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Old 08-01-2016, 10:12 AM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
Drifting from the pole

Camelopardalis is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 5,479
Cindi, I wouldn't bother with such a complex app just yet, most of the software you need to get going is free or relatively inexpensive.

What guide camera did you buy? Many guide cams, being sensitive, also double up as decent planetary cameras

A C11 on a CGEM DX is quite a setup to begin with...the real key to imaging is polar alignment. You want to nail your polar alignment good enough so that you don't get any drift in Dec. Every mount "drifts" in RA, and that's what you want the auto guider to correct, ideally. There's also periodic error to consider...

Oh and while you're getting started, you might find a reducer useful...not just because of the reduced focal length but because of the faster f/stop, which keeps the required exposure times down.
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