Guiding needed for planetary imaging?

[prova]

I've recently purchased an 8" GSO Newt for visual and planetary imaging and wondering is guiding required when taking images using a 900NC and K3CCD?

Cheers

[iceman (Mike)]

Hi prova.

Definitely not required. Just use the hand-controller to keep the planet in the FOV if your polar alignment isn't accurate.

Having said that, it can be handy so that you don't have to continually keep it centered yourself, and so if you walk away from the laptop for a while, the planet is still there when you get back and you don't have to go hunting for it

Anthony Wesley uses an old finderscope and ToUcam to do autoguiding to keep Jupiter centered. I bought an old finderscope to do the same, just haven't got around to it.

[prova]

Thanks Mike, yeah I wasn't sure as I've never ever taken a single planetary image, my 900NC and 2.5x Powermate is still brand spankers!

[AlexN]

Prova, My polar alignment has been continuously average since getting my mount, however I've had no problem keeping jupiter in the FOV for up to 8 minutes without touching the hand controller...

Mike, How would you go about connecting the toucam to the finderscope? I've heard about people trying this for DSO imaging, I want to give it a go, but have not found a way to do it yet...