You guys do amazing things with modern equipment, I remember back in the eighties it took 45 minutes with perfect tracking to get 1 frame on 400 iso Ektachrome.
Alt-az is the nightmare especially if you want like 10hrs or 20hrs total exposure time lol. I myself use az-gti in altxaz mode (eq mod didn't work for me) and I can keep my patience for maximum 4-5hrs of total exposure after switch to next target 😂 Very clean shot you got there I know I'm 1yr late to see the image but hey goodluck and take care!! Clear skies 🙌
Helpful video! Please make more alt/az videos. I would especially enjoy seeing more of your capture routine and the different setups you referenced in one of the earlier comments. BTW... Your Instagram shots are fantastic! I'll be playing around with my SE/st80 (achro)/ ZWO533 rig after the Moon hits about half. I look forward to more videos. 🙂 Just subbed.
Cheers Tom! I can try to make another similar video with the focal reducer. It really is the same principals though... the key to getting great shots with an Alt-Az is great balance (so make sure when you balance, it is the same weight you will have when you are out at night, ie; no lens cap :) ), good level, and from there -> LOTS of 20-30 second subs depending on how your stars are looking. As far as shooting into moonlit nights, I really dig my idas NBZ for nebulas , the moonlight doesn't matter. There are lots of great filters these days!! :)
Great someone has produced a video on using an alt-az mount for astrophotography. I have been using an Ioptron AZ Pro mount for several years …. Multiple short exposures; well done 👍
@@LuckyBudd it always surprises me how many “would be” astrophotographers struggle with an eq mount in the South as the SSP is so difficult to locate. Az mounts make life so much easier to align and this is what I suggest to newbies. An eq mount is the way to go for experienced astrophotographers, I wouldn’t argue with this analogy 😊
Nice job! I started astrophotography with a similar set-up (NexStar Evo 6, Hyperstar, ZWO camera) and was thrilled with the results I got, but your alt-az are even better!
@@LuckyBudd Yeah! :) Could you take more videos about your experience in astronomy/astrophotography? It would be great and interesting for many people 😉😉
In spring 2024 you probably know about the Celestron Origin that’s due out soon. A 6-inch RASA is pretty similar to what you have here, so your video was very helpful giving me an idea of what I can accomplish. Thanks!
It's truly amazing that you can get that quality of data imaging deep space objects with an Alt-Az mount. Hopefully, you inspire a lot of people to try this.
Excellent video! Everyone says it is not possible but that’s not true, and here is one example. There are some complications and maybe some limitations but it is possible. Congratulations for your great photos!!
@@LuckyBudd Very nicely done - took me ages to get that one down! oh and the rest of the video is great too, thanks for the inspiration - I have the 8SE and just getting started with Astrophotography!
@@AdamYavner-jx4cr Awesome friend! It is a great scope, lots of fun to be had! Balance, focus (with a batinov mask) and good level make a huge difference! Less than 30 second subs and you'll be off and running!
It's great, made by William Optics. I have recently been using a tri-bahtinov mask with planets when I use my barlow... that extra-fine-tuning lets me keep track of my collimation and super fine focus. Makes a HUGE difference on planets. For deep space, this one is wonderful!
You have amazed me with your AltAz images far better then i would have imagined. spurred me on to try it with my AltAz Lx200, I usually use an observatory mounted skywatcher azeq6gt with a 12" f5 newtonian for astrophotography.
Wow Michael, that is awesome! Yes, it is amazing how simple and well this system is :) I would love to see your images, if you are on instagram - gimme a follow and I will check your images :) Awesome!
I started out on an older Celestron Nexstar 5" SCT and went right into photography. The tracking was....not great. But on the plus side, I guess we'll call it automated dither? LOL. I had to constantly keep my hand on the hand control to keep a target in frame. I did get one really good image of M42 out of it, and planets came out pretty well too. I recently upgraded my mount to an iOptron CEM25P and I'm getting much better results, bumping my exposure time up from 10-15s to 180s.
That's awesome! Yes, it def provides a dither! I am happy to hear about your experience on the iOptron, they are amazing! I think a jump to that will be my next big move as well...
This helped me a lot! I gotta get the balance & level right but was able to get a 20 second exposure with little to no trailing! Still have to get it better (i have a different mount, nexstar se mount, it’s pretty different from the evolution mount). Just going to be trialing and erroring it!
I am so happy to hear it! Even with 20 seconds, you can get a ton of great data and end up with a sweet image! Just take lots of subs! Keep playing with the balance (if it isn't perfect) and the level as well. It is a great system!
Yes you can! I do it too, you have to know your mount and its limits, take maaaany subs, be aware of the rotation when framing and beautiful things will appear, as you show perfectly!
Hey, very good video! I have recently bought a Celestron Ned star 8se, I have a dslr camera too, could I get deep space objects with just these, if not what should I get to make the best images? An auto guider camera? Astrophotography dedicated camera? Thanks!
Hey! I started with a DSLR and am actually back using a DSLR. Start with the DSLR and you may eventually move up to a dedicated camera. This hobby is all about learning and then taking another step :) With your DSLR you need something called an intervalometer. You can get them on amazon. You put your camera on BULB mode and set the intervelometer to take as many 30 second (or less depending on how your stars look with 30 second exposures) as you like. You also need a T-Ring to connect the camera to the telescope. If you are in Canada you can call Telescopes Canada and explain what you have and what you will need. If in the States, there are tons of astrophotography places to call, try Starizona. You also need a Bhatinov mask like I use in the video above to get perfect focus. No auto guider needed with these mounts as you are limited to 30 second subs. Good luck and feel free to ask questions, it is how we all learn in this hobby!
Just found your Vlog . Excellent ! Nice to see Astrophotography done with "reasonable" equipment for a change . I have the NexStar Evo with the EdgeHD 8 and use a DSLR . 30s is about the max but I do get some satisfying Images . I did purchase a Wedge but did not get it set up last year . Subscribed ! /SRK
@@scottrk4930 As you can see in my vid, I use starsense and a junky old Lenovo computer for capturing. I downloaded TeamViewer. Once I have my target in place and focused, I go inside and run the outside computer from inside via TeamViewer. It's free :)
I’m getting the same telescope ordered in Jan hoping it gets to me some day. Is the wedge absolutely necessary for short term astrophotography? Or is for long exposure?
@@spookymiraclepreacher6037 Not "absolutely necessary" . I've been doing Astro Imaging without one for a few years now and just wanted to try and get rid of the Field Rotation and possibly get some longer exposures too . Best of Luck !/SRK
I bought a wedge for my cpc800.. it made everything so much easier.. I got hooked and within 6 months, I got a cpc1100hd edge.. using the same wedge. My mind is blown every clear night...
@@LuckyBudd im running 30 to 60 s. However, after I polar alignment and then do another aspa, I can do up to 5 min exposures. I was pushing 5 min subs using asi2600 in 2 bin the other night/morning and had pretty good round stars edge to edge.. but that is rare to have everything working that well.. I may get an oag which may make those 5 min subs common but thats another several hundred bucks ..
