Good stuff! built like a real engineer to a problem! Looking forward to try this with mine Any concerns with dust coming in from the back opening to the mirror? Although dust would come in from the front anyways.
I did this mod to my wife's 130. It took 25mm to get my Nikon to focus with a 10mm adapter. In my case it was necessary to snug up the focuser using the set screws because the weight of the camera was making it sag. I added a 25mm T2 extension to the 1.25" eyepiece holder to compensate for moving the primary. I simply epoxied the eyepiece holder inside the T2 extension tube. Now all my eyepieces focus near the middle of the focuser range.
Having just purchased this scope and looking to try some prime focusing with it, I've come across a few different variations of this mod. Yours definitely seems to be the most straightforward. Can't wait to try it - thanks for posting!
I think you are in the UK when I saw "Ta". If you haven't done the mod yet I posted the list of bits from the UK suppliers, plus some nice locking bolts I used. Look in my comment above. Clear skies.
Thank you for a really good video where you describe how to move the mirror, now I dare to try it myself, so now I just have to get hold of those screws ... Sincerely, Heino from Denmark
Hate to say it, but did some research on this for a camera customer. If you unscrew the nosepiece and use a skinny 1mm thick m42 to Eos adapter , instead of a 11mm thick T mount adapter, you can achieve prime focus without moving the mirror. There is a video on here somewhere doing this.
Thanks for a great video. Successfully applied the technique to an Astromaster 130EQ. I had a similar issue with the stock 20mm eyepiece, and even with extension it wouldn’t focus. A replacement Svbony wide angled eyepiece works well (with the extension).
let me know if its the same. I'm not sure if it like the Celestron 8in I have seen I don't think it is the same style of primary mirror mount and the spacer idea may not work.
Just ordered all the hardware from amazon, and Belmetric im really excited to try this out thank you very much for the tutorial I was looking all over for one like this! I will let you know if everything goes swell thanks again.
I'm planning to buy some standoffs and studs from McMaster-Carr, but I couldn't find the exact length in a video I watched. I selected 10, 15, and 20-mm standoffs and similar studs, but I'm still unsure if they're the right ones. It's unfortunate that the telescope was designed for a DSLR, but I can see why. It's great for viewing objects visually, but Newtonian scopes can also capture amazing shots. Modifying it for a cheap DSLR seems like a worthwhile investment if you have one lying around. I saw a UA-cam video of someone who modified their 130slt with a cheap DSLR camera and took amazing photos of Andromeda. I've wanted to try it myself but haven't had the chance because I've been so busy. Anyway, sorry for rambling; I was outside with an SCT capturing images of an elliptical binary star, "SV CAM," after having some Red Bulls and coffee. I just can't stop talking now. Thanks, and clear skies!
Nice., Just subscribed. Ya know, if you have a long x2 Barlow, you can unscrew the hollow tube and use what is left, giving you a x1.5 Barlow. That worked with my Orion Observer 134mm Newtonian. Ultimately, I bought an Orion Space Probe 130mm Newtonian, which has two spacers on the focuser and you can remove one to attain focus if you need to.
Chris, Finally I have found just what I've been looking for! Great Mod! I'm new at this stuff, however your video is worth watching, appreciate you sharing this information. Do you have an email address where we can submit any questions?
Hi, Same here... Did you mod it ? I saw that the mirrorless cameras can prime focus directly without mod. Looks like some Sony are really decent on long exposure as well but I haven't tried for myself.
@@art83z I did but I discovered that I can't focus any planet, just the moon, for normal observation, so you have to use a barlow. Haven't try with that camera I'm using a Canon 550D.
@@art83z if u don't wanna mess with that mod taking off or on everytime you use the telescope u need the Barlow. You may lose some brightness but it's OK and you have both options at the same time 👍
Congratulations! I'm sure you're happy that modification got you closer to where you want to be. And it doesn't have to be a permanent modification. Put together kits with instructions and you'll sell... a few? ;)
Thanks, Yea it works great and the best part is its not permanent true that. I never thought about selling a package, I put it out there so folks could do it them selves and get more out of the scope. Keep looking up and enjoy the view from our Blue Marble.
Excellent mod and explanation sir. What is that focuser knob on your scope right side? Also, did you have to take all thiae light, dark images I hear people doing then stacking them?. I'm very new to this and if that's the case, can you explain the procedure you use to do it? Thank you.
