Hi from Lincoln

[oldfruit]

Forgot to mention that you would also need a remote timer for your camera.

[Brantuk]

It depends what you're imaging. The super track auto mount is alt/az and is unsuitable for long exposure tracking which you'll need for dso's, you'll be limited to planets and moon only.

 

Also a dslr is the wrong tool for solar system objects - for that you would use short exposure photography with a webcam. However if you wanted to do star trails then you can do that with a simple camera tripod and a dslr.

 

I wouldn't recommend getting the attachments for a dslr for your scope - the mount is quite flimsy, adding weight to the ota will put extra strain on the motors, and you'll have such a frustrating time with vibrations you'll end up tearing your hair out lol.

 

A good book on astro imaging is "Making Every Photon Count" by Steve Richards - that'll give you a good idea of what's involved with astro imaging - there's a heck of a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Brantuk

[tuckstar]

Apparently the 130 struggles to focus with a camera. Not enough back focus, but I haven't tried my self. Someone did do some Web caming with one with quite good results, but it was on an eq mount.

[Stephen]

 Hi welcome to the EMS

 

  Stephen

[Guest fondofchips]

Hi Lakshmi and welcome to EMS.

 

Anybody who has been in the RAF like me knows where Swinderby is.

[Guest nightingale]

Thank You everyone ! I am excited about the meet  but at the moment quite upset ! My telescope arrived the day before . We had an extremely clear nite but strangely I cd not see anything . I cd not understand the motor control . Spent hours on reading and checking You tube for advice . This morning I checked the scope during day light. Happy that light was passing through and I could see the pole ..chimney and a fence. I still do not understand how useful the auto tracker is . I have called the place I bought this from for more help but some of the individuals working there cannot help . So . i am going to check for another 2-3 ...and if I still can't figure out ...I am gonna return it and get one without that auto tracker . 

[Brantuk]

Hi Lakshmi - it will work - but setting up is no easy thing for a total beginner. First two things you have to get right is pointing the mount north (use a compass) and setting the altitude scale for your latitude on Earth (get that from google). Then the motor will work and it will track objects as the Earth turns. But don't despair - one of the folks at Badger Farm will help you set it up and get you running.

 

Then the next thing is learning to recognise the conditions and to set your expectations accordingly. You also need to know the positions of the objects in the sky that you wish to view. This only comes with experience but you'll get the hang of it after the first two or three meetings you attend. Again - there will be plenty of advice on hand.

 

One other thing - once the motor is running - don't expect to see the scope moving cos it goes so slow you won't be able to see the movement unless you slew the scope with the arrow keys. Normal tracking rate is imperceptible.

 

Here's a set up guide:  http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/documents/79.pdf

Edited March 7, 2014 by Brantuk

[Guest nightingale]

Oh OK Kim ..that sounds good and interesting . When you say the mount sd point north ...i understand that the tube sd right ? tell me if I am wrong .  BTW ...How do I set the  altitude scale for my latitude ? I have got that from my iphone .

[Guest nightingale]

Oh yes..Kim . Btw ..I have seen this website and was following that . I did exactly that as specified for setting the lalitude axis .  just another question ....Sd the scope always point to the north when starting off every night ?

[Brantuk]

Yes - point the tube North. To set the altitude you should find a scale on the side of the mount facing the tube. There will be an index marker on the bit that turns the tube up/down vertically. Make sure you're powered up and when the index is set hit buttons "2" and "3" together and it will save the setting for all future sessions. You'll only have to change it if you move to another location (eg Badger Farm).

 

[Brantuk]

"Sd the scope always point to the north when starting off every night ?"

 

Yes - North and level (use a spirit level if not sure).

[Guest nightingale]

Hello Everyone 

thanks for all your HELP  ! Finally , as you all have advised ...I read , waited and finally got it to work . Last Night was absolutely amazing . I saw The Jupiter with the 4 moons all aligned nicely in a neat straight line . WHAT A SIGHT !!! I was blown away . I even waited and saw the red planet Mars at about 11pm rising from the North East . I could even see the red ! I started off with the moon and then used the app on my Ipad - star Guide , which is just FAB . I also used the book I had bought called 'Philips Star Gazing 2014'.

