Tag Archives: EQ3-2

Another couple of 127 Mak Messier objects

Posted on October 15, 2013 by james

Hot on the heels of my “success” with M13, I decided to have a try at M3 and M5. I suffered the same problems with unusable subs for exactly the same reasons: it’s really pushing the mount too hard to … Continue reading →

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DSO Imaging with a 127 Mak

Posted on October 15, 2013 by james

It’s often said that slow focal ratio telescopes are unsuitable for DSO imaging and in the general case I’d probably agree. However, having seen a few other imaging attempts with a 127 Mak I thought it might be interesting to … Continue reading →

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First Saturn of the Season

Posted on May 1, 2013 by james

After a late start, Saturn being past opposition already, I finally managed to capture my first images of the season two nights ago. Mostly I’m still using the same kit that I’ve always used for planetary imaging — a 127 … Continue reading →

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Mounting a DSLR on a Telescope Mount

Posted on February 21, 2013 by james

Someone was asking how they could mount their DSLR on a telescope mount such as an EQ3-2 or EQ5. I do this for my wide field images. Here’s how. I have a short dovetail (about 15cm) to which I have … Continue reading →

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EQ3-2 motor gearbox reduction ratio

Posted on October 2, 2012 by james

I’ve decided there’s nothing more I can do with my EQ3-2 mechanics to improve the backlash that’s painfully obvious in the DEC axis. What backlash there is left (about twelve seconds at the 8x speed when changing direction) appears to … Continue reading →

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Another wide field Andromeda Galaxy Attempt

Posted on September 22, 2012 by james

Fresh from my previous attempt at this I repeated the process, but this time in the capture application (APT) I pushed the live view zoom up to 10x and set the emulated ISO setting to 1600 with an exposure as … Continue reading →

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Widefield Andromeda Galaxy

Posted on September 22, 2012 by james

This is the first time I’ve ever attempted this sort of image. I left the telescopes in the house for this one, just taking out the Canon 450D and 200mm f/2.8L lens on my unguided EQ3-2 mount. I shot ten … Continue reading →

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Solar Imaging with the 127 Mak

Posted on September 11, 2012 by james

Someone was asking about the set-up of a solar imaging system, so I took these photos of mine “in action”. There’s really nothing special here other than the motor focuser that I cobbled onto the back of the Mak. The … Continue reading →

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Another Attempt at a Cygnus Widefield Image

Posted on August 1, 2012 by james

The evening after my previous attempt the sky looked better so I set up again mostly with the same kit (EQ3-2, 450D, 18-55mm lens at 18mm & f/4.5, but this time I used APT to control the camera from the … Continue reading →

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My First Widefield Shot

Posted on August 1, 2012 by james

Quite a few “firsts” this week. Makes such a change to have so many nights of clear sky. This night the sky clarity wasn’t great, but I wanted to try a widefield shot and wasn’t too worried about the outcome … Continue reading →

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