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Yes, you could mount the ASIAIR on top of the OTA with some 3M Dual lock fastener like this amzn.to/3CqhiCf, run the USB cable from the camera to the ASIAIR and then connect to the ASIAIR via WiFi. The ASIAIR can also be used to control the mount as well if you connect the cable from the mount to the ASIAIR. Then everything is controlled by the ASIAIR.

@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 Sounds good!

The cooled camera and dew heater will consume the most energy and that will depend on how hard they have to run and how long your nights are. Also, how big the dew heater is - 14" SCT or 80mm refractor - big difference. Yes, 8 amps is probably overkill. They make a 500Wh model, but I like to have enough juice to run more than one night before needing to recharge.

You don't say how you connect to the camera with your laptop so I can't answer your question. As for focus, if you are truly focused on the moon then you should be focused on the planets and everything else. They all focus at infinity. Maybe air turbulence is the problem with the planet's appearance although you still should seem some shimmering on the moon as well. Try using a Bahtinov mask to focus on a bright star and then everything else should be in focus. It is a cheap, easier and clear way to focus.

Thanks. The camera to the laptop is w the usb 3.0 cord that came with cam. At one time, I had it plugged into a 2.0 slot and corrected that, finding the 3.0.​@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740

It all depends upon your budget. The ASI585 is a good budget choice that will handle many of the deep sky objects with a reducer at f/6.3 and many of the larger ones at f/2 with a hyperstar adapter. If you have a bit more money you should move up to the ASI533 which has a bit larger sensor. And, if you can afford it, the ASI2600 has an APSC size sensor that will handle both small and very large DSOs. All three will also match well with the C8. Let me know if you have any further questions. If you want to support my channel please consider using my affiliate links for your astronomy purchases. They will not cost you anything and will provide a small commission so that I can provide more helpful videos. Here are the links to my two favorite astronomer retailers HighPoint Scientific bit.ly/3YvqU4X and Agena Astro bit.ly/434LUSu

Thank you you for the detailed response! I have a C6 tube and I am concerned the with the large diameter cameras. They block too much of the aperture. Should I be concerned about it at all?

@@fedosea From your question I can only assume you are talking about using the C6 with a hyperstar. Since the secondary of the C6 is 58mm in diameter the uncooled 585 camera with a 62mm diameter would block the least light. The cooled version of the 585 and the 533 are bigger at 78mm so they would block more light but I would not fret over that. I think the ASI2600 is better suited to the C8 if you intend to use hyperstar. Without hyperstar there is not light blockage problem with any of them. Good luck.

@ thank you! I researched based on what you shared and found another interesting camera - ASI676MC. What are your thoughts about it? Many folks on forums are unsure about the IR filter on it.

@@fedosea I don't know why one would pick that over the 585. Or the 533 if you have a bigger budget. The 676 has too small of a sensor by comparison which will make finding deep sky objects a problem. the 676 is better suited as a planetary camera.

I not sure what you mean.

I shot that video at a bortle 2 site but just last night I got some great views of the Andromeda galaxy and the Veil Nebula with the same setup in my back yard which is bortle 6. This setup will "work" at any class bortle site to give you much better views than you can get visually. But there is no denying that the worse the sky conditions the harder it is to break through the light pollution. You most certainly want to use a light pollution filter like this one from Optolong agenaastro.com/optolong-2-uhc-nebula-filter.html and/or this dual narrow band filter specifically designed for emission nebulae bit.ly/49gnY1f to cut out much of the light pollution. The first is good for any deep sky object, while the later is only good for emission nebula. Good luck!

Do you mean to say car "battery"? If so, some people do that but you run the risk of discharging your battery to the point where it will no longer start. A lead acid battery can only be safely discharged by 50% whereas a Lithium ion battery can be fully discharged without damaging it. Better to get a separate power source for your astronomy gear and have it for years to come. Just my opinion.

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 Yes I meant to say that Sorry for my spelling .

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 I agree I won’t get to use it much because maybe once a year I would go to star party Otherwise I’m at home I’m single AC to dc adapters

Thanks for you positive feedback. When you make your purchase please consider using my affiliate link to make your purchase if you can as it helps to support my channel and future videos High Point Scientific bit.ly/3YvqU4X

I have been happy with mine. Wish you the same success.

I have not encountered that situation so you will have to figure out a way to clean out the blue wax. Good luck

^This. it was also in the last video as well. I love your videos Curtis, but I cant make it past that whine and have not watched your last 2 videos

At f/4.8 an APS-C sized camera like the ASI2600 will only fit about 1/3 of the Andromeda galaxy into the field of view of 35 x 53 arc min. So you would have to go with a full frame camera for the large DSOs like the ASI2400. This will still not fully fit Andromeda but the FOV will increase to 54 x 81 arc min. Adding a 0.5 reducer will increase the FOVs each by a factor of 2. In that case the 2600 should be fairly good for the larger objects. You never can capture the entirety of some of these objects without using mosaics.

