New Rig for Astro Imaging

[dave2010]

Hi Tony, time is 6.50 am, and looking southwest(ish) there is the crescent moon, and to the right and up a bit, at about 45 degrees to the moon there is one really bright star - what is it? Mrs. P has been wondering for some time, as have I

I think you have got the directions wrong. You were probably looking in an easterly direction. You would have seen Venus about 45 degrees and up a bit as you say. There's a nice tool called Stellarium which you can download to see what the sky might have looked like at different times. If you'd been looking westerly you might have seeen Mars - which is what I thought you meant at first, but it was not in the same region of the sky as the moon.

http://stellarium.org/en_GB/

[mightymonoped]

I think you have got the directions wrong. You were probably looking in an easterly direction. You would have seen Venus about 45 degrees and up a bit as you say. There's a nice tool called Stellarium which you can download to see what the sky might have looked like at different times. If you'd been looking westerly you might have seeen Mars - which is what I thought you meant at first, but it was not in the same region of the sky as the moon.

http://stellarium.org/en_GB/

What Dave said....

Another great tool is Sky Safari. If you use it in your phone, you can point it at the night sky and it will show you what you are looking at ( using GPS/compass). It’s very good.


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[mightymonoped]

I bought a Samyang 14mm f2.8 lens back in 2017 to use for my coastal photography but sold it a few months back to concentrate on my Nikon 20mm. I also bought at that same time a Samyang 85mm f1.4. That lens is quite simply stunning.

They are producing some of the best value lenses in the world at the moment. The 135mm f2 is astounding, a definite keeper.


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[Haselsh1]

They are producing some of the best value lenses in the world at the moment. The 135mm f2 is astounding, a definite keeper.


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The only thing that stopped me using the 14mm was the amazing lack of sharpness around the edges and in the corners. The images required so much cropping that I was better off using my 20mm but that 85mm f1.4 is one of the sharpest optics I have ever owned. In fact the only thing I have owned that was as sharp was a Zenzanon 75mm f2.8 E lens. Bloody lovely lenses, both of them.

[mightymonoped]

The only thing that stopped me using the 14mm was the amazing lack of sharpness around the edges and in the corners. The images required so much cropping that I was better off using my 20mm but that 85mm f1.4 is one of the sharpest optics I have ever owned. In fact the only thing I have owned that was as sharp was a Zenzanon 75mm f2.8 E lens. Bloody lovely lenses, both of them.

I haven’t used the 14mm much really, only a few test shots of Milky Way. I’d stoped it down quite a bit though.

It’s very popular with people who like to do Milky Way landscape shots.

Surprised to hear about your issues with it really. Maybe a dodgy one? If it was an early model (2014) it may not have been subject to the same QA standards? This is sometimes the case with volume Asian optics until they start to prove popular.


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[Haselsh1]

Tony, I have noticed that the 14mm lens I owned is no longer listed. It was an ED UMC model with stunning looking glass but that resolution at the edge of the frame was shocking. It was manual focus but had connections to the camera for all of the functions. Even used at f11 the corner sharpness was dreadful. I'm sure the new models must be good given the massive hike in price.

It was this one:

https://www.parkcameras.com/shop/sam...BoC_-0QAvD_BwE

[Pigmy Pony]

What Dave said....

Another great tool is Sky Safari. If you use it in your phone, you can point it at the night sky and it will show you what you are looking at ( using GPS/compass). It’s very good.


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Yes, thinking about it, I think I got the direction wrong. More like southeast. Cheers guys for the suggestions. That Sky Safari sounds handy.

[mightymonoped]

Things have moved on a bit in the last few months. I wasn’t prepared to lose another imaging season (Winter) so treated myself to a new mount for my 60th. It’s an updated version of the one I sold when I moved to the flat, not realising I could actually get some half-decent images.

Now I can get the trusty old 80ED scope out of mothballs and go in a bit deeper.



All of this now means that I can pretty much control everything from the sofa using my phone, once the covers are off.

Here’s a few examples of recent captures..



M31 The Andromeda Galaxy



The Rosette Nebula



M42 The Orion Nebula



The Horsehead & Flame Nebulae in Orion



M45 The Pleiades or Seven Sisters


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[Gazjam]

Kudos Tony.
Appreciate the final result, admired images like these since I was a Kid, but never thought about what goes in to making it.

Outstanding.
Wow.

[Barry]

Absolutely stunning images Tony. Do you print them off and frame them? They are certainly good enough.

And to think the original photograph of the Horsehead nebula taken at Mount Palomar required an exposure of 7 hours.