Nice image, we were lucky in the midlands Saturday night Jupiter was visible all night after 21.30, keep up your videos there very informative. Cheers Neil
Thanks Graham for sharing your time capturing the Jovian giant. I keep trying to get the conditions to all come together for that perfect night for planetary viewing and capture. Still trying 😂
Hi, Graham. Happy New Year to you. I have a few questions, if I may? Before that though, I just want to comment on the video topic, what a view! It’s incredible seeing the moons transit Jupiter. Absolutely incredible. Actually, with regards to viewing the planets, for my first question, I was wondering if the video on your laptop showed how big it would look, like for like, through the view finder, or were you zooming in by means of software, or an eyepiece, please? Secondly, I was just wondering (I’ve watched your review of this scope) if you’re completely happy with it (any negatives?) and if you’d still buy this model having had it for a while now? Also, are you completely happy with the size, or would you go to the bigger 9.25” in the future? Would you possibly consider the HD versions, especially for someone who is looking to buy the best they can afford? Buy once, cry once, as they say. Oh, and before I forget, do you think you’ll do a long-term update for your scope too? Just curious, because I can’t recall if you mentioned in your review video how long you’d had it. Sorry for all the questions and thanks so much for your time, if you get the chance to answer them all. Keep up the good work. Chris.
Hi Chris and Happy New Year to you too. The field of view was what the (tiny) camera sensor saw, uncropped, when i used the Evo 8 with a 2x barlow. To see how big an object is for visual observing have a look at this useful site astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ You can select Jupiter from Solar Systems objects, select the scope from the dropdown list, select a barlow and then the eyepiece you have. I'll try to make a follow up video on the Evo 8 - I've had it for 18 months or so now) but I am still happy with it. I chose the 8 rather than 9.25 for portability, as I wanted to be able to carry the whole setup outside in one go. Depending on what you consider heavy - a personal thing - you may find the 9.25 is fine, or could be happy with splitting the OTA and mount which is easy enough. I'm unconvinced of the benefits of the HD scopes as I believe they deliver cleaner star images around the edge of field, which isn't a big concern for me. Just my 2p though as everyone's different. But I would spend some time thinking about the weight of ANY scope you are considering as you best scope is the one that you use, not necessarily the biggest one. I hope this helps, Graham
Brilliant Graham, Thank you again on a great vlog, What would you suggest for DSO’s, I am a beginner to this, but want to get my own images and frame them for the home😀 I have the Celestron 8 edge HD, but have noticed there doesn’t appear to be many people using them for this? Thank you Martin
Hi Martin, I’m glad the videos are useful. For DSO imaging you really need an equatorial mount to overcome field rotation. I’ve found a thread where a similar question was discussed: www.cloudynights.com/topic/866820-minimum-addons-for-dso-imaging-with-8-edgehd-celestron-sct/ So you could get a wedge to go equatorial but then the f/10 isn’t ideal. You could use a reducer and DSLR but none of this is cheap. You have a great visual scope that can image planets well because video frames are very short duration, but other setups work better for other imaging.
Having viewed such things a few times, I’m wondering if you have captured the shadow of Europa. I find it a challenge to see the moons themselves against the disk.
Yes I think it is the shadow rather than the moon itself, although as we are at opposition I think the moon and shadow are almost coincident. My AP skills are some way off picking up a clean capture of a moon's disk when in transit, although it's nice to see that the other moons which are not in front of the planet are seen as small disks and not points.
Definitely the shadow, moons themselves never that dark. You can use something like Sky and Telescope's Jupiter's Moons tool to see animations of the transiting moons and shadows at any given time. I think if this was the 11/20 Europa transit, the moon was already off by mid-shadow transit.
I will try to make a comparison at some point. So far I'd say the C8 is ahead of the 127, but I'd need a side by side test in the same conditions to be sure.
