A really excellent educational video. No. B.S. and no filler. I received a nice ASI camera for Christmas last year but have yet to try any astrophotography. This video very much helped me understand the importance and practical use of Hyperstar. Thanks for making and posting the video and for additional source material.
Excellent video - I had a book of questions about the hyperstar, especially as it is a fairly chunky investment for non professionals but now I'm reassured that when it finally arrives I know what to expect - cheers :)
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
Agree, thanks Curtis...had no idea of the Hyperstar device, I have a CPC800XLT and I would love to explore placing a Camera on the front, so I shall organise a purchase of the Hyperstar for the 8" scope soon. I'd be interested in your thoughts on "Deforking" said CPC Telescopes too?....cheers Clint - Melbourne.
Clint, I have no experience with a CPC so I can't give any feedback on deforking. Alt-Az mounts are very nice for their simplicity in setup but putting the 8" on an EQ mount will give you more options. Good luck!
The hyperstar basically turns the scope into a very fast compact Dob that can only be used for astrophotography when attached due to the view point being in front of the scope. Both require quite a beefy mount, the short f2 SCT will have an advantage over a f4 dob might require a less expensive mount but the scope will likely cost more. Both have an advantage of fast imaging. The SCT will take a bit more work to go from viewing to photography and yes the focal ratio will change a LOT, great for planets but one might want a reducer. I think using large Dobs for astrophotography is quite similar and underrated, even the self contained tracking models with not so great tracking do pretty good due to the short exposure times required.
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.
Thank you for the excellent video, which made me confused, why does everyone who owns a hyperstar make it a simple installation!!!??? Why don't you provide a full explanation for it,,, You make this part easy and simple when it is completely different,,, It is extremely difficult, I hope I don't find anyone who says to contact the responsible company!! I didn't hear from them anything but (measuring the hyperstar) Correct!!!! Oh my God,,, I didn't find the answer to the focus, I didn't find the answer to the tilt of the hyperstar,,, I think and I may be somewhat certain that F2 is the core of the problem and not the focus or the telescope and so on,,, The hyperstar needs a solution to more than one problem, who can solve it??
This depends upon a lot of factors. If you are shooting in a heavily light polluted location a narrow band filter will do the most to suppress the light pollution but these are only good for emission nebula and you should consider one that is designed to work best at f/2. I would consider this one from Optolong bit.ly/3BvnNnt. For all other deep sky targets you can consider a broader band filter like this one from Optolong bit.ly/4iLgMzv which will suppress a lot of background light pollution but still let in much of the broad band light from stars, galaxies and reflection nebulae. If you are imaging from dark skies and your camera doesn't have an IR filter consider one of those to help get pin point stars.
I always use a cooled camera with the hyperstar or any other configuration when I am doing traditional astrophotography. If I am doing EAA it depends upon which camera I am using since I have two cooled cameras and three uncooled cameras. A cooled camera is helpful for EAA just as it is for astrophotography, but if you are in a heavily light polluted area the light pollution will dominate the noise so that camera cooling doesn't have much impact. And a cooled camera is generally $200 more expensive which many people cannot afford. Just use dark frame subtraction and that will help a lot.
Absolutely it can and an 8" SCT is considered the sweet spot for SCT apertures for cost, weight and performance. Here are the affiliate links to two different vendors I use often, one on the east coast and one on the west coast. I added links for the Hyperstar and for a Bahtinov mask which I find very helpful for focusing. For the Hyperstar you just have to select the camera you intend to use from the pull down menu, and select CPC Series with Fastar Secondary and Alt-Az mount. Good luck! HighPoint Scientific: 8SE bit.ly/3SayAWF Hyperstar for 8" bit.ly/3ZnXyqc Bahtinov Mask bit.ly/3PpfSuR Agena Astro 8SE bit.ly/3Ww735m Bahtinov Mask for focusing bit.ly/466L6O8
Not really. ZWO lists any non-cooled camera as either a planetary camera of a guide camera. But if you check more detail you will see that many of the so-called planetary cameras are also listed as good for DSO. I would consider the 533 to be a good DSO camera whether cooled or uncooled.
Fantastic video, Curtis. I found it very helpful! 👍👍
Thanks for letting me know.
Always good to meet another HyperStar EAA fan. Absolute game changer for those of us living in light polluted suburbs.
Still watching videos and thinking. Thanks.
Great video. Thanksf or taking the time and putting in all of that info. Really enjoyable.
Thank Curtis. Your videos is really clear and helpful
A really excellent educational video. No. B.S. and no filler. I received a nice ASI camera for Christmas last year but have yet to try any astrophotography. This video very much helped me understand the importance and practical use of Hyperstar. Thanks for making and posting the video and for additional source material.
Glad you found it helpful.
