Bode's Galaxy and Cigar Galaxy

[Peeb]

Very nice! I’ve also recently stepped in to the DSO Astrophotography waters. So far I’ve only made a couple attempts with my 70-200 lens (also using a skyguider) but have a WO Z61 arriving tomorrow!

Here’s my (heavily cropped) attempt at Bode’s and Cigar @200mm (also pretty short on exposure time as the clouds didn’t cooperate):

View attachment 191349

Nice! That'll be a nice scope! I am thinking of getting a small guide scope and camera to add to this rig when more funds become available... I have a Celestron 8" SCT that I would love to set up again soon and get a better image of both galaxies.

How much does your 200-500 weigh? You’ll be able to balance that and a guide scope on the SGP or do you plan to use something different? I’m assuming the (relatively) short subs are due to a 500mm focal length with no guiding? How far have you pushed lens with no guiding? Inquiring minds want to know. Lol

I'm not sure on the weight, but it's a few pounds. ...

When balanced well, I have seen 1.5 to 2 min exposures at 500mm come out with no star trails, but I think that's about the limit. At 52 seconds, I still lost about 25% of my subs upon close inspection because even the tiniest bobble from wind, the ground moving from stepping too close to the tripod leg, etc. will cause the frame to be unusable. If I used a more robust tripod, it would help, but I like the light portability of a standard photographic tripod.

Hope that answers your questions!

Have you tried a stone bag to stabilize? They only cost 10.00 and they help a lot.
Link to an example (tho they have on adorama, ebay, amazon, and other sites as well):
Vanguard SB-100 Stone Bag

 

[crimbfighter]

Very nice! I’ve also recently stepped in to the DSO Astrophotography waters. So far I’ve only made a couple attempts with my 70-200 lens (also using a skyguider) but have a WO Z61 arriving tomorrow!

Here’s my (heavily cropped) attempt at Bode’s and Cigar @200mm (also pretty short on exposure time as the clouds didn’t cooperate):

View attachment 191349

Nice! That'll be a nice scope! I am thinking of getting a small guide scope and camera to add to this rig when more funds become available... I have a Celestron 8" SCT that I would love to set up again soon and get a better image of both galaxies.

How much does your 200-500 weigh? You’ll be able to balance that and a guide scope on the SGP or do you plan to use something different? I’m assuming the (relatively) short subs are due to a 500mm focal length with no guiding? How far have you pushed lens with no guiding? Inquiring minds want to know. Lol

I'm not sure on the weight, but it's a few pounds. ...

When balanced well, I have seen 1.5 to 2 min exposures at 500mm come out with no star trails, but I think that's about the limit. At 52 seconds, I still lost about 25% of my subs upon close inspection because even the tiniest bobble from wind, the ground moving from stepping too close to the tripod leg, etc. will cause the frame to be unusable. If I used a more robust tripod, it would help, but I like the light portability of a standard photographic tripod.

Hope that answers your questions!

Have you tried a stone bag to stabilize? They only cost 10.00 and they help a lot.
Link to an example (tho they have on adorama, ebay, amazon, and other sites as well):
Vanguard SB-100 Stone Bag

That's a good suggestion, thanks. I kinda forgot about weighing the tripod down.

 

[RVT1K]

That was freakin amazing!!

I would have thought those images came from a very good and expensive telescope. I had no idea you could get an image like that with a conventional camera and tele lens.

Well done.

 

[crimbfighter]

Very nice! I’ve also recently stepped in to the DSO Astrophotography waters. So far I’ve only made a couple attempts with my 70-200 lens (also using a skyguider) but have a WO Z61 arriving tomorrow!

Here’s my (heavily cropped) attempt at Bode’s and Cigar @200mm (also pretty short on exposure time as the clouds didn’t cooperate):

View attachment 191349

Nice! That'll be a nice scope! I am thinking of getting a small guide scope and camera to add to this rig when more funds become available... I have a Celestron 8" SCT that I would love to set up again soon and get a better image of both galaxies.

How much does your 200-500 weigh? You’ll be able to balance that and a guide scope on the SGP or do you plan to use something different? I’m assuming the (relatively) short subs are due to a 500mm focal length with no guiding? How far have you pushed lens with no guiding? Inquiring minds want to know. Lol

After typing my last reply, I remembered I have a dovetail bar for camera mounting on a telescope mount. I dug through the misc thingamajig box and found it! Now I can balance it in the RA and DEC! That will probably increase my keeper rate a bit.

 

[mountainjunkie]

Very nice! I’ve also recently stepped in to the DSO Astrophotography waters. So far I’ve only made a couple attempts with my 70-200 lens (also using a skyguider) but have a WO Z61 arriving tomorrow!

Here’s my (heavily cropped) attempt at Bode’s and Cigar @200mm (also pretty short on exposure time as the clouds didn’t cooperate):

View attachment 191349

Nice! That'll be a nice scope! I am thinking of getting a small guide scope and camera to add to this rig when more funds become available... I have a Celestron 8" SCT that I would love to set up again soon and get a better image of both galaxies.

How much does your 200-500 weigh? You’ll be able to balance that and a guide scope on the SGP or do you plan to use something different? I’m assuming the (relatively) short subs are due to a 500mm focal length with no guiding? How far have you pushed lens with no guiding? Inquiring minds want to know. Lol

After typing my last reply, I remembered I have a dovetail bar for camera mounting on a telescope mount. I dug through the misc thingamajig box and found it! Now I can balance it in the RA and DEC! That will probably increase my keeper rate a bit.

