Hello, welcome to a blog for people new to astronomy/astrophotography, written by me, a beginner too. With 'how-to's', equipment guides, processing tips and more, I aim to encourage and support us all on our individual and collective learning journeys in this exciting hobby. Whether a beginner or an intermediate, do come join in. Find out how and more about me, this blog and my own learning journey, at https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2025/01/welcome-to-my-new-astronomyastrophotogr.html
A retired Welshman living in wonderful Plymouth in SW England, I’m a family man, novice sailor and boat builder, astrophotographer and motorhomer. With a passion for all things to do with education and the sea and skies above, I have a sense of adventure and innate curiosity. I write three blogs. ‘Arwen’s Meanderings’ charts my learning to sail a self-built John Welsford designed ‘Navigator’ yawl. Look out for her accompanying YouTube channel www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy . ‘UnderSouthWestSkies’ follows my learning journey as I take up astronomy and astrophotography; a blog for beginner’s new to these hobbies, just like me. ‘Wherenexthun’, a co-written blog with my wife Maggie, shares how we ‘newbies’ get to grips with owning ‘Bryony’ an ‘Autosleeper’s Broadway EB’ motorhome, and explores our adventures traveling the UK and other parts of Europe. Come participate in one or more of our blogs. Drop us a comment, pass on a tip, share a photo. I look forward to meeting you. Take care now and have fun. Steve (and Maggie)
An Astro Essentials right angle polar scope viewer! Possibly the best invention since sliced bread. Total game changer. From nothing to shooting M13 again in thirty minutes. My fastest set up time ever on anything astrophotography or astronomy related. Well chuffed. I actually completed polar alignment on the ASIair within 2' 05'. A personal best!
Out in the back garden peace is beginning to descend. Traffic noise from the valley below is lessening as midnight approaches. Just a few boy racers with their supped up cars disturbing the nocturnal tranquility. The distant rumble of the late night London train as it passes through the cutting and under the small road bridge.
As I sit at my garden table, mug of warm tea alongside my tablet, bats swoop overhead and frogs croak up by the terrace pond. Distant foxes cry out, a startled pheasant clatters through the woodland shrubbery. I am reassured by the rhythmic click of my camera shutter and the tiny periodic gear clunk from my new new mount.
A sequence of 60 x 60" shots at ISO 800 on my zenithstar 61ii. The rig is on my lower lawn and I am sat on a bench on the little deck below it. Beyond up the steep garden is our little woodland heaven, trees silhouetted against the night sky and its very faint orange light pollution glow. A bortle 4 rural-suburban sky. Arcturus is almost directly above me to the east.
Guiding is good. I'm getting the hang of ASIair management. RA average 0.80. DEC 0.73. I have worked out how to stop the celestron lithium pro power-tank from sliding down the tripod leg. And the right angled polar scope viewer, combined with my MSM laser pen that attaches to a polar-scope..... game changers. Tonight it took 3 minutes to polar align the mount using the illuminator and a mere three minutes to reconfirm it in the ASIAIR. That alone normally takes me ten minutes.
£79 for the viewer. Worth every penny! Why didn't I get it right at the start of my astronomy/astrophotography journey? What a muppet eh?
First visit to this astronomy/astrophotography blog? Well, firstly a warm welcome to you and thanks for stopping by. After reading this post, if you want to find out more about me and this blog, why not visit my introductory page at https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2025/01/welcome-to-my-new-astronomyastrophotogr.html You can also browse other posts by using the search bar or the blog post list on the right hand side and I'd really like to hear from you via the comment boxes. Drop me a tip, an observation or a question. Take care and clear skies to you. Steve
Go back a blog post or two and you will see that I have inherited the above mount, for free, from a very generous gentleman who was getting out of the hobby. You can read about my initial first efforts using it and the problems I encountered.
Three sessions on, I managed to get it all working last night. Guiding below 1.0. GOTO functioning spot on. Two minute images of M13 - thirty of them, just as a test case; along with calibration frames.
So, my initial mistakes. Guess who had both an ST-4 cable AND an EQMOD cable plugged in? Only need the one and I opted for the latter.
Latitude and Longitude inputs in the ASIair slightly out and now corrected!
