Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
Flatbox - what the hell is that ?
I certainly appreciate the reality check, but I'm hoping many of these things are once-off costs, bought over time as you get more and more into it. Many thanks! Fox
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Sounds like you've got most things in order, glad to hear! The EQ6 should handle that weight of scope with ease
. Most of it is indeed a once-off cost, only needing to spend more if upgrading. A flatbox is used to assist in creating flats - these help to remove vignetting and any dust motes that are present throughout the imaging train. A flatbox is totally optional, as you can use the old white t-shirt method (and other methods) - but I certainly found life a lot easier with one. If you do choose to get one now or in the future I highly recommend ordering one from
Peter from IIS - his are great!
Regarding the software - there's many tools that will be able to do the job. There's no 'best software' out there, really it comes down to personal preference in what features you're after.
You'll need an image capture software - Astrophotography Tool, Sequence Generator Pro, NINA, Sharpcap are a few examples. Then you'll need a stacking software (most people use DeepSkyStacker, it's free and does a great job) and something to process the images - commonly Photoshop or PixInsight are used, but there's many others out there.
Good luck with it all, don't get frustrated if things don't work out at first - there's a steep learning curve but it's great when you get a stellar image!