I upgraded ... big time

astroNikon · Sep 17, 2014

What ... you can't see it ... how about if I zoom in and put a red arrow.
It's right in that small indentation of trees.

MystrE · Sep 21, 2014

Congrats on the new scope! It looks like you got a great system for both visual and astrophotography. I've got an 8" dob and some nice eyepieces that's great for visual observing when I'm feeling well enough to do so. Looking forward to seeing some of your photos through your new setup.

astroNikon · Sep 21, 2014

The weather and timing of everything has not been in my favor lately.
Planets / moon are at their extremes in the sky and clouds ... just have to wait.
I marked the tripod of a couple locations on my driveway (not flat) so I'm all set. I just need everything else to cooperate.

astroNikon · Sep 23, 2014

First Nebula test
6:15 in the morning before the sun starts whiting out the sky too much.

astroNikon · Sep 23, 2014

I was thinking that the d750's tilt screen would really come in handy.
Then I realized, I had to rotate the camera to put it into portrait position to get the photo right.
This is what things look like out of focus

pgriz · Sep 23, 2014

Good ole Orion Nebula... congratulations on first light! Now you're going to have to work on getting the focus right on - there are lots of donuts visible. However the tracking seems spot-on. How long of an exposure was that?

astroNikon · Sep 23, 2014

well I only have a short amount of time in the morning to do this before work & kids school timing interrupts. So I didn't get tracking going, and focusing as you can see is a bit off as I simply didn't have the time to get things right. I also found out that I cannot read the red display on this paddle. So I'll have to have a small flashlight with me. 10 yrs ago red was no problem, today, I have a hard time reading it.

So with time running out I just pointed it up and decided to see what I could do with the camera.

10.0 sec exposure
ISO 6400

I normally like to start close with the moon and work my way out. But with everything being GONE I didn't want to waste a clear sky.

I need a dew shield not for dew as much as light. There's a few street lights and the school lights which clearly get into the scope on longer exposures. I also need a few other attachments to get things working more smoothly.

astroNikon · Sep 23, 2014

pgriz said:
Good ole Orion Nebula... congratulations on first light! Now you're going to have to work on getting the focus right on - there are lots of donuts visible. However the tracking seems spot-on. How long of an exposure was that?

Have you ever used one of these for focusing. --> Farpoint Bahtinov Focus Mask for Meade 10" SCT - Focusing - Accessories - OPT Telescopes

The guy that sold me the scope uses one on his 8inch but he doesn't do astrophotography. It is supposedly for astrophotography.