|
Rolabi Wizenard posted:You might also consider the ASI533MC, newer than either the 294 or the 183, with a pixel size in between. Smaller overall sensor size, but at your short 275mm focal length, youd still have a nice FOV. 533 can work if you don't mind a square sensor and can make do with 9 megapixels.
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 04:32
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 23:17 |
|
|
simble posted:533 can work if you don't mind a square sensor and can make do with 9 megapixels. 533 looks to fit the situation pretty well. Is there a reason I can't do with only 9 megapixels? I'm seeing some pretty impressive photos on Astrobin using the 533.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 15:29
|
|
|
Yooper posted:533 looks to fit the situation pretty well. Is there a reason I can't do with only 9 megapixels? I'm seeing some pretty impressive photos on Astrobin using the 533. No, it's just something to keep in mind. It can definitely take some great pictures. Me personally, I like to crop and/or resize my images to 4k which is 3048x2160. The 533's resolution is 3008x3008, so it doesn't quite fit. A small resize likely wouldn't affect the quality of the image at all anyway sincea most of the thing you care about will be in the middle of the sensor. Worst case, you might need to do some mosaics to get exactly what you want if you have a particular aspect ratio in mind. Quite a bit more imaging (2x or 4x, depending on how many frames you put in your mosaic), and a little more processing. An advantage to the square sensor is that it will have uniform vignetting so extracting backgrounds from your images might be easier.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 16:51
|
|
|
I have an as-yet basically unused 8" dobsonian in my garage that I'd like to take out on the solstice to try to see Jupiter and Saturn. Does anyone have a favorite guide to collimation for beginners they'd like to recommend, so I can practice before loading everything into the car? Should I be ordering equipment now?
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 16:56
|
|
|
KnifeWrench posted:I have an as-yet basically unused 8" dobsonian in my garage that I'd like to take out on the solstice to try to see Jupiter and Saturn. Does anyone have a favorite guide to collimation for beginners they'd like to recommend, so I can practice before loading everything into the car? http://www.astro-baby.com/astrobaby/help/collimation-guide-newtonian-reflector/
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 17:29
|
|
|
What is the one celestial object you never get tired of seeing? For me it's the Pleiades.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 17:50
|
|
|
Dick Trauma posted:What is the one celestial object you never get tired of seeing? Orion is a sad/sweet one. Seeing it means I am freezing my rear end off, but it is so epic as both a constellation but also as a container of cool things. (I guess it counts as a bunch of objects, but I'm sticking to it.)
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 17:54
|
|
|
There's several for me. I never get tired of the double cluster, the Cygnus loop, the needle Galaxy, Jupiter or Saturn.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 18:23
|
|
|
Dick Trauma posted:What is the one celestial object you never get tired of seeing? M31, Andromeda. How something can be so huge, and just hanging there...
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 18:35
|
|
|
It's so hard to choose just one, but I'd have to pick M51.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2020 19:04
|
|
|
Orion for me. It's so recognizable, marks the beginning of the winter, and the Orion Nebula was the first DSO I imaged.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2020 02:13
|
|
|
Betelgeuse I look at more than anything else simply because I want it to explode while I'm looking at it. I understand that still probably a long way to go but it's definitely within the error bars and probably has a better chance than anything else naked-eye visible.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2020 03:12
|
|
|
Finally had a clear night! I'm having issues with the focus on my Takumar lens so my M33 frames are out of focus and look like poop. The next images turned out better but I've lost that nice diffraction. I'm not terribly concerned as Santa may bring a new scope.  That's my first shot of the Orion Nebula, I see a whole lot of this guy in the future, it's perfectly placed for my limited area of sky.
|
|
#
?
Dec 11, 2020 00:12
|
|
|
Hardly a shred of cloud for the past 6 months. Saturn Jupiter looking to mash together? Well hey... 
|
|
#
?
