31–40 of 103 posts
Why is astrophotography hard?
One thing he didn't talk about is clock drives. They're essential for photography, but they're also good for keeping the scope on target if you want to let other people look through the scope. Especially at higher magnifications, the thing you're looking at will move out of the field of view in a few seconds without a clock drive. The one disadvantage of Dobsonians is you can't put a clock drive on them (well you can…
Today's hobbyist telescope mounts have incredible precise stepper or servo motors, many with optical encoders so precise that they know exactly where they are pointing to. I don't think you can get a clock drive anymore.
I was expecting one that you could connect to a computer. Can someone give me any recommendations?
I recommend a Skywatcher mount, because those mounts can be completely controlled by software and there is a very good opensource project for this, called eq-mod.
The advice here seems dated, even for 2015. Here's my advice: 1. Install an astronomy app on your mobile phone. Start with free ones, and see where it leads you. I recommend Skeye. This is good for going out by yourself and looking up things you see in the sky. For a PC, Stellarium is the best I have seen. 2. Get a camera capable of taking long exposure RAW photos, and get a tripod. There is so much hidden within the…
I was expecting one that you could connect to a computer. Can someone give me any recommendations?
Any Meade, celestron or skywatcher robotic mount can connect to a computer using a serial RS232 interface. I recommend a Skywatcher mount, because those mounts can be completely controlled by software and there is a very good opensource project for this, called eq-mod.
The advice here seems dated, even for 2015. Here's my advice: 1. Install an astronomy app on your mobile phone. Start with free ones, and see where it leads you. I recommend Skeye. This is good for going out by yourself and looking up things you see in the sky. For a PC, Stellarium is the best I have seen. 2. Get a camera capable of taking long exposure RAW photos, and get a tripod. There is so much hidden within the…
Astrophotography without a telescope is indeed a good starting point. Get a bright 50mm lens and just with a simple barndoor tracker you can do amazing things. But as this article is about buying a telescope - and astrophotography through a telescope requires more skill than a complete beginner might imagine.
I agree that a beginner can't jump into astrophotography with a telescope. I'm of the opinion that learning with a camera and a tripod will teach a beginner to have reasonable expectations.
Go for a stand AZ/EQ with a motorized GOTO unit if you can afford it. It 'll save you a lot of time looking for objects.
The advice here seems dated, even for 2015. Here's my advice: 1. Install an astronomy app on your mobile phone. Start with free ones, and see where it leads you. I recommend Skeye. This is good for going out by yourself and looking up things you see in the sky. For a PC, Stellarium is the best I have seen. 2. Get a camera capable of taking long exposure RAW photos, and get a tripod. There is so much hidden within the…
Astrophotography without a telescope is indeed a good starting point. Get a bright 50mm lens and just with a simple barndoor tracker you can do amazing things. But as this article is about buying a telescope - and astrophotography through a telescope requires more skill than a complete beginner might imagine.
Bought the recommended Orion XT8 Dobsonian a year ago for my 10 year old daughter (ok, and for myself!). It is super easy to setup (minutes), captures plenty of light and has been a joy to view through. I have observed the moon, Saturn, Jupiter and its moons and several Messier objects - even tracked a few satellites as they transited overhead.
Were you able to see the rings of Saturn with this telescope? How about the red spot of Jupiter? Any of its moons? And finally, do you observe these objects in a place with a lot of light pollution?
I obviously can't speak to the OP's light pollution, but if they were above to observe Messier objects, seeing the rings of Saturn, Galilean moons and the red spot of Jupiter would be no problem.