Also, both of my Nikon cameras focus perfectly in the 130slt. One is a FF Nikon D610, and other is tine sensor Nikon 1 V2 with a crop factor of 2.7. So I'm thinking I don't need the mod? What do you think?
The knob is a manual electronic focuser ( another video). Yes you should take at least the light flats for better stacked images. Unless your taking images from a lab clean room...lol
Great video Chris, I'm thinking of cutting the heads off three m5 x 50mm bolts and using them to replace the existing studs, rather than buying couplings and studs. I can then install a couple of friction nuts on each stud to adjust the desired gap. What I was hoping you might know is how difficult it is to remove the old studs? Again fantastic insight.
Some of the studs are glued in place. You can remove them with solvent or heat. Heat the studs and as your doing that carefully try and unscrew the studs. Hopefully it will work out for you
Thanks for the tutorial very very awesome I love it I got a 20 mm standoff and 30 mm studs the only thing is that I might need to get is finishing washers one size down I put some on that are a tad bit too big but they work and I'm very happy thank you for the content brotendo. 😁
I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I followed your directions but can only focus so far. Don't think I could focus on the moon. Do you know if colmination can effect that. I am a little off. Thanks for a very helpful video
What camera are you using? What was the length of the spacers? Out of culmination might make it look a little out of focus. Is the focuser racked all the way inward? If so have you tried to see if using a barlow allows you to find focus, If so then you did not move the morrow far enough forward.
I have a question, I got a camera, neximage 10 I have a 130 SLT, but I have a problem when I use te camera on it, I can’t get a well focus, looks blurry, the problem is on the focuser it can’t get more close to the secondary mirror, this mod can help with mi problem, I can still using barlow lens 3X?
Yes it will allow focus without the batlow. I know you can still use a 2x after the modifacatiin but have never tried a 3x, so i do not know if a 3x barlow will still provide good focus.
Thank you 😊. I got the SLT 130 one week ago and will do this mod (although I was trying to buy a Sony A5000 used...in that case the prime focus can be achieved without mod) The only thing that I was thinking off is to have the standoffs 15mm instead of 20. I tried the prime focus with my nikon and basically with the 2inch adapter I cannot prime focus for les than a centimeter :( If I remove all t rings and get the sensor directly it will prime focus...but there's nothing left to hold the camera 😋😋 I'll also have to cut those double ends and take off 5mm. What do you think ? Or should I play safe and go for 20mm on the standoffs? Thanks again...great job... Clear skies from Albania (EU) ;)
That's cool about the Sony camera. But for the standoff question I'm not sure if you should go with a shorter one or not that entirely up to you. With my setup it still does not give me much room for error.
@@AstroPatio just finished the mod... I left a couple of mm less (deeper) than what you did... I noticed that the 9mm and 25mm eyepieces need the Barlow tube (without the barlow lens) but it's still fine....very usable indeed. The 4mm eyepiece doesn't need the extension...it worked fine directly. Thanks again and happy holidays.
Chris, I watched your video for the mod, I have just modified my Celestron nexstar 130slt just the same as you have. My question now is, once I mount my camera in the eye piece via the T ring, I'm using a Nikon D40 for imaging. Question, how do you focus on deep sky objects while looking in the camera finder and to obtain sharp focus? I can barely see the images in my camera finder. Especially the Orion neb. M42,- My scope is on line and properly aligned, so I know I'm on target, but I can't obtain sharp focus. Not enough like coming thru OTA to light up the camera finder view. Can you offer any pointers on how to obtain a sharp focus?
Find a bright star close to the object you want to focus on and use it to achive focus, then slew to the object you want to photograph. Also when you focus on the star a Bahtinov mask does help. Check out my video on the mask.
By oculars ( sorry big word for me) you mean eye piece yes it did not change much just might need an extenion tube for some of the eye peaces to focus correctly.
Absolutely fantastic Chris. Thank you for sharing this! Very informative. Glad you added parts to this as well. I have two questions, how much "forward" distance did your mirror eliminate with this spacer mod. Also, did you have to adjust the secondary mirror at the eye piece? Happy 4th!
The spacers moved the Prime mirror 13/16 of an inch forward, which gave me about a total of 1/16 of an inch to focus with before the focuser was completely in the down position. No i did not move the secondary mirror. I figured it need to stay in the center of the eyepiece.
