My HUGE Astrophotography Telescope

Full Post: astrobackyard.com/explore-sci...
The Telescope: bit.ly/3CaQToR
In this video, I'll use the biggest astrophotography telescope I've EVER had to shoot the glorious M13 star cluster from my backyard. The Explore Scientific ED140 CF APO is an incredible instrument for deep sky astrophotography.
This triplet apochromatic refractor has a focal length of 910mm and an f-ratio of 6.5. The final image of the Great Hercules Cluster uses 2 Hours and 9 minutes (129 frames) worth of total integrated exposure time.
A special thanks to Greg at Explore Scientific for setting this up. I was not paid to endorse this product! And yes, I have to give it back:)
The Equipment Used in this Video:
Explore Scientific CF ED140 F/6.5 APO: bit.ly/3CaQToR
iOptron CEM60 Equatorial Mount
ZWO ASI294MC-Pro Astronomy Camera: bit.ly/3qqZWzj
Baader Moon and Skyglow Filter: amzn.to/2s9txML
50mm Starfield Guide Scope + Camera Package
Music by Aljosha Konstanty:
/ aljoshakonstanty
Affiliate Links:
Some of the links in my video descriptions are affiliate links, which means at no extra cost to you, I will make a small commission if you click them and make a qualifying purchase.
For astrophotography tips, tutorials and advice, visit astrobackyard.com

[@neggleston]

The comment right at the end of the video is awesome

[@RaysAstrophotography]

Nicholas Eggleston I agree at 10:44

[@xxxXXXCH04XXXxxx]

@@RaysAstrophotography haha!

[@dakotaherrick1510]

"....but this one goes to 11...??"

[@TrixMC]

@@RaysAstrophotography I know you!

[@andyweeks2216]

Great job Trevor. Appreciated the ups and downs message too. Had my first down imaging session in a while this week but it was worth it!

[@guyjordan8201]

"Exactly like the other one"... I feel the pain.

[@rastastarman]

Well done, I really enjoy seeing new gear without having to buy it first. Thanks for sharing , hope your projects keep growing, love your channel!

[@JaknTV]

Whats a monster of a telescope, amazing results. Finished M13 2 nights ago as well.

[@flyalaz]

Hey Trevor, your videos just keep getting better and better. Your passion to pass on the wonders of the universe is great. I can't wait to have the free time to start using all of my new stuff. Kudos my friend.

[@caryr.7089]

Beautiful shot Sir.

[@mickmoonstudycansell1889]

Wow, stunning scope and such a beautiful image. Loved the commentary at the end. GR8 vid, thx for sharing.

[@higherresolution3511]

Missed you Trevor :) Nice to watch another one of your videos. As a newcomer to the experience you are an inspiration. Clear Skies from Scotland.

[@buhbuhbuhryan]

Great shot. Really get a sense of depth with this one!

[@michaelcarter8107]

I would just like to say Thank You for sharing your experience.

[@SCAerialsSteveCarpenter]

Wow, that’s one very nice scope! The end results of your images are spectacular, thank you for the review; I’ll now go in the corner and pray I can collect a setup like you had that evening, spectacular setup!

[@danield8569]

Thank you Trevor for all of your videos. They have helped me a lot. Keep it up. When you talked about ups and downs, YOU NAILED IT!. I recently went from dslr to a zwo osc. Struggling but not going to give up. The ups are amazing! Thank you for your dedication.

[@albertsmith5581]

Great work Trevor. Cloudy nights here in central Florida for over two weeks now. Your videos are my lost starshine.

[@TeslaNick2]

Wow, nice setup and great results.

[@JeremyVeldman]

Love globulars, awesome ending, GREAT Work!!

[@jwrtiger]

Not only was the content very good but your production quality of the video is excellent. Lighting, audio, focus were all great.

[@MrBonger88]

Your selection of music is always great. Love the videos and can't wait for the next one

[@valentincoroescu6586]

Good job man Keep it like this

[@Peyoutube156]

Love your content man, just getting into astro photography so your giving me a lot of great info :)

[@BackyardAstronomy2018]

I love that target. My first time imaging it was with a 4.5inch reflector. Awesome job brother! Keep it up! ~BA

[@johnnysager8899]

Beautiful scope and great video as usual and the comment from the wife was awesome!! Clear skies to you and yours.....

[@ar4n2i0ee]

Great video!

