Astrophotography
Telescope
If I were to start over again….
If I were to start the astrophotography hobby over again, I'd start here. This video explains why I think a small refractor on a Wedged AZ-GTi (now the Star Adventurer GTi) is one of the best setups for basic astrophotography.
Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Latitude (EQ) Base
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Equatorial wedge for easier polar alignment
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Sharpstar 61 Telescope
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61mm aperture
360mm focal length
1.93 arc second resolution
f/5.9
Field Flattener for Sharpstar 61
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Minimizes aberrations and haloing in images
Provides a flatter field for astrophotography
3-element, air-spaced triplet configuration
Mount
ZWO ASI 294MC-PRO
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11.7 megapixel CMOS sensor
Integrated TEC cooling
Connects to 1.25” and 2” telescope focusers
Compatible with Mac OS X and Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) XP
Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi mount kit
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GoTo capability
11 pound payload capacity
Built in Wifi
Built-in illuminated polar scope
Can be powered by 8 AA batteries or external powerbank
or…
M8 to M12 Adapter
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Thread adapter
Used to go from M8 thread to M12 thread
Camera and Finder
Star Adventurer Counterweight Kit
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Extra Counterweight
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2.2 pound (1kg) counterweight
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Spacer for achieving 55mm back focus
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Kit which includes 5mm, 10mm, 20mm, and 30mm spacer options
ZWO ASIair Plus
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Simple and intuitive astrophotography computer
Control your mount, camera, and more wirelessly
Automatically stack and process images
ZWO ASI174 Mini Guide Camera
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Sensor: Sony 1/1.2″ CMOS IMX174LLJ/IMX174LQJ
2.3 MP (1936 x 1216) resolution
Capable of 300 second exposures
Orion Mini 50mm Guide Scope
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Small and compact autoguiding system
Bright, wide-field optics
installs on virtually any astrophotography telescope
Other
Lightbox
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Ensures precise focus on telescope optics or camera lenses
Checks for sensor or mirror imperfections before shooting
Evaluates lens or telescope performance for image quality assurance
Sky Watcher AZ GTi Mount
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Controlled with SynScan Pro app for iOS and Android
Freedom Find dual-encoder technology
11 pound payload capacity
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Fast Refractor Basic Setup
Camera: ZWOASI294mc Pro
Telescope: SharpStar 61
New Mount: Star Adventurer GTi
Old Mount: Skywatcher AZ-GTi (with Star Adventurer Wedge & counterweights)
Computer: ASIair mini
Guidescope: StarField 50mm Guide Scope
Guide Camera: ASI120MM Mini (mono)
Focal Reducer: Sharpstar - 0.8x Reducer and Field Flattener
Power: Celestron Power Tank (Lithium Ion Version)
Deep Sky Imaging on a $5k Budget
Once you’ve grown beyond the small telescope, and you’re ready to go up in aperture, everything changes. Telescope above 80mm, no longer fit on a simple star tracker. Now we’re looking at serious mounts. Fortunately, improvements in auto guiding (like with the DUO series camera), make setup a breeze, and ASIair makes capturing epic images of deep space easier than ever before.