Hello Chris, one more question - while imaging DSO objects with DSLR, after shooting let's say, 80 to 100 light frames, what about the Dark, Bias and flats? My DSLR, Nikon D40 is what I'm using for now until I purchase astro camera. I understand how to shoot the frames and what not, but how do I shoot the Bias and flats and dark while the camera is mounted and remains pointed at DSO object? What shutter speeds do I set my camera. The camera will not work on auto while the camera lens not mounted, The camera mounted on the OTA via T ring. Could you offer any advise or links that will explain this? Thanks
The scope does not need to stay pointed at the object. Darks and bias need to be taken back to back at the same temeture as the lights so its better to do those right after the lights. For dark just put the telescope cover on maybe put a dark cloth over it just to make sure no stray light gets thru and shoot 30 to 60 frames at the same settings as the light frames. Then just take the shutter speed as fast as the camer can for the dias, same amount of frames. For the flats leave the camera attachsed in the same orintation and can be done in the morning if you dont have a evenly lit light sourse. I use a flat drawing pannel. For flats just point your scope to a point in the sky and put on a white cloth like a pillow case or tshirt. Make sure its pulled tight with no wrenkles use a rubberband. If you can see the histagram on your camera adjust the shutter till the high point of the histagram is close to center, take the same number of frames as the darks.
@@AstroPatio THANKS Chris!! Much appreciated. I joined the NHAC as of today. Hope you to meet you soon and others. I want to learn more about Astronomy and using my telescope. This is fun!!!
I just want to make sure the double threaded piece is butted up against the bottom thread in the base tight so it won't untread from the collar when calamateing the scope.
I understand there are a few camera body's that can achieve prime focus, so try your camera first before doing the mod. Also remember you can undo the mod at any time.
Good video bro, could you tell me wich barlow lens do you use in this video (link please)? i will like to use the barlow lens before the modification mirror. thx. pd: sorry for my english, i don't speak very well, i hope that you understand me.
@@AstroPatio hello friend, i have another question and i hope that you help me. in the double end studs is necessary the separation of the short thread and large thread?, i only found double end studs without separation. thank you!
Hello I’m in the process of purchasing and building one of these myself I have a question if you actually got the extension adapter for your smaller pasal eyepieces? And what size you got.
No i did not need to use the second standoff, yes it will give you more wiggle room for the camera but it effects the use of eyepieces. As it is with one standoff some of my eyepieces need an extension tube for further back focus to use.
I recently purchased the Celesteron nexstar 130slt as well as a canon eos 2000d for astrophotography. I used the same parts listed in the description and did the modification however, I am still not able to get it to be focused in prime. The only way I can get it focused is with a Barlow lens but I do not want to use that for larger objects such as the moon. Any idea how I can fix this?
Yea the Barlow does cut off to much. You are just using the canon t-ring screwed directly onto the t-ring threads of the eyepiece holder insert, nothing else between the camera and the scope? I’m not sure if the sensor is further back in the camera housing for that canon, I would suggest to put a nut on first on each threaded stud of the mirror plate screwed all the way down before adding the standoff spacer to bring it up just a little bit further, or a longer standoff.
I had the same issue and couldn’t locate equivalent studs anywhere in the UK. So I tweaked the parts list using parts available from RS UK and it worked a treat, with the same scope 130 SLT. Kept the same stud and spacer lengths and threads, though my studs are threaded across the whole length (still works fine). This has brought my mirror inwards by about an inch, everything feels solid and I can now get prime focus with my DSLR. Parts bought: M5 x 20mm steel spacers RS stock no 205-3072 M5 x 30mm zinc plated steel studs RS stock no 175-6987 M5 x 50 steel screws (for locking collimation) RS stock no 917-2820 M5 Rosette washers RS stock no 664-5000 The washers above will do though I ended up mounting them upside down so that the curved bit went on top of the spacer, with the flat edge retaining the spring. Because they were a bit on the small side to use the other way round. This worked for me and the spring doesn’t slip off, though a slightly wider washer would be neater. All in its still about £35 from RS but a lot better than the hefty delivery charge from the US. Thanks to AstroPatio for the great video tutorial!
Yes I did get one I think after my 3rd or 4th video. Thanks for the feed back any suggestions are happily taken. Remember to look up and enjoy the view from our Blue Marble.
If it basically the same setup then I would image it will work. Just give it a try if you want too it should not mess up the scope unless you forced things and you can always take it back off. I have taken mine off and put it back on for trial and error before.
