What sort of Astro can I do with this setup. Also why isn't Polar Aligning Obsolete?

[overlord]

:eyepop: So... does Goto follow the sky? Can I use this for astro:

https://skywatcheraustralia.com.au/product/8-dobsonian-collapsible-goto/

Or this

https://www.bintel.com.au/product/celestron-nexstar-8se-telescope/?v=6cc98ba2045f&gclid=CjwKCAjwiN_mBRBBEiwA9N-e_tePucJ4Ya-9YoYEnL4KqrpJlIILxeJ1nUo9k_Pwj7xEbe XuGtHlQxoCifkQAvD_BwE

(oops sorry to post links of ur competition! :lol: )

Both are very tempting for me indeed! I do NOT want to wait TWO YEARS for an OBSESSION?! :mad2::sadeyes: Would rather just buy a 16" skywatcher or equivalent and it's at my door in a week and I roll that out the back garage. That's what I call service! :P:D:D:D

Or if it can't literally take it all in one snapshot (u don't want to do that from polluted skies anyway)......

... How about you can just take lots of snapshots and I registax them together? Thanks. :welcome:

Hey try not to be too much of a smarty when you reply this time, please guys! I don't own any of this equipment and wasn't born with this knowledge guys. I know you're all clever and everything so all respect to you! Hey, that's why I'm asking YOU and not anyone else! :rolleyes::sadeyes::sadeyes::sadeye s::sadeyes::sadeyes::sadeyes::sadey es::sadeyes::shrug::D Should I post in the beginners forum? Um no i'm no beginner. No way! Just an old-school bloke who has been observing since the early 90s when Melbourne actually had a dark sky at 4am!! I'm a bit confused... Synscan... Argo Navis. Surely ALL this high tech stuff can follow the sky and we don't need these polar alignment any more! Tell me why people are still polar aligning! I dont' get this! I mean who still uses film? :rofl: :help::shrug: :screwy: God I love these emotes! :thumbsup: Help can't stop writing! :lol::help:

[Nikolas]

Lots of emojis makes it hard to read.


But in a nutshell Bintel is not a competitor it is a sponsor as is skywatcher
The go-to dob is great for finding objects and allows for some tracking.
You will be able to use a planetary webcam style camera to take great video of planets which you will then stack using registax or Autostakkert in order to stack planetary and lunar pics. You can capture lots of small videos of about 15-20 seconds each
As for deep sky you need an equatorial mount as any longer exposure will introduce field rotation and ruin your exposures. So polar alignment on an equatorial mount is a necessity.
I'm sure other after me will add more and corrections to anything I have said. Hopefully without all the emojis :)

[Atmos]

To expand on what Nik has said, tracking without an equatorial Mount does limit your exposure times before you start getting rotation. Equatorial mounts track along the same axis as the sky which allows long exposures. Alt-az mounts track in an up/down left/right manner so although they can keep an object in the centre, as the sky is moving at an angle and you’re not tracking at an angle after 10-20s you’ll start having rotation in your images.

[bojan]

If you are handy person, you can go for DIY dob electronics and mechanics..

Almost all DIY firmware (Bartels, OnSTEP, SoundStepper etc.) compensate for field rotation (which means you have to build field de-rotator as well).

[raymo]

Put at its simplest, deep sky astrophotography, as opposed to planetary, frequently requires exposures of many minutes, and GoTo systems [even when fitted to equatorial mounts] do not have the precision to keep stars absolutely motionless in the frame so that they appear as pinpoints. Obviously, any inaccuracies in the GoTo will result in elongated stars.
raymo

[Wavytone]

Lose the attatood, bro, and lay off the emoticons and you'll get a more helpful reply.

[morls]

Hi Raymo,
Would you include mounts like the NEQ6 in the above?
Cheers
Stephen

[Wavytone]

Stephen,

Whether an NEQ6 could be used or not depends to some extent on the image scale, for example using a DSLR for wide-field stuff, or even a lens say 100-200mm piggy-backed on your scope, yes I would expect the NEQ6 would be fine. But through a 180mm mak with 2700mm focal length, no.

The second thing is whether you use an auto guider, or not; for long exposures an auto-guider is a must-have in order to use closed-loop feedback to correct for a whole host of guiding errors - mechanical flexure in the mount and telescope, periodic errors in the geartrain, misalignment of the mount on the celestial pole, atmospheric refraction, and more.

Without an auto-guider just relying on the tracking of the mount won't work well enough for long exposures.

[overlord]

Thanks guys, you're the greatest. Will read now!

[overlord]

Loosen up a little. :rofl:

[Ukastronomer]

You have two problems, one of which is you don't know it



...

[Outcast]

:thumbsup:

[overlord]

Two things I have learned from the above:

1) Technology is advancing so quickly that actually some of you are unsure as to whether the deep sky is possible. Now I would actually expect that it WOULD be possible. Though I understand that even a DSLR is not sensitive enough for the fine details. I've done Jupiter on Registrax with an SLR and NO TRACKING, just pointing it down the tube of the 8". In fact I can't remember how I did it. :eyepop: But regardless it seemed to work but not the greatest I have to say, so I understand say a DSLR would not be greatest at picking up details without a slow exposure. So Hmmmmmmmmm. I get the feeling there is a piece of technology out there to make this practicable.

2) Seems equatorial is still the De Rigeur for astro deep sky! Thank you! Hmmmm looks like I need to build an observatory. :sadeyes:

[overlord]

Ah British Humour, Monte Python, I get it. Har Har. :confused2:

[RyanJones]

You are being given a lot of advice from some very knowledgeable people. In the absence of the knowledge that there is a big difference between the way you take planetary ( which you’ve done ) and deep sky imaging ( which you have not ) i think you are being very dismissive. I image with a DSLR as many accomplished astrophotographers do. It is not a matter of the sensitivity of a DSLR per say that limits your ability, it’s the time it takes for enough photos to be received by your sensor. Hence long exposure acquisition times. During this time the earth rotates on its axis which doesn’t match the axis of rotation of a non equatorial setup. Yes you can get field rotators which compensate for this but you are adding yet another axis to the system which increases the margin of error. There are situations where this may be more practical given the size and weight of an incredibly large objective but for the most part, an equatorial mount is the practical solution.

All I’ll say is that as I’m sure you are aware, this is not a cheap hobby and ignoring experience could be a great way to empty your bank account.

[sil]

Yep, I cant be bothered to try to translate such communication to answer someone clearly not willing to listen to the answers.

[overlord]

:screwy:

[overlord]

Um this is not a private communication. I'm not the only person reading this. Just a heads up. :D:screwy:

[overlord]

Why be rude? Am I rude to you? :thumbsup: Too many misanthrops on here. :rolleyes::screwy:

[overlord]

I didn't dismiss anything. I can't place the sum total of what's in my head on this forum. Why judge me? :help: U want me to judge you? Ok you're judgemental in an unsolicited way. :lol: Taste of your own medicine mate!

I do however like to conceptualise what I read! :D

Well you said kinda what I did! : ( I dunno why you're pulling up poor chucky for! : ( Everyone hates me! :shrug::sadeyes::sadeyes::sadeyes:: sadeyes: