The Andromeda Galaxy and Milky Way

In late January, I went back to the Zone 1-2 site in southeast Oklahoma to spend a few nights out in the cold. I was curious about how cold it was, so this time I took a thermometer. All three nights, it was between 16 and 18 degrees. But I managed to get some shots I never have been able to produce from my back yard. The image of the Andromeda Galaxy was the result of stacking 11 images with exposures of a low of 123.0 seconds when I shut it down for a plane to get out of the way, to the longest, of 10 1/2 minutes, for a total exposure time of 1 hour, 12 minutes. This was with a 55-200mm lens at 200mm, and then cropped slightly. The Milky Way shot that includes Orion and Taurus was just 4 exposures, of 5, 10, 12, and 13 1/2 minutes. I squeezed it all in before that part of the sky went below the horizon. This one was with my 18-55mm lens at 18mm.

Amazing shots Roy! Andromeda looks like we should be able to reach out and touch it!!!

Thanks, Charles. I didn't expect you to be up this late (early???)

Great shots! What sort of tracking mount are you using?

Thanks, Shane...

I was using an iOptron Sky Tracker.

I also read your question about trackers, and whether or not the Sky Tracker could handle your 400mm + 1.4x extender. I'm not sure about your 400mm lens. It won't handle my Tamron 150-600mm lens reliably. I've taken some shots with it, and sometimes I get a decent image, but more often, I get squiggly lines instead of stars. It's just too heavy. Lots of deep-sky objects are too large to fit in a frame at 400mm, though - other than galaxies that are further away than the Andromeda Galaxy. It depends upon what you plan to shoot. For the moon and planets, I just mount my Tamron, at 600mm with a 1.4x extender, on a standard tripod. Most are bright enough that a short exposure is adequate.

However, I've been thinking about upgrading to a more substantial tracker so I can use my big lens and telescope. Just haven't figured out which tracker to get - that will fit in my budget. Like Tim Campbell replied to your inquiry about trackers, buying a cheap ANYTHING usually results in regrets. After a while, you will probably forget about spending more for a good mount, and won't regret it after a few weeks or months, but the regrets from buying something cheap will haunt you for a LONG time. Even if I do decide to get a mount that will handle larger loads, I think that I'd keep my Sky Tracker for most of my astrophotography with shorter lenses. It's lightweight and compact and easy to transport, and it's extremely easy to set up and use. I like it.

This is my setup. The red-dot sight on the tracker make it a lot easier to get Polaris in the alignment scope, and the one on the camera makes it easy to get the object in the frame. Most things are too faint to show up in the monitor. The platform on the rotating part of the tracker makes it easier to point the camera in any direction.

Beautiful...

Thanks for the reply. I think I might look into the iOptron a little more. Price wise it's in the range I'd like to spend. The Canon 400 is about 2 pounds lighter than the Tamron 150-600. I had that Tamron lens for a few weeks and brought it back because it was hurting my wrist. It was a beast. Even if it wouldn't work with the 400mm I could use it with my other lenses.

For moon shots I just mount the 400+1.4x and throw it on the tripod. I always find it interesting to see how quickly the moon moves through the field of view when I'm composing the image in Live View on the camera.

Roy A. Rust wrote in post #18285471
Thanks, Shane...

I was using an iOptron Sky Tracker.

I also read your question about trackers, and whether or not the Sky Tracker could handle your 400mm + 1.4x extender. I'm not sure about your 400mm lens. It won't handle my Tamron 150-600mm lens reliably. I've taken some shots with it, and sometimes I get a decent image, but more often, I get squiggly lines instead of stars. It's just too heavy. Lots of deep-sky objects are too large to fit in a frame at 400mm, though - other than galaxies that are further away than the Andromeda Galaxy. It depends upon what you plan to shoot. For the moon and planets, I just mount my Tamron, at 600mm with a 1.4x extender, on a standard tripod. Most are bright enough that a short exposure is adequate.

However, I've been thinking about upgrading to a more substantial tracker so I can use my big lens and telescope. Just haven't figured out which tracker to get - that will fit in my budget. Like Tim Campbell replied to your inquiry about trackers, buying a cheap ANYTHING usually results in regrets. After a while, you will probably forget about spending more for a good mount, and won't regret it after a few weeks or months, but the regrets from buying something cheap will haunt you for a LONG time. Even if I do decide to get a mount that will handle larger loads, I think that I'd keep my Sky Tracker for most of my astrophotography with shorter lenses. It's lightweight and compact and easy to transport, and it's extremely easy to set up and use. I like it.