Has anyone converted the screw and coupling sizes to imperial measurements. I want to get them from my local hardware store so I don’t have to wait for them to ship
@@AstroPatio yeah your right. I went out and bought 10-24 screws and some studs in hopes of it fitting, it didn’t. I was able to find M5 metric locking screws and the #8 washers but the studs and couplings I had to order. Also I really enjoy your videos you are single handedly supplying all the information available for the nexstar 130. Keep it up!
Is better to modify a mirrorless camera for h-alpha than modify that telescope. The mirrorless camera will reach prime focus without having to modify the telescope.
I think I contracted parkinson’s just watching this! But hey! This is real gutsy what you did here! Ive never seen anyone take out their main mirrors! Kudos
Utilizzare le viti e i distanziali insieme per spostare lo specchio in avanti nel tubo. Spostano il punto AF in avanti per consentire al punto AF di essere più indietro nel focheggiatore porta-occhi invece che nell'aborto.
Good stuff! built like a real engineer to a problem! Looking forward to try this with mine
Any concerns with dust coming in from the back opening to the mirror? Although dust would come in from the front anyways.
My primary mirror does not get any dirtier faster with the space in the back that I have noticed.
you could try with high density foam cut at the shape of the tube
I know this video is 6 years old, but it was very helpful to me in 2024. Thanks for taking the time to post this mod.
I did this mod to my wife's 130. It took 25mm to get my Nikon to focus with a 10mm adapter. In my case it was necessary to snug up the focuser using the set screws because the weight of the camera was making it sag. I added a 25mm T2 extension to the 1.25" eyepiece holder to compensate for moving the primary. I simply epoxied the eyepiece holder inside the T2 extension tube. Now all my eyepieces focus near the middle of the focuser range.
Having just purchased this scope and looking to try some prime focusing with it, I've come across a few different variations of this mod. Yours definitely seems to be the most straightforward. Can't wait to try it - thanks for posting!
This is the best mod l`ve seen so far, well done and thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the feed back. Clear skies and keep looking up and enjoying the view from our blue marble.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video! I've been looking for a fix for this for over a month. Glad I found your video :)
Great video Bud! Still relevant after 5 years, I'll attempt this in the near future. Ta
I think you are in the UK when I saw "Ta". If you haven't done the mod yet I posted the list of bits from the UK suppliers, plus some nice locking bolts I used. Look in my comment above. Clear skies.
Thank you for a really good video where you describe how to move the mirror, now I dare to try it myself, so now I just have to get hold of those screws ... Sincerely, Heino from Denmark
Hate to say it, but did some research on this for a camera customer. If you unscrew the nosepiece and use a skinny 1mm thick m42 to Eos adapter , instead of a 11mm thick T mount adapter, you can achieve prime focus without moving the mirror. There is a video on here somewhere doing this.
I've been looking for a tutorial like this for weeks and finally found it, thanks man!
Thanks for a great video. Successfully applied the technique to an Astromaster 130EQ. I had a similar issue with the stock 20mm eyepiece, and even with extension it wouldn’t focus. A replacement Svbony wide angled eyepiece works well (with the extension).
Thank you, sir! I was so close to trimming my 8" Orion when I decided to check youtube 1 more time. And there you were!
let me know if its the same. I'm not sure if it like the Celestron 8in I have seen I don't think it is the same style of primary mirror mount and the spacer idea may not work.
Thank you so much. This is a great mod and it allows me to use my eye-pieces and my DSLR!!!
Just ordered all the hardware from amazon, and Belmetric im really excited to try this out thank you very much for the tutorial I was looking all over for one like this! I will let you know if everything goes swell thanks again.
First light was amazing thanks again for the tutorial I captured the leo triplets and orions nebula so amazing
Well explained and useful video with a low cost solution to a common astrophotography problem. Thanks Chris.
Very ingenious sir! Hats off for your mastery!
Great Video. That what I was looking for as I wanted to do same thing with my astromaster 130q. Thank you
Nice video. Have got try this, when I get to the photography point.
Great video, very helpful. and you got the laundry done!
Glad it was helpful! Yea i have to pay more attention to whats going on around me as i make videos.
