Hi Everyone :)

[anu5480 (Anu)]

Hi everybody,

I thought it would be nice to introduce myself here, since I have been reading this site as a guest for ages!

My wife recently got me a telescope (Celestron Astromaster 130EQ) for my b'day, and I absolutely love it! It doesn't have a Go-To function but I have enjoyed feeling my way around so far. It's like driving in a new city, without GPS!

I have always had an interest in astronomy (and astrophysics), as I come from a physics/maths background. But actually being able to see this stuff is awe-inspiring!

I really wanted to get into astrophotography, and I already have a bunch of things which may help (Photoshop, Canon 50D). I'm just waiting on some stuff I bought online (T-ring, barlow etc) to arrive before I get snap-happy! I'll be sure to post some pics on here for feedback!

Also, I'm reasonably new to Brisbane. Does anyone know a good place to go for viewing? somewhere 1-2 hours from CBD would be good. I've heard Mt Coot-Tha is good? Any advice would be great.

Anu

[silv (Annette)]

Welcome aboard, Anu!

Excitement is rising with new stuff on it's way.
Hope you will always find the advice here that you are looking for.

Enjoy the ride

[clueless]

Hi Anu, like you, I joined today after reading the forums as a guest for a while.
I was given my astromaster 130eq md from my wife for Christmas.
And yes like you, I also a bought a t-ring to go with my barlow so I can take pics. After taking a few pics of the moon I found that while looking through the camera, and even though the moon appeared in focus, the photo was not. See the link below for the reasons why the photo was not in focus and a few tips to make it in focus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYTmsfpL0M4

If you haven't already ( I haven't been able to yet cause I'm a noob), I suggest you start practicing polar alignment to South Celestial Pole (SCP), or Sigma Octantis as they like to call it. Just google there is plenty of info on it, although quite confusing for a novice. If the scope is not polar aligned, lets just say the photos aren't that much chop. Star trails is the obvious problem as well as focus issues, to name but two. I found if I took a photo for say 15 seconds, the star trails were passable, but detail was low.
I also found that I may need an extra weight to correctly balance the scope with a camera attached. It wasn't so bad piggy-backed, but once I mounted the camera into the finder, things certainly got messy (again I'm a noob).

I look forward to seeing some of your pics Anu, and good luck with it. It's nice to know someone uses the same scope as myself.

Andrew (Merimbula)

[anu5480 (Anu)]

Hi Andrew... Yes I did some reading around and found there were plenty of issues around the 130eq when it came to focusing. Some people have had success attaching a barlow between the EP and the camera, although I'm yet to try any of this myself (waiting for parts to arrive!).

Thanks for the heads-up regarding the weights, I did wonder if that would be an issue since my camera is reasonably heavy!

I have braced myself for some degree of frustration with regards to getting focusing right etc. I will be practising from my balcony and getting my setup sorted before venturing out to find a good spot to view from!

Also, good to know about polar alignment - I had heard that it was necessary to find things, but didn't realise it would have an impact on my photos. I'll definitely have to get used to doing that!

Thanks for the advice Andrew - this site is so useful!

[Garbz (Chris)]

MtCootha is great only if you like light pollution and glare from the bright city.

I suggest going over the mountains and further west. Gatton or if possible further near Toowoomba or even south of Toowoomba. The QLD astrofest is out past Kilcoy north of Brisbane but that's a bit longer than 2 hours though it's far away from the city lights.

[anu5480 (Anu)]

Originally Posted by Garbz

MtCootha is great only if you like light pollution and glare from the bright city.

I suggest going over the mountains and further west. Gatton or if possible further near Toowoomba or even south of Toowoomba. The QLD astrofest is out past Kilcoy north of Brisbane but that's a bit longer than 2 hours though it's far away from the city lights.

Lol thanks for the heads up... It saved me a pointless trip to Cootha!

I actually drove to Oakey yesterday for work, its just past Toowoomba. There's heaps of elevated spots in Toowoomba (and on teh way there) that appear ideal for viewing 360 degrees! I'll probably go this weekend and try put up my very first pics.