Thanks! ** Exactly** what I want to do - visual/EAA combo! I got a used C9.25 that came with 2” EPs (just the cheapo Celestron set) that give a huge fov compared with the old 1.25”s that came with my 40 year old C8. Would the 2” EPs fit that flipper thingy? Also, what are you running SharpCap on - did you say a SurfacePro or something?
Hi, first off thanks for the Super Thanks! Most of the flip mirrors are a 1.25". The one in this video is an older one that Meade made that is a 2"(Meade #647, you can only get them used). Software wise I used SharpCap Pro and the Surface pro is just my laptop of choice. Any windows laptop will run Sharpcap. Sounds like you trying to put together a nice EAA setup! Let me know if you have any other questions. Vlad.
Hi Vlad, this is a great video, thanks. I've got an F11 C14" and am planning to do some EAA alsop. Like you, I'm an mainly visual observer. I'd love to see a video about your 24" Dob! I imagine you'll need a new (larger) observatory for that sucker, right?! Clear skies
Very cool, yeah EAA will be amazing with the 14". Don't be scared to try it at f/11 if you have the appropriate mount. I will make a video about the 24" once I have a bit more time with it. But yes the current observatory is maxed out size wise with the 12" ACF that I have it in currently.
@@AVTAstro Yeah I look forward to seeing it! I have my 14 on a CGXL which so far I have really enjoyed. I've had to do a few adjustments to backlash as the mount is permanently outside and ius affected by temperture but apart from that all good. I do have an F7 reducer for the 14 but I think I will go F11 for the EAA, especially because the exposures will be much shorter! Clear skies Vlad
Thanks for sharing all this with us. Your older EAA video was helpful for me setting up my own EAA setup (please ignore the poor sentence formation :D ) I have a 8" F4 newtonian on a skywatcher neq6 mount with a QHY163c camera, I felt like I would need a wider FOV so I've recently aquired a skywatcher evoguide 50ED
Just bought a C925 and 0.63 reducer, so plan to give it a go with Sharpcap Pro live stacking, would love to see more videos of Live Stacking my friend, really interesting.
In the latest SHarpcap Pro if you hit the bullseye icon to the right hand drop down it will plate solve and centre your object subject to you having downloaded the appropriate databases, sorry if you know this lol
Yes but plate solving does not work too well at 3050mm focal length of the 12" Meade ACF. I actually usually do it with that 60mm ED scope on the bottom of it.
@@AVTAstro Ive found that sometimes you need to up the gain on the camera as sometimes it doesnt solve with my 115mm APO and its usually the camera at fault, luckily with the reducer my max fl will be about 1480mm
Thanks for the feedback! Mount wise the g11 is by far the best mount you can get for under $5000. Nothing even comes close. This thing is made in the USA and extremely well. You can call Losmandy in California and talk to the people that make the mount and get any part you may need for it. In order to get a better mount your looking at a $5+ Astrophysics / Paramount / ext.
Inspired by your vid I managed to find a used Meade 647 😊 - I have a C9.25 and wonder how you achieved back focus with it. I can’t quite see if there is a spacer between it and the SCT.
Sounds like you are having an issue with finding focus at the correct exposure ay night. If your neighbors light is fairly far away(at least half a mile) that should be about the same as focus in the night sky. At night make sure your pointed at a bright star(maybe Center it with the eyepiece first) and then start adjusting the gain up. Set the exposure to like 1.5sec. You should see the bright star on screen no problem. Focus on that and then you can move onto the dimmer stuff!
@@AVTAstro thanks Vlad - I’ll try the gain up and 1.5 secs. I had a really good pic of a neighbors Xmas lights bulb but only a few hundred yards away. I’d given up on the ZWO 585 and gone back to the little ZWO Mini - swapped it with the EP and twiddled the focus a bit. I thought aha! I’m almost there. Pointed at Jupiter - grey screen.. doh! The previous own of my 647 had replaced the SCT fitting with a nose - I put the SCT fitting back, How do you attach your 647 to a SCT? Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Are there any visual galaxy filters that you would recommend for my bortle 4 sky. I live on a very modest budget so I can't spend hundreds of dollars on a premium filter. Thanks for your content!