Problems with guiding? Down to several factors - too low a gain setting. Wrong aggressiveness inputs in DEC and RA. Had it on auto rather than either north or south (north proved better for me).
Polar alignment went better last night. I polar aligned using the little illuminator and the reticle - without the equipment load on. Then after adding the load and counterweight, I did it using the ASIair mini and it was pretty accurate. I managed to plate solve accurately on Vega and from that point onwards, it would slew to any target accurately and pretty much place it in the centre of my DSLR LED rear view screen.
Simple things to put right - every night is a learning night if you are a beginner. Good job I'm a 'wing it life-long learner' type 😁
Now all that remains is cable management and also working out how to illuminate the reticule better. The polar illuminator is pathetic. And also how to look through the polarscope without cracking my neck, dislocating my shoulder or wrecking my knees!
Updates:
In the post today arrived the skywatcher right angled polar scope viewer. Game changer! No more wrecked neck and knees.
And here is my first ever image of M13 and the first one taken on this new to me mount.
Shooting data: Zenithstar 61ii with field flattener; Canon 800D. ASIair mini with ZWO 120mm mini guide cam on a RVO 32mm guide scope. Power was a Celestron Lithium Pro PowerTank. 30 x 120" at ISO 800 on a moonless night with 12 each of flat, bias and dark calibration frames.
Not a bad first! I messed up the core but lesson learned - shorter light exposure times and more of them for stacking. Software used - SIRIL, GraXpert and Affinity Photo.
I have been looking for an additional power tank for my astronomy gear. I did look at various power stations but they were all bigger than I wanted. I need something portable, packable in a small rucksack for when I go off to do milky way photography.
I ended up going for the Celestron PowerTank Lithium Pro because I got a deal on it and it meets the compactness, lightweightness and versatility criteria. And there were some good reviews out there, with some caveats.
So what have I ended up with?
A LiFePO4 battery with two USB's - 5V, DC quick charge and fast charge, one of 2.1 A. A 12v DC 10A car battery adapter port (which should provide consistent power) and a 12V DC 5A telescope power port. There is a LED panel with white or red light illumination. The battery shuts off automatically when insufficient current flow is detected. So there shouldn't be accidental battery drain. I immediately like the nifty 2" strap that helps secure the unit to a tripod leg and I suspect I'll use the red light to illuminate the ground so I dont keep bumping into the tripod legs in the dark! And I can definitely confirm it is lightweight relative to its size - so bonus!
The PowerTank holds up to 2000 charge cycles, has an un-recharged shelf life up to 10 years and should go for up to 17 hours. LiFePO4 batteries tend to be safer and less prone to chemical fires or leaks than traditional lead-acid and other lithium based batteries. Tough plastic exterior, charging time of six hours (more about that later). It comes with a universal plug 100-240v AC charger.
Other things? Battery capacity is 158.74 Wh; charging input 16VDC@ 2000mA. The telescope power port is 12VDC @5000 mA, tip positive. The car battery adapter port is 12VDC @10A, tip positive. USB charging port 1 output is 5VDC@2100mA whilst the second usb port is 5VDC quick charge.
Celestron information suggests that the auto shutoff threshold current is car battery port - Less than 420mA for a long period of time.
The PowerTank has a weatherproof/dustproof rating - IP-65. The tank comes with a 2m long telescope power cord for celestron telescopes.
Finally, product dimensions? 8.75" x 6" x 4" which in my head as a European - around 22cm x 15cm x 10cm. Weight is 4.5 lbs - which at a push in my head is 2 kg's just a tad over!
So, I'm looking forward to using this, having read positive reviews.
So, having used it three times, how is it doing?
Not good to be honest - I'm mildly 'initially disappointed' given its cost!
I used the little 12v port on one side to power the mount and the cigarette socket to power the ASIair and guidecam. I plugged my DSLR dummy battery into one of the USB slots.
The good:
1. It is very compact and lightweight
2. Over three different nights - it powered everything with no problem - DSLR, ASIair mini, ZWO 120mm mini guide cam, EQM 35Pro mount. Four hours on each of those nights.
3. It will strap to a tripod leg - with some adapting - see below
The bad:
1. plastic lid - it snapped off on the second night. The two lug hinges holding it in place are poorly designed. I didn't manhandle it in anyway, no excessive force. The lid just snapped off the lugs when I lifted it up. Subsequent internet browsing shows some reviewers complaining about this! The lugs disappeared down their holes. The lid snapped on the second night - how ridiculous!
