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22-03-2013, 02:53 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Savona, Italy
Posts: 27
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Mak127 and ASI120MC
I present myself. Even if I am 63, I'm new in astronomy (start 1 yr ago).
I have a Celestron NexStar Mak127 with GoTo and for planetary I am satisfied. Also for deep sky, in very black environment, you may seem something. Obviously the 5" dia limits the collected light but I selected it because it is easily transportable.
Now I would like to take some planetary and deepsky pictures using the ASI 120 MC camera that I am planning to buy (not bought jet). Does anyone has a similar experience? Have I any possibility to take some good picture with those instruments?
Do I need any focal reductor?
What are the best and easy to use acquisition and stacking programs? I red on several forum that the software accompanying the ASI 120 MC has some problem. Is it true?
Sorry if I request a lot of information, but I do not want to waste my money in buying the camera.
Thanks in advance.
Ezio 
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23-03-2013, 12:18 AM
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Kelemnlajos,
your pictures are very nice. I like very much the first one with the moon and its shadow on the Jupiter surface. Those results are convincing me to to toward the ASI camera, also considering that you use the same telescope I have (Celestron and SkyWatcher are made by the same chinese factory, if I remenber correctly it is Syntha).
What kind of acquisition program do you use? Do you used the one supplied with the camera? Did you have any acquisition problem with your PC? What program do you use to elaborate the camera video recording to obtain these nice results?
Sorry for the lot of questions but I need to learn.
Thanks. Ciao.
Ezio
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23-03-2013, 12:21 AM
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Kelemenlajos,
sorry I know I am boring. I forgot a question.
The camera has to be mounted on the diagonal (instead of the eye piece) or has to be fitted where the digonal is attached to the main telescope tube?
Thanks
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23-03-2013, 01:40 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Budapest
Posts: 8
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Hi Ezio!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
What kind of acquisition program do you use?
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I use firecature, and also tried winjupos (i made the derotate titled image with winjupos)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
Did you have any acquisition problem with your PC?
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No everything seems fine, the ZWO guys, updating the firmware if there is a bug in it. The cam should work with every astronomy app. But you need a dual core 2Ghz pc/notebook with 2Gb ram for getting the cam full speed. And i also read that there are some incompatibility issues wit AMD CPU-s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
What program do you use to elaborate the camera video recording to obtain these nice results?
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Till yet i used Castrator, and autostakker2, but i found out what wavelet is  , so i also use registax6 (is used wavelets on this image http://kelemenlajos.mine.nu/astro/ju...03-05-1917.jpg)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
Sorry for the lot of questions but I need to learn.
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No problem, i am also in the beginning of the learning curve
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
The camera has to be mounted on the diagonal (instead of the eye piece) or has to be fitted where the digonal is attached to the main telescope tube?
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Don't use the diagonal. if you use a higher magnification barlow (3x,5x) you should buy a barlow like this one: http://makszutov.hu/termek/barlow_2x (sorry i only found it here) because you can take down the low quality lens, and use the rest as a housing in your tube for the other barlows (on my tube i fasten the diagonal or oculars with two screws, and the smallest change will move shift the field of view)
br,
Lajos
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23-03-2013, 04:37 AM
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Location: Savona, Italy
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Lajos,
thank you for your valuable assistance.
My PC is close to the requirements but it is an AMD. We shall try and see what happen. It is also very old and I am planning to change it sometime.
I have a Celestron Omni 2x barlow. My opinion was to start without Barlow to learn camera operation. Do you think it is useful?
So, I have to remove the digonal from the bottom of the telescope and to replace it with the camera or the camera+Barlow. Am I correct?
Thanks again. Ciao
Ezio
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23-03-2013, 08:08 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Budapest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
My PC is close to the requirements but it is an AMD. We shall try and see what happen. It is also very old and I am planning to change it sometime.
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As far as i could find out, with AMD you won't be able the get out the full speed of the cam.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
I have a Celestron Omni 2x barlow. My opinion was to start without Barlow to learn camera operation. Do you think it is useful?
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it's a good idea to start without the barlow to get the hang of it, but after a while for planetary images, you will go for more magnification.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
So, I have to remove the digonal from the bottom of the telescope and to replace it with the camera or the camera+Barlow. Am I correct?
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Yes that's correct.
You could use an extension tube like this:
http://agenaastro.com/blue-fireball-...extension.html
to put it in your telescope, for holding the webcam, if your mak is the same as mine that you need to secure the first optical element (eyepice, diagonal, webcam, etc) with two screws. Like on the mak on this image: http://www.teleskopy.pl/images/sk_ma...q3-2_dod_3.jpg
This way your first element would be fixed, and if going on a higher magnifications, the center point of your image would not change.
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23-03-2013, 09:55 AM
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Yes, my telescope is the same you have. The only difference is the color: mine is fully black.
Thanks
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30-03-2013, 01:33 AM
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Location: Savona, Italy
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Do you know any place (youtube or similar) where the fixing of the camera on Mak is shown?
Thanks.
Ezio
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30-03-2013, 03:23 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Budapest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
Do you know any place (youtube or similar) where the fixing of the camera on Mak is shown?
Thanks.
Ezio
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Hi Ezio!
It's a Schmidt-Cassegrain But the backside is the same as on our Mak:
http://youtu.be/EJZxI6fD0wE?t=2m40s
br,
Lajos
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30-03-2013, 04:11 AM
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Lajos,
your suggestion is very very useful. Thanks a lot.
Have a good Easter.
Ezio
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30-03-2013, 04:35 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Budapest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
Lajos,
your suggestion is very very useful. Thanks a lot.
Have a good Easter.
Ezio
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Hi Ezio!
Welcome. Good Easter for you too.
I hope you get the idea with the extension tube, because with that method you can avoid some time consuming fine tuning if you put in a barlow (what will change your focus, and your magnification).
If you didn't understand it, then first sorry for my english, i know i should polish it, and second, i will create some examles why you should use it.
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30-03-2013, 04:48 AM
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Don't worry for your english, mine is worse than your.
I have a Barlow 2x and I could use it. I know that installing the Barlow we change the focus point as it happens with the extender.
It is not clear to me how we can simplify the focus tuning. If you can try to explain me I shall appreciate very much. Teaoretically I should have studied also optical during the phisic couse at university but our professor did not like it and did not include in the program. So I am fully ignorant in optics.
Thanks
Ezio
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30-03-2013, 06:40 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Budapest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
Don't worry for your english, mine is worse than your.
I have a Barlow 2x and I could use it. I know that installing the Barlow we change the focus point as it happens with the extender.
It is not clear to me how we can simplify the focus tuning. If you can try to explain me I shall appreciate very much. Teaoretically I should have studied also optical during the phisic couse at university but our professor did not like it and did not include in the program. So I am fully ignorant in optics.
Thanks
Ezio
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Can you disassemly your 2x barlow in 2 parts? One small one with the optic and one larger without the optic? If yes, then use the part without the optics, if not consider to get a part like this: http://agenaastro.com/blue-fireball-...extension.html
Mine optical knowledge is very limited. So i leave this part out
I just suggested that, if you put some optical element (mirror, ocular, barlow) into your scope, then you have to fasten it with 2 or more screw. Like on this image: http://www.microglobe.co.uk/images/c...elescope_4.jpg
If you put in your wide field ocular, and then change it to a 10mm or below ocular, then 4 things will happen:
- it will be out of focus
- after focusing you will have a smaller angle of view
- everything will be dimmer
- and because of the 2 or more screws your center of image will move
So after refocusing you have to search again what you want to see.
If your barlow can be disassembled into 2 parts, then the part without optics
can be put into the scope first. If you change your ocular, or put in a 3x barlow befor your ocular, then your center point will be the same. It will come handy for photographing dim object, or using 3x or larger magnification barlows for planetary imaging. (The largest i tried is 5x barlow and the images shows more details as with 3x barlow)
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30-03-2013, 11:53 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Savona, Italy
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Lajos,
I can disaddebly the lens part of the Barlow and obtain a piece which is equal to the extension tube of your first link.
So, after that, I shall install the extender to the telescope body where the diagonal is actually installed. Then I shall install the ASI camera to the extender. Am I correct?
Why I cannot install directly the ASI camera to the telescope body?
Sorry, but I am a thick-head. )
Ciao
Ezio
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31-03-2013, 02:52 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Budapest
Posts: 8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezio49
Lajos,
I can disaddebly the lens part of the Barlow and obtain a piece which is equal to the extension tube of your first link.
So, after that, I shall install the extender to the telescope body where the diagonal is actually installed. Then I shall install the ASI camera to the extender. Am I correct?
Why I cannot install directly the ASI camera to the telescope body?
Sorry, but I am a thick-head. )
Ciao
Ezio |
You can install it directly, but for planetary imaging you will need sooner or later a higher magnifications barlow (3x or 5x). And if you install these barlow, because of the high magnifications, your image will shift around, and after refocusing, you will need to search for the planet again.
But for the beginning you can go without that, it was just a hint
whit this link you can see what size the planets will have:
http://www.12dstring.me.uk/fov.htm
if you are looking for a new barlow here is another hint:
http://makszutov.hu/img/vevo_kep/barlow_06b.jpg
http://makszutov.hu/img/vevo_kep/barlow_06a.jpg
left is good, right is bad (left is GSO, right is TS)
but the price is the same.
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31-03-2013, 03:01 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Savona, Italy
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Lajos,
the link you suggest is wonderful. I have simply to find a camera similar to the ASI120 or to set the pixel values. Really impressive.
Now I understand the need for a 2x or 3x Barlow.
Thanks. Ciao
Ezio
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31-03-2013, 03:31 AM
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Location: Savona, Italy
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What is your impression about NexImage 5 compared to ASI120MC?
It seems that several forum consider the ASI better than the NexImage.
Who is right?
Ciao
Ezio
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31-03-2013, 04:01 AM
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I found this Barlow that I could disassembly and I could use my Celestron OMNI 2x to fit inside.
Ezio
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31-03-2013, 04:01 AM
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