Dec 11, 2020 17:17
|
|
|
Yep, we are clouded in here (MD) tomorrow, but fortunately it looks like it's going to be clear on Tuesday.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2020 22:03
|
|
|
I just came back from observing. I was able to get Jupiter, Saturn, and 5 moons all in one view piece. It was pretty cool seeing the gas bands and rings at the same time and it gave me a really good feel for the field of view on my setup. I'll check again tomorrow but I think its going to be overcast here as well.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2020 00:16
|
|
|
I'm set to have decent viewing conditions tonight, but I'm also gonna try for broad daylight. It'll be tricky, what with using a manual 6" dob, but between a compass, inclinometer, and the 9x50 finder I'm fairly certain I'll be able to nab it. It'll be the only time I've seen either planet in daylight.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2020 16:32
|
|
|
Living through the images captured by others. Where are the images? PS: HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2020 17:11
|
|
|
I'm socked in with weather. Snowing now and cloudy in the forecast till almost the New Year. So yah, bring on those photos clear weather friends.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2020 17:39
|
|
|
Well, sky opened and saw the dots next to each other (not overlapping). Cooking dinner so no urgency to set up the scope.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 01:45
|
|
|
No conjunction images tonight due to cloudy weather. We had a gap of about 30 min or so here in MD where it was visible so I did at least see it. I actually set up all my gear in my front yard (only place I can see it, the backyard observatory has a big tree in the way) as a setup test for tomorrow night. The weather is supposed to be good here tomorrow so I'm going to another place to do some imaging.Salt Fish posted:I just came back from observing. I was able to get Jupiter, Saturn, and 5 moons all in one view piece. It was pretty cool seeing the gas bands and rings at the same time and it gave me a really good feel for the field of view on my setup. I'll check again tomorrow but I think its going to be overcast here as well. If you were seeing 5 things in a line through Jupiter one of those is actually a star. But you may have been talking about Titan as well (I have only see it in photographs I've taken)
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 03:17
|
|
|
couple of ok pics i got just using the longest lens i have 
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 03:50
|
|
|
I currently use my Celestron Astromaster 70 about 3 or 4 times a year. It was a present from my parents about 10 years ago, and I think what's holding me back from using it more is the AZ mount. I am not sure what would be the best value. Should I get a more powerful telescope with an EQ mount? Or just get a new mount. If so, what should I get? I think I just need some advice generally. I don't plan to do any astrophotography.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 10:46
|
|
|
What's the biggest Dob that is still feasible to transport in the back seat of a car? 10"? Thinking long-term here because of budget. On the one hand I really want as big as possible, on the other hand I'd pretty much only ever be able to use it by transporting it somewhere else (since my landlord decided it would be fantastic idea to install a flood light on the side of the house right next to my balcony, and won't budge on turning its motion-sensor off). Currently have a Heritage 130p (apparently known as the AWS OneSky in North America?) and while I like it and its portability, it's a bit too small for observing a lot of what I want to be observing.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 11:00
|
|
|
Solid tube? 10” is about the max, and even then I’d double check dimensions. I love my 12” but it’s extremely heavy and when I’m transporting it, there’s no room for anyone else in the car. Truss tube/collapsible Dobs are much easier to move around, but you pay the price of extra setup (and extra money.)
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 11:36
|
|
|
Drone posted:What's the biggest Dob that is still feasible to transport in the back seat of a car? 10"? Pretty much, yeah. At 12″ and f/5, the tube gets too long to fit across the seat of a midsize car. It can be done in hatchbacks, or with something like a Sky-Watcher Flextube 300P that gets smaller for transport and storage. Solid tubes larger than 12″ are not common these days with good reason.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 11:37
|
|
|
Keeper Garrett posted:I currently use my Celestron Astromaster 70 about 3 or 4 times a year. It was a present from my parents about 10 years ago, and I think what's holding me back from using it more is the AZ mount. I am not sure what would be the best value. Should I get a more powerful telescope with an EQ mount? Or just get a new mount. If so, what should I get? Are you looking for a GOTO mount? Or just a basic equatorial? If it's just a basic EQ, then there's quite a variety. What do you normally look at, or want to look at? Are you happy with what your current scope shows you?
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 12:27
|
|
|
Luneshot posted:Truss tube/collapsible Dobs are much easier to move around, but you pay the price of extra setup (and extra money.) I do like the collapsibility of my current little guy, so I was looking at something along that route. How annoying are they for making sure the mirror doesn't get dusty and dirty, considering that without a shroud, whenever it's open it's gonna have much more exposure than a solid tube would? Or is that not really a concern?
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 13:57
|
|
|
I don’t see it as a big deal. The mirror will get some dust on it no matter what you do. The front has to be wide open during observation anyway, and you want air movement to speed the equalisation of the mirrors with ambient temperature. I do suggest a shroud, but that’s more for keeping out stray light. Garbage bags work a lot better than nothing. Matte fabric is an improvement on that.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 14:09
|
|
|
Yooper posted:Are you looking for a GOTO mount? Or just a basic equatorial? If it's just a basic EQ, then there's quite a variety. Yeah I am happy with my current scope. I normally look at the planets since anything else is a bit hard to lock in on with the AZ mount. Yeah a basic EQ mount looks like what I should upgrade to. Would this be useful as part of the upgrade too? https://www.amazon.com.au/Celestron...s_id=4885260051
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 15:25
|
|
|
Keeper Garrett posted:Yeah I am happy with my current scope. I normally look at the planets since anything else is a bit hard to lock in on with the AZ mount. Yeah a basic EQ mount looks like what I should upgrade to. Are you thinking motorized? Goto? Or basic hand movement along an axis?
