I know nothing but would like to get started, please help!

[robs.mark (Mark)]

Hi everyone, my name is Mark, I'm 30, and live in Perth. I recently started working in remote areas and from which i noticed how beautiful the sky is at night. I have developed an interest in starting astro photography so I can explore and document space a little deeper!

I have done a little research and have found a used Skywatcher 10" dobsonian. I have a few questions regarding this scope before I make a decision on wether to purchase it or not.

Can I add auto-tracking?, and what would I need to do this?

What would be a good camera for me to shoot our solar system and possibly deep space?

Is there anything else I need to know/buy to make this experience more enjoyable for a starter?

Many thanks.

Mark.

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

G'day Mark,

to IIS!

A 10" dob is a magnificent instrument. Yes, you can retrofit a Go-to system to it, though it isn't a cheap exercise. A bit more on this later.

You can get planetary cameras with software from the likes of Celestron and Meade. You can talk to Andrews Communications and The Binocular and Telescope Shop about these.

You can use either paper charts or computer based software to find your way around the sky, including mobile apps. Which ever way you go, you can find literally thousands of Deep Sky Objects (DSO's) with these and your 10" scope. The Beginners Talk forum has several sticky threads that list many excellent charts.

Binoculars are also very useful. The 7X50 type are considered the classic astronomy size. There are actually some DSO's that are best viewed with binos! They are also magnificent as rich field scopes for wide expansive views.

The only other bit of gear I'd suggest is a torch that has its face covered with two or three layers of red cellophane. Red light is the least detrimental to our dark adapted eyes. You can buy red light torches and head lamps, but red cellophane costs bugger all and works just as well.

I wouldn't want to suggest other things as eyepieces, barlows and the such as you would be best served by first learning to use the gear that comes with your 'new' scope. There is always time for 'upgrades'.

Now, probably the best retro fit Go-To system is the Argo-Navis/Servo-Cat duo. Argo-Navis is a digital setting circle system that guides you to thousands of DSO's once the scope is aligned. The Servo-Cat system is a drive system that when coupled to the Argo-Navis, finishes making the whole scope a true Go-To one. Servo-Cat is linked in the Argo-Navis website.

Also, look into the many other forums here on IIS. There are also visual based and photography forums, astro science, DIY, and the classifieds.

Me, I tend to lurk in the visual forum, . That's my quirk in this hobby!

Enjoy!

Alex.

[lobos (Scott)]

Hi Mark, I myself have a Skywatcher 12" GOTO dobsonian and I have to say that while it is nice to have a motorized mount they are quite a bit heavier and then you have the added cost of the power supply.

If you use a manual 10" dob and a star chart/software you can see some pretty amazing stuff and you will learn the night sky better than if you go straight to a motorized mount.

However if you wish to take photos, a motorized mount is the way to go.

Myself I don't think it would be cost effective to convert a manual dob type scope to a motorized one, if you buy at the right time you can get a GOTO dob for a decent price, (eg. I got mine for $2600 including the power supply and eye-piece/filter set.)

My personal choice for photo taking is the Celestron NexImage ccd camera that fits into the eye-piece and plugs into a laptop. You can use it with or without a motorized mount and it has some nice software so you can play with the image. They are also quite cheap for what they can do.

A red light is a must, it can take an hour for your eyes to become fully night adapted and just a little bit of white light can ruin that.
Something to keep warm with and something to keep the bugs away will make things much more enjoyable.

At the end of the day... er night, it is whatever works for you is the most important thing.

Good seeing
Scott.

[adman (Adam)]

First of all mark - welcome!

Second, the dob will show you lots and is a great starting point, but if you are fairly sure that you want to get into astrophotography you will also need an equatorial mount.

The amazing photos that you have probably seen on the forum here are mostly made from lots of shots of the same object where the shutter is left open for a few minutes at a time. So you might image one object for a couple of hours and end up with 40 photos that need to be digitally "stacked" to bring out detail and minimise noise. The way an equatorial mount tracks the sky means that the orientation of the camera stays the same with respect to the sky, and all your shots are nicely aligned with each other

With a motorized dob, due to the way it tracks the sky, each subsequent shot is a little rotated when compared to the previous one, and sometimes if the exposure is long enough you will see the rotation in the shot as a smearing of the stars.

The next point is - don't skimp on the mount. There are some mounts that will give you no end of pain if you try to image with them...I have first hand experience here! If you get the 10" dob and mount it on an equatorial when you want to image - you will need at least an EQ6.

Cheers Adam

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Hi Mark and to the mad house.
I'd suggest buy the DOB, learn the skies and get familiar with the scope for a while. Forget GoTo, although you can do some astrophotography with a controlled DOB it is limited by not being equatorial. You therefore have issues with image rotation and accuracy of the drives. Adam gets it all right in his post.

Get Stellariium (free) and use that and your scope to discover the heavens above then .....

Once you have gotten up to speed then consider astrophotography as your next step. It is a bottomless pit for $$$, time and frustration as I am finding out at present but also very rewarding (I hope !!). DSO's need long accumulated exposures which are only really possible in an Equatorial mount and require much patience and some knowledge and skills that need to be acquired. Currently I am up to about $4500 and am yet to take my first decent photo so don't rush into it. Hang around here, ask lots of questions and learn the ropes first so you can take the best steps for your aspirations as you go.

Told you it was a mad house ...

[robs.mark (Mark)]

Thanks for the responses everyone. What a great forum! My other keen interest is coral propagation, the forums I use for this are much slower for responses, so thanks!

I think my best option for now is to get the dob, learn some about the skies, then decide what would work best for me in regards to a camera/tracking set up.

Im very excited to learn more from everyone here, please excuse the no doubt stupid questions that I'm sure to ask over the coming months!

Warm regards, mark.

[Poita (Peter)]

For photography, grab a digital SLR, you can take lovely shots of the moon and milky way etc. with just the camera mounted on the back of the scope or on a tripod.
Astrophotography of Nebulae and Planets and galaxies etc. costs big bucks and years of learning, the DOB you are looking at, and a DSLR to be able to take some sky shots, do star trails, capture the moon and use as a normal camera during the day to get into photography is a great place to start.
GOTO dobs aren't all that expensive now, and may be worth a look if you can afford it, as it does make finding things to look at a whole lot easier.

Also, my absolute best astro purchase ever was a second hand ski-suit for $28. I look like a tool, but I slip it on over my clothes and can sit outside all night in comfort in the coldest weather

I found a Binoviewer a fantastic accessory too as it lets you peruse the objects using both eyes, a whole lot more fun and much more comfortable way to view.

Whatever you get, grabbing Stellarium for your laptop or PC (Mac or Windows or Linux) or Star Walk for your i-device (Iphone, Ipod Touch, Ipad) is a great way to find objects in the sky and know what you are looking at.

Enjoy!

[robs.mark (Mark)]

I picked up the dob this weekend, and I'm very excited to give it a try, weather not looking too good here at the moment so I think it's going to have to wait!

I also got a red torch, thanks so much for all the help everyone..