Hi there, for up close views of the moon with my EdgeHD 11”, I use a TeleVue 18.2mm DeLite 1.25”.

@@SarahMathsAstro Cool, thank you :) The Delights seem to be the best fit and made by TeleVue too, so double bonus :) Thanks, Jay

Yay! Thank you :)

@@SarahMathsAstro I've got a 10" Meade SCT and a good DSLR and I've always wanted to try astrophotography. I think now, with your help, I will be able to. Thank you!!

@garyb6219 that’s a really great combo to image the moon. Do you have a T-adapter to connect your DSLR to your scope? Eventually, you could even try doing video with your DSLR to help with the atmospheric turbulence effect. So you could collect more frames even more quickly with video. That would be a more intermediate level but something to consider in the future. Cheers!

Gracias!!

Thank you!

Thank you!!

Hi Joe, Thank you for your thoughtful response and kind words. That’s incredible that you were making a telescope on your own in middle school. To have the vision and ability to do so is amazing. And then on top of it all, want to image the moon? Wow! I think it’s really cool that you’ve been so open to the evolution of this field and that you have so much perspective over the years to glean insight from and share. I think the Seestar S50 and other smart telescopes are the perfect way to get started or to re-jump into something like this. In terms of the Seestar specifically, I did a video recently on how to do different types of sun photography (sunspots, ISS Transit, and more with it). Along with the Dwarf II. Here is the video: Sun Photography with Smart Telescopes | Astrophotography for Beginners kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqi2g2WXbdd1rtU I so appreciate your viewpoint on smart scopes and your openness. Your positivity is wonderful. Thank you again for taking the time to share such a thoughtful response and for taking the time to watch this video as well as others. Your encouragement means so much! Please feel free to reach out anytime! Sarah

Heck yeah to all of the above! Thank you, Craig!

Wow! $400 is crazy!!

@@SarahMathsAstro yeah, it was extremely precise. I was forming metal into shapes with tolerances of 0.05 of an inch. Plus the calipers were 12 inches long.

@kevinashley478 oh wow, makes sense why they were so expensive then. Absolute precision.

@@SarahMathsAstro Quick question: Even though i only have a star tracker and a DSLR that was Ha modified, is it worth it to try to use software like NINA or APT, or should i hold off on that until I get my HEQ5 and an astrospecific camera like the ASI533MC and have something like the ASIAir? And second, given the ASIAir is specific to ZWO products, if I dont want to be attached to a specific brand, should I use a different but similar miniPC - and if so, which one would be best to get?

Great question. It may be worth getting a mini PC or ASIAir for your star tracker and DSLR if you want to 1.) Guide (using a guide scope and guide camera) so that you can get longer subs and also dither automatically (benefits of dithering: telescope.live/blog/improve-image-quality-dithering#:~:text=There%20is%20still%20an%20advantage,Astrometric%20accuracy%20is%20preserved.). 2.) Another reason why you may want to get a mini PC, particularly the ASIAir, is that it's very easy to create mosaics with it. Which is useful for all sorts of setups. Many people create mosaics with wide-field setups like the one you would be using with a star tracker. While your star tracker likely doesn't have GoTo, using the ASIAir, it makes plate solving very easy while creating a mosaic and just overall very easy to know where you're looking in the night sky when you don't have a GoTo mount. With the ASIAir, it is also compatible with a wide range of DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras (you could reach out to ZWO for an updated list of compatible DSRLs/ mirrorless cameras). However, you would need to use a ZWO guide camera to guide (and as you know, if/ when you did decide to get a dedicated astronomy camera as your main imaging camera, you would need a ZWO camera). 3) if you wanted to automate your image acquisition workflow in terms of your imaging plan (lights, darks, bias, flats), the mini PCs are great for that. N.I.N.A. in particular has a wonderful built-in feature for taking very accurate flats. So those are the three main reasons for getting a mini PC for a non-GoTo star tracker that I can think of. Otherwise, you could wait to get a mini PC/ ASIAir until you get a GoTo motorized mount like the HEQ5. The ASIAir makes polar alignment extremely easy compared to having to polar align through a reticle or get a polar scope for the mount. I think N.I.N.A is great for more permanent setups since there are a lot of different types of features you can use, but again, it is a bit more involved so it just make not be as beginner-friendly. But if you're fairly tech-savvy/ persistent, and want the flexibility of what cameras you want to use in the future, then N.I.N.A is the way to go. The Mele Quieter 2 is a popular miniPC choice as is the PrimaLuceLab mini PC (but more expensive).There are others out there too worth researching. I hope this helps though!

Oh very nice!! Thank you for that! :)

Yes, most of the world does. I should’ve switched them

@SarahMathsAstro I had an American teacher for elementary school then on higher grades was taught using SI units. Learned both but never got into imperial units except for carpentry where it sort of made sense

Very interesting!

Thank you on both accounts. I’ll have to add that to my list of ideas!

Oh :( much sadness, indeed

Thank you!

Thank you, David!

Agreed! I debated making an intermediate level video on the topic and using video for that.

Very glad to hear this!

I feel your pain, lol. I'm on the gulf coast. It's annoying when it's clear in the morning, but then by 1 or 2pm, when I can see the sun and setup my telescope, the clouds and rain move in.

Clouds are a real pain. I hope you have clear skies soon!

Thank you, Bruce!

One example where it’s helpful is for when you’re not using a GoTo mount like such as a star tracker and have to locate your target in the night sky or even if you do and you’re trying to get things centered up. Just in my experience it helps.

@@SarahMathsAstro maybe... I haven't a star tracker and I dont know this trubbles. Alright :-)

lol!

Haha, done and done :)

Love this!

Thank you!

cloud services... I easily gather 4TB in one solar session, not even an entire day :)

Wasn’t intentional. Just a wording I tend to use

That’s wild

Thank you!

Glad to hear that you’re enjoying the Apertura power supply. That’s really sweet that your wife and grandson are your astronomy buddies, too! Always best to keep loved ones’ hands warm. Strap wrenches and the hair clips have been live changing as have external SSDs! There are many other accessories I wish I could have included here. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Cheers!

Yes! Are you on AstroBin? Otherwise,!please feel free to send to [email protected]

Thanks for this recommendation! Very helpful :)

I know lol should’ve said SAE

Thank you, Michael. Pelican cases are wonderful for transport. You can get different types of foam inserts too. Hope this helps!

Thank you! :))

Thank you!!

Glad to hear you’re enjoying it.

Thank you for your kind words!

Very true actually. Totally should have said SAE instead

Thank you!!! I love supernova remnants!

🙈 ahh! I was on the fence with this too lol! But thank you!!

Great idea! Thank you :)

Holy smokes, that’s amazing, thank you! Yes to the Kimewipes!! I almost put those in actually. They are unstoppable lol

Love that idea, thank you!

Thank you for this!

Excellent recommendation! Thank you :)

Thank you for generous gift!

Thank you :D