Nice. I'm presently looking for a scope (I've mentioned before I think) but I'm tending to stay away from the one fork mounts as I'm unsure how. stable they are for photography. Two forks, I assume are more stable and then there's the skywatcher EQ series which can become very expensive. Looking to buy used but I can never seem to find the right OTA with mount at a decent price I can afford. How would you go about it with a budget which is between £500 and £1000 and a definite on a Celestron or Meade SCT? Thanks.
Hi Mark, in my view the single or dual fork SCTs are excellent visual scopes, but not ideal for astrophotography, with the possible exception of planetary. For general AP I’d go Apo or fast Newtonian, on an EQ. For a budget the apo makes a lot of sense as you need big, heavy and expensive EQs for Newtonian OTAs once loaded with photography kit. So I’d ask yourself do you really want an SCT. If you want an all rounder visual scope then the single arm SCT mounts are fine, like on an 8SE. It can suit your budget used. If AP is your main aim, look at a small apo of 72/80mm objective on a tracked EQ. Just my 2p. No scope does it all.
Sounds like you are looking for a combination of mount and telescope. Probably a good idea to settle on a focal length and focal ratio first ... which will be somewhat dictated by what objects you would like to spend time photographing. One thing to consider is that you can do some wide field astrophotography with a DSLR or micro 4/3's camera and standard lenses - but setup on a good EQ mount using a dovetail bolted on top of your telescope rings. If you are mainly interested in planetary and luna surface photography then you will need a long focal length OTA/telescope similar to Graham's 2000mm Schmit Cassegrain.
@@JenhamsAstro Yeah I know no scope does it all but I definitely want the "all rounder" SCT which will enable planetary photography plus allow a piggybacked DSLR (using the scope for guiding) for widefield stuff until, later, I might get a 80ED refractor. The issue is finding the SCT and a mount which will do the job under a grand. Well under a grand if possible. I honestly think many kit owners believe. their kit is worth RRP less 20%. (no matter the age, no matter the fact you're buying second hand, used, no service and no warranty.). I had an Astro Systems 8 inch reflector with the equivalent of, Id say, and eq3-2 mount (no drive) in the early 90s. I bought at about £850 and sold for £300 just a few years later (because marriage, kids you know the score). I never thought "I'll ask £600 for it".
@@Seafox0011 I know what I'm looking for (and you just about nailed it). It's just finding it. I'm not paying the ridiculous money the stores are asking.
@@markwelsh9068 Yes some used prices are unrealistic. If you are set on an SCT then one on a GEM will turn up. I’d avoid an old fork mount - most people defork serviceable older OTAs and use them on a GEM. As long as the mirror is bright and the corrector is not fogged, and you preferably get decent coatings, then a 10 yr+ 8” SCT tube should still be good for years. Target an OTA and EQ5 sized mount for £3-400 apiece.
ASI3 to stack,25% of 2000, then Registax histogram stretch, colour balance and wavelets. Finally a bit of sharpening and contrast in Paintshop. The raw file isn’t good quality but I wanted to grab the transit nonetheless.
@@JenhamsAstro Thanks for that info! I have same camera I need to get my finger out and try it!! I observed Ganymede do just this, what, 2 weeks ago? from back garden. I tried my 10mm altair ultra flat but altitude and seeing was against it, however first light on the 24mm UF was spectacularly different, small but clear and sharp I sat and watched the pinhead shadow walk across the face of Jupiter from my back garden in Scotland; man that was something else!
![[UA] NAVI проти G2 Esports | Blast Premier Fall Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QWlIm4FGESQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Glad you got opportunity to use it. I look forward to more.
Indeed mother nature was not kind to astronomers these last months...
Considering how poor the seeing conditions were, it's rather amazing. 😮
Nice image, we were lucky in the midlands Saturday night Jupiter was visible all night after 21.30, keep up your videos there very informative.