If any is wondering the standoff are 20 mm in length and the studs are 30 millimeters in length.
thank you
I'm planning to buy some standoffs and studs from McMaster-Carr, but I couldn't find the exact length in a video I watched. I selected 10, 15, and 20-mm standoffs and similar studs, but I'm still unsure if they're the right ones. It's unfortunate that the telescope was designed for a DSLR, but I can see why. It's great for viewing objects visually, but Newtonian scopes can also capture amazing shots. Modifying it for a cheap DSLR seems like a worthwhile investment if you have one lying around. I saw a UA-cam video of someone who modified their 130slt with a cheap DSLR camera and took amazing photos of Andromeda. I've wanted to try it myself but haven't had the chance because I've been so busy. Anyway, sorry for rambling; I was outside with an SCT capturing images of an elliptical binary star, "SV CAM," after having some Red Bulls and coffee. I just can't stop talking now. Thanks, and clear skies!
Thank you for your detailed presentation. Well done.
Nice., Just subscribed. Ya know, if you have a long x2 Barlow, you can unscrew the hollow tube and use what is left, giving you a x1.5 Barlow. That worked with my Orion Observer 134mm Newtonian. Ultimately, I bought an Orion Space Probe 130mm Newtonian, which has two spacers on the focuser and you can remove one to attain focus if you need to.
Chris, Finally I have found just what I've been looking for! Great Mod! I'm new at this stuff, however your video is worth watching, appreciate you sharing this information. Do you have an email address where we can submit any questions?
You may submit any questions in any of my videos comment section. I do check them.
Thank you for this video! Will try ASAP
Thanks for your videos. U haven't post anything else about this celestron nexstar 130 slt
Not for a while, what might you suggest for a video about it that you would like to see?
Thanks! Brilliant mod!
Nice tutorial. I get a celestron nexstar 130 stl last week and it's a pain in the.. for astrophotography. Will try it.
Hi,
Same here...
Did you mod it ?
I saw that the mirrorless cameras can prime focus directly without mod.
Looks like some Sony are really decent on long exposure as well but I haven't tried for myself.
@@art83z I did but I discovered that I can't focus any planet, just the moon, for normal observation, so you have to use a barlow. Haven't try with that camera I'm using a Canon 550D.
@@Paroxistico thanks, is it ok with the barlow?
I guees I'll do it and see...I can revert this change.
@@art83z if u don't wanna mess with that mod taking off or on everytime you use the telescope u need the Barlow. You may lose some brightness but it's OK and you have both options at the same time 👍
@@Paroxistico thanks 😊.
Clear skies
Great Mod! I can’t seem to find the standoffs on the website, do you know where else I could get the part?
Congratulations! I'm sure you're happy that modification got you closer to where you want to be. And it doesn't have to be a permanent modification. Put together kits with instructions and you'll sell... a few? ;)
Thanks, Yea it works great and the best part is its not permanent true that. I never thought about selling a package, I put it out there so folks could do it them selves and get more out of the scope. Keep looking up and enjoy the view from our Blue Marble.
Excellent mod and explanation sir. What is that focuser knob on your scope right side?
Also, did you have to take all thiae light, dark images I hear people doing then stacking them?.
I'm very new to this and if that's the case, can you explain the procedure you use to do it?
Thank you.
Also, both of my Nikon cameras focus perfectly in the 130slt.
One is a FF Nikon D610, and other is tine sensor Nikon 1 V2 with a crop factor of 2.7. So I'm thinking I don't need the mod?
What do you think?
The knob is a manual electronic focuser ( another video). Yes you should take at least the light flats for better stacked images. Unless your taking images from a lab clean room...lol
If all the cameras you will use focus there is no need to do the MOD. My Canon i started with did not focus so i figured out this mod.
Great video Chris, I'm thinking of cutting the heads off three m5 x 50mm bolts and using them to replace the existing studs, rather than buying couplings and studs. I can then install a couple of friction nuts on each stud to adjust the desired gap. What I was hoping you might know is how difficult it is to remove the old studs? Again fantastic insight.
I did not try to remove the studs and can't remember how they are mounted on the backing ring.