Haha, good ear! Yes, that is me playing guitar, it is a Bruce Cockburn song :) For sure, the Evo is great, just gotta focus on balance and level... best place to start!
what are the advantages of having a camera in the front exactly ? amazing pictures u took with just Alt Az, gives me hope that i will experience the same thing :) !
It dramatically reduces the focal ratio of the scope from an F10 to an F2. This means he will capture images far quicker than he would at F10. That's why he can achieve 30 seconds.
Good video, but how did you get the scope aligned so you can get 30 seconds of exposure and keep everything perfectly still. I can't even do 2.5 seconds of exposure without the stars moving!
Hi Paulette. Really, it is all about balance and level. Look at the video and in the daytime try to get your scope balanced the way mine is. That’s the first part. Once you have that you don’t need to adjust it until you change something that affects the weight. Then, when you set up, make sure your level is right. With those two things, you’ll have 25-30 second subs consistently!! :)
@@ericmould9515 the hyperstar is a focal reducer. It’s amazing! Plugs into the front of the s ops where the mirror is and takes you from 2000mm to about 400 at f2
nice. i was a bit worried that my mount couldnt do this. i just got the nexstar evolution 9,25 and are waiting for the starsense autoguider. i think i will just take the chance and hope for the best.
@@kimex5164 for sure. Even with the guider, you are limited to 30 seconds without one. I would start without, get a good feel and then introduce a wedge. Like climbing a ladder, get comfortable with each step before taking the next one. Should be a great system!!
Hi again. Just got the celestron focuser and starsense autoalign. Found out that autoguider is not needed since its an az and gonna stay with 20-30 seconds exposure. I also got the 6d mk ii with backyard eos and stellarium mobile. Gonna be warm nights with no cables, wireless and everything automated. Cant wait to start :D
I really love Astro Pixel Processor. You can get a free 30-day trial. I find it VERY easy to use and the results are awesome too. What's more, they are really quick to answer questions and help if you run into anything strange that isn't already on their forums. Highly recommend for us beginners :)
I don't use ASIair with the Evo, but I do use it with my CEM40 which needs to be polar aligned. Star sense is awesome if you are using an alt-az which does not need to be polar aligned. It is SO fast and convenient! The asiair is awesome with a mount that need polar alignment, the Polar Aligning feature is easy.
Hey. It performs great! Designed for it. It works great with hyperstar or with a focal reducer and cameras or with a Barlow and cameras for planetary. It is super light and super easy!
@@evastronomy8048 absolutely. Always best to check w folks who own and use the gear! This mount was specifically designed to use with this specific telescope, in all of its configurations.. It is excellent and seamless. A great system.
I use various focal lengths depending on the season and what I am doing. For nebula season, I use the hyperstar which has a focal length of 425 I think. For galaxies and summer nebulas (like the dumbbell) and globulars, I tend to use the .7 reducer which has a focal length of 1450. For planets I will go with the native focal length sometimes of 2032 or even put on a 2x barlow to magnify that. It really just depends on the season and the target :)
Amazing captures with altaz mount without any guidescope. Which software did you use to navigate to Rosette nebula? Was is Celestron CPWI or something else?
@@LuckyBudd Thanks. I myself still trying to learn quite a few things yet. Interesting to learn that you are controlling the mount by SkySafari Pro from iPad while photographing the nebula by ZWO ASI Studio from Windows PC. How did you use Celestron Starsense Autoalign? By the hand controller I guess?
@@mrkutube nah, Starsense works in SkySafari Pro. It's easy, control the mount from the iPad, control the camera from the PC. Simple is the key! I don't have the hand controller hooked up. I never use it :)
Hey! I took this with an asi294mc pro. So, I used a master dark (-10 degrees) and a few days earlier i took a master flat and master dark flat - always 3 seconds and also at -10. Don’t use bias w this camera. Then i recycle my master flat/dark flat until I swap out filters :)
I would definitely try the two things I showed here: balance is very important as is level. Hone in on those two things and your drift should greatly improve.
Hummmm, interesting. I have a 5SE and feel resigned not to dive into DSO photo, just because of the alt-az mount. I guess that your success has a lot to do with reducing your focal distance, and Hyperstar is key. My 0.63 focal reducer wouldn´t get the same results, and I bet your 25" subs wouldn´t be the same without the Hyperstar. Eventually, it´s all about money... But I can´t see the point in spending 2000 in Starizona Hyperstar when I can buy an HEQ5 plus an Evolux 82 ED for that money. I think these two would get way better DSO images, but it´s just an opinion. Anyway, congratulations, the video is very informative about the possibilities of these great OTAs which are the Celestron C series.
Hey! When I did this video, I had the hyper star on and it def helps but if you go to the 9:27 mark, I posted some photos without the hyper star just using the focal reducer. I got some great results! Since you already have a focal reducer, I would DEF try a few targets. The key really is balance, level and shorter subs (lots of em!). It is great learning and I bet you will get a few images you are impressed with! :) Fun hobby!!
@@LuckyBudd I hadn´t noticed!!! And how come there´s no star trail with 30 second exposure?? I mean, this is alt-az, it´s supposed to suffer field rotation issues???
@@rodericogarcia Hey, 30 seconds is the max, go any longer and the stars do start to look kinda long. As I showed in the video, sometimes I have to go 20 or 25 seconds depending on the target. So long as your stars look round in each sub, you will end up with a great result! Take a look at the 8:32 mark. After you stack, your image will look like that. Your target will look great, you just have to crop the rotation out and make it a rectangle like I do in the vid. :) Great results to be had! :)
Hey! I just use the ZWO one. It is kinda lame that you have to buy it separately. However, if you use an ASIAIR, it comes with the connectors to power the camera from the ASIAIR.
@@LuckyBudd So interesting. My 1.5 year old Evolution C8 does not have them. When did you buy and what size is the scope? I will have to reach out to Celestron and see if they are available for purchase. Thank you!!!!
Wow! I'm just starting out w/my baby celestron 130SLT and ASI120MC, I"m hooked! I noticed you used a Gain at Middle, any reason why not use low? I'm really thrilled with how the AZ mount works on galaxies and Nebula but definitely am keeping it to no more than 30secs.
Awesome!! You will love it, so much fun to be had!! I find that at Mid I can resolve the nebulae much nicer in a 30 second sub. At low, I usually can't really see it. It is all about the histogram. You want good signal, but not too much or it gets blown out. Mid seems to me to be the sweet spot :)
great video. Dumb question for you. I have the evolution 8, and with the focal reducer and the cooled ZWO camera and the 105 mm worth of spacers between the camera and the focal reducer, the camera train is too long and is in constant danger of banging into mount when the scope uses the GoTo function, for anything remotely straight up. Like 40% of the sky is not reachable or it will bang the camera on the mount. I ordered a 2 inch diagonal, which I hope will help? Anything else I can do? Also, every time I try and take photos over 10 seconds the stars start to trail out.