Cheers Neil
Thanks Graham for sharing your time capturing the Jovian giant. I keep trying to get the conditions to all come together for that perfect night for planetary viewing and capture. Still trying 😂
Yes I’ve really struggled to get a steady night despite a lot of attempts. We must like a challenge!
Hi, Graham. Happy New Year to you.
I have a few questions, if I may? Before that though, I just want to comment on the video topic, what a view! It’s incredible seeing the moons transit Jupiter. Absolutely incredible. Actually, with regards to viewing the planets, for my first question, I was wondering if the video on your laptop showed how big it would look, like for like, through the view finder, or were you zooming in by means of software, or an eyepiece, please? Secondly, I was just wondering (I’ve watched your review of this scope) if you’re completely happy with it (any negatives?) and if you’d still buy this model having had it for a while now? Also, are you completely happy with the size, or would you go to the bigger 9.25” in the future? Would you possibly consider the HD versions, especially for someone who is looking to buy the best they can afford? Buy once, cry once, as they say. Oh, and before I forget, do you think you’ll do a long-term update for your scope too? Just curious, because I can’t recall if you mentioned in your review video how long you’d had it.
Sorry for all the questions and thanks so much for your time, if you get the chance to answer them all. Keep up the good work. Chris.
Hi Chris and Happy New Year to you too. The field of view was what the (tiny) camera sensor saw, uncropped, when i used the Evo 8 with a 2x barlow. To see how big an object is for visual observing have a look at this useful site astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/
You can select Jupiter from Solar Systems objects, select the scope from the dropdown list, select a barlow and then the eyepiece you have.
I'll try to make a follow up video on the Evo 8 - I've had it for 18 months or so now) but I am still happy with it. I chose the 8 rather than 9.25 for portability, as I wanted to be able to carry the whole setup outside in one go. Depending on what you consider heavy - a personal thing - you may find the 9.25 is fine, or could be happy with splitting the OTA and mount which is easy enough. I'm unconvinced of the benefits of the HD scopes as I believe they deliver cleaner star images around the edge of field, which isn't a big concern for me. Just my 2p though as everyone's different. But I would spend some time thinking about the weight of ANY scope you are considering as you best scope is the one that you use, not necessarily the biggest one. I hope this helps, Graham
This makes me want to do this with my old Celestron 8" SCT and see what happens? 😏 thanks.
Brilliant Graham, Thank you again on a great vlog,
What would you suggest for DSO’s, I am a beginner to this, but want to get my own images and frame them for the home😀
I have the Celestron 8 edge HD, but have noticed there doesn’t appear to be many people using them for this?
Thank you
Martin
Hi Martin, I’m glad the videos are useful. For DSO imaging you really need an equatorial mount to overcome field rotation. I’ve found a thread where a similar question was discussed: www.cloudynights.com/topic/866820-minimum-addons-for-dso-imaging-with-8-edgehd-celestron-sct/ So you could get a wedge to go equatorial but then the f/10 isn’t ideal. You could use a reducer and DSLR but none of this is cheap. You have a great visual scope that can image planets well because video frames are very short duration, but other setups work better for other imaging.
It's clear enough that I can see details on the surface of Io and Ganymede.
Bonjour,
Super vidéo
Je possède le même télescope mais C9
Merci pour les informations.
Thank you.
Having viewed such things a few times, I’m wondering if you have captured the shadow of Europa. I find it a challenge to see the moons themselves against the disk.
Yes I think it is the shadow rather than the moon itself, although as we are at opposition I think the moon and shadow are almost coincident. My AP skills are some way off picking up a clean capture of a moon's disk when in transit, although it's nice to see that the other moons which are not in front of the planet are seen as small disks and not points.
Definitely the shadow, moons themselves never that dark. You can use something like Sky and Telescope's Jupiter's Moons tool to see animations of the transiting moons and shadows at any given time. I think if this was the 11/20 Europa transit, the moon was already off by mid-shadow transit.
dear colleague, can you compare Celestron 8 and Mak 127?