Some of the studs are glued in place. You can remove them with solvent or heat. Heat the studs and as your doing that carefully try and unscrew the studs. Hopefully it will work out for you
Thanks for the tutorial very very awesome I love it I got a 20 mm standoff and 30 mm studs the only thing is that I might need to get is finishing washers one size down I put some on that are a tad bit too big but they work and I'm very happy thank you for the content brotendo. 😁
I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I followed your directions but can only focus so far. Don't think I could focus on the moon. Do you know if colmination can effect that. I am a little off. Thanks for a very helpful video
What camera are you using? What was the length of the spacers? Out of culmination might make it look a little out of focus. Is the focuser racked all the way inward? If so have you tried to see if using a barlow allows you to find focus, If so then you did not move the morrow far enough forward.
hello
my 130 slt focuser is very wobbly when connected to dslr is there any solution
I have a question, I got a camera, neximage 10 I have a 130 SLT, but I have a problem when I use te camera on it, I can’t get a well focus, looks blurry, the problem is on the focuser it can’t get more close to the secondary mirror, this mod can help with mi problem, I can still using barlow lens 3X?
Yes it will allow focus without the batlow. I know you can still use a 2x after the modifacatiin but have never tried a 3x, so i do not know if a 3x barlow will still provide good focus.
Thank you 😊.
I got the SLT 130 one week ago and will do this mod (although I was trying to buy a Sony A5000 used...in that case the prime focus can be achieved without mod)
The only thing that I was thinking off is to have the standoffs 15mm instead of 20.
I tried the prime focus with my nikon and basically with the 2inch adapter I cannot prime focus for les than a centimeter :(
If I remove all t rings and get the sensor directly it will prime focus...but there's nothing left to hold the camera 😋😋
I'll also have to cut those double ends and take off 5mm.
What do you think ?
Or should I play safe and go for 20mm on the standoffs?
Thanks again...great job...
Clear skies from Albania (EU) ;)
That's cool about the Sony camera. But for the standoff question I'm not sure if you should go with a shorter one or not that entirely up to you. With my setup it still does not give me much room for error.
@@AstroPatio just finished the mod...
I left a couple of mm less (deeper) than what you did...
I noticed that the 9mm and 25mm eyepieces need the Barlow tube (without the barlow lens) but it's still fine....very usable indeed.
The 4mm eyepiece doesn't need the extension...it worked fine directly.
Thanks again and happy holidays.
@@art83z Yea a little give and take but I think its worth it just to be able to use my DSLR camera with out the Barlow to make it work.
Chris, I watched your video for the mod, I have just modified my Celestron nexstar 130slt just the same as you have. My question now is, once I mount my camera in the eye piece via the T ring, I'm using a Nikon D40 for imaging. Question, how do you focus on deep sky objects while looking in the camera finder and to obtain sharp focus? I can barely see the images in my camera finder. Especially the Orion neb. M42,- My scope is on line and properly aligned, so I know I'm on target, but I can't obtain sharp focus. Not enough like coming thru OTA to light up the camera finder view. Can you offer any pointers on how to obtain a sharp focus?
Find a bright star close to the object you want to focus on and use it to achive focus, then slew to the object you want to photograph. Also when you focus on the star a Bahtinov mask does help. Check out my video on the mask.
Hello! Thanks for the video. One question: Once you did that, it was possible to use the telescope just for observation directly through the oculars?
By oculars ( sorry big word for me) you mean eye piece yes it did not change much just might need an extenion tube for some of the eye peaces to focus correctly.
Absolutely fantastic Chris. Thank you for sharing this! Very informative. Glad you added parts to this as well.
I have two questions, how much "forward" distance did your mirror eliminate with this spacer mod.
Also, did you have to adjust the secondary mirror at the eye piece?
Happy 4th!
The spacers moved the Prime mirror 13/16 of an inch forward, which gave me about a total of 1/16 of an inch to focus with before the focuser was completely in the down position. No i did not move the secondary mirror. I figured it need to stay in the center of the eyepiece.
Hey, do you have any idea what size screws I'd need to do this to a Orion Starblast 6? I cannot find out what screws I need
Hello Chris, one more question - while imaging DSO objects with DSLR, after shooting let's say, 80 to 100 light frames, what about the Dark, Bias and flats? My DSLR, Nikon D40 is what I'm using for now until I purchase astro camera. I understand how to shoot the frames and what not, but how do I shoot the Bias and flats and dark while the camera is mounted and remains pointed at DSO object? What shutter speeds do I set my camera. The camera will not work on auto while the camera lens not mounted, The camera mounted on the OTA via T ring. Could you offer any advise or links that will explain this?