Using moon as a starting point I could find Aldeberan, Betelgeuse and the other 3 in the Orion Nebula,  . Then obviously Jupiter, then Castor and Pollux in the Gemini Constellation . It did take time to actually get it into the eye piece. It was pretty tricky , but I got to understand how the finder scope works. I took ages to get Mars into my frame !! i do not find the place where the finder scope goes very comfortable . I have to bend and tilt  my body to one side quite a bit . May be I do have to get used to it . 

But ....all said and done ...I am sooooo happy today !!  Oh another question ...I saw Jupiter and Mars through my 25mm eye piece . I could not get any view through Barlow but a pretty decent view through the 10mm . Is there a way I could use Barlow with 25mm or  can I use 10mm with the 25mm ...or sd  they  all be used independently ? 

BTW ...my friend wants to buy  one and is looking at this scope ...how to you rate it .

Does anyone use this ?  advice.She also wants to know if this is any better than the one I have as mine is cheaper. This is £300 and mine was £220.

  

SKYMAX-127 SupaTrak Auto 127mm (5") f/1500 fully motorised Maksutov-Cassegrain auto-tracking telescope

 

THANKS EVERYONE ....EVERYDAY IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE ...LAKS IS HAPPY !!

[Brantuk]

Excellent Laks - congrats on your first proper session with the new scope.

 

Maksutov's are great for planets - the long focal length gives nice sharp crispy views. But they do need an hour or so to cool down cos of the meniscus lens in the front. They also weigh a fair bit compared to other similar sized apertures - so a strong, stable mount is essential to reduce vibration.

 

For deep sky observing the general consensus is "the larger the aperture the better". So tell your mate to bear in mind a 5" aperture is fairly limiting. Hth

[Guest nightingale]

OH Ok ! But it does come with a similar mount like mine with the same  supatrak like mine etc ..I am so pleased with mine now ...any good eye pieces you can suggest ? I would like to return 6mm which I got for £34  and would buy something else may be ? Any suggestions ?

[Tweedledee]

Hi Lakshmi, welcome to EMS

You have come to the right place for all the help and guidance you need. The dark sites are great and you will see more DSO's from them, especially with a bit of help from other EMSers.

[Daz Type-R]

Laks, with regards to eye pieces, what sort of budget are you looking to spend? Decent ep's start at £40 each and go up to £500, so knowing what your budget is will help us all advise you.

Congrats on your first proper night stargazing!

[Guest nightingale]

I bought that 6mm for £34 and if that is not going to be very good then I cd of course return that as I bought it separately and cd go for something which is much better and mor useful . willing to stretch  to £50 max. some good telescopes come with fancy eye pieces isn't it ? Jupiter again tonight ....

[Guest nightingale]

Hi everyone 

had another great nite yesterday ,Saw the moon and Jupiter with 3 moons . Also got to see the bluish  stripes on the planet . Stunning ! 

i am going to return the 6mm eye piece and I have 2 days to  return and upgrade my current SkyWATCHER 130P 650mm supatrak and I am thinking of this Celestron NexStar 102SLT Computerised Refractor Telescope  instead . The reason is I don't think I really want to change  and upgrade in a year or 2 years and i am thinking if I can do this now ..it would be even better , It not far too heavy and has some good reviews too. This costs about a 100 more which my dear husband has kindly offered to pay   . So I have an option . What are your expert opinions ?

laks

[Brantuk]

I wouldn't change until you understand why you are downgrading. You need to understand what you are trying to achieve, why you are reducing aperture, and why you are switching from a reflector to a refractor. You also need to know why you are sticking with single arm fork mounts.

 

It's a bit like changing cars really - there's a lot more to it than just picking a model for no apparent reason. The 130 is a very good entry level scope that will last you a good 2yrs and I wouldn't want to see you make any costly mistakes so early on in the hobby.