I will try to make a comparison at some point. So far I'd say the C8 is ahead of the 127, but I'd need a side by side test in the same conditions to be sure.
Why is this Graham and not Jenham? Who is Jenham and why it's his astro?
Nice. I'm presently looking for a scope (I've mentioned before I think) but I'm tending to stay away from the one fork mounts as I'm unsure how. stable they are for photography. Two forks, I assume are more stable and then there's the skywatcher EQ series which can become very expensive. Looking to buy used but I can never seem to find the right OTA with mount at a decent price I can afford. How would you go about it with a budget which is between £500 and £1000 and a definite on a Celestron or Meade SCT? Thanks.
Hi Mark, in my view the single or dual fork SCTs are excellent visual scopes, but not ideal for astrophotography, with the possible exception of planetary. For general AP I’d go Apo or fast Newtonian, on an EQ. For a budget the apo makes a lot of sense as you need big, heavy and expensive EQs for Newtonian OTAs once loaded with photography kit. So I’d ask yourself do you really want an SCT. If you want an all rounder visual scope then the single arm SCT mounts are fine, like on an 8SE. It can suit your budget used. If AP is your main aim, look at a small apo of 72/80mm objective on a tracked EQ. Just my 2p. No scope does it all.
Sounds like you are looking for a combination of mount and telescope. Probably a good idea to settle on a focal length and focal ratio first ... which will be somewhat dictated by what objects you would like to spend time photographing. One thing to consider is that you can do some wide field astrophotography with a DSLR or micro 4/3's camera and standard lenses - but setup on a good EQ mount using a dovetail bolted on top of your telescope rings. If you are mainly interested in planetary and luna surface photography then you will need a long focal length OTA/telescope similar to Graham's 2000mm Schmit Cassegrain.
@@JenhamsAstro Yeah I know no scope does it all but I definitely want the "all rounder" SCT which will enable planetary photography plus allow a piggybacked DSLR (using the scope for guiding) for widefield stuff until, later, I might get a 80ED refractor. The issue is finding the SCT and a mount which will do the job under a grand. Well under a grand if possible. I honestly think many kit owners believe. their kit is worth RRP less 20%. (no matter the age, no matter the fact you're buying second hand, used, no service and no warranty.). I had an Astro Systems 8 inch reflector with the equivalent of, Id say, and eq3-2 mount (no drive) in the early 90s. I bought at about £850 and sold for £300 just a few years later (because marriage, kids you know the score). I never thought "I'll ask £600 for it".
@@Seafox0011 I know what I'm looking for (and you just about nailed it). It's just finding it. I'm not paying the ridiculous money the stores are asking.
@@markwelsh9068 Yes some used prices are unrealistic. If you are set on an SCT then one on a GEM will turn up. I’d avoid an old fork mount - most people defork serviceable older OTAs and use them on a GEM. As long as the mirror is bright and the corrector is not fogged, and you preferably get decent coatings, then a 10 yr+ 8” SCT tube should still be good for years. Target an OTA and EQ5 sized mount for £3-400 apiece.
Hi Just got the same scope have you got a dew heater or shield?
Not yet but I’ve got a foam shield on order.
So what was you're workflow if you don't mind?.
ASI3 to stack,25% of 2000, then Registax histogram stretch, colour balance and wavelets. Finally a bit of sharpening and contrast in Paintshop. The raw file isn’t good quality but I wanted to grab the transit nonetheless.
@@JenhamsAstro Thanks for that info! I have same camera I need to get my finger out and try it!!
I observed Ganymede do just this, what, 2 weeks ago? from back garden.
I tried my 10mm altair ultra flat but altitude and seeing was against it, however first light on the 24mm UF was spectacularly different, small but clear and sharp I sat and watched the pinhead shadow walk across the face of Jupiter from my back garden in Scotland; man that was something else!
@@Odysseuss. It’s amazing that we can see such a sight from our back gardens.