Not dumb at all! Unfortunately, it is a limitation of the mount. I usually just wait until the target is low enough that I can start imaging. As far as only 10 second exposures go, do the tricks that I outlined and make sure your balance and level is great. You should be able to get up to 30 seconds with no trails at that point. I love imaging with the focal reducer, just keep working at it and you will have no trails! Sometimes I am limited to only 20 seconds, depending on where the target is in the sky.
@@LuckyBudd I went to subscribe to you since I loved the video and really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Holy #%€* is that you with David lemieux? The man is my hero. Today is Grateful Dead history is the only reason I have kept SiriusXM. Sooooooo cool
Wow - thought I would need a GEM or star tracker to get good images! I've got an Evolution 8 but no Hyperstar or reducer. Could I piggyback a DSLR with 135mm F/4 lens on my Evo8 (all of which I do have) and use these same techniques to produce wide-field images? I'm thinking longer exposures could be used at the shorter focal length of my piggyback rig. Thanks!
Give it a try and let us know!! I would love to hear! Also, keep your eye out for used reducers and hyper stars, I got both of mine on the used market :) It is amazing what this mount can do without too much set up :)
The hyperstar is made and sold by a great company called Starizona. I was able to find mine here in Canada used on astrobuyandsell dot com. It is an AMAZING purchase, you will love it! The 8"edge hd is such a versatile scope! It is like 3 scopes in one! f10/f7 and f/2 with reducers and hyperstar. I also use a 2x barlow for planets... amazing!
Love the results, but how do you accurately rotate your images to account for field rotation? I have an alt-az system and am keen to see what I can achieve with that first as getting an EQ setup is rather expensive...
Hey, field rotation isn't really an issue if you keep to subs 30 seconds or less (the longest I have ever achieved was 45 seconds, but that was once). Go to the 8:30 mark of this video. As you can see, you will end up with an image that is stacked that just needs to be cropped to how you like it, but the stars will be pretty round on all the edges. Just crop to taste, and you can even rotate the image prior to cropping to taste :)
@@LuckyBudd Hi, sorry I'm not sure that I've worded my question too well. It appears your final stacked image is a lot of images rotated superimposed on top of each other, and that's why there are lots of corners to crop to get one rectangular image? Again sorry I can't think of a better way to describe that! Does that make sense? I'm assuming that's done to compensate for rotation? How do you rotate your images like that?
@@milesmilner3660 this is just how the program stacks all the images. It looks like this after Astro Pixel Processor does it's job :) From there you crop, and can play with it in Lightroom a bit to get the final image. The image going in all directions is not the final image :)
@@milesmilner3660 oh! Not at all!! Throw in all of your light frames (darks, flats, dark flats) and this is what it spits out :) I really like the program Astro Pixel Processor as I find it VERY easy to use... but you can try a free one like Deep Sky Stacker and see what you think. There are lots of great softwares out there. Mac folks dig Siril as well.
Hey mate great video! I have an alt as mount also but need advice, What program are you using to stack multiple 30 second single exposure videos with? I’ve done stacks of Jupiter and Saturn with 1 30 second exposure but never “multiple exposures” I want to get into deep sky astrophotography of nebulas but I’m getting lost with this process and how it’s done
Hey! Thanks!! I stack my planetary images in Autostackkert and I know you can do multiples using it (though I never do). With my 8" I have been playing with taking 5 min videos of Saturn and 3 of Jupiter with really good results! I thin use Registax6 to play with the waves after the stack. I also use RGB align and auto balance for the colour in registax. I also know that many people take their multiple exposures and de-rotate in a program called WinJupos.
Hey. I just use the cranks on the legs, it doesn’t really matter if you use stones or tiles or anything else, whatever works for you as long as you get it level. I find turning the cranks and adjusting leg on the tripod. it works great for me.
For the Rosette, the IDAS NBZ is AMAZING! It is fast enough to work with the hyperstar. When I image galaxies, I use a UV/IR filter because the asi294mc pro does not have one built in.
Hi, I am not. I am using the metal dew shield from Astrozap. It fits perfectly over the hyperstar with little slots to fit your cables through. I then wrap a heated dew strap around that to not only heat the lens, but also to block out any light that may be creeping in around these slots. It is pretty wet in the air here on the west coast!
@@LuckyBudd The air is very humid here in Atlantic Canada, too. Dew is a huge problem. But I found the Celestron dew ring with a $15 rheostat controller works great to keep it under control.
2:32 okay but my telescope cant do that? is that normal in all Alt -az? I dont see that a crank like that, I have a meade lx200 and all i can do is move it up and down
@@2321Julius gottcha. I don't know your exact mount but... wherever the scope is attached to the mount... you need to loosen the bolt or whatever is holding it in place so you can slide the scope a little forward (or a little back) to find the best balance point. Then you tighten that bolt/crank/ or whatever is locking it in place so it doesn't fall off the mount :) I just googled "Balance Meade Lx200" and found a forum on cloudy nights where people are discussing your issue. I suggest reading the forum but one thing it said was, "My older LX200 didn't balance in RA either - for the same reason. Luckily the fork base was an open design so I added a counterweight that fit within the fork. Then it balanced in RA."
Ty for the vid. I have a similar setup, but I often am unable to stack my f6.3 exposures because of lack of star data. I was wondering if you ever ran into similar problems and had any solutions? I've also been trying to stack the stars surrounding the comet but with no luck.
Also, great job! I haven’t tried imaging on an alt az mount, but I figured still possible with cropping and stacking should work. Thanks for confirming the possibility! Good job!
Hey. This is an 8”. For these sessions I used a zwo asi294mc pro. I have used other camera as well. You can see both the scope and the camera in the video :)
Great results! Congratulations! Do you have any tips on alignment and tracking? I see you use StarSense. I use AutoAlign (pointing to stars instead of auto). The problem I'm facing is that I can't get exposures longer than 5-7 secs. 30 seconds sounds almost unbelievable. The main question is: can I get from 7 secs to 30 secs exposures with more accurate alignment? Or I need a tracking camera? Thanks in advance! Great work!
Hey Pawel. I honestly find that tracking issues are solved with fine attention to balance and level, as I showed in the video. It usually is not an alignment issue. I would start with balance. So, as I show above (feel free to reference the video), during the day, take off your lens cap, put on your camera and set up exactly as you will at night (dew shield and anything else you use if you have that stuff). Then work on balance. Loosen your clutch and make sure the scope doesn't move up or down. Then adjust it up as if you are pointed at a star, loosen the clutch again and and make sure the scope does not move up or down at all. If it does, adjust its' position on the mount's arm. Do this several times until you get to the point that you release the clutch and there is no movement up or down at all. Then, you are balanced! You only have to do this once :) NEXT, when you set up outside, get that bubble level right in the middle. This means you are level. After alignment, get good focus (batinov mask is awesome!), go to your target and give it a minute. Then, start with 20 second subs. If all looks good, push it to 25 and then 30. Good luck! If I can do it, I promise you can too!! :)
@@LuckyBudd Thank you for your prompt response. Unfortunately I'm already doing my best to do all those things (that is: can't improve on them). I'm trying to see if there's any other aspect of my scope preparation phase which I can improve. Alignment and scope calibration (using Celestron's PECTool) are the things I'm focusing on now :) Wish you clear skies and thank you again!