This is my setup. The red-dot sight on the tracker make it a lot easier to get Polaris in the alignment scope, and the one on the camera makes it easy to get the object in the frame. Most things are too faint to show up in the monitor. The platform on the rotating part of the tracker makes it easier to point the camera in any direction.

Hosted photo: posted by Roy A. Rust in
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forum: Astronomy & Celestial

Hey Roy, is there a chance that you can quickly explain how you got your Red Dot attached to your rig please?
I can see how I think it is, and I am sure that I could do it, but if it works for you it'd save me from having to figure it out and possible be wrong.
It looks like you found parts at Home Depot or Lowes and used a piece of wood, etc.
Is that a good guess?

The iOptron is something that I also have but rarely use, and I really want to start using it,

Oh yeah, thanks for the explanation above, that was really helpful.

Looking on Amazon is yours on here that you can see? I know it doesn't have to be exact, but it wouldn't hurt either.
https://www.amazon.com …%2C249&crid=3HQ​7LL40HVDZE

Randy

recrisp wrote in post #18286808
Hey Roy, is there a chance that you can quickly explain how you got your Red Dot attached to your rig please?
I can see how I think it is, and I am sure that I could do it, but if it works for you it'd save me from having to figure it out and possible be wrong.
It looks like you found parts at Home Depot or Lowes and used a piece of wood, etc.
Is that a good guess?

The iOptron is something that I also have but rarely use, and I really want to start using it,

Oh yeah, thanks for the explanation above, that was really helpful.

Looking on Amazon is yours on here that you can see? I know it doesn't have to be exact, but it wouldn't hurt either.
https://www.amazon.com …%2C249&crid=3HQ​7LL40HVDZE

Randy

Hey, Randy....

I bought my sights from WalMart. The ones I have were for BB guns or pellet guns. Sometimes they have them in stock, and other times they aren't on the shelf. They don't have to be all that accurate - just get you into the ball park. I bought the cheapest ones I could find at the time, because I wasn't sure if I could make them work for my purposes. I made the mounts for them, so I wouldn't expect anyone to be able to find any kinds of mounting brackets on-line or in any store. The one for the tracker is just a saddle mount that's made to span the width of the tracker, so it fits snuggly on it. The saddle mount is from 1/4" hardboard, and the rails for both are made from oak. The one for sighting in the camera has the sight clamped to the wooden rail, and it's attached to an old flash mount that I had laying around that fits into the hot-shoe mount on the camera. Not too professional, but they get the job done!

Rails are available on-line for sights, that you can modify to fit to the attachment mounts for the tracker and camera. I'll attach photos of my versions.

Well, I couldn't find any pictures of the one for the hot-shoe camera mount. I'll take a couple to send later... Hope this helps.

Thanks, Roy!
A picture would explain a lot, but really, only if and when you have time, it's not like I am going to rush out into my garage and make it tomorrow.
I like the idea though, I've seen it before but your images and your mount just made me want to try it.

I saw this around $15.-ish on Amazon and that price works for me, I figured it was one of the cheaper ones, it's not for super accuracy.
Really the only thing was the sight rails, I didn't know what they were called so I didn't know what to look for, so I just looked and they are only $11.00, so I can afford that, so the mystery is mostly gone now thanks to your help.
So probably I don't need a picture, but if you find one I'm sure I'm not the only one around here that will want to use that idea of the red dot scope.

Thanks, Roy, and I really liked your last few images, I am assuming that was up in the Wichita Mountains since you mentioned S.E. Oklahoma... At any rate, I know it's dark there, I need to get back there too. (Speaking of dark, I was actually supposed to be gone to Big Bend right now but some weather details screwed that up)

Randy

You're welcome! I would love to go to Big Bend, but I have no camping gear, and don't really want to stay in a hotel or lodge down there. By the way, that's the Ouachita Mountains. And the place I went was a few miles north of Bethel. There are some other places that are probably closer to you - NE of Antlers, but the place I went worked out well for me - other than being a lot colder than I would like. It'll probably be a lot warmer the next time I go.