[@I_Spaced_Out]

I'm watching this video, and my bank just called me. The caller said just five words: "Don't even think about it!" then hung up! Sorry to disappoint you, bank, but I'm thinking about this. I'm thinking about this so damn much! Great scope, and thank you so much, Trevor for putting this video out there. I've eyeballed this scope for about three or four months now (not the CF variety, however) and I've had a hard time finding quality photos uploaded to the web from this scope. I do believe that I've figured out what my next refractor will be. Thanks again :)

[@laureanovarvasini6100]

You bought it?

[@capybun]

Did you buy it?

[@Tam-km9ro]

Did you buy it?

[@laur-unstagenameactuallyca1587]

Did you buy it? just continuing the chain lol

[@killahBmasta]

Yo, Allen, did you buy it??

[@kylemarcus1152]

Great video, keep them coming!

[@aitke12]

Amazing. Im sold!

[@mbutts1139]

You allow us who don't currently have time in our own personal lives to enjoy the hobby, continue to learn, and enjoy the results without the sweat and time required to do it RT. Sure wish you were able to set up your mount permanently so it would be easier for you to more vids. It's a lot of work to set up each night. Clear skies!

[@nosferatu8530]

As being fascinated by anything about the planets, stars, universe since being a kid.... I just became a huge fan of your fantastic videos today! Thank you! Im off work today, so tonight I'll load my playlist and watch your videos all evening 😎

[@tadlong4566]

Great ending to an awesome video!

[@kanatiparapakuahat3407]

You have worked hard making this video

[@selig61]

Truly inspiring. Good work young man.

[@marcofavuzzi4630]

Hi! clear skies and i wish you a lot of fun

[@chaowang545]

This is great!!! Thank you for sharing.

[@ciaran6959]

God I love these videos keep doing what your doing Trevor!

[@supernova5712]

wow thats a beast !

[@astrogerard2022]

It would be awesome to do some visual viewing with that scope too. Thank you for the review.

[@hectornieves9622]

Awesome! work!

[@sergeauvin8479]

Hi Trevor, very enthusiastic video, as usual! You very well know how to put astrophotography in the right context. Wow, what an impressive piece of a telescope you start evaluating... Well, to add a little bit on your great M13 photo, I guess one can detect the faint light of the galaxy NGC6207 too. Very best.

[@Nottsboy24]

Fantastic! Great work ☺ keep doing what your doing 👍:)

[@vinceveltri7732]

Ashley's comment at the end made me laugh out loud. You gotta love it.

[@coltenquackenbush23]

Your Channel is Awesome!

[@nskr160]

Stumbled across this vid,,,,very impressive. Fell out of my chair when I saw the cost of that though. Wowza.

[@astrodiver8096]

Keep it up buddy..seeing those beautiful videos make us forget the downs of this wonderful hobby 😉

[@7wt]

I love what you are doing.

[@waxer12g87]

Great look at the cluster with the slow zoom. I don't know what is your city, but it makes you wonder about a true dark zone site.... Great that you appreciate what a lucky dog you are to live in a technological age. Enjoy the back yard, Astro.

[@paulwood6729]

Seems like your video production has come on a lot, good work :-)

[@rumhead666]

I love all your videos and you have taught me a lot. I do miss the old days when you had the small refractors on the HEQ5 with DSLRs. Im still at the 80mm/DSLR/Atlas stage. If you still have the 8" RC I would love to see more videos of that. You should also try to get your hands on a 180mm Mak-Cas and try some planetary imaging. I'm interested in both those scopes. Also, this video needs more Rudy.

[@cdamauser1963]

Nice cannon!

[@doramason]

This channel is like unbox therapy now. Not that I complain, I love watching product reviews.

[@XxThaFreaKxX]

love the mass effect background music 😜

[@Alex-gt2yh]

8:15 is best, clear skies!!!

[@dond8079]

“300,000 Suns”. You sir, are an artist.

[@patrickmuller3248]

Great video again! Do you mind a little suggestion? Many of us have their very own reasons to not use such a spectacular telescope but rather use a small refrator. So, what could be interesting for some, might be a test of the new Skywatcher Evostar 72ED. That'd be great! :)

[@Solaris_XP]

Hello, I've been follow your channel since 1 year, starting because I love astronomy and your beautiful videos keeps me pushing my dream. Have my astrophotography setup completed and studying more about this spectacular hobby. I have now: Heq5 pro synscan with a triplet airy apo 90T and a 70/500 as a guiding scope (not so great :P) a Nikon d5100 (lookin for something better) and looking for a guide camera. I admit, astrophotography, at the beginning, can be very frustrating. keep up the great work and have clear skies (sorry my english is not so great :P)

[@kevindickinson3600]

Wish I had opportunities like this!! Hey, we'll loan you this giant telescope to play with....geesh!! Awesome work and vid !!

