Auto-tracking and alignment without polar aligning

[Steve143]

As a beginner to astrophotography I was wondering if it was possible to set up a DSLR to capture DSOs by simply locating the object and then tracking long exposures by using a system that recognises the star field and automatically tracks and realigns as the object moves in the FOV? I came across StarAid and wondered if anyone has any experience with this and is it worth exploring?

 https://staraid.ai/ 

Could this system, or something similar that doesn't require polar aligning, remove tracking errors due to poor polar alignment?

Forgive my naivety but it struck me that such a system would make the process of set up and tracking of DSOs so much easier, but then again I may be missing something obvious that needs to be taken into account when taking long exposures of DSOs (up to a few minutes of exposure time).

Thank you in advance. 

[Dazzyt66]

It sounds easy when you read the blurb, but you'll still need a mount, so what starts as £700ish suddenly turns into £1500-£2000 if you include a HEQ5. I'm not saying that you need an HEQ5 but that is known to be the beginners 'AP standard'. You will always need polar aligning (or a way to do it without seeing the pole) to be able to take long exposures as well as other basic setup.

IMO you'd be better of with a star tracker to begin with (unless you want to go down the HEQ5 route) which are relatively easy to setup and you'll get some decent images with just a DSLR, lens and a remote shutter control (there are plenty of Youtube videos showing what can be done). Assuming you have the DSLR and lens already the whole lot would cost around £300 new. This is the star tracker I'm hoping to get soon:

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM) Wifi Astro-Imaging Mount Pro Pack | First Light Optics

There aren't really any shortcuts to get decent AP images, I've tried lots and failed 🤣 there is plenty of advice here though and I'm sure others will have their own views of where to start. What I will say though is that a DSLR and lens will give you some great images with potential minimal outlay.

Hope that helps.

Daz

 

Edited October 6, 2021 by Dazzyt66

[vlaiv]

This is routinely done in imaging with combination of different software.

1. PHD2 is often used for guiding - thus correcting for mount errors and poor polar alignment. Other software is also available for this purpose - like Metaguide and original PHD to name few

2. Plate solving is available as option in many imaging applications - it will identify where scope is pointing and update telescope driver so it knows where "it is".

3. SharpCap allows for polar alignment without polar scope. There are other techniques as well to do this - like drift methods

All above StarAid does - already exists and depending on price of said accessory - it might be available at less cost although a bit more involved - for example, you can take Raspberry PI and guide camera and software on RPI will do all the functionality you need. It will also let you "login" via your phone / tablet and monitor what is happening.

You can even have full fledged system with KStars/Ekos running and login with laptop via RDP/VNC type of connection.

[scotty38]

I may be wrong but from a quick scan you could do the exact same polar aligning using sharpcap and a ZWO 120 for a fraction of the price

 

EDIT - Beaten to it and more comprehensively 🙂

Edited October 6, 2021 by scotty38

[Steve143]

2 minutes ago, Dazzyt66 said:

It sounds easy when you read the blurb, but you'll still need a mount, so what starts as £700ish suddenly turns into £1500-£2000 if you include a HEQ5. I'm not saying that you need an HEQ5 but that is known to be the beginners 'AP standard'. You will always need polar aligning (or a way to do it without seeing the pole) to be able to take long exposures as well as other basic setup.

IMO you'd be better of with a star tracker to begin with (unless you want to go down the HEQ5 route) which are relatively easy to setup and you'll get some decent images with just a DSLR, lens and a remote shutter control (there are plenty of Youtube videos showing what can be done). Assuming you have the DSLR and lens already the whole lot would cost around £300 new. This is the star tracker I'm hoping to get soon:

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM) Wifi Astro-Imaging Mount Pro Pack | First Light Optics

There aren't really any shortcuts to get decent AP images, I've tried lots and failed 🤣 there is plenty of advice here though and I'm sure others will have their own views of where to start.

Hope that helps.

Daz

 

Thanks Daz. That's really helpful. I realised I would need a suitable mount too that can provide the adjustments needed to ensure good tracking. I have been looking at the Star Adventurer Pro as an entry-level mount for astrophotography, and then move up to an HEQ5 once I'm more experienced. 

[Dazzyt66]

1 minute ago, Steve143 said:

Thanks Daz. That's really helpful. I realised I would need a suitable mount too that can provide the adjustments needed to ensure good tracking. I have been looking at the Star Adventurer Pro as an entry-level mount for astrophotography, and then move up to an HEQ5 once I'm more experienced. 

That sounds an excellent plan and if I could do it all again its the route I probably should've taken...🤣

Good luck! Its a really rewarding hobby but can be a money pit if you let it!

[Steve143]

1 minute ago, Dazzyt66 said:

That sounds an excellent plan and if I could do it all again its the route I probably should've taken...🤣

Good luck! Its a really rewarding hobby but can be a money pit if you let it!

Thanks. As a newbie I'm really enjoying getting to grips with the hobby and have been using my DSLR on a static tripod so far, with varying results, but I've seen how easily it can be to fall into that black hole! 

[Jp114]

I know my Vixen Skysensor 2000 (from the 1990's) has a feature that allows you to polar align without using Polaris. I've not used it, but I think that after alignment it'll slew so the alignment star is where would be if you were aligned, and you can adjust the mount to recentre it.

I'm not sure whether any other controllers do anything similar though.  

 

[900SL]

On 06/10/2021 at 11:17, Steve143 said:

As a beginner to astrophotography I was wondering if it was possible to set up a DSLR to capture DSOs by simply locating the object and then tracking long exposures by using a system that recognises the star field and automatically tracks and realigns as the object moves in the FOV? I came across StarAid and wondered if anyone has any experience with this and is it worth exploring?

 https://staraid.ai/ 

Could this system, or something similar that doesn't require polar aligning, remove tracking errors due to poor polar alignment?

Forgive my naivety but it struck me that such a system would make the process of set up and tracking of DSOs so much easier, but then again I may be missing something obvious that needs to be taken into account when taking long exposures of DSOs (up to a few minutes of exposure time).

Thank you in advance. 

I'm a relative novice myself so I may be incorrect here but to do this you would need a means of controlling the camera position about two orthogonal axes  (ie an Alt Az mount) and also correct for field rotation, because stars move in a circular path.

It's simpler to use an equatorial mount aligned on the NCP.  The degree of accuracy required is a function of pixel size/sensor size/focal length/exposure length, and you would be surprised at the allowable tolerance for DSLR/Wide field imaging (assuming you don't have major issues with periodic error etc).