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Looking to put together an autoguider setup.


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Complete newb here only 1 month in to it all.  Researching as much as I can each day and trying to learn new things every hour.  Here's my rig:

Celestron AVX 8" SCT

Celestron AVX Mount

Celestron 2x Barlow

Various Celestron additional eyepieces

Celestron Starsense Auto Aligner

ZWO ASI 224mc color cam

I believe I can use the 224 cam as part of an auto guider solution and am wondering what else I would need for that, assuming I would be best servers with an off axis guider solution.

Many thanks in advance...

Edited by Wish-It-To-The-Cornfield
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Firstly, welcome to the SGL. :D

If you're starting into astrophotography, what sort of targets do you want to image and what have you done so far? 

If you want to use the ASI224MC as a guide camera, what imaging camera will you be using and how do you intend to control the mount when guiding, laptop, tablet or something like ASIAir?

You can use an off axis guider (OAG) or you can fit a camera to your finder scope and use that instead to get you started.

It's always handy to set a budget limit for this sort of thing because with astrophotography, the sky really is the limit as far as price goes! :D

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Thank you Martin - much appreciated!

Yes, sorry for me stupidly not adding that.  I originally thought it would mainly be planetary and Solar system imaging but after seeing visually in my eyepiece the Orion Nebula I was blown away and an looking to add that to the mix.  While I suppose the 224 is good for planetary I'm guessing it is too small a sensor for good DSO? (It was a gift given to me).  So I figured I could use the 224 for solar system imaging and then when concentrating on DSO use the 224 as a guide scope.  I've been playing around with controlling the mount with not only the HC but with Celestron CWPI as well as trying Stellarium and am open to any suggestions.  I've been brining my macbook pro outside with me and using firecapture, then when back inside using either Autostakkert. 

I'm not sure the finder scope that came with the mount can fit a cam on the eyepiece side of it? 

Budget - yeah, whatever I can either hide from my wife or amount that she's good with, if deception is out of the question. ;)

Edited by Wish-It-To-The-Cornfield
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6 hours ago, Wish-It-To-The-Cornfield said:

Budget - yeah, whatever I can either hide from my wife or amount that she's good with, if deception is out of the question. ;)

I see these kind of remarks frequently on these forums, alas ...  whether they are meant as a joke or not, I think they are quite pitiful, deception should always be out of the question. They are condescending... Just be honest, that will bring a lot more joy on all levels. 

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It's called sarcasm, but nevertheless.  You're free to be the humor police as you'd like, but also free to ignore this thread and move on.  Your pre-occupation with my humor is duly noted.

Now, if you have any suggestions about the guidescope in question, they'd be welcomed.

Edited by Wish-It-To-The-Cornfield
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Any imaging scope that has a moving primary mirror is best suited to an off axis guider like you say. This is so the guide cam is seeing the exact same movement that the imaging camera is seeing, which is what really matters when it cones to guiding. The upside is that there is less stuff and weight attached to the scope (as opposed to a separate guide scope), downside is they can be quite fiddly to get set up. Once set up though they will just work everytime as long as not disturbed. 

I've just started using an OAG... the ZWO one, which is quite nicely made, not top of the range but it works. I had some issues with the long threads of my T2 nosepiece fouling the prism stalk but 5 mins with a file sorted that out.  

 

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Thanks Craig - thats very good info.  I appreciate it.  I am thinking the OAG is the way to go for me.  I read a lot though about how the OAG sometimes makes it such that things get cramped in that area, especially if one used a reducer?  Not sure with this cam and not a dslr if that is really an issue here though...

Thanks again Craig.

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