[@greatpix]

Would have loved to see you try that scope on planetary subjects.

[@unicornic5235]

I love these

[@tarang221]

Mass effect background music 🎶 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@jakep5451]

A new episode as soon as I finished my observations of Jupiter for an assignment. Yes please

[@SamaraLovesU2]

Be very careful with that CEM60 saddle and the ES dovetails. My 127 ED almost kissed the concrete, it slowly slipped and when I noticed it was almost at the end of the bar. I now use a hex tool to tighten those iOptron knobs.

[@More-Space-In-Ear]

Oh wow!!…back to the lottery tickets for me....lol Great images and video...as per usual 👍🏼😊😉

[@martinleondorta]

Excellent video and delighted of your others I see them a lot again and again and I appreciate all your teachings. I would like to make a leap forward in the upgrading of my Vixen ED115S refractor telescope. I would like to ask you what would be your preference in terms of construction quality, optical precision and technical service of the refractors that you have shown such as: SkyWatcher Espirit 100, Williams Optics 132 FLT and Explore Scientific 140 FLP-53 Thank you so much!

[@RaysAstrophotography]

Awesome Trevor. Great review as always. It is damn expensive though.

[@Thelegodude09]

This video has such a great thumbnail

[@stephenrichards5386]

Just so true at the end there. The number of nights, with massive effort and absolutely nothing achieved. Oh the frustration

[@scottrichmond8124]

For the average person the ED102CF, the 102 mm carbon fibre refractor from the same company, will deliver a roughly equivalent result. In my opinion, it is wiser to buy the smaller scope and spend the saved money on a good camera. Cameras are improving faster than aperture associated benefits. A camera like the ZWO camera Trevor is using, with the Sony chip, will do more for you than the bigger scope. I bought a ZWO ASI071 recommended/sold to me by Starizona.com ... and I was not disappointed. I will have a big refractor someday, when I hit the Powerball, but 80 to 102 mm is still the sweet spot for the average person starting in astrophotography. Just my opinion. I'm sure the Explore Scientific assembly line is geared up in favor of 102-80mm scopes. Nice video Trevor! Thanks

[@chazzey7]

Hi Trevor, It would be good to see some earlier shots of the same M13 cluster using a smaller telescope as a comparison or is the advantage purely a faster scope?

[@coyoteserranoband]

Ah sick!!!!

[@anttik5764]

I live in the far north and we get barely any darkness at all at this time of year. The sun sets at around midnight.

[@jexmartinez9343]

LOL mannn I loved the ending comment. Great content. Thank you sir

[@kanuckbrewero6118]

That is a beautiful telescope. Do you have a photo of IC4617, near M13?

[@zyxel2]

Big like for Mass Effect music!!! :)

[@TheStrataminor]

Whoa...that's a seriously beautiful scope...way beyond my means sadly!!

[@ML-uv4gg]

I found a nice little telescope at a yard sale for 3$ today... I haven't tested it significantly yet but it seems to work.

[@paulsimmons1955]

Agree more sales site now but like watching all the same. Will save my money,seen the prototype apm 152 triplet :)

[@bdiddymack]

Hey Trevor, how were you able to connect your baader filter to the 3" focuser? I have a 2.5" hex focuser on my ed127 and with the 3" reducer there really is no way to add a screw-in filter. I have to use clip-ins. Cheers from a fellow southern Ontario imager (Guelph)

[@kckentcampbell]

Really like your channel. Very informative. One thing I would like to ask, what light pollution zone is your backyard in for these great pictures that you create.

[@rocket9244]

I'll have to email them and get a scope for testing.

[@kenpca]

Cool! :)

[@heugyz]

I really like your channel! Have you ever tried to use a reflector telescope?

[@RumbleFish69]

I just purchased one of these and I am having it set up in my backyard this weekend. Man, this thing was pretty expensive but I think it's a good investment. This thing is going to last a lifetime and I am sure that it will hold its value, if not, increase in value. I'm also sure my kids will love this thing, especially when they will be able to see Saturn as if its as close as the evening moon!