2. charging times - yes it takes 6 hours, but! Mine just doesn't seem to hold its charge. Even after six hours and all red lights show battery full, if I come back three hours later - its down to three lights and needs charging back up to get all four red lights. I am disappointed. I am switching it off correctly. It is baffling and immensely irritating. Maybe I have missed something in the handbook but I've been through it twice. Do I have a fully charged battery? 75% charged? What is it - does it automatically drop to three lights as soon as you switch it on? Silly design flaw if it is!
3. Insufficient power for DSLR camera. This is an interesting one - I use a dummy battery on my Canon 800D and when I plugged it into the USB slot on the powertank, it did power the camera but I lost the rear screen touch screen function. Just wouldn't do it at all. Use a small powerbank and all was fine. Return to using the powertank and immediate lost camera screen touch function. Back to little powerbank and back it came. Baffling but definitely related to the Celestron Powertank in some way but no idea how or why. It may be something I'm doing in fairness.
The ugly:
3. attaching it to the tripod leg with the Velcro strap. My experience? For three consecutive nights, all it has done is slide down the tripod leg. Useless! It doesn't matter how tight you do it, there is insufficient grip in the V groove to secure it and the velcro strap is just too long for a 1.75" tripod leg. I am having to use a separate little long velcro cable tidy to support the weight of the powertank via the eyepiece holder which braces the tripod legs. Irritating!
4. the LED lights are very bright. Even the red light is bright and whilst I can see its superb usefulness in an emergency, for astronomy, it does see somewhat counter-intuitive, but that could just be me I guess. It certainly lights up the tripod legs though!
I am torn between contacting the dealer I got it from, contacting Celestron to get answers to my doubts and just sticking with it and giving it a longer testing time, so that at least I am fair in this review. Let's just leave it at 'initial impressions are mixed'!
But the fact that the lid broke under barely any pressure and the fact that it never seems to reach a full charge that actually holds - seem to be major issues to me!
I'll let you know how I get on. Out of fairness, I feel the need to give it further testing.
Video reviews:
Postscript update: further feedback
I have used this for six months now and things have improved. I worked out that when you switch it on, it immediately drops to three lights but that doesn't mean its lost a quarter of its power.
It holds its charge well and I have yet to discharge it down below two red indicator lights, even on cold nights.
To stop it sliding down the tripod leg, I secured it with a little velcro cable tie tag to the eyepiece holder section in the middle of the tripod.
It still won't charge the mount, asiair and DSLR - but I have adapted to that.
On the plus side - its relatively lightweight and compact and I have found those qualities to be far more important.
I have rarely ever been in the right place at the right time. Until now.
I was scrolling my Facebook astronomy/astrophotography groups looking for tips and information about something else, when I spotted a post offering a skywatcher mount free to a good home or club.
I waited for an hour or so and no one had commented, so I took the plunge and contacted the gentleman, who as it so happened, lived relatively local to me.
And so I now own a third hand EQM 35 Pro mount and tripod. The only stipulation, if I don't want it or I outgrow it, I pass it on for free and of course, it goes without saying, look after it. I did offer money for it but it was politely refused. I did offer to donate to a charity of the gentleman's choice but it was politely declined and I was told I was THE charity!
Now, as it so happens I am looking to buy a new mount. I've been considering three - the SWSA gti; the EQM 35 Pro and the EQ-AL55i and I had a very productive visit to a well known astronomy retailer two days ago just before discovering this Facebook post today. I needed to buy some bits and pieces, a new power tank etc and so I so I did spend some money on various upgrades etc at the retailer, so they didn't lose out. If the EQM doesn't fit into the motorhome, then I will be passing it on and probably getting an EQ-AL55i or even a HEQ5 from the retailer.
So, what have I been so generously gifted?
The first and second owners have only used it a few times. It is pretty much pristine with very few signs of any wear and tear. The Declination - rotates freely without any stickiness or slowing. Rotating the RA axis is stiffer. When balancing the payload, if the counterweight is pushed to the lower end of the support bar then it rotates freely but move the CW further up the bar and the rotation is less free.