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 16:23
|
|
|
My father-in-law gave me his old Meade 70mm NG series. Last night we got a good look at Jupiter/Saturn. I could see 4 moons around Jupiter, and Saturn's rings pretty well for a while. I tried getting some pics, but the altitude nut was too loose and my phone was too heavy. I tightened everything up and will see if I can get some pics tonight. Before this in mid-november, I had purchased a Celestron NexStar 130slt off amazon as my first telescope. Long story short, I decided to return it with the intent of buying a non-goto of the same telescope, (I talked myself out of worrying about batteries when we go camping and such) but UPS lost that 2nd one in transit. This is essentially my first telescoping experience. If I went back and bought a larger telescope, like the 130 reflector that I had initially bought, would there be a significant difference to a newbie over the 70mm refractor I have now? What can the 130 show me that the 70 can't? I have a 2x barlow, a selection of eye-pieces, a couple different moon-filters, and a sun filter if that means anything.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 22:32
|
|
|
Zaffy posted:My father-in-law gave me his old Meade 70mm NG series. Last night we got a good look at Jupiter/Saturn. I could see 4 moons around Jupiter, and Saturn's rings pretty well for a while. I tried getting some pics, but the altitude nut was too loose and my phone was too heavy. I tightened everything up and will see if I can get some pics tonight. Your Meade 70mm has a focal length of 700mm while the 130SLT is 650mm. The two will show things like the planets and moons fairly similarly. The big difference will be in dark sky objects. The 130mm scope will collect significantly more light for something like a star cluster or a galaxy. So your 70mm scope may show andromeda as a smudge of light while the 130 may show the banding and deeper structure. A big caveat is how good your viewing is. If you are in downtown LA the light pollution will probably prevent you from getting the most out of that 130. The Meade 70 will still do well with planets and the moon as long as your atmospheric conditions are good. If you took the 70 and the 130 out to a dark site, looked at the same deep sky object, you'd be able to make out the difference. If it's just the moon, you probably couldn't really tell them apart. This doesn't take into account the issues between one being a refractor and the other a reflector. A Dobsonian, like the dudes were talking about above, get the best of both worlds (except portability). A much larger light capturing area with great focal lengths. A 10" (~250mm) has a focal length of about 1250mm.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 22:48
|
|
|
Thank you very much. That makes perfect sense. I think I'm going to use the 70 for now and upgrade later if I feel the need. I'm in the suburbs above LA, so I guess my light pollution is moderate?
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 23:17
|
|
|
Zaffy posted:Thank you very much. That makes perfect sense. I think I'm going to use the 70 for now and upgrade later if I feel the need. I'm in the suburbs above LA, so I guess my light pollution is moderate? I totally did not know you were near LA, just threw out a rando metro area.  The cooler the color, the better.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 23:29
|
|
|
It was a good guess then! I'm in Santa Clarita, my house looks to be located in the light orange. Thanks again!
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2020 23:43
|
|
|
Been cloudy for weeks, but the clouds broke right at sunset tonight and I had about 30 mins to get as much gear as I could set up before they drifted behind the trees. Jupiter/Saturn, one day after their closest conjunction. Manual tracking (dear god, what a pain that is), Canon 80D through my 8" reflector @1000mm. Not my best work, but turned out OK considering that I don't have the gear for planetary imaging.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2020 00:57
|
|
|
I got out last night and was able to dodge some clouds and get a decent photo of the day-after-conjunction: 8" SCT, 2x focal extender, ASI1600MM + RGB filters. And on new telescopes, Ed Ting of scopereviews.com fame is doing videos now, I guess, and has a pretty good one on his top three choices for new scopes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ-g2eWj0Fs his top choice is, of course, the 8" Dob
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2020 22:21
|
|
|
Yooper posted:Are you thinking motorized? Goto? Or basic hand movement along an axis? I'd say manual hand movement along an axis.
|
|
#
?
Dec 24, 2020 02:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 23:17 |
|
|
Keeper Garrett posted:I'd say manual hand movement along an axis. https://www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/mounts/telescope-mounts/equatorial-mounts/mounts_electronics:manual_no_electronics That is a good list. Find something that'll carry your scope weight and match your budget.
|
|
#
?
Dec 24, 2020 03:10
|
|