Join me as I journey through the wonderful world of Astrophotography from my backyard in Scotland, as well as some other locations, to share my images and videos of our wonderful universe.
On this channel you'll find astrophotography gear reviews, including the telescopes, mounts and cameras that I use to produce my astro content. I'll also show you the trials, tribulations and triumphs of an ordinary Astrophotographer in the UK, as I battle clouds, rain and many other weather related issues that we have here in the northern hemisphere!
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I picked up one of these and got frustrated with it immediately. I don't find the imaging tools as intuitive or as powerful (might be that I just don't get it) as SharpCap. However, several months and several dozen youtube videos later I dug it out again due to its plate solving capabilities and confirmation that I have the target in sight. It also makes using startracker mounts much more straightforward. I'm still running my imaging through SharpCap, maybe I will switch to full Asiair in time though. I wish the documentation was better, so much of it is focused on telling me that asiair is intuitive, it's really not that intuive but it is powerful. Also I don't like the idea that you can run the whole astrophotography set up remotely from the sofa, I quite like sitting outside in the dark listening out for hedgehogs :)
If you are more into DIY, a 25USD solution that I see some people adopt for small planetary cameras is "Black Shark Phone Cooler FunCooler 3", instead of sticking it to your (gaming) phone, you can slap it onto your uncooled astro camera. Its important to cover/isolate the body of the camera as well (use a coozy) to increase efficiency.
Great video! Can I check how this compares with an entry level triplet in terms of image quality? I have a basic doublet but am considering an upgrade and the zenithstar looks very tempting!
Thanks so much for tuning in! I would highly recommend the Zenithstar series, the optics (on my copy at least) were superb. My two other refractors are the Skywatcher Evostar 72ED DS Pro (doublet) and an Esprit 100 (triplet). I'd say from my experience, the Zenithstar sits nicely in between them. You honestly can't go wrong with them, in my opinion, and given their price (compared to other APOs) they punch well above their weight...good luck and let us know how you get on! Hope that helps! :)
Hi mate, I followed this video here as it matched the focuser setup on my AR-127L...hope that helps! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2PpfezXESY4.htmlsi=bDZoO_CvLi8gRWQO
Thanks mate! I haven't had the chance to try it out on the planets or the Moon yet as it's fully kitted out for solar, but I'll definitely have to give it a go! :)
I thought of buying one myself until I learned quite a bit about it that I didn’t like. Long story short, I’m sticking with my z12 and the eyepieces that I love so much. I’ll keep the visual for a bit longer as I’m not interested in astrophotography as I thought I originally was.
Hi mate, thanks for tuning in! :) The large tripod is the original one which came with my Nexstar 6SE and the small one is the Celestron Table Top Tripod...hope that helps!
Hi mate, it depends on the project and the mount I’m using. Generally the 135 is so fast, I only need short exposures of around 60s so don’t need a guidescope. If I’m going over 60s, which is rare, I’ll certainly use one. Hope that helps! :)
Hi mate, thanks for tuning in! Yes, the Samyang is an astro beast and I've had great fun with it! :) If you head over to ZWOs website, there's a great illustrated guide on how to connect the Canon EF filter drawer/adapter to all of their camera models. Just search for the Canon EF filter drawer/adapter and it should take you right to it. Hope that helps, but any other questions, just give me a shout! :)
i intend to use this telescope for visual use. i don't want to spend spend £100 + on a coma corrector. is it necessary to have a coma corrector with this telescope for visual use, or is it good to go.?
Hi mate, there's a great section on ZWO's website which provides details and illustrations on how to connect all of their cameras to the Filter Slider...it's super easy...hope that helps! :)
I just acquired this mount and just wondering if you use the pier extension? I’ve noticed when using the pier extension it seems like it becomes a little unstable.
Hi mate, it's a great mount and I'm having real fun with it and found it to be a great performer. No, I haven't tried it with the pier extension, sorry...but yes, I can see how you might get a few more wobbles on larger rigs...good luck with it! :)
Hey mate, thanks for tuning in and glad you found it useful! :) I was using the 7.9 inch Losmandy Plate from First Light Optics, here in the UK: www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/stellamira-universal-losmandy-style-dovetail-bar.html But, I did find that on certain mounts, it had a tendency to slip a bit, so was a tad too narrow for some saddles...so just be aware of that. As an alternative there's also the excellent ADM range, which I have also used and have had no issues: bit.ly/4aHLnsk Hope that helps, but any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Have a great weekend! :)
Perfect image. Have you seen "Lunar Waves"? Moon alledgedly being a Projection over an electric Plasma Dome. In that case, moon is Showing the Real Earth Map. With More continents an oceans.
I have a Zeiss Batis 85/1.8 which contains an ED glass element, would i be able to pull of this method even though its an AF Lens? I know i probably wouldnt be able to use an EAF due to its smooth focus ring.
Im about to jump into using my 135 with the 585mc pro... i got the sony nex to asi adapter, theres the 18.5 on the cameras back focus. Will that work good? Or do i need a specific back focus, or am i going to add adapters to hit 55mm BF?
I was trying to find out how many earth's to fill the sunspot region. Thanks ! I recorded it with my Seestsr. Then recorded the resulting aurora. How awsome 😊
Thanks mate, yes we had quite the show over the course of the night! We used to see it more regularly when we lived up in the Highlands, but it's very rare (especially at this intensity) down here in Central Scotland...was a real treat! :)
We had an epic show here in the Midlands never thought we'd see anything like it here not only could you see it looking North but East West & up to the zenith
Just tried to image it in Ha Steve. Seeing absolutely appalling so I don't expect a particularly good final result. There was however a really impressive S shaped prominence on the limb near it. The sun is really active at the moment, so I hope we get some more aurora like last night, especially as I missed it! Great image by the way.