Unfortunately no matter the amount of money there is no galaxy filters worthwhile. Galaxies are a very broadband object(emit light in all waveleanghts) so filters don't work on them. The only filter is the gas filter to drive to a dark sky site;)
Hey again Vlad - I’ve (thanks to you again (my first stacked image!)) been using the Meade flip on my C9.25 with the 6.3 reducer into ASI Air plus. Been having a lot of fun. I even hooked up the 60mm guide cam that came with it and have been dithering and getting good results. I tried the Hyperstar once but I’m back here as I really prefer the visual/EAA combo (I have your pirate patch). I’d like to try f10 and noted that due to the narrow fov you said you sometimes plate solved with the little one to get on target. Can you elaborate? Could I use my 60mm guide scope with my ASI 294 MC on that? I have a cooled 294MC on order so it will be spare. Is it possible to find an object with a goto/solve on that one (or do you use the big one?) then Observe using the flip and finally EAA the target? I guess with the ASI Air plus I’d have to swap main guide cams each time but I’d be ok with that (or even have SharpCap as well)? Rgds, Patrick 21:08 - are you running SharpCap on both cams?
Thats exactly what I do. You need to accurately align the small scope to the big scope(you will need to have centering screw type rings to do this). Use the non cooled camera on the small scope and cooled camera on your 9.25. You need to run two instances of Sharpcap(just launch it twice). I do this with no issues. Hope this helps!
I am currently using the ASI air plus to control the mount as well. What are you using? I don’t think that sharp cap controls the mount - Carte de Ciel (or whatever it was?) do that?
Great video Vlad, and I am torn between EEA and visual astronomy. I will now be buying several flip mirrors for my scopes allowing me to do both. It’s a pity that it doesn’t get dark properly in the mid summer.
i have a 12" lx200gps and my buddy just gave me a meade flip mirror i just have to figure out the spacing. this would be awesome for outreach and star parties
Eventually I'll make a video on this subject. So far I have this blog post: avt-astro.com/reviews/telescopes/initial-impressions-of-moving-up-to-a-24-spicaeyes-f-3-1/
@@AVTAstro Sky Chart / Cartes du Ciel is your planetarium s/w - but how is your mount being directed and how does that movement show on Cartes du Ciel (assuming that’s what I see in the vid). Really is a great vid on F10. Also, what do you have between the Meade 647 and the scope? Just a spacer? That’s a whopping great scope!
I'd need to look at the software. I believe it's a plug-in that needs to be installed. I'll need to look next time I'm in the Observatory. That's a JMI focuser with steper motor. I can actually do auto focus with it!
Wow I literally just did this last night! I wanted that Edge HD 8 but I settled for a smaller scope C6 and a HyperStar with a ZWO ASI533MC Pro Cooled. Since I live near Chicago (insane skyglow), I wanted a more portable rig to drive out to darker locations. Doing EAA at F2 is insane especially with Sharpcap pro! Since I saved so much money on the scope, I invested in the Radian Triad Ultra F3 (Fast version) filter. I was imaging nebula right before my eyes near Chicago! Yes the FL is low at F2 but that is what zoom in Sharpcap is for LOL. I really like the eyepatch idea! You could use BackyardRED for you computer and it will turn everything red to not mess with your night vision. Thanks for the video. Clear Skies!
Yes a lot of people start with a fast setup witch is actually a good idea. Fast exposures and tracking is forgiving. But as Bosun has said using the zoom feature in SC does not give you a larger image scale. A good way to think of it is that its like optical zoom vs digital zoom on a camera. The optical zoom is actually giving you a larger image over the sensor. The digital zoom just makes everything more pixelated.