@@pawekonieczny8595 Hi Pawel, Budd seems to have omitted the fact, as he says in the video, that he is working with a front mounted camera instead of his secondary mirror. This will (as he says) give him a much faster focal ratio (F2 instead of F10 normally with SCTs) so his speed of capture is about 5x as fast and field of view much much wider. So your 5 - 7 seconds makes sense given your far narrower field of view at normal prime focus.
Hmmm... that shouldn't be the case. Even a camera on a tripod with no star tracker can go 20-30 seconds with no star trails. I wonder... are your balance and level really good as I showed in the video? I wonder if your camera/scope is too heavy for your mount? If all of these things are correct, I wonder if there is an issue with the gearing in your mount? What happens if you turn the mount off and just take a 15 second exposure?
@@universewonders1 I would try calling the place you got it from and make sure everything is right. I had an issue in the gearing with my star adventurer pro. Same thing, only star trails. They repaired it and sent a new one. Something is def off if you can’t go even 8 seconds.
@@LuckyBudd i think i may be aligning it wrong though, i never point it to north when starting and my area doesnt allow me to choose 3 stars across the sky because of buildings. I think thats why im getting the drifting
The image at 8:32 is how all the stacked images taken on that night with the hyperstar looks once stacked in AstoPixelProcessor. From there, I crop it and clean it up in lightroom which results in the final image you see at 8:50. As indicated at around 9:26 are a few images taken at f/7 with a reducer.
@@LuckyBudd I thank you for the answer. Undoubtedly the hyperstar helps, allowing you to reach excellent results even with short poses of 30 seconds in altazimuth.
@@basslinedoom to be sure, but I am pretty thrilled with my results both with a reducer and at f10. A lot can be captured in 30 seconds! There are limitations, for sure but it is all great learning, my friend!
Hey. If you take subs 30 seconds or shorter, the stars on the edges stay round and are not affected by field rotation. If you go to 8:30 of this video, you will see that your result after stacking will be an image that is not square, but the stars on the edges are all fine. So, you crop the final image until you have it the way you want it. Field rotation is only an issue for star shape if your subs are too long. There is a lot that can be captured in 30 seconds or even much less!
@@fabiogervasi982 I don't derotate at all. It is not necessary. The stars are all round. Look at my video above at 8:30. I merely crop just like every other astrophotographer when they are done their stack in post production :)
Yes I completely understand what you said but every time I put the lights in dss they just stack together but not in the way yours did. Is there any particular setting?
Yes! What you are seeing is the preview window. At the 6:45 mark, I click on the CAPTURE window (you will see it in RED under image) and in that window I set it to 25. You can confirm this in the bottom right corner as each image counts down from 25 to 0. For some reason, my screen capture software did not capture that box. :)
There are tutorials online on how to do so (www.cloudynights.com/topic/258404-balancing-the-nexstar-se-scopes/) but it seems to be way easier on the Evolution for sure.
Simply a really fun hobby. I’ve never sold any of my images but I have given several away for people who really like them to print and have on their walls. There are a few professional astrophotographers out there…. But not me 😊
I absolutely love this mount! Easy to use, super light, epic for planetary, ideal for visual and very very useful for astro, incredibly fast and easy set up (like... less than 2 minutes). I have no regrets or complaints about this mount. It is like a swiss army knife :)
That’s one hell of an alt-az mount!
Excellent....the magic of the hyperstar... can't wait to get mine....thanks for sharing
You’re gonna love it!!!
You guys do amazing things with modern equipment, I remember back in the eighties it took 45 minutes with perfect tracking to get 1 frame on 400 iso Ektachrome.
For sure! Digital photography has REALLY impacted this hobby!
Then you had to wait for your photos, I developed my own photos in the basement, there’s a lost art in itself 😢
Alt-az is the nightmare especially if you want like 10hrs or 20hrs total exposure time lol. I myself use az-gti in altxaz mode (eq mod didn't work for me) and I can keep my patience for maximum 4-5hrs of total exposure after switch to next target 😂 Very clean shot you got there I know I'm 1yr late to see the image but hey goodluck and take care!! Clear skies 🙌
Helpful video! Please make more alt/az videos. I would especially enjoy seeing more of your capture routine and the different setups you referenced in one of the earlier comments. BTW... Your Instagram shots are fantastic! I'll be playing around with my SE/st80 (achro)/ ZWO533 rig after the Moon hits about half. I look forward to more videos. 🙂
Just subbed.
Cheers Tom! I can try to make another similar video with the focal reducer. It really is the same principals though... the key to getting great shots with an Alt-Az is great balance (so make sure when you balance, it is the same weight you will have when you are out at night, ie; no lens cap :) ), good level, and from there -> LOTS of 20-30 second subs depending on how your stars are looking. As far as shooting into moonlit nights, I really dig my idas NBZ for nebulas , the moonlight doesn't matter. There are lots of great filters these days!! :)
Great someone has produced a video on using an alt-az mount for astrophotography. I have been using an Ioptron AZ Pro mount for several years …. Multiple short exposures; well done 👍
Thank you! I have only been doing this for a little over a year... I wished for a video like this before I got going so I hope it helps :)
@@LuckyBudd it always surprises me how many “would be” astrophotographers struggle with an eq mount in the South as the SSP is so difficult to locate. Az mounts make life so much easier to align and this is what I suggest to newbies. An eq mount is the way to go for experienced astrophotographers, I wouldn’t argue with this analogy 😊
Nice job! I started astrophotography with a similar set-up (NexStar Evo 6, Hyperstar, ZWO camera) and was thrilled with the results I got, but your alt-az are even better!
It is all about practice, and dark skies help too!
It's awazing! Thanks to return faith in astrophotography with Alt-Az mount 👍👍
So much these mounts can do! They get a bad rap! They are light, easy and produce great results :)
@@LuckyBudd Yeah! :) Could you take more videos about your experience in astronomy/astrophotography? It would be great and interesting for many people 😉😉
@@nativethings sure thing!
In spring 2024 you probably know about the Celestron Origin that’s due out soon. A 6-inch RASA is pretty similar to what you have here, so your video was very helpful giving me an idea of what I can accomplish. Thanks!
My pleasure! The Origin looks really awesome and really easy to use!
It's truly amazing that you can get that quality of data imaging deep space objects with an Alt-Az mount. Hopefully, you inspire a lot of people to try this.
Cheers Bruce! I am trying :)
Excellent video! Everyone says it is not possible but that’s not true, and here is one example. There are some complications and maybe some limitations but it is possible. Congratulations for your great photos!!
I appreciate it! It is a ton of fun!
Nice little intro wtih Deer Dancing Round a Broken Mirror on guitar ;-).
Good ear! That is me playing that! I LOVE that song and playing Bruce Cockburn tunes! It is a good one! :)
@@LuckyBudd Very nicely done - took me ages to get that one down! oh and the rest of the video is great too, thanks for the inspiration - I have the 8SE and just getting started with Astrophotography!
