Heritage 150p guidance

[gcooksley]

Hey y’all. So I recently bought the 150p after a year of deliberation and decided to just pull the trigger and order it. So far it’s been working amazing and I’m so glad I finally got myself into this. I only bought the manual version not the goto version because the price difference was too much for me because I just wanted something to get my feet wet. Now after I have been using it for a few weeks I’ve now decided I’d like to try my hand in astrophotography. My questions are 

1. Would it be possible to turn this telescope into goto? So I can follow stars/nebulas/etc. And if so how or what would I need? 

2. Can I attach a camera to this telescope? Or maybe my iPhone to take pictures? 

and yes yes I know I should have bought a telescope that does this from the jump but look it’s expensive to get into and I’m just glad I was able to get into this. Any help/ guidance would be so appreciated 

[wongataa]

9 hours ago, gcooksley said:

1. Would it be possible to turn this telescope into goto? So I can follow stars/nebulas/etc. And if so how or what would I need?

You could do this.  I would look at Onstep telescope controls.  It is a DIY arduino based system.  Look through what people have done with that on motorising Dobsonian telescopes.  You will need pulleys, belts, and stepper motors.

9 hours ago, gcooksley said:

2. Can I attach a camera to this telescope?

You could.  It would need to be attached to a nose piece that would then fit into the eyepiece port.  However this telescope is really designed for visual use and the focuser would not be ideal for camera use and the hole extending end of the telescope is most likely a little too flimsy to support the weight of a camera properly.

[cajen2]

Don't forget the Heritage has a dovetail so it's easy to attach it to a normal driven mount with tripod.

[Cosmic Geoff]

You don't necessarily need a GoTo mount to do some astrophotography.  I suggest you do some more research into what can be done without spending a wad of money, for instance by mounting a DSLR + telephoto lens on a tracker.  Decide what you want to accomplish, set a budget and start saving.  A lashup using your existing telescope may not satisfy you for long, and may just demonstrate to you why you need to buy the proper kit.

[Dark Raven]

Hi  ,
Welcome to the SGL forum. If you have not already, I would suggest to do two basic mods first: putting a shroud and stiffening the focuser. See below on how to:
 

I have the same telescope as you and I have done exactly what you are asking.

1. For visual observing almost any go to mount would do. Make sure that it has at least 5 kg payload capacity. 
   Good options would be: 
   Star Adventurer GTi Wi-Fi GoTo (with tripod!)
   Sky-Watcher EQ3 PRO Go-To
   Celestron Advanced VX Mount (a bit pricey)
   
   In a pinch you could get away with these:
   Sky-Watcher AZ GTi WiFi 
   iOptron SkyHunter AZ/EQ Goto
   
   I would not recommend:
   iOptron Cube Pro Go-To (all the reasons why you can see in my personal experience here on this SGL thread, lots of pics of 150p in action as well)
   iOptron SmartEQ Pro (outdated, a lots of hassle...)
   
    
2. For astrophotography you need a good mount with sufficient payload capacity. This telescope is designed for visual use and it shows. Attaching a camera to SW Heritage 150p can be done (I did it, full blown DSLR at that), but it is a hassle...
   Your biggest problems are achieving focus and terrible helical focuser. Given that SW H150p is a truss tube Dobsonian, you can achieve primary focus (without Barlow lens) by simply not extending it all the way out. How much do you need to extend will depend on your particular camera and only trial and error will show you exactly how much is needed.
   
   I would not recommend DSLR as the focuser is not sturdy enough to hold it steady and you will end up throwing away 2/3 of your sub-exposures. 
   Light dedicated planetary cameras would probably do best, but for that you need small computer or ASIAir / Stellarmate and it is a rabbit hole...
   Perhaps the simplest option would be to start with: Celestron NeXGO DX Smartphone Adapter and see how it goes. 
    

I have upgraded the eyepieces and use it primarily for a visual observing while my other dedicated Astrophotography rig is taking sub-exposures. See below for my example

 

Do let us know how you advance, and do not be shy to ask questions, we all started at one time...