Thanks
The scope does not need to stay pointed at the object. Darks and bias need to be taken back to back at the same temeture as the lights so its better to do those right after the lights. For dark just put the telescope cover on maybe put a dark cloth over it just to make sure no stray light gets thru and shoot 30 to 60 frames at the same settings as the light frames. Then just take the shutter speed as fast as the camer can for the dias, same amount of frames. For the flats leave the camera attachsed in the same orintation and can be done in the morning if you dont have a evenly lit light sourse. I use a flat drawing pannel. For flats just point your scope to a point in the sky and put on a white cloth like a pillow case or tshirt. Make sure its pulled tight with no wrenkles use a rubberband. If you can see the histagram on your camera adjust the shutter till the high point of the histagram is close to center, take the same number of frames as the darks.
@@AstroPatio THANKS Chris!! Much appreciated. I joined the NHAC as of today. Hope you to meet you soon and others. I want to learn more about Astronomy and using my telescope. This is fun!!!
Hey man, a question; what is the purpose of you doing that step at 12:48?
I just want to make sure the double threaded piece is butted up against the bottom thread in the base tight so it won't untread from the collar when calamateing the scope.
very well explained.....thanks
Hi,
I have this telescope, but my camara is Sony a6100, do you if I have to do this mood? or should I let the telescope as it is?
I understand there are a few camera body's that can achieve prime focus, so try your camera first before doing the mod. Also remember you can undo the mod at any time.
nice video chris
i hope i can pull this mod off on my skywatcher. really do not want to chop it
!!!QUESTION!!! I happen to have a 3x barlow. Will that work without the modified telescope to achieve prime focus? Because it is 3x
Im not sure i know a 2x works you might need an extension outward to achive focus.
Good video bro, could you tell me wich barlow lens do you use in this video (link please)? i will like to use the barlow lens before the modification mirror. thx. pd: sorry for my english, i don't speak very well, i hope that you understand me.
This is the barlow I used in the video its the Celestron 1.25" Universal Barlow and T-Adapter a.co/d/14Ya9n6
@@AstroPatio Thanks!! i will buy it.
@@AstroPatio hello friend, i have another question and i hope that you help me. in the double end studs is necessary the separation of the short thread and large thread?, i only found double end studs without separation. thank you!
@@luisjagaravito5508 they should work fine
@@AstroPatio awesome! thank you
Hello I’m in the process of purchasing and building one of these myself I have a question if you actually got the extension adapter for your smaller pasal eyepieces? And what size you got.
Im just using a 2x standard barlow with the magnifer lense screwed off it works great with my possel eyepices.
@@AstroPatio thank you. I appreciate it. So much help on this video and great way to get started you have my support.
Did you have to use the second set of standoff round couplers? Will that allow more wiggle room in the focus department?
No i did not need to use the second standoff, yes it will give you more wiggle room for the camera but it effects the use of eyepieces. As it is with one standoff some of my eyepieces need an extension tube for further back focus to use.
I recently purchased the Celesteron nexstar 130slt as well as a canon eos 2000d for astrophotography. I used the same parts listed in the description and did the modification however, I am still not able to get it to be focused in prime. The only way I can get it focused is with a Barlow lens but I do not want to use that for larger objects such as the moon. Any idea how I can fix this?
Yea the Barlow does cut off to much. You are just using the canon t-ring screwed directly onto the t-ring threads of the eyepiece holder insert, nothing else between the camera and the scope? I’m not sure if the sensor is further back in the camera housing for that canon, I would suggest to put a nut on first on each threaded stud of the mirror plate screwed all the way down before adding the standoff spacer to bring it up just a little bit further, or a longer standoff.
Just messed around with the spacing a little today and I was able to get it to work now. Thank you for the video and your help.
@@Meuxo Great glad it worked out. Clear Skies.
So question does this affect the normal viewing of planets and such
No it does not change any thing about visual viewing thru the telescope of planets or our moon.
Does this have a negative effect on visual viewing?
It has no negative visual effect on what you see that I can notice. Just that some of your eyepieces might need a extension to be able to focus.
Does anyone have the link for the screws and washers because if I want order them off belmetric it’s 50 pound shipping since I’m from the uk
I had the same issue and couldn’t locate equivalent studs anywhere in the UK. So I tweaked the parts list using parts available from RS UK and it worked a treat, with the same scope 130 SLT. Kept the same stud and spacer lengths and threads, though my studs are threaded across the whole length (still works fine). This has brought my mirror inwards by about an inch, everything feels solid and I can now get prime focus with my DSLR.
