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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2016 11:06:35 GMT
Hi all, Can anyone recommend a cheap beginners setup please. I don't have much of a preference as I have a 130/650 dob so I cant do tracking. I'm thinking lunar, planetary and brighter stuff like Pleiades, etc. If I like what I can see and like doing it I will then think of upgrading to a more dedicated setup to do more deeper space objects. I realise I wont get Hubble space pictures, I just find this an interesting part of astronomy. Many thanks.
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Post by Dragon Man on Aug 22, 2016 12:42:14 GMT
Chris, the easiest setup to start out is the Revolution Imager kit. It comes with everything you will need to get started. www.revolutionimager.com/There's many cameras out there but the Revolution comes complete so you don't have to search around to buy everything separately. As for telescopes, you won't be able to see both the Planets AND Pleiades in the same scope. For Pleiades you will need a very short focal length widefield scope (often referred to as a Richfield scope) or a camera lens. Your dob will allow you to capture planets and the Moon surface with the camera. But without tracking you won't be able to DSO's (Galaxies, Nebula).
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Post by Rick in NWArk on Aug 22, 2016 15:45:06 GMT
Ken's right, without tracking you won't really get many results from DSOs.
But there is a lot of the Moon to explore! And should you decide to get a scope/tracking mount combination in the future a camera purchase won't be in vain - it will work with that combination, too.
Another camera alternative is to find a used ZWO ASI120MC camera. I've seen them go for between $150-$200US on EBay. This is more of a planetary/lunar/solar camera in that it has more and smaller pixels. It's a USB camera, so you will need to use your computer with it. The software (Firecapture) is free and works well. I think SharpCap also supports this camera.
I've gotten fantastic views of the Moon and the Sun (using a Solar Filter!) with this camera and have even done live broadcasts with it.
To go after Jupiter and Saturn, you might want to also get a 2x Barlow - your scope's focal length gives great wide field views but for planets you want a smaller field of view so the object is bigger and you can see more detail.
--Rick
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Post by davy on Aug 22, 2016 17:33:11 GMT
Camera wise if you have a nikon or canon dslr with live view this can be used as well, canon utilities will allow remote viewing via a computer,also software called backyard eos or backyard nikon is good.I personally use canon 600d and backyard eos and I love its features.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2016 5:46:37 GMT
Thanks for your replies I shall look into these options.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2016 7:18:17 GMT
Is a motorized eq mount a must for video astronomy or can I use a motorized alt az mount?
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Post by davy on Aug 23, 2016 7:59:26 GMT
You can use both but an eq mount when properly polar aligned is more accurate,eq mount only uses right ascension motor to track,an az mount uses both motors to keep an object in the field of view.
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Post by davy on Aug 23, 2016 8:30:46 GMT
The mount is the most important piece of equipment in the set up, get the correct mount 1st time and you are set for any type of astronomy,visual,video and astrophotography. The correct mount determines how big a scope and camera you can fit weight wise without putting to much strain on the motor gears. I started off with an skywatcher eq3/2 pro,this is a goto mount,I had it run an 8" scope and dslr,,,but this was way over limit and legs were never extended and extra balance weight was used..a more sensible scope would have been a 150mm or less if using a heavy camera like a dslr. I have upgraded to the heq5 after many years of fun with the eq3/2. The bigger heq5 has been a great investment and gives me many more options for different types of set ups. My eq3/2 and my ed80 set up My new heq5 with twin scopes, ed80 and startravel 102 My heq5 now fitted with a dual scope saddle My finished set up heq5 now fitted with extension section on mount,the mount can be operated via hand set or via a cable to a laptop and software. Both cameras are controlled via laptops as well. Hope this gives you ideas,,took me six years to get all my kit.
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Post by howie1 on Aug 23, 2016 9:14:20 GMT
Hi Chris,
Naturally it depends on what you wish to spend. But given you have a 130/650 newtonian (on a dob mount) you have a f/5 scope there. That means at f/5 it gets a lot of light which is great for VA. So you could just get some rings and a dovetail for the tube you already have, and use it on a second hand EQ5 goto/tracking mount. You may have to wait a bit to find one second hand, or if you have the budget buy a new EQ5.
Now to your question on GEM GoTo/tracking mounts vs AltAz GoTo/tracking mounts for VA ... the answer is both can do VA, but with AltAz you need to (again) have a fast low focal ratio scope (like f/3 to absolute max f/5) and even then you will be limited to max 60 seconds for some (but not all objects). The reason is, with AltAz there are some parts of the sky where only 6 seconds will lead to star rotation in your images and so you are limited to very, very short 5 second frames. Other parts of the sky you can do 60 seconds and still won't get star rotation. But many objects won't ever appear in that 60 second part of the sky - ever! So the answer is you most certainly can do VA with AltAz tracking mounts, but you have to be patient to wait for objects to be in the right spot to get a decent exposure time, and some you may never get, and you must have low focal ratio to get the short exposures.
So, the best long term and less hassle mount in usually a GEM GoTo/tracking mount.
So, like I said before, up to your budget. And, again, given you have a f/5 Newt, I'd get the rings and a dovetail and a second hand (or new) EQ5 GoTo mount.
Re camera, Ken's suggestion or Davy's suggestion will work. The former is a smaller sensor, and with your 650mm scope give more magnification than a larger sensor DSLR. But both will do it for you. The way to (roughly) judge the difference, is to look up the sensor sizes for a camera in google, and find the larger dimension of the sensor. Whatever that dimension is, is roughly the size eyepiece equivalent. So a DSLR with 23mm x 17mm sensor you'd take the larger value (23mm), and it will behave (give similar mag and FOV) as a 23mm eyepiece. Another cam may have a larger sensor dimension of 11mm and it would yield the same mag and FOV (roughly) as a 11mm eyepiece.
Cheers.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2016 9:35:02 GMT
Some great info there... reading all that makes me want to get a better scope for my camera already hahaa... and i dont even have the R2 yet
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Post by Rick in NWArk on Aug 23, 2016 12:38:52 GMT
I'm going to make a big assumption, that you would be setting up your mount and scope each night that you want to use it. Given that, in my opinion:
- Alt-Az mounts are easier to setup and get going than EQ because EQ mounts need to be polar aligned - By design, a polar aligned EQ mount will be more accurate in tracking over longer periods of time and solves the problem of field rotation - There are a lot of technology options out there to help you get your EQ mount polar aligned easier - Guiding is always an option for both EQ and Alt-Az mounts
When considering a scope, your field of view will be determined by the specs of the chip on the camera and your focal length of your scope.
When you have a small field of view, your tracking needs to be more precise - otherwise, the object will slowly slide out of your field of view. In terms of a blurry image because the object moves during the exposure, remember that when doing planets - they are so bright that your exposures are so small that you wont see much blur due to tracking.
In video astronomy, exposures are usually short enough that guiding is not needed - unlike astrophotography.
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