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Old 01-07-2020, 02:24 PM
Jared_t
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Astrophotography with 12" GOTO dob.. Advice please

Hi guys,


Getting into astronomy had been on my mind for a long time and when covid restrictions came in I bought my first telescope, a Saxon 8" manual scope. After viewing the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and even Mars I was hooked but knew I wanted something bigger and with tracking.
Last week I snapped up a 12" Skywatcher GOTO as the price was very good.


Has anyone had any success with these for photography? I'm reading a lot of mixed reports.


Regardless, I'm keen to see what can be done. I have an old Canon 550d lying around and have ordered some DGM filters.


I would love to image any DSOs as well as planets. I understand there are different requirements for different objects but given my current equipment, what would be my best course of action?


Cheers,
Jared
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Old 01-07-2020, 02:34 PM
cjpops (Craig)
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Was that the same skywatcher I missed getting on the fb marketplace last week?
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Old 01-07-2020, 03:03 PM
Startrek (Martin)
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Your 12” Goto dob for Astrophotography generally are limited to planets , moon and very short exposures on clusters and the like due to its Az Alt tracking and the inability to auto guide for long exposure Astrophotography
Still an extremely good scope indeed and some folk have produced incredible lunar and planetary images from Goto Dobs
I’ve had mine for 2 years and use it primarily for visual observations using my Televue eye pieces
I’ve only dabbled around with lunar imaging only on the 12”, I have both 8” and 6” newts on EQ mounts for long exposure Astrophotography
Good luck and clear skies !!
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Old 01-07-2020, 03:06 PM
Jared_t
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If you're in Melbourne then quite possible



Quote:
Originally Posted by cjpops View Post
Was that the same skywatcher I missed getting on the fb marketplace last week?
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Old 01-07-2020, 04:30 PM
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Tulloch (Andrew)
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Hi Jared, if you are interested in imaging the planets (very possible with a 12" Dob and Canon DSLR), then I would start with these tutorial videos. After watching these you will probably have more specific questions, but you should have a basic understanding of the process.
http://planetaryimagingtutorials.com/

Andrew
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Old 01-07-2020, 05:14 PM
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Outcast (Carlton)
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Want to see what is possible with a Dob, have a look here... pages & pages including plenty of deep sky stuff...

https://www.astrobin.com/search/?q=dobsonian&page=1

It's about figuring out the techniques, settings, etc that allow you to achieve beyond the boundaries of what some will tell you is impossible...

Will you be able to take long exposures of deep sky stuff... no, not without an equatorial platform but, can you image deep sky stuff... well, the page I have linked to definitely shows that you can & with some very impressive results....

Have at.. experiment, see what you can achieve....
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Old 01-07-2020, 07:29 PM
Jared_t
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Thanks for the responses. I'm waiting on a T-ring + adapter then I'll jump in
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Old 01-07-2020, 09:07 PM
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rustigsmed (Russell)
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here is a link to some 12" goto skywatcher dob shots i took some years ago when starting out.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/803366...57634243605994

https://www.flickr.com/photos/803366...57634238514125


i didn't really know what i was doing then, and am sure that i could get much better results. mostly these are only a few mins total exposure with no calibration frames except darks.

If you get flats, etc going and up the total exposures i can't see why you can't do way better.

there was a bit of a sweet spot in terms of the angle the scope was pointing (zenith is no good).


cheers

rusty
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Old 01-07-2020, 09:12 PM
Jared_t
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Those look great!


What camera did you use?



Quote:
Originally Posted by rustigsmed View Post
here is a link to some 12" goto skywatcher dob shots i took some years ago when starting out.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/803366...57634243605994

https://www.flickr.com/photos/803366...57634238514125


i didn't really know what i was doing then, and am sure that i could get much better results. mostly these are only a few mins total exposure with no calibration frames except darks.

If you get flats, etc going and up the total exposures i can't see why you can't do way better.

there was a bit of a sweet spot in terms of the angle the scope was pointing (zenith is no good).


cheers

rusty
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Old 02-07-2020, 12:57 PM
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rustigsmed (Russell)
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Canon 600d - not sure if I even had a coma corrector for all of them - but get one if you’re doing photography
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Old 02-07-2020, 09:16 PM
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mswhin63 (Malcolm)
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I too have used a DOB for imaging although mine a pre-goto. In my case, I made an EQ platform that is better for DSO images. Although managed some decent Planetary and lunar images.

The optic for mine are greater, just getting an equatorial mount that is stable is the next step. Now that I am settling in SA, I hope to start and build a more solid platform soon.

I think my Orion Nebula image is somewhere around 2011 in the forum somewhere. I recently pulled it out and currently experimenting on processing. Noticed the start a bit elongated, but that was the stability of the drive motors that caused my issues.

Early moon 2009: DSLR on DOB - https://photos.app.goo.gl/WWotQKupUGpvCpxdA
Early Jupiter 2011 using a Webcam - https://photos.app.goo.gl/oNXL7XnihXaJ4Nys8
2009 Blown out Neptune: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KkSrNGUzwh6XWc1E9
2012 DSLR Moon 3 x Barlow - https://photos.app.goo.gl/5Q1WPfFQLtfshq6K8
2012 Moon Webcam - https://photos.app.goo.gl/j5ecuX25zaoNHbiWA
2012 Orion Nebula - https://photos.app.goo.gl/RYADjyaf2ejxMc827
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Old 02-07-2020, 11:22 PM
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LostInSp_ce
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Although not the best examples and were't captured with a DSLR, they were done with a 12 inch dob which might give you an idea of what is possible.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=156444
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...e.php?a=213438

It's usually how I do most of my planetary imaging with the exception of this year because I've been contributing terabytes of data and to do it manually would take an eternity.
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Old 03-07-2020, 03:35 PM
Jared_t
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Thanks for sharing. Feeling inspired after seeing what some of you are producing.
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