[Guest nightingale]

Great Kim ...I needed this advice . Is it down grading ? Well ...why I asked is because one of my friends was trying to tell me why this is better as it is computerized etc ...actually he has no clue about stars and the sky . Actually I am better than him   , i was just getting a second thoughts but now  I will stick with mine then . Yes it does have a smaller aperture and is a refractor scope. I was not very keen to start off with and he was kind of tempting me to upgrade . NO ...now I know ...will stick with mine . I am returning the 6mm eye piece ...any recommendations on what eye pieces I sd get ?

[Brantuk]

If you need to change the mount for a "goto" one that that might be a good upgrade for you - but for the 130 I think you would want to be looking at an EQ5 or CG5 which are both heavier and more stable and help to dampen vibrations. Generally the more aperture you have the deeper you will be able to see into space - so an upgrade would be to a 150mm aperture for your scope. Refractors are different.

 

There's two types of refractor - 1. achromatic and 2. apochromatic. Usually achro's have a single lens objective and transmit the full spectrum of light. Apo's can have two or three lens objectives and are selective about which colours they bring to focus (red or green, or blue. or all three). Refractors also have their own strengths and weaknesses. An apo doublet will be great, in it's short length variety, for wide field astro photography - but not so good for imaging planets. Long fl achro's are great for viewing planets, doubles, and closed globulars, but not so good for imaging dso's..... etc.

 

Being made of glass, refractors are much more expensive per aperture inch than mirrors. A refractor the same size as your reflector will cost at least £2,000 as an apo - or at least £500 - £1,000 as an achro - for the ota alone.

 

That's just a brief overview which hopefully shows some of the considerations. For now I would stick with the 130mm and maybe upgrade the mount. But do be cautious cos if you think a goto will help you to learn the sky - it won't. It's too convenient to press a button to find an object - my sky knowledge suffers badly when I use the goto for a long period of time. Much better to learn the constellations and where objects are, and how to find them - then you can use absolutely any telescope.

[Brantuk]

What's your budget for eyepieces? The 130P is an f-5 scope so you'll need to aim for reasonably good quality eyepieces.

[Guest nightingale]

Is an EQ mount hard to collimate and  how is it  to operate ? I read so much about this ..that I started to panic and went for the Alt-Azimuth mount .  Ok if I carry the scope to my garden ...do I have to collimate it all over ? How much heavier are they ?

[Daz Type-R]

Laks, you collimate the telescope, not the mount.

 

Can I suggest before you make any more decisions over telescopes, mounts, eye pieces etc that you get to a meet somewhere, if you are having trouble with a fork mounted alt/az scope then (and pardon for being blunt here, I`m only trying to help) you will have no chance with an EQ mount.

 

These things are not that difficult and once you have been shown you will wonder what all the fuss is about.

 

What somebody can show you in 10-15 minutes will take loads of posts on here.

 

ELAC is your best bet (they are the nearest too you).

 

Keep an eye out on this thread, it is where they will announce their meets.....

 

http://www.eastmidlandsstargazers.org.uk/forum/60-east-lincolnshire-astronomy-club/

 

Do keep posting the questions though, we will try to help as best we can but sometimes it is a lot easier to show somebody then to try and explain.

[Guest nightingale]

 Oh Ok .....No , i did not struggle with .this Alt -Azimuth mount, it  is so easy and the whole thing is not heavy too . I am good with technology ...and   I was a bit skeptical about the EQ mount initially . I was also worried about the weight ie when I come to the ELAC meets ..whether it will be heavy to lug it along as I do not have the best right arm with a tennis elbow after all the years of  squash and tennis . I would like a bigger aperture and the reason I am thinking of an upgrade now is because I do not want to do this 2 years from now. Listening to you and the others here it is encouraging to go for the EQ mount and it is well withing my budget . Just wanted to know the weight of  Sky-Watcher Explorer-150PL (EQ3-2) Parabolic Newtonian Reflector Telescope. It has 6 inch aperture and has good reviews . what do you think as an upgrade ? sorry ...for putting you through all this .