I hope that's how it comes across.

If you are back packing I would go with the smaller and lighter Dwarf3. But otherwise I think the Seestar with 2X larger optics will be more rewarding.

Glad the video helped you decide on the type of mount. Just remember and Alt-Az mount is very convenient for EAA but not the right choice if you later decide to do traditional astrophotography. I recommend the Nexstar Evolution for the 8" as it has better gearing and will handle the weight better than the SE version of the mount. But, it is more expensive so if you cannot afford it the SE will work as I showed in the video. As for the camera please watch the video I made on what to look for in cameras which you can find here ua-cam.com/video/oFueKEuELOc/v-deo.html. I would also suggest you plan to add Hyperstar to get down to f/2 later when you have some additional funds. I also did a video called the Amazing Hyperstar. Take a look at that. As for a camera I suggest the ASI533MC color camera which will match well with the 8" SCT at f/6.3 using a focal reducer. However, since it is a cooled camera (cooling helps reduce background noise but is not imperative to have) it is expensive and ZWO doesn't offer a non-cooled version. As much as I like ZWO you can get the non-cooled version for about $200 less from Player one which they call Saturn-C SQR. And if you can, when you purchase your mount, scope, camera and other accessories please use my affiliate links below to Highpoint Scientific on the east coast or Agena Astro on the west coast. They are both excellent astronomy retailers and I use them all the time. You won't pay any extra and I will receive a small commission which supports more videos like this. I don't have an affiliation with Player One but I think they are a good camera source as well. Here are my links and let me know if you have any other questions. Agena Astro Link bit.ly/434LUSu HighPoint Scientific Link bit.ly/3YvqU4X

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 I will definitely go for Nexstar Evolution! Still have some doubt if it wouldn'r worth to go for a 9.25 instead of a 8. I'm a little bit worried if the evolution can properly handle the 9.25 tube. Did you ever tried it and have some opinion on that? With regards to camera, can you please share from which exposure time the cooling start to be needed?

@@teb76 I have never tried the 9.25" on an Evo mount but I have seen folks comment that they think it is a little to much for the Evo. Like the 8" is a little much for the SE. I understand the interest in the 9.25" as that was the first scope I bought back in 2008 when I got back into the hobby. A really nice scope but I used it on an EQ mount. With respect to camera cooling it is primarily the temperature of the camera sensor that determines the dark current noise. Yes, the exposure time also plays a role as does the camera gain, but it mostly temperature which will either be the ambient temperature without cooling or the temperature of the sensor with cooling. Every 5-6 deg C of temperature increase doubles the noise. Now, having said that, if you are always using the camera in a light polluted location like my backyard, the noise from the light pollution will most likely dominate compared to the dark current noise. In that case, cooling will have much less impact than if you image from a dark sky location. You can help to decrease the light pollution with a broad band light pollution filter. It is always a tough call whether to spend the additional ~$200 on cooling or not.

Such high praise. Thanks for that!

I am glad you found my video helpful. Keep in mind that while the Seestar makes it extremely easy to get started with EAA, I think it will still have it challenges.

Might be that the dark current has increased due to a temperature rise. This is an uncooled camera so it has no way to prevent that. What is your ambient temperature?

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 it is quite warm here in summertime and sure that's the reason which would have an easy fix if I just could tell the Seestar to retake dark frames.

I appreciate the positive feedback.

I appreciate your feedback. While I can afford some higher priced equipment, I realize that is not the case for everyone. And, while I have a tech background, I also realize that not everyone interested in astronomy has the same. So I try to be cognizant of that, while at the same time offering something for those who are more like me.

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 Well, based solely on your review, always spot-on, complete and balanced... I wanted you to know that I got the S50 and it is everything you said. For EAA it is fantastic...Also great for quickies in astrophotography. For an old guy like me who has a full range of scopes, mounts, imagers and so forth, and done it all over 40 years, I found the S50 a delight and a wonder. I have found that with old age, such a thing is fantastic and sooo much easier than my big, complicated, disparate stuff. Your reviews are terrific and the most practical on UA-cam. 6-STARS! Keep it up. THANKS!

Yes, that is a good power bank. Remember it only has 6Ah of capacity so, the useable time will depend on how many other things you are powering beside the mount. The mount uses less than 1Ahr.

Actually you caught my mistake. Thank you for pointing that out. We could replace the ASIAIR mini with a mini-pc for about the same price and use Sharpcap. But your point is well taken.

Thanks for the input.

Yes. I believe I said that in the video. This is a nice feature which allows post processing of the images like traditional astrophotograpy. But, the strength of the Seestar is simple but effective EAA.

How about a security camera. They are designed for low light, can record in video directly to your computer with a video card. Good luck with that!

