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Guide and Slew

ZWO ASI2600MM Pro Guiding Plate Solving
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Kevin Wojahn avatar
Kevin Wojahn avatar
After 30+ cloudy nights, I have a clear night coming in a few days. Problem is, my guide scope is still on back order. 
Will the ZWO system allow for guiding and photographing with the same camera? I do not have the duo. I am thinking I can do a plate solve and correct manually between each set of short images. 

I am open to suggestions, just eager to get light through this new scope and take some pictures.
Well Written Respectful Engaging
Christian Bennich avatar
Christian Bennich avatar
Nope, you can only do imaging and guiding if you have the ASI2600 duo. 

I think otherwise, you have to go unguided. I have bever tried that though - so can’t be of much help on how.
Loastro avatar
Loastro avatar
Hello,

If you've got an enough good mount, if you do a super polar alignment, if you've got a wide field and if you shoot short exposures, you can think about getting a test result out.

I have the same camera, it's doesn't allow guiding like the Duo–>only one sensor.

Forget about correcting manually unless your field is huge enough, to not be affected by a large crop.
Plate solve everything given set of exposure (number depends of what's said above), you'll crop after stacking to process the image then.

Laurent
Richard Rice avatar
Richard Rice avatar
Although you cannot guide using the imaging camera, you certainly can plate solve, and so slewing and finding your target will not be an issue. 
As Christian mentioned, just image without guiding. Try to stay within the limits of your mount and so until you know what you can get away with, go for a bright target and keep you exposures relatively short. Depending on your focal length try 60sec and see how you get on. Good luck and clear skies.
Helpful
John Williams avatar
John Williams avatar
Just to share my experience. With the CEM40EC and the Askar FRA400, I was able to only go as long as two minutes, no longer for usable data. But, that is a relatively very good mount and a focal length not longer than 400mm. Wider focal lengths and shorter exposures help make better results but the mount is most critical.
Concise
Kevin Wojahn avatar
Kevin Wojahn avatar
Thanks everyone. Sounds like my main camera can get me where I want to go. Then my EQ-6 can track unguided from there. I'll stick with short exposures, and pay extra attention to the polar alignment. Probably not the best quality. But, at least I'll be capturing photons!
AzRayastrophotography avatar
AzRayastrophotography avatar
If you have Sharp Cap you can do live stacking without the need to guide.  You just have to find the correct exposure time to not get bad star shapes.
I use this method with my Dob scope and it works pretty well.  Cs
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