[@OfficialPaulBlake]

Hey! Really like your channel and everything you've produced. I can safely say you inspired me to do Astrophotography.... .....however i have a problem. I just bought a Newtonian 130/650 f/5 telescope with a EQ-4 motorized RA tripod. Everything's fine until i'm trying to do a picture with my camera. I use EyePiece projection, cuz with prime i can't achieve focus and i didn't try barlow yet. However the problem is, whenever i'm trying to do pictures the stars or planets have blue hue around them and only in the centre i can achieve a '' okay '' focus. Oh and is it normal that i see the rim of the eyepiece in the picture? Not just a simple vigneting, like 25% of the fov is black circle. The problem could be the collimation for the hue? Will the barlow help me with this ? Thanks for all replys. PS: Here is a picture of the moon i took last night. You see what i'm talking about. imgur.com/a/HYcQYhH

[@drunkjoker5164]

8k worth of pure hapiness

[@Ben_Stewart]

Hey Trevor, Just curious how far from Ottawa you are to be able to use the OSC?

[@movax20h]

Damn. I am thinking of getting exactly same scope, Explore Scientific ED140. However, I am planning to be using it with my iOptron CEM25-EC, not iOptron CEM60. CEM60 is just way too big. I want something semi portable, so I can take it and carry without breaking my back. :D CEM25 can handle 27lb (12.3kg), plus counterweights, and I am sure it can do it easily, especially the EC version. The ED140 is 21lb (9.45kg), so that sounds like not a problem at all. The camera I will be using initially is 950g (2lb), that adds up to 10.4kg (22.9lb), which is still fine. In the future I plan to get different camera, which has better noise, resolution is actually lighter. Guide scope (500-700g for 50-60mm guide scope with rings and dovtail) and camera / autoguider (130g), will not cause the problems either. What do you think?

[@kenkolen]

So you prefer the APT software for the ASI294MC PRO to Sharpcap? Could I ask why?

[@lomoholga]

Please please let’s not let Clickbait open faced shocked thumbnails get too deep into the telescope community too Goddamit

[@jeffbasom6467]

are you familiar with skytools 4 software? very detailed for imaging or viewing.

[@genarrow4519]

I've been into astrophotography at a beginner stage for a while and i want to make an upgrade. I've got a 600mm lens and I've been looking for a tracking mount which is accurate for that focal lenght and also suitable for longer exposures, up to 2 mins. Any ideas of a mount which is pretty affordable? Something like an Orion EQ-G Atlas, but a little less expensive.

[@albantessier391]

Hi, would you recommend a HEQ5 for deep sky astrophotography using a 150/750'?

[@kingdom777866]

OMG.. what do you do with all that equipment they give you ??

[@richardperth2002]

could you take photos of the moon serface and landers

[@Mr6sess]

Expecting my Ed152 CF next week. I can't wait. I got it used but had it sent to ES for servicing before I get it. The disappointing part for me in this vid was to have the ED 140 and only capture a cluster? That was WACK!... But still Trevor is the undisputed King of this thing.

[@stmrjs]

I would like your opinion on this please. Do you think it's possible to hand carry a Nexstar 8se ota on a plane? Have you ever travelled on a plane with a telescope?

[@Mobius3c273]

Hi, I was looking at Williams Optics 91 APO refractor. Most of my equipment is Celestron. I was wondering, are parts like occulors finderscopes etc compatible across different manufacturers?

[@lv8pv]

How would a Nikkor 400mm 2.8 FL ED work as a telescope for astro photography ?

[@astrogate1]

Trevor, I know you are demonstrating this scope for ES and I have done the same for scopes and esp. cameras. I have own many high quality refractors and there will always be some diffraction due to a lens type system as seen in your M13 image where the stars clearly show the red & blue wave length not merging. Also you are only at 910 mm focal length and I was puzzled why you were using bin 2 therefore sacrificing resolution? Thank you always for your well put together videos. Cheers Chris in Toronto

[@weschilton]

Chris A, I think what you are seeing are two things. The first and foremost is poor focus due to the garbage focusers that ES uses. They may claim to hold 10lbs but they are well known for their slippage and flexure. The second is additional directional star trailing from poor polar alignment. The more out of focus stars are the more chromatic aberration you will see. ES doesn’t have the best glass or the highest quality, but any APO triplet should have better CA control than that. Marking the type of ED glass in the name of their scope is a total marketing hype for Cloudy Nights members.

[@Sneaky-Sneaky]

I wouldn't mind considering this one but why? How is it different than any other big refractor using spl-53 or something even a little better like fluorite matched with a carbon fiber tube ?

[@MrEzPc]

Looks tiny compared to Omega Centauri.. Good vid. Jealous of the optics.....

[@kaival5]

Just wanted to ask you one question Planning to buy a refractor telescope for general viewing planetary and deepsky Is 127 mm telescope any good for that...? I live in fairly light polluted area Want to upgrade frm 80mm Is this explora fcd or doublet 127mm good I dont want to do astrophotography Please guide if possible Even condidered bresser messier 127/1200 refractor