Got mine set up! And of course the clouds roll in right as night approaches[emoji849]

 

[crimbfighter]

Very nice! I’ve also recently stepped in to the DSO Astrophotography waters. So far I’ve only made a couple attempts with my 70-200 lens (also using a skyguider) but have a WO Z61 arriving tomorrow!

Here’s my (heavily cropped) attempt at Bode’s and Cigar @200mm (also pretty short on exposure time as the clouds didn’t cooperate):

View attachment 191349

Nice! That'll be a nice scope! I am thinking of getting a small guide scope and camera to add to this rig when more funds become available... I have a Celestron 8" SCT that I would love to set up again soon and get a better image of both galaxies.

How much does your 200-500 weigh? You’ll be able to balance that and a guide scope on the SGP or do you plan to use something different? I’m assuming the (relatively) short subs are due to a 500mm focal length with no guiding? How far have you pushed lens with no guiding? Inquiring minds want to know. Lol

After typing my last reply, I remembered I have a dovetail bar for camera mounting on a telescope mount. I dug through the misc thingamajig box and found it! Now I can balance it in the RA and DEC! That will probably increase my keeper rate a bit.

Got mine set up! And of course the clouds roll in right as night approaches[emoji849]

View attachment 191428

Nice setup! Isn't that always how it goes?!
.. this coming week is supposed to he pretty nice by me, so I'm hoping to get a couple nights of imaging.

And I'm seriously jealous of your mountainous home!

 

[mountainjunkie]

Very nice! I’ve also recently stepped in to the DSO Astrophotography waters. So far I’ve only made a couple attempts with my 70-200 lens (also using a skyguider) but have a WO Z61 arriving tomorrow!

Here’s my (heavily cropped) attempt at Bode’s and Cigar @200mm (also pretty short on exposure time as the clouds didn’t cooperate):

View attachment 191349

Nice! That'll be a nice scope! I am thinking of getting a small guide scope and camera to add to this rig when more funds become available... I have a Celestron 8" SCT that I would love to set up again soon and get a better image of both galaxies.

How much does your 200-500 weigh? You’ll be able to balance that and a guide scope on the SGP or do you plan to use something different? I’m assuming the (relatively) short subs are due to a 500mm focal length with no guiding? How far have you pushed lens with no guiding? Inquiring minds want to know. Lol

After typing my last reply, I remembered I have a dovetail bar for camera mounting on a telescope mount. I dug through the misc thingamajig box and found it! Now I can balance it in the RA and DEC! That will probably increase my keeper rate a bit.

Got mine set up! And of course the clouds roll in right as night approaches[emoji849]

View attachment 191428

Nice setup! Isn't that always how it goes?!
.. this coming week is supposed to he pretty nice by me, so I'm hoping to get a couple nights of imaging.

And I'm seriously jealous of your mountainous home!

Thanks! Hoping to get a couple clear nights here soon too. Lucky enough to live in a bortle 4 so no excuses for crappy images now. Haha

 

[crimbfighter]

Very nice! I’ve also recently stepped in to the DSO Astrophotography waters. So far I’ve only made a couple attempts with my 70-200 lens (also using a skyguider) but have a WO Z61 arriving tomorrow!

Here’s my (heavily cropped) attempt at Bode’s and Cigar @200mm (also pretty short on exposure time as the clouds didn’t cooperate):

View attachment 191349

Nice! That'll be a nice scope! I am thinking of getting a small guide scope and camera to add to this rig when more funds become available... I have a Celestron 8" SCT that I would love to set up again soon and get a better image of both galaxies.

How much does your 200-500 weigh? You’ll be able to balance that and a guide scope on the SGP or do you plan to use something different? I’m assuming the (relatively) short subs are due to a 500mm focal length with no guiding? How far have you pushed lens with no guiding? Inquiring minds want to know. Lol

After typing my last reply, I remembered I have a dovetail bar for camera mounting on a telescope mount. I dug through the misc thingamajig box and found it! Now I can balance it in the RA and DEC! That will probably increase my keeper rate a bit.

Got mine set up! And of course the clouds roll in right as night approaches[emoji849]

View attachment 191428

Nice setup! Isn't that always how it goes?!
.. this coming week is supposed to he pretty nice by me, so I'm hoping to get a couple nights of imaging.

And I'm seriously jealous of your mountainous home!

Thanks! Hoping to get a couple clear nights here soon too. Lucky enough to live in a bortle 4 so no excuses for crappy images now. Haha

Bortle 4, I'm jealous! I'm in a 5/6... still can manage some good imaging, though. Even without filters so long as the target isn't lower in the east or west sky.

 

[photoflyer]

What region are you in? I'm in DC but even at the cabin in central VA I would struggle getting a sky that dark and dry.

Also, that seals it. I have a Celestron Evolution but I've been on the fence getting the iOptron. I'll get it now but I think I need the bigger one. My Canon 100-400 L with the 2X teleconverter on a crop sensor is 1280 mm albeit at f 11. It is very heavy.

But, the optics are superb and you've demonstrated what is possible. Of course, the iOptron travels well and I might have to do that to get to skies that clear.

 

[pyanez]

You have totally motivated me to do and shot some astro. I have an older iOpteron... which unfortunately has not done great with my longer 150-600mm lens. I think I will try and build some sort of counter weighted arm to play with. Hopefully this would not only help with the weight but also because with the old design the tracking housing and camera interfere with each other horribly... it very hard to aim the camera at particular areas of the sky with out bumping the tracker out of alignment, and nearly impossible to re-align with the camera attached. A counter weighted arm might not be possible with the older (white) iOpteron tracker... but the newer one you are using is just not in my budget. No if I could only get some good dar skies

Stay well and keep shooting.