@@AdamYavner-jx4cr Awesome friend! It is a great scope, lots of fun to be had! Balance, focus (with a batinov mask) and good level make a huge difference! Less than 30 second subs and you'll be off and running!
Beautiful!
I have a version of Rosette that looks just like this! Nice video
Cheers my friend. Such a sweet target!
Transparent Bahtinov never seen that before!
It's great, made by William Optics. I have recently been using a tri-bahtinov mask with planets when I use my barlow... that extra-fine-tuning lets me keep track of my collimation and super fine focus. Makes a HUGE difference on planets. For deep space, this one is wonderful!
Thanks for the posting. Where did you acquire the Bahtinvo mask?
I like the William Optics one from telescopescanada.ca :)
You have amazed me with your AltAz images far better then i would have imagined. spurred me on to try it with my AltAz Lx200, I usually use an observatory mounted skywatcher azeq6gt with a 12" f5 newtonian for astrophotography.
Wow Michael, that is awesome! Yes, it is amazing how simple and well this system is :) I would love to see your images, if you are on instagram - gimme a follow and I will check your images :) Awesome!
I started out on an older Celestron Nexstar 5" SCT and went right into photography. The tracking was....not great. But on the plus side, I guess we'll call it automated dither? LOL. I had to constantly keep my hand on the hand control to keep a target in frame. I did get one really good image of M42 out of it, and planets came out pretty well too. I recently upgraded my mount to an iOptron CEM25P and I'm getting much better results, bumping my exposure time up from 10-15s to 180s.
That's awesome! Yes, it def provides a dither! I am happy to hear about your experience on the iOptron, they are amazing! I think a jump to that will be my next big move as well...
Excellent👍👍👍
cheers!
This helped me a lot! I gotta get the balance & level right but was able to get a 20 second exposure with little to no trailing! Still have to get it better (i have a different mount, nexstar se mount, it’s pretty different from the evolution mount). Just going to be trialing and erroring it!
I am so happy to hear it! Even with 20 seconds, you can get a ton of great data and end up with a sweet image! Just take lots of subs! Keep playing with the balance (if it isn't perfect) and the level as well. It is a great system!
Yes you can! I do it too, you have to know your mount and its limits, take maaaany subs, be aware of the rotation when framing and beautiful things will appear, as you show perfectly!
Cheers Stefan, it’s a great and easy set up!
Hey, very good video! I have recently bought a Celestron Ned star 8se, I have a dslr camera too, could I get deep space objects with just these, if not what should I get to make the best images? An auto guider camera? Astrophotography dedicated camera? Thanks!
Hey! I started with a DSLR and am actually back using a DSLR. Start with the DSLR and you may eventually move up to a dedicated camera. This hobby is all about learning and then taking another step :) With your DSLR you need something called an intervalometer. You can get them on amazon. You put your camera on BULB mode and set the intervelometer to take as many 30 second (or less depending on how your stars look with 30 second exposures) as you like. You also need a T-Ring to connect the camera to the telescope. If you are in Canada you can call Telescopes Canada and explain what you have and what you will need. If in the States, there are tons of astrophotography places to call, try Starizona. You also need a Bhatinov mask like I use in the video above to get perfect focus. No auto guider needed with these mounts as you are limited to 30 second subs. Good luck and feel free to ask questions, it is how we all learn in this hobby!
Just found your Vlog . Excellent ! Nice to see Astrophotography done with "reasonable" equipment for a change . I have the NexStar Evo with the EdgeHD 8 and use a DSLR . 30s is about the max but I do get some satisfying Images . I did purchase a Wedge but did not get it set up last year . Subscribed ! /SRK
Amazing!! If you ever get your wedge going, I would love to hear if you find it worth it! Cheers!!
@@LuckyBudd Will do . I also have StarSense but have been looking into StellarMate . It would be nice to be inside on cold or buggy nights . /SRK
@@scottrk4930 As you can see in my vid, I use starsense and a junky old Lenovo computer for capturing. I downloaded TeamViewer. Once I have my target in place and focused, I go inside and run the outside computer from inside via TeamViewer. It's free :)
I’m getting the same telescope ordered in Jan hoping it gets to me some day. Is the wedge absolutely necessary for short term astrophotography? Or is for long exposure?
@@spookymiraclepreacher6037 Not "absolutely necessary" . I've been doing Astro Imaging without one for a few years now and just wanted to try and get rid of the Field Rotation and possibly get some longer exposures too . Best of Luck !/SRK
I bought a wedge for my cpc800.. it made everything so much easier.. I got hooked and within 6 months, I got a cpc1100hd edge.. using the same wedge. My mind is blown every clear night...
That's great! I have thought of adding a wedge as well. How long can you get subs for with rounded stars?
@@LuckyBudd im running 30 to 60 s. However, after I polar alignment and then do another aspa, I can do up to 5 min exposures. I was pushing 5 min subs using asi2600 in 2 bin the other night/morning and had pretty good round stars edge to edge.. but that is rare to have everything working that well.. I may get an oag which may make those 5 min subs common but thats another several hundred bucks
..
@@ma-fi1nu sounds like I need a wedge!! :)
Beautiful! Are you doing the soundtrack as well? This is great information and i hope to get to this path when I free up the time. Thanks!
Haha, good ear! Yes, that is me playing guitar, it is a Bruce Cockburn song :) For sure, the Evo is great, just gotta focus on balance and level... best place to start!
@@LuckyBudd I am a guitar player too. Very nice indeed!
@@jimwaller5465 cheers!
what are the advantages of having a camera in the front exactly ? amazing pictures u took with just Alt Az, gives me hope that i will experience the same thing :) !
It dramatically reduces the focal ratio of the scope from an F10 to an F2. This means he will capture images far quicker than he would at F10. That's why he can achieve 30 seconds.
Hi great video on alt-az photography , looking forward to more great work you have a new subscriber thanks 👍
Cheers Frack! If only we can get a few clear nights :)
Good video, but how did you get the scope aligned so you can get 30 seconds of exposure and keep everything perfectly still. I can't even do 2.5 seconds of exposure without the stars moving!
Hi Paulette. Really, it is all about balance and level. Look at the video and in the daytime try to get your scope balanced the way mine is. That’s the first part. Once you have that you don’t need to adjust it until you change something that affects the weight. Then, when you set up, make sure your level is right. With those two things, you’ll have 25-30 second subs consistently!! :)
Awesome tutorial
Cheers Eric! Hope it helps!
Do you use a focal reducer with the Hyperstar?
@@ericmould9515 the hyperstar is a focal reducer. It’s amazing! Plugs into the front of the s ops where the mirror is and takes you from 2000mm to about 400 at f2
nice. i was a bit worried that my mount couldnt do this. i just got the nexstar evolution 9,25 and are waiting for the starsense autoguider. i think i will just take the chance and hope for the best.
Looks like the autoguider will be awesome!! Even without it, these mounts can do great things! :)
@@LuckyBudd yea. was thinking to get the wedge also. Would be nice to boost the exposure time a bit.
