12 inch reflector - Last Light - Jewel Box

[PKay]

Well it was a fun experiment...

And now my bathroom has a new shaving mirror.

In a nutshell the EQ6-R mount cannot handle the 20kg when guiding.

PHD pointed out errors during calibration and did not like it at all.

The stars where all deformed and the images were useless.

So to save the night I used the scope unguided.

The Jewel box is a result of 50 * 1 sec. exposures.

And still the stars saturated.

And then onto the seagull. It looks like it was run over by a car :(
Will post the mess tomorrow.

[xelasnave]

All you need is an eq8.
Alex

[doppler]

Do you think you are giving in too easily? Guiding a big scope can be a lot more finicky than just tracking. Balance, cone error and flexure all come into play but can all be tweaked out of the system. If your motors start clicking (stalling) then it's all too heavy.
What focal length is your 12", if its an f5 then a guide scope is probably out of its league and you would need to use an OAG. My 10" is only 1200mm focal length and guides ok with a 50mm guider but the OAG I am using now has eliminated a few of the variables and has made it a lot easier to get guiding happening and more consistently.

[PKay]

Thanks for the encouragement Rick.

Since the dovetail is mounted on one side, the balance point changes depending on the attitude.
I would have had to make brackets to ensure the balance point was at the centre of gravity point.
This would have made the whole rig even heavier.

Momentum is another issue even if I could get the balance right.

Another variable is the mirror. It is badly corroded and will cost about $500 for recoating.

I feel that I am 'pushing shi$ up hill' on this project.

And...on the up side...can justify...buying a new scope!!