M45 Pleiades

[Son_of_Thor]

Inspired by shots of the Aurora from last weekend (and still sore from missing it) I decided to dust off the Star Adventurer GTI earlier in the week. I think I've now finally got to grips with using it and got my setup time down to around 15 minutes (which doesn't seem to bad to me). I'm also now getting reasonably consistent results on longer exposures which definitely helps with the motivation.

This all coincided with a couple of cloudless nights and a moonrise time that was conducive with astro photography - the stars finally aligned after months of rain and wind (and full moon on the odd night it was clear). It also helps that it's getting a little warmer at night!

I've also spent some time on workflow and processing tools and think I've finally got something that works for me. One of the main remaining challenges is the horrendous light pollution where we live in the NW of England, but I've not much opportunity for getting further afield at night as it stands so it'll have to do for now. Trying to make the most of the photography gear I have without heading down the rather deep and expensive rabbit-hole that is AP!

Taken with a Nikon D850/500 PF/Star Adventurer GTI/reasonably solid tripod with a cheapo intervalometer and processed in DSS/Siril and then finished off in PS. Total exposure time of around 2.5 hours with some calibration frames (much more to learn/experiment with on that front). It doesn't stand up to any sort of close scrutiny in any way, but it's definitely progress for me

M45 Pleiades - 2024 attempt by Simon Lundbeck, on Flickr

 

[GreenNinja67]

That's superb.

I'm saving for the GTi as having imaged the Orion Nebula last week untracked I've sort of got the bug.

Any tips greatly appreciated.

 

[Norkie]

Amazing

 

[Son_of_Thor]

That's superb.

I'm saving for the GTi as having imaged the Orion Nebula last week untracked I've sort of got the bug.

Any tips greatly appreciated.

Thanks Terry. Orion untracked is exactly where I started a couple of years ago. I haven't shot that much really, a combination of poor weather and motivation issues.

The GTi works really well for my purposes, although there's definitely a learning curve with it (as with anything astro-related). I wouldn't really describe it as portable, although it is compared to a lot of mounts. I use it up to around 2.5KG payload and 500mm focal length and can consistently get decent subs anywhere between 90 and 150 seconds dependent on the target. The GoTo functionality has been a game changer for me as it removed the frustration of trying to find targets in the night sky that are invisible to the naked eye (which in turn is also improving my knowledge of the night sky).

 

[Son_of_Thor]

Amazing

Thanks Jak

 

[GreenNinja67]

Thanks Terry. Orion untracked is exactly where I started a couple of years ago. I haven't shot that much really, a combination of poor weather and motivation issues.

The GTi works really well for my purposes, although there's definitely a learning curve with it (as with anything astro-related). I wouldn't really describe it as portable, although it is compared to a lot of mounts. I use it up to around 2.5KG payload and 500mm focal length and can consistently get decent subs anywhere between 90 and 150 seconds dependent on the target. The GoTo functionality has been a game changer for me as it removed the frustration of trying to find targets in the night sky that are invisible to the naked eye (which in turn is also improving my knowledge of the night sky).

Exactly my reasoning for getting this one.

Go to is something I've always wanted.

We have an 8" dobsonian telescope but we hardly ever get it out of the shed to be honest due to not knowing exactly where to look.

I use micro four thirds so need the tracking ability to cut down on the noise.

I was staggered last week when I took my image of the Orion Nebula. 283 lights of 1 second each at FF EFL of 480mm.

That started my yearning for the tracker.

 

[Son_of_Thor]

Exactly my reasoning for getting this one.

Go to is something I've always wanted.

We have an 8" dobsonian telescope but we hardly ever get it out of the shed to be honest due to not knowing exactly where to look.

I use micro four thirds so need the tracking ability to cut down on the noise.

I was staggered last week when I took my image of the Orion Nebula. 283 lights of 1 second each at FF EFL of 480mm.

That started my yearning for the tracker.

I struggled with the GoTo functionality at first, took a few attempts to figure out where I was going wrong. Once I got over that the enthusiam started to return

The SA GTi should be a good match with M43 gear - you'll be within the weight limit whatever lens you pair it with (even the new 150-600 OM Systems beast!) You'll be able to shoot at much lower ISO due to the longer subs you'll be able to capture, which will make a massive difference

 

[wornish]

Excellent image.
I use a free program called Stellarium to help me decide on what target to go for. It is very easy to use and you can enter your camera and lens details to then see the field of view your camera will pick up. There is a web based version as well as PC anmd Mac versions.

 

[footman]

I was sad to return my SA GTi to the vendor last week, it simply didn't perform as expected no matter what I did. It did peculiar things frequently when in use with my Asiair which took away the pleasure.

I've gone back to using my AZ GTi and done something I never thought I'd do and bought a Seestar S50!

 

[Son_of_Thor]

Excellent image.
I use a free program called Stellarium to help me decide on what target to go for. It is very easy to use and you can enter your camera and lens details to then see the field of view your camera will pick up. There is a web based version as well as PC anmd Mac versions.

Thanks David. I use Stellarium on my phone for general observation, but I tend to find the inbuilt compass on the phone isn't very accurate. I didn't realise you could use it for field of view though so I'll have to check that out

 

[Son_of_Thor]

I was sad to return my SA GTi to the vendor last week, it simply didn't perform as expected no matter what I did. It did peculiar things frequently when in use with my Asiair which took away the pleasure.

I've gone back to using my AZ GTi and done something I never thought I'd do and bought a Seestar S50!

That's a shame - I haven't had any issues, but I'm not (currently) trying to integrate it with any other tech. The Seestar does look interesting..