DER... heheh, I even wrote N.E. and thought, S.W., I don't know what I thought really. Yeah, I can now look out my back door and actually see stars now, way better than before. One night coming back from Dallas (around 9:00) I was driving between Cooper and Paris (somewhere) and the Milky Way was THICK! Stars were out like crazy and it was Summer then. Since I have moved here though I have not been out shooting up this way, I need to, I just haven't.
If you're ever up this way I'd sure like to meet you, maybe we could go shoot some star stuff. I know that you could show me a thing or two, God knows I need it.

The cold weather is over for the most part, I'd rather it be cold than hot, mosquitoes eat me alive too, so that plays a part in it. I guess you were around Horseshoe Mountain area according to Google, that does look like a good place.

In case you do end up going to Big Bend there is a place around Terlingua that is actually $40. per night, I haven't stayed there but I once stopped in, it has a few cabins in the rocky hills, it looks like a cool place too, not that I'd be staying around in it long, I am always out and about when there. I always camp though, but I 'almost' made reservations there the other day but the weather was going to be crazy at Monahans Sand Dunes where I was going to stay a night or two before during that trip and I didn't want my vehicle to get sand blasted so I postponed it all. to Maybe around April. You sure need to go to Monahans if you haven't, it's beautiful there, and DARK too. The only time I was there it was rainy half of the time so my picture taking wasn't going too well. It's worth the trip though, especially since I went to Big Bend the next day, and that weather was really good. Dark-DARK too, I mean DARK! heheh

I just don't have the patience that you do when it comes to astro-photography, I can sit all day and wait on wildlife, but so far I can't make myself do what you do.

Randy

Hey Roy,

How long does it take you to setup, align and start shooting? I have the HEQ5 Mount which is awesome and solid but takes me about 30-40mim to get going.

- Daniel

Sorry about how long it takes you to set up. That must make it more like a chore. Most of the time, it takes me about 5 minutes or less to carry the tripod, with camera on it, out to the back yard, point it roughly at Polaris, line Polaris up in the 'Green Dot' sight, and adjust Polaris to the proper point on the 40' circle in the alignment scope. It might take a minute or two to swing the camera around to point it at whatever I'm interested in, and then start taking pictures. Those are just guesses, though. I've never actually timed it, but it doesn't take long AT ALL to have it up and running. It probably took longer when I first started, but now it's second nature, and I just know it's really easy.

That doesn't include the time it takes me to put the camera and sights on the setup, though. I do that in the house before carrying the whole setup out to the back yard. I leave the tracker on my tripod, and just have to screw the quick-release plate to the bottom of the camera, and snap it into place. The sight for the tracker slips over the tracker, and doesn't take more than a couple of seconds, as does the camera sight - just slip it into the hot-shoe and clamp it down... and I'm ready to go.

It took a few hours, though, when I went up to Oklahoma for the pictures that started this thread... it's about 250 miles up there, so it takes longer!

That tracker is a great little gizmo!

legoman_iac wrote in post #18290515
Hey Roy,

How long does it take you to setup, align and start shooting? I have the HEQ5 Mount which is awesome and solid but takes me about 30-40mim to get going.

- Daniel

The HEQ5 (or Sirius or anything larger for that matter) is a completely different beast to setup and get running, I have the Sirius and it just can't compare to something like the iOptron Skytracker (which I had, but sold) or Sky Watcher Star Adventurer (my main portable mount for widefield now). The portable mounts aren't designed to be the highly accurate high payload trackers that something like the HEQ5/HEQ6 mounts are, I can setup and get my Star Adventurer balanced and running within 5-10 minutes. Precise polar alignment at wide focal angles isn't as important, there also isn't a mess of cables and external powering that has to be worried about, not to mention communication between the mount, guide scope/cam, imaging camera, and a computer that has to be worried about. Getting my Sirius setup and running also takes a good 45 minutes, but that includes setting up 10 times as many things, doing a very accurate polar alignment, getting EQMOD and Stellariumscope running, getting BackyardNikon running, doing my guiding calibration/assistant analysis in PHD2, framing and focusing the telescope/camera, and setting up my imaging sequence.