Wish me LUCK

[supernova1965]

I am going to have my first go at real astrophotography tonight I am going to start with Saturn then have a go at the Great Nebular in Orion and possibly The Horse Head if I have any success with the first two. I will be using a LPI which might be no good for the later targets but I am going to try anyway.

[tlgerdes]

Your LPI will be good for Saturn, doubt it will produce what you want from the Orion nebula, wont even register the HH.

Good luck anyway :thumbsup:

[AstralTraveller]

Luck, luck, luck wished in spades. :thumbsup:

One thing though .... you can see the sky???? I've been back home since Sunday and I've seen two patches of blue. There has hardly been any rain although I can hear water gurgling in the downpipes as I type. Ahhh, the joys of the cloud coast.

[DavidU]

Enjoy your time at it. Good luck !

[telecasterguru]

Have fun and enjoy yourself. Don't forget to post the results no matter how they turn out.

Frank

[supernova1965]

Hi all,

Thanks for the good wishes I enjoyed looking at saturn and the Orion nebular.

But here is my question I seemed to get the alignment almost perfect and found Saturn no problem nice views from the eyepiece but once I switched to the LPI nothing go back to the Eyepiece and there was Saturn again I lined up on a streetlight and the camera picked it up no problem so it is working. :confused2:

Signed Confused

[tlgerdes]

1) The LPI doesnt focus at the same point as an eyepiece
2) The LPI has a FOV similar to about a 9mm eyepiece, so if you were slightly off centre with a 26mm eyepiece it could be out of the FOV for the LPI.

Your LPI will usually come with a "par-focal" ring. The idea being that you work out focus with the LPI, then insert and eyepiece and find out where it comes to focus by sliding the eyepiece in and out by hand, then tighten the parfocal ring once the focus is achieved. Then you can swap them back and forth as needed.

[supernova1965]

Thanks I do have the par-focal ring and I forgot about using it, I was using a 20mm EP. I even tried to line up Saturn in the talrad while watching the screen of the laptop while focusing with the LPI in and I just got a black screen I thought I would get something I have the talrad well aligned to the scope:help::D Next chance I get with the Moon I will try that it might be easier to get right:thumbsup:

Yes I can see the Sky tonight I am in a little shock

[tlgerdes]

Are you sure the LPI is working? if you shine a torch down the scope, does your screen turn white?

[supernova1965]

Yes it is working pointed it at the Laptop screen and it registered and I could focus on a street light

[jjjnettie]

You may need an extension tube Warren.

[ballaratdragons]

Warren, what focal ratiois your scope? f?

LPI will be hard to get DSO's but not impossible.
My thought is that you are too magnified (slow scope plus small FOV of the LPI) that even if you did have the DSO centred it will be extereeeeemely faint.

Another point is, can get pull focus?
If you can focus on Saturn you should be OK.

[supernova1965]

Do you mean a Barlow JJJ:question:

Focal Length is 1400 mm and size is 150mm I am not sure about focal ratio. I could focus on Saturn with the EP all sizes that I have 20mm,12.5 and 9mm as well as using a 3x barlow

[ballaratdragons]

Wow! f9.3
Nice for planetary :thumbsup:
Hell for DSO's :mad2:

The Focus point between EP's and a camera is different.

Either your LPI may need an extension tube like jj said (no, not a Barlow, but a hollow tube), or you may not have enough 'IN' travel.

Hard to help without actually being there :sadeyes: