Post a picture of your rig!

I havent been to POTN in a few days and I was stoked when I got here to see this new forum! For those of us who are thinking of dipping our feet into Astro, can those of you who have purchased scopes and all the other assorted gizmos that are associated can you please post a picture or pictures of what you have assembled and a list of components? For those willing, a ballpark $$$ figure would surely be appreciated too!

Would it be too much to ask that, assuming folks are willing, that this thread could get stickied too?

Hi Kadath , go to my website and i have an equipment page with half my equip and rig . Too much to be posting and not as much as alot of astronomers ! Price wise is something that depends on your taste of quality . You can get started real cheap but cheap equip usually discourages ppl and they bop out quick . Cheap equip is usually very low quality and either won't let you see what you expect or image bad photos . Basic price range can run you $500.00 plus depending your taste . I've had my rig about 10-yrs now . Back then the scope and mount $1000.00 plus or minus . Extra Eye-Pieces grew on me as the yrs passed as well as imaging equipment . With most equip i have now probably $2000.00 plus . Many have MEG $$$$ . This is why we usually suggest start out with Binocs and watch the night sky for a while and if the interest hangs then slowly start building your rig . Just don't start with real cheap stuff like WalMart sells . those are trash scopes . Maybe good for looking at the moon somewhat but for other DSOs' they usually flop . For now i'll let others come in and reply about their equip . Be sure and ckeck out my website link and see how you like it . BTW my images are not top quality but my time is limited and i don't have the best equip but good equip. !

Oh I gotcha completely. I'm going that route myself, I am sticking with prime lenses now for the foreseeable future, but I'd like to see what people who have actually made the plunge to dedicated astro rigs have put together! And, as the saying goes, "This thread is useless without pictures" =) Seeing things all put together is a heck of a lot more intriguing to me than an equipment list...

Kadath wrote in post #6417064
Oh I gotcha completely. "This thread is useless without pictures" =) Seeing things all put together is a heck of a lot more intriguing to me than an equipment list...

I take it you did not check my equipment page on my website ..... ? Sorry .

Well I checked out your site and all I can say is WOW. You have some awesome stuff there.

I'm glad people like you and Nighthound and some others take the time to post some of this stuff.

This is my astrophotography set up right now.

Vixen R200SS Newtonian Reflector and Takahashi Sky 90 II APO Refractor on a Losmandy G-11 German Equatorial Mount w/Gemini.

jm4ever wrote in post #6418101
Well I checked out your site and all I can say is WOW. You have some awesome stuff there.

I'm glad people like you and Nighthound and some others take the time to post some of this stuff.

Thanks ! Remember tho it didn't happen over night with either of us . Lots of practice , lots of time !

Nighthound wrote in post #6418124
This is my astrophotography set up right now.

Vixen R200SS Newtonian Reflector and Takahashi Sky 90 II APO Refractor on a Losmandy G-11 German Equatorial Mount w/Gemini.


Sky 90 riding solo with 20D:

Very nice rig Steve !

TEC MC200/15.5 wIth Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm f5.8 APO Riding Piggy Back on an Astro-Physics Mach1 GTO GEM.

Now we're talkin'!!

Dream rig, top to bottom. Just beautiful. Wow!

Welcome Mark, I hope you'll post some images soon.

Thanks guys, it really is helpful to see it all together!

Wow some really nice stuff here

At the other end of the scale Skywatcher 200 explorer on an EQ-5 mount. Very basic, haven't even got the mount motorised.
Plan in the next year or two is get a good mount, I guess that'll hurt the pocket just as much as buying 'L' lenses.

Markjpcs: Were you on a never ending waiting list for the AP traveler?
And a 130 edf for your next scope? Wow!

Here's mine. I should have posted earlier to not have my ego hurt...

Sky-Watcher Equinox 80ED on a HEQ5-Pro mount.

Still nice!