@@kimex5164 for sure. Even with the guider, you are limited to 30 seconds without one. I would start without, get a good feel and then introduce a wedge. Like climbing a ladder, get comfortable with each step before taking the next one. Should be a great system!!
Hi again. Just got the celestron focuser and starsense autoalign. Found out that autoguider is not needed since its an az and gonna stay with 20-30 seconds exposure. I also got the 6d mk ii with backyard eos and stellarium mobile. Gonna be warm nights with no cables, wireless and everything automated. Cant wait to start :D
@@kimex5164 sounds ideal!! Have fun!!!!!
Hello, good to see your video , i bought and alt Az AZ-GTi and can't wait to take pictures :) What is your staking software ? thx
I really love Astro Pixel Processor. You can get a free 30-day trial. I find it VERY easy to use and the results are awesome too. What's more, they are really quick to answer questions and help if you run into anything strange that isn't already on their forums. Highly recommend for us beginners :)
Are you using AsiAir? I have AsiAir plus and wondering if the Starsense is redundant with the AsiAir plus system.
I don't use ASIair with the Evo, but I do use it with my CEM40 which needs to be polar aligned. Star sense is awesome if you are using an alt-az which does not need to be polar aligned. It is SO fast and convenient! The asiair is awesome with a mount that need polar alignment, the Polar Aligning feature is easy.
Very nice images! Which camera are you using?
Thank you! I use a ZWO asi294mc pro for deep space. I always set it to -10 :) For planetary, I mostly use a ZWO224.
Hello, how the mount perform with all the weight of the hyperstar and cameras?...thanks, cs!
Hey. It performs great! Designed for it. It works great with hyperstar or with a focal reducer and cameras or with a Barlow and cameras for planetary. It is super light and super easy!
@@LuckyBudd thank you very much for the advice, the web is infected with baseless information. Thanks again and CS!
@@evastronomy8048 absolutely. Always best to check w folks who own and use the gear! This mount was specifically designed to use with this specific telescope, in all of its configurations.. It is excellent and seamless. A great system.
Great Video. Thanks. Which focal length are you using ?
I use various focal lengths depending on the season and what I am doing. For nebula season, I use the hyperstar which has a focal length of 425 I think. For galaxies and summer nebulas (like the dumbbell) and globulars, I tend to use the .7 reducer which has a focal length of 1450. For planets I will go with the native focal length sometimes of 2032 or even put on a 2x barlow to magnify that. It really just depends on the season and the target :)
Amazing captures with altaz mount without any guidescope. Which software did you use to navigate to Rosette nebula? Was is Celestron CPWI or something else?
I have been thinking about using CPWI but I have not yet... I use the SkySafari Pro app on my iPad to operate the mount via wifi. :)
@@LuckyBudd Thanks. I myself still trying to learn quite a few things yet. Interesting to learn that you are controlling the mount by SkySafari Pro from iPad while photographing the nebula by ZWO ASI Studio from Windows PC. How did you use Celestron Starsense Autoalign? By the hand controller I guess?
@@mrkutube nah, Starsense works in SkySafari Pro. It's easy, control the mount from the iPad, control the camera from the PC. Simple is the key! I don't have the hand controller hooked up. I never use it :)
What's your seconds on the rosettenebula
Did you stack only the light frames? Or you also took and stacked bias, and dark frames? Amazing results!
Hey! I took this with an asi294mc pro. So, I used a master dark (-10 degrees) and a few days earlier i took a master flat and master dark flat - always 3 seconds and also at -10. Don’t use bias w this camera. Then i recycle my master flat/dark flat until I swap out filters :)
@@LuckyBudd Superb ! Thanks
Great Video! Thank you...
cheers!
i have my nexstar 127slt, and when i point it to some objects(like crab nebula) it doesnt remain centered, is it because of my balance or something?
I would definitely try the two things I showed here: balance is very important as is level. Hone in on those two things and your drift should greatly improve.
Hummmm, interesting. I have a 5SE and feel resigned not to dive into DSO photo, just because of the alt-az mount. I guess that your success has a lot to do with reducing your focal distance, and Hyperstar is key. My 0.63 focal reducer wouldn´t get the same results, and I bet your 25" subs wouldn´t be the same without the Hyperstar. Eventually, it´s all about money... But I can´t see the point in spending 2000 in Starizona Hyperstar when I can buy an HEQ5 plus an Evolux 82 ED for that money. I think these two would get way better DSO images, but it´s just an opinion.
Anyway, congratulations, the video is very informative about the possibilities of these great OTAs which are the Celestron C series.
Hey! When I did this video, I had the hyper star on and it def helps but if you go to the 9:27 mark, I posted some photos without the hyper star just using the focal reducer. I got some great results! Since you already have a focal reducer, I would DEF try a few targets. The key really is balance, level and shorter subs (lots of em!). It is great learning and I bet you will get a few images you are impressed with! :) Fun hobby!!
@@LuckyBudd I hadn´t noticed!!! And how come there´s no star trail with 30 second exposure?? I mean, this is alt-az, it´s supposed to suffer field rotation issues???
@@rodericogarcia Hey, 30 seconds is the max, go any longer and the stars do start to look kinda long. As I showed in the video, sometimes I have to go 20 or 25 seconds depending on the target. So long as your stars look round in each sub, you will end up with a great result! Take a look at the 8:32 mark. After you stack, your image will look like that. Your target will look great, you just have to crop the rotation out and make it a rectangle like I do in the vid. :) Great results to be had! :)
Thanks for the video. What type of power adapter do you use for the 294MC?
Hey! I just use the ZWO one. It is kinda lame that you have to buy it separately. However, if you use an ASIAIR, it comes with the connectors to power the camera from the ASIAIR.
@@LuckyBuddGreat, thank you very much.
@@ronm6585 anytime, my friend. Happy imaging!
@@LuckyBudd Thank you sir.
What are those handles you added to the scope? I need that!
The Evolution comes with that handle attached! I’m sure you can order one from Celestron. It’s great!
@@LuckyBudd So interesting. My 1.5 year old Evolution C8 does not have them. When did you buy and what size is the scope? I will have to reach out to Celestron and see if they are available for purchase. Thank you!!!!
@@AI.Modernist hey. Mine is a 2020 8” edge hd :)
Wow! I'm just starting out w/my baby celestron 130SLT and ASI120MC, I"m hooked! I noticed you used a Gain at Middle, any reason why not use low? I'm really thrilled with how the AZ mount works on galaxies and Nebula but definitely am keeping it to no more than 30secs.
Awesome!! You will love it, so much fun to be had!! I find that at Mid I can resolve the nebulae much nicer in a 30 second sub. At low, I usually can't really see it. It is all about the histogram. You want good signal, but not too much or it gets blown out. Mid seems to me to be the sweet spot :)
So 25sec at F2 and 30sec at F7 on the same scope?
