- Messages
- 377
- Solutions
- 1
- Reaction score
- 183
First off I have an admission to make. I live on a rural farm in Western Canada with Bortle 2 (verging on Bortle 1) sky. I have a small observatory that is mostly run remotely out in my yard. I have been doing AP for about 7 years, and almost have a few things figured out. My AP growth has been slow, painful and expensive. The advances in gear and software have jumped in leaps and bounds the last few years. However my budge has been limited.
A lot of my gear has been bought used. I purchased a used CGEM and found the nerve to hyper-tune it. All my scopes except the newest one were used. I started out using a T3 (1100D) Canon I bought for 50 bucks (Canuck Bucks). SInce the start I have graduated to scopes more AP friendly. I currently alter between a 8" SkyWatcher Quattro (Imaging Newtonian) and a little SharpStar 61 EDPH II APO. I alter between a afforsbale ZWOASI533MC Pro and a ZWO ASI183MM Pro for cameras. As you can see my gear isn't exactly top shelf.
I had run the gambit of Capture/Control software too. APT, Sequence Generator Pro, NINA, SharpCap and finally StellarMate. Same with processing software, but finally settled on Astro Pixel Processor for stacking my OSC data and PixInSIght. The thing I try to do is get the best I can out of the gear, software and limited talent I have.
My sky offers a lot of concessions in that earthbound LP isn't a issue here. Acquisition of data is relatively easy except for the stuff everyone deals with when Momma Nature is callin' the shots.
Here is a image I took last December. Done in SHO with Optolong NB filters. Limited data only 4x300sec images through the SharpStar Scope and the ASI183MM Pro. Not my best work, but I never post my best stuff on Flickr, I've had people steal images and make metal prints and sell 'em. DIdn't know if I should be mad or happy! LOL
NGC2244 4 Dec12 by Brent Secord, on Flickr
A lot of my gear has been bought used. I purchased a used CGEM and found the nerve to hyper-tune it. All my scopes except the newest one were used. I started out using a T3 (1100D) Canon I bought for 50 bucks (Canuck Bucks). SInce the start I have graduated to scopes more AP friendly. I currently alter between a 8" SkyWatcher Quattro (Imaging Newtonian) and a little SharpStar 61 EDPH II APO. I alter between a afforsbale ZWOASI533MC Pro and a ZWO ASI183MM Pro for cameras. As you can see my gear isn't exactly top shelf.
I had run the gambit of Capture/Control software too. APT, Sequence Generator Pro, NINA, SharpCap and finally StellarMate. Same with processing software, but finally settled on Astro Pixel Processor for stacking my OSC data and PixInSIght. The thing I try to do is get the best I can out of the gear, software and limited talent I have.
My sky offers a lot of concessions in that earthbound LP isn't a issue here. Acquisition of data is relatively easy except for the stuff everyone deals with when Momma Nature is callin' the shots.
Here is a image I took last December. Done in SHO with Optolong NB filters. Limited data only 4x300sec images through the SharpStar Scope and the ASI183MM Pro. Not my best work, but I never post my best stuff on Flickr, I've had people steal images and make metal prints and sell 'em. DIdn't know if I should be mad or happy! LOL