@@AVTAstro I agree with the pixelated zoom look but speeds up processing for use as a teaching aid for friends and family. I have to try this with the native and F6.3 when I get a chance. F2 sometimes causes over exposed objects. LOL yeah that is a nice problem to have with feint objects.
Especially since you have the flip mirror diagonal (and eye patch). You can visually see the object! Just switching to the camera to record what you see! Same photons as your eye sees. Only enhanced by SharpCap! Great video.
Yeah, for me this is the ultimate way of doing this. It's not easy in a since you do need to keep one eye covered for it to be effective. But especially in my observatory environment it works really well for me. Most objects look better on the screen, but some look better with the eyeball such as open clusters and even some nebula.
Simply, and softly, fabulous. A real guy doing real astronomy. Terrific.
Thanks for the kind feedback. Glad the videos convey that simple fact;) I love Astronomy!
Thanks! ** Exactly** what I want to do - visual/EAA combo! I got a used C9.25 that came with 2” EPs (just the cheapo Celestron set) that give a huge fov compared with the old 1.25”s that came with my 40 year old C8. Would the 2” EPs fit that flipper thingy? Also, what are you running SharpCap on - did you say a SurfacePro or something?
Hi, first off thanks for the Super Thanks! Most of the flip mirrors are a 1.25". The one in this video is an older one that Meade made that is a 2"(Meade #647, you can only get them used). Software wise I used SharpCap Pro and the Surface pro is just my laptop of choice. Any windows laptop will run Sharpcap. Sounds like you trying to put together a nice EAA setup! Let me know if you have any other questions. Vlad.
Hi Vlad, this is a great video, thanks. I've got an F11 C14" and am planning to do some EAA alsop. Like you, I'm an mainly visual observer.
I'd love to see a video about your 24" Dob! I imagine you'll need a new (larger) observatory for that sucker, right?! Clear skies
Very cool, yeah EAA will be amazing with the 14". Don't be scared to try it at f/11 if you have the appropriate mount. I will make a video about the 24" once I have a bit more time with it. But yes the current observatory is maxed out size wise with the 12" ACF that I have it in currently.
@@AVTAstro Yeah I look forward to seeing it! I have my 14 on a CGXL which so far I have really enjoyed. I've had to do a few adjustments to backlash as the mount is permanently outside and ius affected by temperture but apart from that all good. I do have an F7 reducer for the 14 but I think I will go F11 for the EAA, especially because the exposures will be much shorter! Clear skies Vlad
Thanks for sharing all this with us. Your older EAA video was helpful for me setting up my own EAA setup (please ignore the poor sentence formation :D ) I have a 8" F4 newtonian on a skywatcher neq6 mount with a QHY163c camera, I felt like I would need a wider FOV so I've recently aquired a skywatcher evoguide 50ED
Sounds like you have a very nice setup going on! Yes its hard to get all objects at a decent image scale with just one scope. Two are really needed.
Just bought a C925 and 0.63 reducer, so plan to give it a go with Sharpcap Pro live stacking, would love to see more videos of Live Stacking my friend, really interesting.
Congrats on the sct setup! I'll try to put together a few more videos on EAA.
In the latest SHarpcap Pro if you hit the bullseye icon to the right hand drop down it will plate solve and centre your object subject to you having downloaded the appropriate databases, sorry if you know this lol
Yes but plate solving does not work too well at 3050mm focal length of the 12" Meade ACF. I actually usually do it with that 60mm ED scope on the bottom of it.
@@AVTAstro Ive found that sometimes you need to up the gain on the camera as sometimes it doesnt solve with my 115mm APO and its usually the camera at fault, luckily with the reducer my max fl will be about 1480mm
Good video and great to readily see the results. Quick question, can you tell me why you settled on the Losmandy G11 mount?
Thanks for the feedback! Mount wise the g11 is by far the best mount you can get for under $5000. Nothing even comes close. This thing is made in the USA and extremely well. You can call Losmandy in California and talk to the people that make the mount and get any part you may need for it. In order to get a better mount your looking at a $5+ Astrophysics / Paramount / ext.
