Just wait and see what Ken did

[beren]

Top setup Leon and top pics Ken

[acropolite (Phil)]

Nice results....and welcome to the dark side Ken & Leon....

[Striker (Tony)]

They are the same..1 is the back and 1 is the front...I wont dare to say who the back is....lol

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by Rocket Boy

Yep I meant Leon...you guys look so much alike even your names look the same.....

Originally Posted by striker

Your producing some nice stuff Kenny the astrophotographer.

I like that Tuc 47.

Yeah, the 47 tuc amazed me too, Tony the Toenail

[mickkk]

Ohhh yes, thats what I want to do. I dont understand how youve done it but those pics are what I have always wanted to make.

Im about $3000.00 short though.

Another one on the list for tattslotto!

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Hi Mick.

You don't need $3000 to take astropics. It would help, but you can start out very basic.

$300 - $600 will get you a good dob, and you can just hold up a pocket camera to the eyepiece. That's how many of us started out.

Toucams, Neximage etc are under $500. All you need for them is a computer.

[shaneaust (Mick)]

Hey Ken:

I know the below post is months old, but what did you mean by the "little battery box" that you used for tracking? What's a "Little Battery Box"??

Ta:

Mick

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

Hi all. Leons 12" works a charm and gives fantastic views

All I can say about the pics I got with the ED80 is that they are 'Miracle' shots!

Why 'Miracle'? - Because I did NOTHING by the book

I arrived at Leons to help him with his Meade 12" and I just plopped my mount down sort of facing near South. And that's where it stayed!

I did no polar alignment, no drift alignment, no Latitude setting, I used the wobbly little EQ1, I used the little battery box to track, the Moon was washing everything out, and there was light pollution in every direction.

Even I am suprised at the results! They are the best I have ever got with the Toucam

Here are the results:

Pic 1: The colours of the Moon - Philips Toucam Program, 300 fames stacked.

Pic 2: 47 Tuc - 1 single 18 second frame in Desire.

Pic 3: Orion Neb (only about 20 degrees above the horizon! and down in Ballarats lights) 1 single 18 second frame in Desire.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Hi Shane,

It's funny seeing an old thread bumped

The 'little battery box' is a small self-contained drive for EQ1 & EQ2 mounts.
It is a small plastic box with motor and 9 volt battery in it, and it just bolts onto the mount. The mounts come with the bolt already supplied for mounting.

You can get them from Bintel, Andrews, MyAstroShop, AOE, etc. Bintel have them for $49, dunno how much at the other shops.

Here is a pic of mine attached to the EQ1

[g__day (Matthew)]

With a pier set-up why not mount it as a equatorial by slanting the base of your pier like a permanent giant wedge?