Yes. I included photos at the end of shots at both f2 and f7. Also works awesome at native focal length with a Barlow on planets!
great video. Dumb question for you. I have the evolution 8, and with the focal reducer and the cooled ZWO camera and the 105 mm worth of spacers between the camera and the focal reducer, the camera train is too long and is in constant danger of banging into mount when the scope uses the GoTo function, for anything remotely straight up. Like 40% of the sky is not reachable or it will bang the camera on the mount. I ordered a 2 inch diagonal, which I hope will help? Anything else I can do? Also, every time I try and take photos over 10 seconds the stars start to trail out.
Not dumb at all! Unfortunately, it is a limitation of the mount. I usually just wait until the target is low enough that I can start imaging. As far as only 10 second exposures go, do the tricks that I outlined and make sure your balance and level is great. You should be able to get up to 30 seconds with no trails at that point. I love imaging with the focal reducer, just keep working at it and you will have no trails! Sometimes I am limited to only 20 seconds, depending on where the target is in the sky.
@@LuckyBudd ok thanks. I have focused on leveling it, not on balancing it. I will give that a try. Thanks!
@@LuckyBudd I went to subscribe to you since I loved the video and really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Holy #%€* is that you with David lemieux? The man is my hero. Today is Grateful Dead history is the only reason I have kept SiriusXM. Sooooooo cool
@@TheAndyoesq Balance will solve your issue, just follow what I did on the video and you will get up to 25-30 second subs easily!
@@TheAndyoesq hahaha yep! He's my best friend! I will tell him that, he will be stoked!
Wow - thought I would need a GEM or star tracker to get good images! I've got an Evolution 8 but no Hyperstar or reducer. Could I piggyback a DSLR with 135mm F/4 lens on my Evo8 (all of which I do have) and use these same techniques to produce wide-field images? I'm thinking longer exposures could be used at the shorter focal length of my piggyback rig. Thanks!
Give it a try and let us know!! I would love to hear! Also, keep your eye out for used reducers and hyper stars, I got both of mine on the used market :) It is amazing what this mount can do without too much set up :)
Where did you purchase the hyper star? Thanks.
The hyperstar is made and sold by a great company called Starizona. I was able to find mine here in Canada used on astrobuyandsell dot com. It is an AMAZING purchase, you will love it! The 8"edge hd is such a versatile scope! It is like 3 scopes in one! f10/f7 and f/2 with reducers and hyperstar. I also use a 2x barlow for planets... amazing!
So you are just using ASI STUDIOO to drive the camera and stack images , and not to connect and control the mount ?
Correct! I use SkySafari Pro to drive the mount through an iPad. I keep it separate.
I have a manual alt-az so my exposures are pretty much going to be 30 seconds or less depending on the magnification I use.
Ya, I started with a manual as well. I learned a lot from it!
Love the results, but how do you accurately rotate your images to account for field rotation? I have an alt-az system and am keen to see what I can achieve with that first as getting an EQ setup is rather expensive...
Hey, field rotation isn't really an issue if you keep to subs 30 seconds or less (the longest I have ever achieved was 45 seconds, but that was once). Go to the 8:30 mark of this video. As you can see, you will end up with an image that is stacked that just needs to be cropped to how you like it, but the stars will be pretty round on all the edges. Just crop to taste, and you can even rotate the image prior to cropping to taste :)
@@LuckyBudd Hi, sorry I'm not sure that I've worded my question too well. It appears your final stacked image is a lot of images rotated superimposed on top of each other, and that's why there are lots of corners to crop to get one rectangular image? Again sorry I can't think of a better way to describe that! Does that make sense? I'm assuming that's done to compensate for rotation? How do you rotate your images like that?
@@milesmilner3660 this is just how the program stacks all the images. It looks like this after Astro Pixel Processor does it's job :) From there you crop, and can play with it in Lightroom a bit to get the final image. The image going in all directions is not the final image :)
@@LuckyBudd ah I see! So the stacking software is able to do this for you? You don't have to rotate each image before importing them into the program?
@@milesmilner3660 oh! Not at all!! Throw in all of your light frames (darks, flats, dark flats) and this is what it spits out :) I really like the program Astro Pixel Processor as I find it VERY easy to use... but you can try a free one like Deep Sky Stacker and see what you think. There are lots of great softwares out there. Mac folks dig Siril as well.
Hey mate great video! I have an alt as mount also but need advice, What program are you using to stack multiple 30 second single exposure videos with?
I’ve done stacks of Jupiter and Saturn with 1 30 second exposure but never “multiple exposures” I want to get into deep sky astrophotography of nebulas but I’m getting lost with this process and how it’s done
Hey! Thanks!! I stack my planetary images in Autostackkert and I know you can do multiples using it (though I never do). With my 8" I have been playing with taking 5 min videos of Saturn and 3 of Jupiter with really good results! I thin use Registax6 to play with the waves after the stack. I also use RGB align and auto balance for the colour in registax. I also know that many people take their multiple exposures and de-rotate in a program called WinJupos.
adjusting the legs with stones or tiles ???
Hey. I just use the cranks on the legs, it doesn’t really matter if you use stones or tiles or anything else, whatever works for you as long as you get it level. I find turning the cranks and adjusting leg on the tripod. it works great for me.
this is amazing and great work! what do you use to picture all of this? could you tell me everything you use because I'm looking to upgrade
Sure! I think I listed my equipment in the video. What are you using now? What are you looking to upgrade?
Did you use a filter with the Hyperstar?
For the Rosette, the IDAS NBZ is AMAZING! It is fast enough to work with the hyperstar. When I image galaxies, I use a UV/IR filter because the asi294mc pro does not have one built in.
Are you using a heated dew shield?
Hi, I am not. I am using the metal dew shield from Astrozap. It fits perfectly over the hyperstar with little slots to fit your cables through. I then wrap a heated dew strap around that to not only heat the lens, but also to block out any light that may be creeping in around these slots. It is pretty wet in the air here on the west coast!
@@LuckyBudd The air is very humid here in Atlantic Canada, too. Dew is a huge problem. But I found the Celestron dew ring with a $15 rheostat controller works great to keep it under control.
@@UNDERST0RY ya! Anything with heat will definitely help! I find the combo of a shield and ring give a little more protection for light as well!
Thank you for the vid. Subbed.
My pleasure, my friend! Hope it helps :)
2:32 okay but my telescope cant do that? is that normal in all Alt -az? I dont see that a crank like that, I have a meade lx200 and all i can do is move it up and down
im not sure what crank you are referring to
@@2321Julius gottcha. I don't know your exact mount but... wherever the scope is attached to the mount... you need to loosen the bolt or whatever is holding it in place so you can slide the scope a little forward (or a little back) to find the best balance point. Then you tighten that bolt/crank/ or whatever is locking it in place so it doesn't fall off the mount :)
I just googled "Balance Meade Lx200" and found a forum on cloudy nights where people are discussing your issue. I suggest reading the forum but one thing it said was, "My older LX200 didn't balance in RA either - for the same reason. Luckily the fork base was an open design so I added a counterweight that fit within the fork. Then it balanced in RA."
What's your gain on the Rosette?