I do EAA with my Setup. Captured so many Faint objects So far. Visual and EAA both are Enjoyable in Different ways!
Great to hear, glad you are enjoying it as much as me👍
Inspired by your vid I managed to find a used Meade 647 😊 - I have a C9.25 and wonder how you achieved back focus with it. I can’t quite see if there is a spacer between it and the SCT.
On an SCT you don't really need to worry about backspacing.
That’s what I thought, but I can’t seem to get any focus on the camera.
On any software, ASI air, sharp cap I just get a grey screen. I managed to focus on a Neighbors porch light last night, but that’s it
Sounds like you are having an issue with finding focus at the correct exposure ay night. If your neighbors light is fairly far away(at least half a mile) that should be about the same as focus in the night sky. At night make sure your pointed at a bright star(maybe Center it with the eyepiece first) and then start adjusting the gain up. Set the exposure to like 1.5sec. You should see the bright star on screen no problem. Focus on that and then you can move onto the dimmer stuff!
@@AVTAstro thanks Vlad - I’ll try the gain up and 1.5 secs. I had a really good pic of a neighbors Xmas lights bulb but only a few hundred yards away. I’d given up on the ZWO 585 and gone back to the little ZWO Mini - swapped it with the EP and twiddled the focus a bit. I thought aha! I’m almost there. Pointed at Jupiter - grey screen.. doh! The previous own of my 647 had replaced the SCT fitting with a nose - I put the SCT fitting back, How do you attach your 647 to a SCT? Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Are there any visual galaxy filters that you would recommend for my bortle 4 sky. I live on a very modest budget so I can't spend hundreds of dollars on a premium filter. Thanks for your content!
Unfortunately no matter the amount of money there is no galaxy filters worthwhile. Galaxies are a very broadband object(emit light in all waveleanghts) so filters don't work on them. The only filter is the gas filter to drive to a dark sky site;)
LOL! Gas filter.😂
Can an Eq6r handle this?
Sure can as long as your using a c8. Maybe be able to do a c9.25".
I mean the 12 inch Meade:) Certainly not I guess then .
Hey again Vlad - I’ve (thanks to you again (my first stacked image!)) been using the Meade flip on my C9.25 with the 6.3 reducer into ASI Air plus. Been having a lot of fun. I even hooked up the 60mm guide cam that came with it and have been dithering and getting good results. I tried the Hyperstar once but I’m back here as I really prefer the visual/EAA combo (I have your pirate patch). I’d like to try f10 and noted that due to the narrow fov you said you sometimes plate solved with the little one to get on target. Can you elaborate? Could I use my 60mm guide scope with my ASI 294 MC on that? I have a cooled 294MC on order so it will be spare. Is it possible to find an object with a goto/solve on that one (or do you use the big one?) then Observe using the flip and finally EAA the target? I guess with the ASI Air plus I’d have to swap main guide cams each time but I’d be ok with that (or even have SharpCap as well)? Rgds, Patrick
21:08 - are you running SharpCap on both cams?
Thats exactly what I do. You need to accurately align the small scope to the big scope(you will need to have centering screw type rings to do this). Use the non cooled camera on the small scope and cooled camera on your 9.25. You need to run two instances of Sharpcap(just launch it twice). I do this with no issues. Hope this helps!
I am currently using the ASI air plus to control the mount as well. What are you using? I don’t think that sharp cap controls the mount - Carte de Ciel (or whatever it was?) do that?
Yes I use the laptop to control the mount as well.
@@AVTAstro great recommend on the Sue French book
Glad you like it, I find it a must for a DSO observer!
Great video Vlad, and I am torn between EEA and visual astronomy. I will now be buying several flip mirrors for my scopes allowing me to do both. It’s a pity that it doesn’t get dark properly in the mid summer.
Well the nice thing about EAA is that it work well even with a sky that's not really dark!
i have a 12" lx200gps and my buddy just gave me a meade flip mirror i just have to figure out the spacing. this would be awesome for outreach and star parties
Yeah spacing can be tricky depending on the eyepiece. I actually had to 3d print a custom 1.25" adapter to reach focus with the ES 24mm 68*.
