Newbie

[scottwalk]

Hello, I'm new to Astronomy, but have been interested for many years. I only owned Dept Store scopes until recently when I got an Orion XT8 Classic for my birthday.

I have really been enjoying the views of Jupiter, M31, M42, Pliedes and others.

I also have a strong interest in Photography which I'm afraid is going to make this hobby very expensive.

I have already dabbled a bit but need improvement as you can see from the attached pics. Please be patient while I ask a bunch of dump questions in the Astrophoto sections.

[Bob327]

Use the telescope for at least a year VISUALLY...Then for another 6 months ( taking notes) if its strong and weak points and how they relate to imaging... THEN start to think of what kind of AP scope and mount would work for you...

Seriously (at least in my opinion) Visual astronomy and Imaging are two completely different hobbies... and to be honest they do not have a heck of a lot in common...

Personally...after 50+ years in this hobby) It is really hard to find a CHEAPER hobby then astronomy...

Enjoy the views, learn the sky, then start to think about AP..

Bob G.
BTW...nice scope

[admin]

Hey there welcome to the forum!

I agree visual work is great, and there is no substitute however if you enjoy taking photos then make sure you continue doing it. If it becomes a chore, or annoying them go back to looking through the eyepiece, there is always something there of interest and instant gratification.

I still think with an Orion XT8 and a cheap webcam taking many frames, you can take photos that can be very professional, however for me it was fun and exciting to take photos of what i saw, even now - and yours are an excellent start. If you enjoy taking photos, by all means snap away and please do share

No question is dumb, also the first one is one that is almost exactly like my photos quite recently of Jupiter, I still need to figure out a good exposure setting too and also get more details out of the planet. Please do share your tips from getting from pic 1 -> 2 and 3 they are quite good

[jimt]

Welcome to the forum Scott. Man can you imagine trying to learn astrophotography before the dslr came on the scene? I have a great 35mm camera, but I'm not about to start buying film for AP. Lot of reasons for that, one being its almost impossible to find film anymore, not to mention all the processing it would take. Great pics btw.

Jim

[scottwalk]

Thanks everyone. That first pic was taken with a Microsoft LifeCam V-6000 that I modified (more on this later). The two of Jupiter alone were taken with a Canon 40D using EP Projection and 25mm eyepiece. The 2nd DSLR attempt is a 5 picture stack with ISO 200 and Exposure times at 1/40 and 1/60.

I have a really old version of Photoshop (5.5) that doesn't like my raw files, so I'm just playing around with the JPEGs for now.