Parts bought:
M5 x 20mm steel spacers
RS stock no 205-3072
M5 x 30mm zinc plated steel studs
RS stock no 175-6987
M5 x 50 steel screws (for locking collimation)
RS stock no 917-2820
M5 Rosette washers
RS stock no 664-5000
The washers above will do though I ended up mounting them upside down so that the curved bit went on top of the spacer, with the flat edge retaining the spring. Because they were a bit on the small side to use the other way round. This worked for me and the spring doesn’t slip off, though a slightly wider washer would be neater.
All in its still about £35 from RS but a lot better than the hefty delivery charge from the US.
Thanks to AstroPatio for the great video tutorial!
What about the springs what size did you use
I just reused the original springs.
@@AstroPatio thank you
You make great videos but may I suggest getting a wireless mic? Think your voice would be more clear
Yes I did get one I think after my 3rd or 4th video. Thanks for the feed back any suggestions are happily taken. Remember to look up and enjoy the view from our Blue Marble.
Will this work on my Orion Starseeker 130mm??? Please and thank you.
I do not know if it will or not. I have not seen how the primary mirror is mounted in that OTA.
@@AstroPatio it looks very similar to your scope
If it basically the same setup then I would image it will work. Just give it a try if you want too it should not mess up the scope unless you forced things and you can always take it back off. I have taken mine off and put it back on for trial and error before.
@@AstroPatio thanks
Nice video. Thanks
Has anyone converted the screw and coupling sizes to imperial measurements. I want to get them from my local hardware store so I don’t have to wait for them to ship
Im not sure if there is an exact match for Imperial size conversion for screws and nuts.
@@AstroPatio yeah your right. I went out and bought 10-24 screws and some studs in hopes of it fitting, it didn’t. I was able to find M5 metric locking screws and the #8 washers but the studs and couplings I had to order. Also I really enjoy your videos you are single handedly supplying all the information available for the nexstar 130. Keep it up!
You would have to remove the studs redrill the holes and retap them to imperial size
Is better to modify a mirrorless camera for h-alpha than modify that telescope. The mirrorless camera will reach prime focus without having to modify the telescope.
$$$$$$
what is the length of standoff plz tell
The stand offs are 20mm length.
@@AstroPatio thank you
what is the focal length now 620 mm ?
Actualy im not sure if it changed any with the movement of the Mirror. I think it only moved the focal point in the focuser.
@@AstroPatio ok thanks 😊
what is the length of the pieces?
The stand off is 20mm in length and the double threaded piece is 30mm.
@@AstroPatio thanks, i did , me falta probar
Does anyone have problems with this telescopio alignment and tracking?
Yes this scope does have issues, some time it does fine others not so much on alignment and tracking.
@@AstroPatio mine is like this, I've been researching some topics talking about a slack configuration.
Nope works perfect and tracks excellent, most likely you alignment procedures
Hi just want to be clear since I an new to this telescope. So the 130 SLT will track objects and they should not travel out of view?
Tks
Thank you for watching my video and clear skies.
come lo pulisci lo specchio
Interesting
I think I contracted parkinson’s just watching this!
But hey! This is real gutsy what you did here! Ive never seen anyone take out their main mirrors! Kudos
oops yea did not realize Parkinson was contagious. good one.
Chris Jones 😄 just kidding!
A COSA SERVONO QUESTE VITI
Utilizzare le viti e i distanziali insieme per spostare lo specchio in avanti nel tubo. Spostano il punto AF in avanti per consentire al punto AF di essere più indietro nel focheggiatore porta-occhi invece che nell'aborto.
@@AstroPatio quindi serve per stringere l immagine portando lo specchio in avanti per avere una risoluzione piu ampia quanti mm diventa in focale
yes
SERVE PER NON FARLO SCOLLIMARE DA DIETRO
Ecco un buon video sulla pulizia dello specchio. ua-cam.com/video/z-vys30LThs/v-deo.html
@@AstroPatio sembra un lavoro pericoloso meglio farlo fare a un esperto
L'ho fatto, sì, è spaventoso, non lasciar cadere gli specchi e prenditi il tuo tempo in modo da non commettere errori
Thanks for the vid. But ur severe hand shaking was putting on edge the whole time lol
Actualy its a ploy to get folks to watch for a longer time to see if I scratch my mirror...lol