2 replies to this topic

[pgseye]

Hi - first post. I am dipping my toes into astrophotography - I think I have a bug for it based on shooting with my Fuji mirrorless/135 mm Samyang on an old tripod with 2 sec exposures, and am keen to start tracking, but don't want to spend a heap of money an EQ mount straight away, until I know I'm in for the long haul.

 

So... I'm wondering if there are any benefits in using a basic star tracker like the iOptron Skyguider Pro or the Star Adventurer 2i (both retail for about $500 in Australia) with the ASIAIR Plus? (also ~ $500)

 

If this combo works, I am trying to understand what the limitations are and how it would work. Would the ASIAIR identify the south celestial pole and then you would need to manually move and align the tracker? Then get the ASIAIR to identify the target and you move the camera/lens? I hope this doesn't all sound stupid - I'm still trying to understand some of the basics of what the various types of equipment do (and are capable of).

 

Basically, I'm after something that will give me some tracker functionality without spending a lot initially, but take as much of the headache out of PA, target finding, etc. Then if I know I am still really keen, I would look at a much better mount as that seems to be the foundation of astroimaging.

 

Thanks

[gpom]

Hello! I used an ASIAIR with my Skyguider pro when I started out and it certainly can provide some usefulness! Obviously, the Skyguider pro and Star Adventurer are not go-to mounts so you still have to move them manually to find your target. However, you can use the AIR to help find your target via plate solving. Basically once you are polar aligned and have your camera/lens/asiair all mounted up, you can point your camera towards your target, take a picture, and have the air plate solve. The plate solve will tell you where you are pointing and then you can determine how to move your camera to get to your target. It definitely helped me when I was looking for dim targets.

 

I'm not certain it really can help with polar alignment. But since your using the 135mm Samyang, you can probably get close enough by doing a manual polar alignment with the polar scope on the tracker. It's a forgiving lens and you will probably only want to do 30 second exposures which will be just fine with a manual PA.

 

The air can also do autoguiding on the Skyguider pro in RA only mode (the Skyguider pro only tracks on the RA axis and declination is manual).

 

So TLDR, yes the air can definitely help with basic tracker. Personally, I like this method. Having to manually move the camera helps you learn the sky a bit. You can also learn the basics of autoguiding, plate solving, and automated imaging including calibration frames. You will eventually move on to a bigger EQ mount, but the star tracker is a great place to start and you can forever use it with cameras and wide angle lens for milky way photography! Hope my long winded answer helps you out a bit

[Zambiadarkskies]

Plate solving and polar alignmen would depend on your Fuji being supported by the air, if it is not supported then there is nothing to be gained.