Its the grease used by Skywatcher. And the fact that it doesn't use bearings, just bushes. There are YouTube tutorials about how to free up the RA a little - it involves removing the polar-scope, finding three little grub screws; loosening them 1/16th of an inch at most. An aluminium disc can then be removed giving access to the 'nut' which can be loosened a tad. That will allow freer rotation as along as I'm careful not to introduce any 'play'.
However, I don't feel brave enough to do this. The mount is a generous long term loan - it has to be passed on. I don't want to mess this up. I understand the contract!
So far, I have managed to link up my ASIair mini via an EQMOD cable - i.e. not using the accompanying SynScan handset. I can make the mount slew in all directions. I can't get it to communicate using a usb cable into the control box. The handset seems very hit and miss despite following the instruction book very carefully.
I tried it out last night before the clouds closed in and some issues emerged rapidly.
1. I could not get it to line up with Polaris, however hard I tried. I lost forty minutes there until I worked out that the little spirit level bubble on the mount is broken. So when I was levelling up the tripod using it, I was way out! On a completely level surface, the bubble is well to the back edge - nowhere near the circle, never mind the centre of it! So, I am levelling the tripod before the mount goes on, using a longer spirit level. Irritating but only in a very minor way.
2. After an SWSA 2i on a WO wedge, this one is so easy to polar align using the ASIair. Oh my. Very small precise adjustments. Complete revelation.
3. Switching on Dec for the first time in the AA mini - some new learning when calibrating - west and east steps and then north and south steps (new to me) and then backlash steps? And then the clouds closed in before I could do any more!
4. I'm not completely sure whether it is going to its nominated target accurately enough - I tried for M3 and it seemed to be slightly off. But then I haven't used the space atlas icon before in AA so that's a new one on me too. More learning to do over next few nights.
The EQMOD cable is a loose fit and so I may need to get a new one. I need to get a longer dovetail bar for my zenithstar 61ii so that I can do better Dec balancing. I need a small finder plate bracket to attach to the scope to hold the AA mini. Before, I've attached it to the tripod.
So, plenty of new learning. Reviews about the EQM are generally sound - although clearly people are unhappy about rotational issues and the knock on effect in guiding when using an ASIair. I need to update the software/firmware. I'm not sure how old the mount is but I suspect its three - five years old.
It uses the plug in polar illuminator - yep that one - from the SWSA2i - the feeble red diode one! But that is a minor, minor niggle.
I will let you all know how I get on. I feel very privileged and a great weight of responsibility to get this EQM 35 Pro mount working properly; to make best use of it. I am its 'custodian' for a time.
First visit to this astronomy/astrophotography blog? Well, firstly a warm welcome to you and thanks for stopping by. After reading this post, if you want to find out more about me and this blog, why not visit my introductory page at https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2025/01/welcome-to-my-new-astronomyastrophotogr.html You can also browse other posts by using the search bar or the blog post list on the right hand side and I'd really like to hear from you via the comment boxes. Drop me a tip, an observation or a question. Take care and clear skies to you. Steve
I nearly didn't go. The wind was strong, gusty and chilly - up to 35 mph. The moon was at 85% full moon. The landscape was moonlit. The milky way was at an awkward position, only just above a distant cliff line.
All excuses 😂. In reality, an astrophotographer should be able to cope with anything nature throws at them! Only, I'm a beginner. I am still trying to figure out the art of composition and how to navigate my DSLR camera buttons in the dark without using a head torch!
Such an amateur 😆
Then there is this whole post editing malarkey. Regular readers of this blog will have heard my regular lament before 'post editing is a dark, dark art; the work of the Devil'! I take two steps forward, celebrate and then discover, in reality, I have taken three backwards. I then metaphorically howl!
One of the issues is this - how can the same photographic light image be processed in so many different ways ...... and which is the most accurate version .......and how do I know? 😱
Anyway, here are the images from one night down at one of my favourite places, Wembury Beach, on the south Devon coast. It is where I go to try and learn and perfect my practice!
The photo info:
Canon 800D and Samyang 14mm F/2.8 lens
Intervalometer
SWSA 2i tracker with William Optics wedge
Benbro CF tripod
Shooting data:
60" x 10 at ISO 1600 F/2.8 for sky;
foregrounds ISO 800 F/2.8 and varying between 15 - 90"
Post editing:
Sequator, GraXpert and Affinity Photo were my goto programs for post editing.