In that app, you are given the choice of low, middle and high. I always use middle. I think it is 135.
Ty for the vid. I have a similar setup, but I often am unable to stack my f6.3 exposures because of lack of star data. I was wondering if you ever ran into similar problems and had any solutions? I've also been trying to stack the stars surrounding the comet but with no luck.
Can i get decent results using EXPLORE SCIENTIFIC 90 1250 Mak GoTo Telescope? Please do share the insights
Hi! So far as I understand, you should be able to do quite well! Just be mindful of balance and level as I showed in this video. And have fun!!
What was the telescope and camera you used?
Also, great job! I haven’t tried imaging on an alt az mount, but I figured still possible with cropping and stacking should work. Thanks for confirming the possibility! Good job!
Hey. This is an 8”. For these sessions I used a zwo asi294mc pro. I have used other camera as well. You can see both the scope and the camera in the video :)
Great results! Congratulations!
Do you have any tips on alignment and tracking? I see you use StarSense. I use AutoAlign (pointing to stars instead of auto).
The problem I'm facing is that I can't get exposures longer than 5-7 secs. 30 seconds sounds almost unbelievable.
The main question is: can I get from 7 secs to 30 secs exposures with more accurate alignment? Or I need a tracking camera?
Thanks in advance! Great work!
Hey Pawel. I honestly find that tracking issues are solved with fine attention to balance and level, as I showed in the video. It usually is not an alignment issue. I would start with balance. So, as I show above (feel free to reference the video), during the day, take off your lens cap, put on your camera and set up exactly as you will at night (dew shield and anything else you use if you have that stuff). Then work on balance. Loosen your clutch and make sure the scope doesn't move up or down. Then adjust it up as if you are pointed at a star, loosen the clutch again and and make sure the scope does not move up or down at all. If it does, adjust its' position on the mount's arm. Do this several times until you get to the point that you release the clutch and there is no movement up or down at all. Then, you are balanced! You only have to do this once :) NEXT, when you set up outside, get that bubble level right in the middle. This means you are level. After alignment, get good focus (batinov mask is awesome!), go to your target and give it a minute. Then, start with 20 second subs. If all looks good, push it to 25 and then 30. Good luck! If I can do it, I promise you can too!! :)
@@LuckyBudd Thank you for your prompt response. Unfortunately I'm already doing my best to do all those things (that is: can't improve on them). I'm trying to see if there's any other aspect of my scope preparation phase which I can improve. Alignment and scope calibration (using Celestron's PECTool) are the things I'm focusing on now :)
Wish you clear skies and thank you again!
@@pawekonieczny8595 Hi Pawel, Budd seems to have omitted the fact, as he says in the video, that he is working with a front mounted camera instead of his secondary mirror. This will (as he says) give him a much faster focal ratio (F2 instead of F10 normally with SCTs) so his speed of capture is about 5x as fast and field of view much much wider. So your 5 - 7 seconds makes sense given your far narrower field of view at normal prime focus.
How are you not getting star trails with 30.seconds? With my altaz synscan i get star trails anything longer than 8 seconds
Hmmm... that shouldn't be the case. Even a camera on a tripod with no star tracker can go 20-30 seconds with no star trails. I wonder... are your balance and level really good as I showed in the video? I wonder if your camera/scope is too heavy for your mount? If all of these things are correct, I wonder if there is an issue with the gearing in your mount? What happens if you turn the mount off and just take a 15 second exposure?
@@LuckyBudd my scope is a 6 inch virtuoso gti with synscan and weighs about 4kg.
@@universewonders1 I would try calling the place you got it from and make sure everything is right. I had an issue in the gearing with my star adventurer pro. Same thing, only star trails. They repaired it and sent a new one. Something is def off if you can’t go even 8 seconds.
@@LuckyBudd i think i may be aligning it wrong though, i never point it to north when starting and my area doesnt allow me to choose 3 stars across the sky because of buildings. I think thats why im getting the drifting
@@universewonders1 Ah! Well, look into star sense,.. it is GREAT at aligning if you can use it with your mount.
Well done! Did you use the "hyperstar" for the 8:32 minute image? :)
The image at 8:32 is how all the stacked images taken on that night with the hyperstar looks once stacked in AstoPixelProcessor. From there, I crop it and clean it up in lightroom which results in the final image you see at 8:50. As indicated at around 9:26 are a few images taken at f/7 with a reducer.
@@LuckyBudd I thank you for the answer. Undoubtedly the hyperstar helps, allowing you to reach excellent results even with short poses of 30 seconds in altazimuth.
@@basslinedoom to be sure, but I am pretty thrilled with my results both with a reducer and at f10. A lot can be captured in 30 seconds! There are limitations, for sure but it is all great learning, my friend!
Why U don't use de-rotator or wedge????
Hi. Never felt the need. I like the weight of the set up and 30 seconds produces lots of data!
How do you deal with field rotation?
Hey. If you take subs 30 seconds or shorter, the stars on the edges stay round and are not affected by field rotation. If you go to 8:30 of this video, you will see that your result after stacking will be an image that is not square, but the stars on the edges are all fine. So, you crop the final image until you have it the way you want it. Field rotation is only an issue for star shape if your subs are too long. There is a lot that can be captured in 30 seconds or even much less!
So you de-rotate in post?
@@fabiogervasi982 I don't derotate at all. It is not necessary. The stars are all round. Look at my video above at 8:30. I merely crop just like every other astrophotographer when they are done their stack in post production :)
Yes I completely understand what you said but every time I put the lights in dss they just stack together but not in the way yours did. Is there any particular setting?
@@fabiogervasi982 ahh.. no. I did not do anything special :) How long are your subs? How many hours of subs? I will try to help if I can :)
Am I missing something or you made a mistake? You said that you set it up to to 25s exposure, but through whole video it says 30s.
Yes! What you are seeing is the preview window. At the 6:45 mark, I click on the CAPTURE window (you will see it in RED under image) and in that window I set it to 25. You can confirm this in the bottom right corner as each image counts down from 25 to 0. For some reason, my screen capture software did not capture that box. :)
you cannot balance a nexstsar se , it can't move manually.
There are tutorials online on how to do so (www.cloudynights.com/topic/258404-balancing-the-nexstar-se-scopes/) but it seems to be way easier on the Evolution for sure.
do you make money out of this stuff or just simply a hobby
Simply a really fun hobby. I’ve never sold any of my images but I have given several away for people who really like them to print and have on their walls. There are a few professional astrophotographers out there…. But not me 😊
Why spend all that money but cheap out on the mount? Its cool but I dont get it.
I absolutely love this mount! Easy to use, super light, epic for planetary, ideal for visual and very very useful for astro, incredibly fast and easy set up (like... less than 2 minutes). I have no regrets or complaints about this mount. It is like a swiss army knife :)
@@LuckyBudd Well alright!
@@Sogstronomy :)
Terrible sound at 3:04
Thank you for watching!!!
I keep getting lines when I take 8 second exposures
That’s interesting. Your camera is a zwo? If so, you need to take 3 second flats at the same temp as your light frames. That will help :)