperatures on your camera (much like we are having to at the moment).

Can't think of anything else.  The skies will be weird with everything in a dislodged position from the UK, but you'll be able to grab some lower targets, so make sure you have a nice list of things you can't do from the UK but you can from Spain.  In particular I wanted to get the Antares region, but it is huge, I did get it, but would have been better if I could have taken my proper rig instead of a travel set up. 

Good luck and lucky you.

Carole 

[feverdreamer1]

Hey Shaan,

A Spanish from the south here!

First of all, I'd like to ease your mind and let you know that at least where I live dew isn't something to worry about, what you should be concerned about if imaging during long periods of time is the amount of insects that are there specially now in summer so be careful about that. Also be careful where you're shooting,as I have been told off a few times 🤣. But like you're imaging from a private place that should be fine. If you're anywhere near Andalucía and don't mind driving a bit you can get to some amazing high peaks and trust me, they're really great. Let me know what part you're visiting and if I've been there I can give you a few heads up. 

And remember to enjoy Spain, it's a great country and people are really kind to tourists (at least where I'm from), and if your stay is like a month or so dont hesitate to contact local astronomy clubs, they're always eager to help and make observing parties (but I dont know if with all the covid situation they'll continue doing that)

Cheers and enjoy your trip,

S

[5haan_A]

On 25/06/2020 at 11:44, feverdreamer1 said:

Hey Shaan,

A Spanish from the south here!

First of all, I'd like to ease your mind and let you know that at least where I live dew isn't something to worry about, what you should be concerned about if imaging during long periods of time is the amount of insects that are there specially now in summer so be careful about that. Also be careful where you're shooting,as I have been told off a few times 🤣. But like you're imaging from a private place that should be fine. If you're anywhere near Andalucía and don't mind driving a bit you can get to some amazing high peaks and trust me, they're really great. Let me know what part you're visiting and if I've been there I can give you a few heads up. 

Thanks for the message. I will be in Andalucia, staying near a town called Motril. I will have a car, and wouldn't mind a drive up to some peaks. Let me know where you recommend. 

 

Insect wise I can imagine it to be a problem, my plan was to keep the scope set up outside, but given what you said I may bring a dust sheet as well to keep it protected during the day!

 

Best,

[feverdreamer1]

One of the best places in southern Spain is Calar Alto, it's breathtaking, if you have the opportunity to go and weather is good, you won't regret it. I think it's like a 2 hour drive from Motril but its worth it. Really. 

Another place is el Torcal de Antequera, which is in Málaga, it's also a 2 hour drive but it's in the other direction of Calar Alto, which is in Almería.

Also try and visit Sierra de Grazalema, but it's a long drive from Motril (3 and a half hours I think). And while in Granada, check out Sierra Nevada. Amazing too.

Best of luck with weather and enjoy,

S

[alacant]

Hi

Most of our telescope wielding UK visitors come over will ill fitting mains plug adaptors. Tip: buy them in Spain. 

I see that @feverdreamer1 has already told you how wonderful Spain is, but do allow me to confirm his enthusiasm:)

¡Saludos!