I haven't done a post yet on how I edit my milky way images because I don't feel confident about my skills and therefore have nothing to offer you fellow newbies/beginners at this moment in time.
As I have said in one of my first posts on this new blog, I bit off more than I could chew. Like an idiot on steroids, for some insane thinking that I can't fathom out now, I decided to take on astronomy, astrophotography, using a DSLR on manual for the first time and then several new post editing programs (SIRIL, Sequator, Deepskystacker, GraXpert AND Affinity Photo) ALL AT THE SAME TIME!
What was I thinking? 😯
I think the foreground came out fine but the sky - one too many curves and levels adjustments me think!
Difficulties blending sky and foreground together regarding brightness, contrast, shadows and exposure
I processed the sky in SIRIL on this one and promptly lost where the stars bit got saved on my laptop - hence the absence of stars. I'm still searching for the 'stars' bit pf the star recomposition process!
Was pushing my learning here - selfies, using an orb - trying to get the landscape exposed correctly etc! I messed up the sky section completely!
On the bright side - I am slowly getting to grips with how to do 'sky replacement' in Affinity Photo. I now have the simple basics. Just need to learn how to do all the refinements and brush work
Nope! Can't explain this either but I like it!
Plain, simple, one single image of 20" ISO 1600 F/2.8 with the moon to the west of me (right hand side and slightly behind me)
So, what did I learn on the night?
Pay more attention on my pre planning visit - I used night view on PhotoPills but I think my smartphone GPS compass was weak and so where I thought the milky way would be and where it was in reality on the night - were two different things by quite some margin
Don't try to do milky way shots after the moon has gone 50% towards or from a full moon. It is just way too bright - or I should have used my Optolong L Pro clip in filter to try an reduce the moon glow - but this would have necessitated taking longer images. Tricky in those windy conditions.
my orb is too bright and stark. I need to dampen and diffuse its glow somehow before the next trip - any ideas? Drop me a comment below .... please 😧
shoot a number of different lights combinations e.g. 30 x 20" at ISO 1600 F/2.8, for example
remember to use the histogram to try and judge the best camera settings - yep I forgot to 😡 so serves me right!
do some more research about landscape composition - leading lines etc. I have done a post on composition so I should have known better!
At the end of the day ....did I have fun?
Yes I did!
Did I learn lots of new things?
Absolutely?
Have I made some progress above where I was before?
Yes, definitely, small steps, but progress nonetheless.
So, which of the photos above do you like most and why? Which do you think is the worst and why? What tips would you give me to help me further on my learning journey?
As always, drop me a comment. Help me and other fellow readers progress our beginner skills. It will be appreciated, promise.
Meanwhile, clear skies to you all, stay safe, take care out there and enjoy
So, we took our motorhome 'Bryony' (it was going to be named 'Brian' after the snail in The Magic Roundabout. But, the motorhome didn't look a 'Brian' - more a 'Bryony! So there's the story. Our old caravan was 'Florence'; our car is 'Zebedee'. You can see a theme here! Sixties child! Sorry I digress!) down to Charmouth for a week.
A combined trip - fossil hunting for the Boss and trying to catch the first rising of the galactic core in the Milky Way for me.
Wow. There's some light pollution down at Portland and Weymouth!
The two images below are the same data - 12 x 20" at ISO 1600 using Canon 800D (astro-modded) and Samyang 14 mm F/2.8 all stacked in Sequator and then processed in Affinity photo. The starless image was processed in SIRIL using Starnet++ but when I put the stars back in - it looked horrendous. No idea why, so I kept it starless which is a tad unrealistic isn't it.
The bright light out to sea is, I think, the Portland lighthouse
The astro-modded camera certainly picks out the H-alpha
The starless image - broody and moody - I just cannot get SIRIL to reduce the number of stars.
You can see the image below when I did star recomposition. Infuriating and in reality, processing in affinity photo was much easier than in SIRIL and this was using the same image from Sequator!
This post editing malarkey is hard work. Have I said that before? 😕 Sorry! 😂
The people at First Light Optics really are good. Whenever I have ordered something from them, it has been sorted and dispatched promptly; all packaged safely and arriving absolutely on time.