Great video! I'm curious what astro-camera you were using?
Hi, the main scope is running an ASI 294mc Pro.
Awesome video!
Thabks, I appreciate the nice feedback!
If possible, I would like to see a live cell phone view of m51 through your big dob. I have an 8 in and I can barely even tell that it's there.
Yeah a galaxy will be tough even with a 24". If it's a planetary nebula or globular cluster then I'm pretty sure even a cell phone capture will look 👍
Are there plans out there for the observatory shed that you use? It looks like something that might work for me. Thanks.
Hi, plan was in my head. I did make a video about putting it up though that's on my channel.
Thanks!
Appreciate it! Thanks!
The plate solve was in SharpCap as well?
Yes, with Sharpcap Pro you can do plate solving.
What can you actually see visually with your 24 in dob?
Eventually I'll make a video on this subject. So far I have this blog post: avt-astro.com/reviews/telescopes/initial-impressions-of-moving-up-to-a-24-spicaeyes-f-3-1/
What program do you use for guiding?
I usualy don't guide for EAA.
I am sorry Vlad I meant what program do you use for tracking and go to
SkyChart / Cartes du Ciel
@@AVTAstro Sky Chart / Cartes du Ciel is your planetarium s/w - but how is your mount being directed and how does that movement show on Cartes du Ciel (assuming that’s what I see in the vid). Really is a great vid on F10. Also, what do you have between the Meade 647 and the scope? Just a spacer? That’s a whopping great scope!
I'd need to look at the software. I believe it's a plug-in that needs to be installed. I'll need to look next time I'm in the Observatory.
That's a JMI focuser with steper motor. I can actually do auto focus with it!
Insane custom shed setup for enormous home telescope… records screen with phone…
All correct🤣👍
That's not a galaxy, that's the owl nebula!!! 😮😉
Lol
Wow I literally just did this last night! I wanted that Edge HD 8 but I settled for a smaller scope C6 and a HyperStar with a ZWO ASI533MC Pro Cooled. Since I live near Chicago (insane skyglow), I wanted a more portable rig to drive out to darker locations. Doing EAA at F2 is insane especially with Sharpcap pro! Since I saved so much money on the scope, I invested in the Radian Triad Ultra F3 (Fast version) filter. I was imaging nebula right before my eyes near Chicago! Yes the FL is low at F2 but that is what zoom in Sharpcap is for LOL. I really like the eyepatch idea! You could use BackyardRED for you computer and it will turn everything red to not mess with your night vision. Thanks for the video. Clear Skies!
Sharpcap zoom can’t give you resolution
Yes a lot of people start with a fast setup witch is actually a good idea. Fast exposures and tracking is forgiving. But as Bosun has said using the zoom feature in SC does not give you a larger image scale. A good way to think of it is that its like optical zoom vs digital zoom on a camera. The optical zoom is actually giving you a larger image over the sensor. The digital zoom just makes everything more pixelated.
@@AVTAstro I agree with the pixelated zoom look but speeds up processing for use as a teaching aid for friends and family. I have to try this with the native and F6.3 when I get a chance. F2 sometimes causes over exposed objects. LOL yeah that is a nice problem to have with feint objects.
So not really seeing visually... Very interesting but its really 'live' astrophotography on a computer.
Yeah, that's about as good of a description I can think of for EAA. Still feels closer to visual to me than to Astrophotography.
Especially since you have the flip mirror diagonal (and eye patch). You can visually see the object! Just switching to the camera to record what you see! Same photons as your eye sees. Only enhanced by SharpCap! Great video.
Yeah, for me this is the ultimate way of doing this. It's not easy in a since you do need to keep one eye covered for it to be effective. But especially in my observatory environment it works really well for me. Most objects look better on the screen, but some look better with the eyeball such as open clusters and even some nebula.