But a book is not a scope and if you watched the whole video you know that there is a lot one needs to and can do to capture great views of DSOs. But to each their own.

Thank you, Curtis for your excellent videos. Astronomy can be enjoyed at so many different levels. Yes, reading a book is great. One can even participate in exciting citizen science projects, such as ESA’s Euclid galaxy zoo, and see things that no one has seen before. There is something special about peering into an eyepiece and seeing something amazing with one’s own eyes, especially if it took some work to hunt it down. Many have the Astro photography bug and take great pleasure in a combination of technical mastery, object hunting, and artistry. These inexpensive, smart telescopes seem to offer an entrée into seeing and photographing amazing things with much built-in assistance while maintaining a sense of real time discovery and participation. As much as I love my tablet, I kind of wish that we could view the output of these devices through some sort of eyepiece like device. There is just something about the physical act of “looking through a telescope.“

@@scottm599 Scott, thanks for the feedback. Unistellar has a Smart telescope with a Nikon digital eyepiece so you still get to look through the scope. Check it out here bit.ly/3TFXbFS

There is a link below the video to all of the components used in this modification. Here is the link to the high vacuum Krytox grease Krytox LVP Lubricant: www.zoro.com/krytox-vacuum-gr...

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 thank you. This will teach me to read descriptions under the video... :)

1000W continuous with 2000W surge

Correct. You want a laminar flow of air across the mirror if you can get it. Same with the upper atmosphere.

I don't see an SCT at f/2 as "like" a Dob. Two completely different setups. f/2 is 4x the speed of f/4 so the Hyperstar has a much wider FOV for the same aperture and is significantly faster for photography. Once you get the hang of it there is little work to put on the Hyperstar. A few minutes. I'm glad you like Dobs, but for me, I will stick with my SCTs and Hyperstar.

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 Actually by mechanical design removing the second magnifying mirrorle and only bouncing the light once the SCT is no longer and it becomes a Reflector/Newtonian/Dob design by default. The dob is simply a Newt with a cheap easy mount system that can carry the large load. The ONLY difference in removing the second mirror on the SCT over a Newt is you're eliminating the flat mirror that projects the image sideways. As for F stop? You can have the primary mirror cut to an F2 in a reflector however F4 is a common trade off between speed and magnification and purity. F2 or faster mirrors also get more expressive as they require a greater curve. and produce a shorter scope However the large curve angles light at the sensor creating distortion and requires more correction. The Hyperstar is the corrector, it does not lower the f stop. As you go up in f stop the mirrors become optically better. Newtonian scopes are great for photography however like the SCT require an expensive mount for large scopes.

@@DanWipper With all due respect, I would never call an SCT with Hyperstar a Dob. The optics is completely different. The Hyperstar is a compound lens designed to bring the light to focus, reduce chromatic aberration, flatten the field, etc. This is a far cry from what a mirror in a Dob does. But I won't argue the point with you. If you want to call it a Dob that is your prerogative. As for focal ratio, I believe that you will be hard pressed to find a Newtonian mirror figured below ~f/3.5 as it gets extremely difficult to keep collimation and hard to figure. But nothing is impossible. Again, if you like the Dob analogy I won't argue but for others out there I think I made my point.

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 The sct uses two mirrors to multiply the focal length typically a main f2 and then an f5, if you take the f5 away you have one mirror the same as a reflector/newt/dob. OR, it becomes the SAME and reflectors can be an F2. This is done with a deep dish primary mirror like your SCTs and or with the help of a reducing lense. F2 on the SCT is the same as F2 on a reflector. Reflectors use coma correcting lenses for deep mirrors which do the same thing as the Hyperstar. HOWEVER the reflector/newt/dob can NOT revert back into a high focal length planetary scope. The benefit to the SCT is it can be two scopes a low f with a low focal length or high f with a high focal length if you add back the other half of the scope that makes the SCT a focal length monster. However again you can't use the SCT with hyperstar for direct viewing nor with a filter wheel. The Hyperstar does not drop the magnification on your SCT taking away the second mirror does. NOW the interesting part, the really fast scope requires less tracking abilities and people are getting away with cheep dob bases where the real cost in an SCT or Newt is in the massive and expensive mount required. Another big leap forward for colored cameras is also coming, it will effectively lower a lens 2 F stops. Camera sensors have had more to do with photography than the scopes/lenses. Back in the day of film none of what we do was possible. NOTE too, while speed is great it also comes with its own draw backs, large refractors with good mounts and longer exposures still produce the cleanest and most detailed images.

@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 It will also be noted that highly convex primary mirrors create a lot of distortion and all require corrective lenses, SCTs have that built in while most newts its purchased separately as a coma corrector which can also be a reducer. While s corrective lens can do a great job at correcting a flatter primary to start with creates less distortion and might win the quality game IF the tracking is flawless.