One of the the things I really appreciate about them is the fact that they actually answer email queries with consideration and thought. I have found that not all companies do this.
For example, I contacted FLO to ask advice about upgrading my kit (see my previous posts on my kit dilemma). Within a day I had a well crafted and thoughtful response, the basics of which were as follows:
that I would not be able to insert a filter wheel between my DSLR and Zenithstar 61ii flattener due to the strict spacing requirements of the flattener. I would have the same problem trying to do it on my samyang 135mm lens as well. However, if I went for a dedicated cooled astrocam instead then I could use a filter wheel
confirmation that I would see a huge improvement in my imaging quality of emission nebulae if I used a dual narrow band filter such as the L-eNHance clip in version for EOS canon cameras
agreement that a next step might be to look at getting a GOTO mount as it makes it far easier to locate faint smaller objects especially if also using autoguiding such as the ASIair mini. Whilst the SWSA GTi is a very good mount, the FLO team agreed that to future proof myself for the potential to use a larger refractor later, a mount to consider might be the HEQ5 Pro, which has a long and decent track record for deep sky imaging
If I looked to upgrade my refractor and team a new one with the above mount, they gave me two recommendations to look at: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/askar-telescopes/askar-103-apo-triplet-refractor.html and https://www.firstlightoptics.com/starfield-telescopes/starfield-102mm-f7-ed-doublet-refractor.html Both are refractors in the focal length range 700 - 900mm; giving me far more imaging range than I get on the zenithstar 61ii. FLO did note that my zenithstar is a decent scope for widefield imaging, although there are better widefield options with faster optics etc available. They didnt see any need to change now unless I particularly wanted a scope with more aperture and a longer focal length for imaging the smaller targets.
So, this helpful response has given me much to think about. Given I am still learning how to properly process the image data I catch now, I could just upgrade the clip in filters, stick with my SWSA 2 i Pro and do my five minute length images.
I could stick with what I have, do the filter upgrade and buy the SWSA GTi and not change the gear I have - it is highly portable and easy to cart about in the motorhome. My SWSA 2i would be my milky way landscape photography tracker. The Gti version - the one I use at campsites or directly out the back of the car boot.
I could stretch the budget a little and go for the better mount with the higher payload and future proof myself now. I am leaning towards this option but I need to see one to see how heavy it is. Can it go in the motorhome with the SWSA 2i Pro?
At the moment, within my budget (leaving a little bit for a new power station and perhaps a dual narrowband clip in filter) I am looking at mount upgrades in the form of the skywatcher EQ-AL55i; the EQM 35 Pro and the SWSA Gti. One of the things which immediately struck me, watching YouTube videos, is how noisy they are! Using one of these outside of the motorhome is going to require some diplomacy with my neighbouring motorhomers!
Conundrums eh? A nice one to have - but I am conscious that once I have done this upgrade - it will be several years down the rod before I can afford another - so I have to spend wisely now!
No pressure then!
Thank you FLO for all your help - much appreciated.
I am thinking about the evolution of my astrophotography and astronomy equipment! It is hard trying to work out what you may need or a direction you may wish to go in the future. Especially if you are new to a hobby/passion!
I have been on a journey over the last two years. I started with just a Canon 800D and kit lenses along with an Ioptron Skytracker pro. From no understanding of basic photography whatsoever (I was just a 'spray and pray' merchant) - I did two DSLR courses for newcomers at my local arts college. You know the thing - 'how to get off 'auto' and onto 'manual''.
Then I started researching basic astrophotography and followed some YouTube tutorials. I did some free on-line courses about basic milky way photography. I learned to use deep sky stacker and sequator. I brought Affinity photo and started to learn the basics of post process editing, at a simple beginner's level. From there, I started to learn about SIRIL and GraXpert. I joined various Facebook forums to do with astrophotography and carefully chose my Youtube channels!
My learning journey has been immense; sky rocketing. The proverbial 'steep learning curve'.
And so, now, I'm here: a portable wide-field rig and some basic understanding about astrophotography.
