Welcome to UnderSouthWestSkies — an astronomy and astrophotography blog helping beginners and enthusiasts explore the night sky. Here you’ll find things like practical guides, deep sky observing notes, astrophotography workflows, and monthly sky events tailored for UK observers. Learning to capture your first long exposure image or planning your next night under the stars, this blog offers clear, accessible advice to support you on your learning journey into the cosmos. Drop me a comment Steve
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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?
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.
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