Very good video and explanation Curtis! It was really helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent video - I had a book of questions about the hyperstar, especially as it is a fairly chunky investment for non professionals but now I'm reassured that when it finally arrives I know what to expect - cheers :)
Thanks.
A Brilliant video thank you,
I will be making the investment soon,
It’s really helped me to understand,
Thank you Sir 👍
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
Agree, thanks Curtis...had no idea of the Hyperstar device, I have a CPC800XLT and I would love to explore placing a Camera on the front, so I shall organise a purchase of the Hyperstar for the 8" scope soon. I'd be interested in your thoughts on "Deforking" said CPC Telescopes too?....cheers Clint - Melbourne.
Clint, I have no experience with a CPC so I can't give any feedback on deforking. Alt-Az mounts are very nice for their simplicity in setup but putting the 8" on an EQ mount will give you more options. Good luck!
The hyperstar basically turns the scope into a very fast compact Dob that can only be used for astrophotography when attached due to the view point being in front of the scope. Both require quite a beefy mount, the short f2 SCT will have an advantage over a f4 dob might require a less expensive mount but the scope will likely cost more. Both have an advantage of fast imaging. The SCT will take a bit more work to go from viewing to photography and yes the focal ratio will change a LOT, great for planets but one might want a reducer. I think using large Dobs for astrophotography is quite similar and underrated, even the self contained tracking models with not so great tracking do pretty good due to the short exposure times required.
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.
Yeah, the Bahtinov mask fits good. But how do you put it in place when the cables are connected?
There is also a Hyperstar for the 9.25 SCT
Didn't I say that in the video. There just is no conversion kit for the older 9.25" SCTs.
Sorry, you are right! Anyways, great video with a lot of information@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740
Thank you for the excellent video, which made me confused, why does everyone who owns a hyperstar make it a simple installation!!!??? Why don't you provide a full explanation for it,,, You make this part easy and simple when it is completely different,,, It is extremely difficult, I hope I don't find anyone who says to contact the responsible company!! I didn't hear from them anything but (measuring the hyperstar) Correct!!!! Oh my God,,, I didn't find the answer to the focus, I didn't find the answer to the tilt of the hyperstar,,, I think and I may be somewhat certain that F2 is the core of the problem and not the focus or the telescope and so on,,, The hyperstar needs a solution to more than one problem, who can solve it??
Do you have any recommendations for filters for your Hyperstar? I know it depends on what targets you are shooting
This depends upon a lot of factors. If you are shooting in a heavily light polluted location a narrow band filter will do the most to suppress the light pollution but these are only good for emission nebula and you should consider one that is designed to work best at f/2. I would consider this one from Optolong bit.ly/3BvnNnt. For all other deep sky targets you can consider a broader band filter like this one from Optolong bit.ly/4iLgMzv which will suppress a lot of background light pollution but still let in much of the broad band light from stars, galaxies and reflection nebulae. If you are imaging from dark skies and your camera doesn't have an IR filter consider one of those to help get pin point stars.
👍🏼
Why do you use uncooled cameras with hyperstar?
I always use a cooled camera with the hyperstar or any other configuration when I am doing traditional astrophotography. If I am doing EAA it depends upon which camera I am using since I have two cooled cameras and three uncooled cameras. A cooled camera is helpful for EAA just as it is for astrophotography, but if you are in a heavily light polluted area the light pollution will dominate the noise so that camera cooling doesn't have much impact. And a cooled camera is generally $200 more expensive which many people cannot afford. Just use dark frame subtraction and that will help a lot.
Can hyperstar be installed on Celestron 8SE. If yes, link to purchase please
Absolutely it can and an 8" SCT is considered the sweet spot for SCT apertures for cost, weight and performance. Here are the affiliate links to two different vendors I use often, one on the east coast and one on the west coast. I added links for the Hyperstar and for a Bahtinov mask which I find very helpful for focusing. For the Hyperstar you just have to select the camera you intend to use from the pull down menu, and select CPC Series with Fastar Secondary and Alt-Az mount.
Good luck!
HighPoint Scientific:
8SE bit.ly/3SayAWF
Hyperstar for 8" bit.ly/3ZnXyqc
Bahtinov Mask bit.ly/3PpfSuR
Agena Astro
8SE bit.ly/3Ww735m
Bahtinov Mask for focusing bit.ly/466L6O8
Use this link for the Bahtinov mask with the hyperstar from HighPoint bit.ly/3rkzA2L
Using a planetary camera ?
Not really. ZWO lists any non-cooled camera as either a planetary camera of a guide camera. But if you check more detail you will see that many of the so-called planetary cameras are also listed as good for DSO. I would consider the 533 to be a good DSO camera whether cooled or uncooled.