My current astrophotography kit:
Canon 800D astro-modded camera
Zenithstar 61ii refractor
Samyang 14mm and 135mm f/2 lenses
Canon 22 and 50mm prime lenses
Skywatcher star adventurer 2i star tracker
William optics wedge for above tracker
ASIair mini
ASIair 120mm mini guide camera
RVO 32mm guide scope
Skywatcher power tank
various accessories including four small power banks, bahtinov masks, flats tablet, intervalometer, red dot finder, MSM Z shape ball head, ball heads, benbo CF tripod, right angled polar viewfinder, assorted dovetail plates, ring system for Samyang 135mm lens, optolong L-Pro clip in filter, dew bands
My astronomy kit includes:
Skywatcher Star Discovery 150 i wifi GOTO newtonian reflector with tripod
various barlows and eyepieces (25mm, 12mm and 8mm)
red dot finder
My passion definitely centres on the astrophotography elements!
And here, as I have said in previous posts, I have certain requirements. Portability, simplicity, compactness, multi-purposefulness (is there such a word?) and some potential growth room for future. The most important ones are portability and simplicity. I have a motorhome and I take my astrophotography kit with me on every tour. I like to do milky way landscape photography along the coastlines of Devon and Cornwall as well as deep space imaging, just about from anywhere.
So, where do I go in terms of upgrading the kit? Most of it is really aimed at a portable wide-field set up, isn't it?
On my list of possible stuff is the following:
optolong L-enHance clip in filter?
astronomik OWB clip in filter?
Skywatcher star adventurer tracker gti or perhaps HEQ5 or equivalent?
a pixinsight subscription?
electronic autofocusser - ZWO EAF?
a cooled astrocam?
selling my zenithstar and getting a better quality refractor?
(a new rucksack for those walks to cliff top destinations - the Osprey Rook II 65lt)
(jackery 300 plus power station)
I have absolutely no idea. Are any of these a useful evolution/extension of my existing kit?
I know that if I go down the road of investing in more filters, then it is probable that I would need to upgrade my mount. At the moment I can achieve 3 - 5 minute exposures relatively straight-forwardly. If I have understood what I have read about filters, then I would need to be able to take exposures of 10"+ and even with an ASIair mini and autoguiding system, I think this would be a push on my rig!
So, at the moment I want to keep portability at the heart of what I do but I want some 'evolution' wiggle room to grow into as my skills and needs advance in the future.
What would you do?
What would you advise me to think about or purchase? All help and thoughts gratefully received in the comment box below. And thank you for your help.
As always, clear skies, stay safe and happy observing!
Newly arrived to my blog? Want to know more about me before you dive into my posts? Why not visit the home page first and start your exploration from there:
And welcome. Welcome to 'UnderSouthWest Skies'. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find the experience worthwhile. This blog post has been written from my own 'beginner perspective' after doing lots of reading on the topic below. In getting my head around it all, I may have got odd bits slightly wrong; but, like you, I am on a leaning journey, so please forgive any unintentional errors. Meanwhile, clear skies to you. Take care and thanks for visiting Steve aka PlymouthAstroBoy
What do you do for your hot drinks on those cold winter nights when all your equipment is covered in dew or worse still, frost? When you are chilled despite all the proper layering of good clothes you have done?
I started my astronomy/astrophotography sessions with taking flasks of tea. But I found these cooled really quickly. Even worse, the milk started curling on the long journeys down country lanes. Yep, that really did occasionally happen. Ugh!
Then I switched recently to a different system - taking flasks of hot water in an insulated food bag, along with a small metal bottle of milk. I'd make a cuppa using tea bags and the hot water and milk.
Advantages? The flasks seemed to keep the water far hotter for far longer in the insulated bag. The task of making a cuppa was fun; something to do whilst waiting for your light frames shooting sequence to finish. Great if I was operating out the back of the car where weight of equipment carried wasn't going to be an issue.
But what about when I am doing milky way astrophotography, away from the car?
Trekking along stretches of coastline or across moorland to a secret destination for a night shoot! Weight of equipment carried becomes an issue then! As does keeping warm in exposed locations.
So I am switching back to my favourite system of making a cuppa - using a stove! Or cooking noodles! Or heating a camping 'meal in a bag'. It doesn't have to be just a 'cuppa' any more.
