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Final Installment of My "6 Essential Tools for EAA" Video Series


curtisca17

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I just completed the final  video in the series which I call the "6 Essential Tools for EAA".  This one covers DC power and distribution while in the field and at home.   If you have questions on  how to power your EAA rig you might want to take a look at the video here   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3u607zaXL8

 

While there are lots of accessories we collect to help us in our EAA endeavors, to me there are 6 things that are absolutely essential to get started in EAA. These are:

1.  An Optical Tube Assembly capable of operating at a focal ratio of f/6 or lower either natively like most Newtonians and many refractors or with a focal reducer like an SCT.  For those looking for a low cost setup, a wide field refractor with a doublet lens is an excellent option.

2. A tracking mount to keep the object centered in the field of view long enough to stack sufficient images to bring out pleasing detail of the deep sky object we want to view.  Fortunately this doesn't have to be an expensive and heavy mount like you would need for traditional astrophotography.  It can even be an Alt-Az mount.

3. A low read noise CMOS camera which allows very short exposures to be used thereby making it possible to use a lighter and less expensive mount.  Of course, the camera needs to be matched to the OTA to provide optimal outcomes and doesn't even have to be all that expensive.

4. A computer to operate the camera and live stacking software which makes EAA possible.  Fortunately, just as with the mount, the demands on the computer are far less stringent than they are when doing astrophotography so one can often start with the computer they already have around before investing in something better.

5.  Live stacking software is what revolutionized EAA back around 2014.  Premier among these is SharpCap from Robin Glover, but there are a few others worth considering including ASILive if you like to work in the ZWO universe.  These software have evolved over the years with so many useful added features that they can sometimes appear daunting to the beginner.

6. Finally, we need a way to provide consistent 12V DC power to our equipment to keep it running long enough to complete our EAA session.   For some, this will only be a few hours so a small battery which can be mounted on the telescope or tripod can serve the purpose.  But for longer sessions and especially when additional power hungry accessories are being used (dew heaters, cooled cameras, etc.) something larger will be needed.

 

You can find links to the videos covering all of these topics here  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrOajROPNMvJqJp_gNr2RmA  It takes a lot of time and effort to put these together so I hope more newcomers to EAA will find them and take advantage of them.  The positive feedback I have received so far encourages me to carry on.   I encourage more feedback .

 

Best Regards,

Curtis

 
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