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What to buy that's the question


Guest Dickba

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Guest Dickba

Ask a newbie just getting something to use, I have a Nexstar SE 8, an AZ EQ6 , an ASI120MM mono camera and a Modded Canon700d, plus a few bits and pieces. I have built a shed with a tall piller. I want to get into pHotography especially the DSOs. SO I am looking for a guiding system to use the ASI camera. I had my eye on a celestron 80mm guider scope but I cannot find anyone with one for sale as they are all waiting for stock. THE question.. Have any of you experienced folk any advice on the best devices to fit in with what I have... Oh yes I did get a focal reducer to get the scope down to f6.3 but I would like to be able to guide it at the full f10 as well. Any help would be very welcome.

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Try the Skywatcher Star Travel 80mm (ST80) from FLO as a guide scope Alan - it's been pretty much a standard guiding item for years and easy to add equipment with it's in built T-connector. It makes more sense to guide at the same or faster focal ratio than the imaging scope cos it gathers light "faster" or "as fast". Your ASI will serve as a great guide camera.


 


All you need is a few bits and bobs to join it all up in a non flexing way which I guess on an Sct means mounting a dovetail bar and some guide scope rings - and possibly some counterbalancing. Alternatively you could use an OAG. For planets I doubt you need to guide at all as they're so bright and so close. Guiding wouldn't help much cos planets spin - it's more for long exposure on dso's.


 


I can thoroughly recommend a good read of Making Every Photon Count - also available at FLO. Hth :)

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. For planets I doubt you need to guide at all as they're so bright and so close. Guiding wouldn't help much cos planets spin - it's more for long exposure on dso's.

 

I can thoroughly recommend a good read of Making Every Photon Count - also available at FLO. Hth :)

Absolutely Kim. I use the colour ASI 120 on an HEQ5 Pro for planets. No need to guide or even perfectly polar align. Registax takes care of the errors.

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Although I feel I should add, good polar alignment is essential in planetary imaging should you want to tease out that extra detail. Good polar alignment was what helped me move on in planetary imaging.

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the st 80 will work fine with the asi120mm camera, you need an extension tube for it which goes in place where the diagonal would have gone, there cheap scopes but a bit on the heavy side, another option which i moved to is a altair astro 60mm guide camera.


http://www.altairastro.com/altair-60mm-guide-scope-kit-straight-thru-with-non-rotating-helical-focuser-no-eyepiece-or-illuminator.html


these are very light and much smaller than the st80, work very well and from what i`ve been told will guide scopes up to 2 meters although lower would be better so if your using the focal reducer it will be fine, i would recommend fitting a ir cut filter to the asi120mm camera, this will give a better and sharper guide image.


slightly more expensive than than the st80 but not a heavy or as bulky. 


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Guest Dickba

Thanks for the advice you all. I have ordered a startravel 80 so now comes the problem of limited knowledge of all the names and functions of the parts available to fit it to the nexstar SE 8 tube. I assume the best plan is to contact a respected supplier and ask. BUT I suspect some one out there knows exactly what I need?

I await the scope and any welcome advice.

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