Coming from an outdoor pursuits background, firstly as a mountain climber and trekker, then as a dinghy cruising sailor doing overnight expedition raids along the south Devon coastline, I love the hiss from a good camping stove. The heat generated, the bubbling of boiling water, the instant gratification from a hot, warming drink and/or meal.
I have always used a Trangia stove. Always! Mine is nearly forty years old and is still going strong, but, as Trangia users know, whilst it is a brilliant little stove, it is heavy if you add in the meths that has to be carried as well.
So, I have sinned. Transgressed. Traitorised myself! I got a Primus Lite+ stove for my birthday present!
Shock, horror, the world is ending! He has succumbed to the lure of the 'all in one' stove!
So why have I done this?
Firstly, I wanted a lightweight stove system specifically for when I go off and do my milky way shooting sessions. Something integrated but light weight; giving fast boiling of water. Easy and quick to set up or put away. I often walk a fair way to get to a good location that I have scouted previously. After shooting, I may move location slightly and do it all again in the same session. I want to be able to pack and unpack equipment quickly. Mobility, time efficiency and safety are the key things here.
The Primus Lite+ meets these requirements.
The stove is an integrated 'all in one gas' design; small pack size and a lightweight 400gs. The pot is 0.5l capacity and its a one-person stove set up. On my initial tests out in a windy garden, my stove boiled water in 2' 30"s.
Fuel efficient and a smart design, it is built of high quality materials. Typical Primus quality!
The anodised pot has an integrated pouring spout and built in heat exchanger at the base. The lid is plastic and has a strainer inbuilt. This also allows steam to escape as water boils. Stepped, the lid is easy to remove to check the water (or noodles!) Its actual function is, a small mug or bowl!
Insulated by a cork lined fabric sleeve which closes with velcro, the pot is easy to handle when removing it from the burner assembly. The handle is a sturdy, secure, strap affair which can be folded over the top of the lid to store everything safely inside the pot (or used to hang it using the supplied cord loop, from a convenient branch). Attached to the handle are three little screw pins, more about these later.
The 0.5lt anodised pot with integrated heat exchanger and the clever triangular attachment system
The burner unit screws into a gas canister. Triangular in shape, with piezo ignition, its a laminar flow burner giving a 1500w flame. The piezo ignition works well, and the large wire handle to turn the gas on and off gives good simmer control as well. The triangular joint connection to the pot is ingenious and so simple to use. The pot attaches and detaches with ease. Frankly, the whole set up is low profile, with a low centre of gravity. Stable, safe; helped by the included fold out triangular base leg system that attaches to the gas canister. Cool down time, by the way, was around ten minutes but that will depend on the conditions on the night won't it?
What about those three pins? Well, they screw into the three holes on the burner unit. You can then use a bigger pot on the stove. Ideal, if like me, you might be tempted on a longer night out to do a 'boil in the bag' camping meal. I can use one of my very lightweight trangia pots for this. Something I couldn't do on the 'Jetboil Flash, which was the other stove system I looked at.
The burner head unit and those three pins that can be screwed in to support larger pans if needed
So what don't I like about it after testing it a few times in the garden?
Not much actually. And that's a rare thing as I'm not that easily pleased when it comes to outdoor gear.
Those pins on the attached handle make it difficult to fold the handle over the pot for secure storage. They scratch the mug lid as well. When separating the burner unit from the pot, there isn't much to grab hold of which isn't hot - so you have to hold the gas cylinder and twist. As I said, it separates very easily so that doesn't seem to be a problem in reality.
In conclusion, I like the portability and lightweightness of the stove. Everything including a 100g gas cylinder packs down into the pot. Materials are sturdy; the design is robust, thoughtful and modern. Its certainly efficient in boiling water even in windy conditions. Primus have an outstanding reputation - a proven track record in good outdoor gear design, reliability and quality.
Some of you may say it is overkill. A flask of tea is fine. But I say to you, imagine this - sat on a cliff, watching the milky way pass overhead, hearing your DSLR clicking away and in the background, the quite reassuring, comforting roar of a primus lite+; the bubbling of hot water and then a really HOT cuppa or stomach warming noodles! Early morning porridge with cinnamon and sultanas thrown in!! Nectar of the Gods.
Perfection!
Notes:
Copyright on photos above - Peak Mountaineering
I found two review sites useful when researching what stove to buy:
