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Remote dark sky Astrophotography trip equipment selection ?

Sky-Watcher Explorer 130PDS ZWO ASI1600MM COOL Equipment Buying Advice Deep Sky
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Abhijit Juvekar avatar
Abhijit Juvekar avatar
Hi,

On short notice, I planned to join 2 nights dedicated Astrophotography trip at Bortle 2 sky location.

I have Sharpstar 60ED APO refractor (330mm F5.5), Sky-watcher 130PDS (650mm F5), GSO 6 inch RC (1370mm F9) telescopes
ZWO ASI 1600MM-Pro camera and LRGB Ha OIII filters as my main setup.

The Problem is should I carry my main setup iOptron ieq45-pro mount ? to such location and do dedicated DSO imaging or get a small startracker/guider (ioptron/staradventurer) to do widefield imaging?

If I took the ZWO camera and some camera lens (with adapter) will it work without tracker for DSO targets using lots of short subs like 5-10 sec ? OR I must buy startracker/starguider of some sort for proper imaging?

As takeaway points -
If I carry my main mount and any of the one OTA, I can do proper DSO imaging but carrying all that heavy equipment through public transport (train/Taxi) is risky and prone to damage.

So help me out in this big decision-making dilemma about which equipment to carry.

Thanks
andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
Abhijit Juvekar:
If I took the ZWO camera and some camera lens (with adapter) will it work without tracker for DSO targets using lots of short subs like 5-10 sec ? OR I must buy startracker/starguider of some sort for proper imaging?


Rule of thumb is the exposure time without stars trails is focal length/500 in seconds for a 6 micron pixel. Scale it down or up according to the camera pixel's size. I'd opt for a tracker of some sort and the smallest refractor or just the lenses.
Arun H avatar
Arun H avatar
I think you can add some very nice images to your portfolio using a portable tracker, DSLR, and widefield lens from a Bortle 2 site. I certainly wouldn't carry a large mount, telescope, and associated equipment with me if I was traveling using public transport.
Well Written Concise
kuechlew avatar
kuechlew avatar
I would advice against new equipment. The time under the bortle 2 sky is precious and you don't want to spend it fiddling with new gear trying to solve issues you never faced before. Use what you're used to and enjoy the experience and results.

Having said so a tracker is certainly a nice addition to any equipment because on occasion just going lightweight is a lot of fun. So you may buy it, get used to it and take your time to prepare for the next trip.

Clear skies
Wolfgang
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Nlawrie94 avatar
Nlawrie94 avatar
Take equipment and use methods you are familiar and well practiced with.

As mentioned you will waste the opportunity by messing with problems and gear. My first few trips to dark sky locations all resulted in complete failure.

I'll also throw my hat in the ring with a question,  should i prioritise lum or prioritise RGB filters when i travel to a dark sky location?
andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
I'll also throw my hat in the ring with a question, should i prioritise lum or prioritise RGB filters when i travel to a dark sky location?


RGB