I built a Double Barrel Telescope and it's ridiculous - hardware and software details
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2024
- My Patreon: / cuivlazygeek
Aliexpress cheap dual dovetail: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DEn...
Apertura CarbonStar with coma corrector: bit.ly/3W7ZFiA
SW Quattro 150P Budget Newt: bit.ly/3BABCxl
Proper dual dovetail: tinyurl.com/4rx8j435
Scope adjuster: tinyurl.com/3625nvuv
TOUPTEK IMX571 APS-C Cooled camera: tinyurl.com/mr2yhvcw
TOUPTEK IMX585 Cooled camera: tinyurl.com/4y9dz774
OGMA versions (use code CUIV on checkout for a small discount!): getogma.com/
ZWO 2600MC Duo: bit.ly/3Jti7KQ (HPS) or bit.ly/3M8IkPS (Agena) or tinyurl.com/2227k637 (FLO)
ZWO ASI585 MC Pro Camera: bit.ly/3Iwo6y8 (Agena) or bit.ly/4cp1Ofn (HPS) or tinyurl.com/43h2pbx9 (FLO)
USB to 12V cable: amzn.to/4b7VyY2
Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/49XTx01
Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG
High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R
First Light Optics Affiliate: tinyurl.com/yxd2jkr2
All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV
Astroshop.eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8
Dwarf 2 Smart Telescope: bit.ly/3SyChXua
Seestar S50: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx
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My equipment
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ZWO Seestar S50: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx
TOUPTEK IMX571 APS-C Cooled camera: tinyurl.com/mr2yhvcw
TOUPTEK IMX585 Cooled camera: tinyurl.com/4y9dz774
OGMA versions (use code CUIV on checkout for a small discount!): getogma.com/
SW Quattro 150P Budget Newt: bit.ly/3BABCxl
Backyard Universe upgrade kit: tinyurl.com/3juwm5sz
OCAL Collimator: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dmu... or s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dc6...
Askar V Modular Telescope: bit.ly/3Imoq2M
or bit.ly/3GLuyR8 or tinyurl.com/2h758bvt
ZWO AM5 Mount: bit.ly/3Qb5xVf or bit.ly/3JeVUkn
iOptron CEM70: bit.ly/431Ii2U (successor of my mount)
MiniGuideScope: bit.ly/3MyUJhn
Antlia ALP-T highspeed filter: bit.ly/42RBR2e
Celestron C6: bit.ly/3ocePVs
Hyperstar C6: starizona.com/products/hypers...
Mini Computer (newer version): amzn.to/49XTx01
AstroPC Pro: astro-gadget.net/gadgets/astr...
Flocking paper/Felt paper: amzn.to/3zASgvu or amzn.to/3m94zwa
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My Facebook page: / cuivlazygeek - Věda a technologie
This is exactly what astrophotography needed; added complexity! You may be in danger of becoming a diligent geek
Hahaha true!!
Shure!! I imagine how hard is to align telescopes and sincronize them!!
And the software has tens of parameters to choose and set!!
I have to call you out on this one Cuiv! This is NOT a lazy set up!! 😂😂😂😂😂 Looking forward to the journey 👍👍👍👍👍
Some are suggesting I should switch lazy for crazy!
Using a second telescope to halve imaging time or avoid changing filters or a second night of imaging are all fairly lazy things to do.
Efficiency is laziness's cousin
@@CuivTheLazyGeek mission accomplished. 👍😂
Brother,
Three things…
One: that double barrel set up is the business. Gives me some ideas. A lot of innovation for being “lazy”
Bee: carbon star has to be one of the coolest names for Astro gear ever.
Three: watching you use those steel pliers on that equipment makes my heart hurt.
Love your work brother.
Thanks man! And sorry about the pliers - those porrly designed saddles kind of had it coming, I had stopped caring by then :)
Frankenscope!! Double the pleasure double the fun. Can’t wait for the follow-up video. I love this unconventional approach!! Speaking of unconventional I just reprocessed some images by stacking in Siril but stretching, background extracting and denoising in Graxpert and you won’t believe the results. It is so fast and the image just has more detail. Also, the colors are better after unlinking the channels in Graxpert as we discussed before.
That sounds intriguing; do you have a vid or any documentation outlining this process? I'd love to give it a try on some old data with the new GraXpert version.
Check his channel www.youtube.com/@aaronwilliams3949
Awesome to hear! Well done!
That setup is utterly bonkers Cuiv I love it I look forward to seeing the first light.
Will come soon!
Next we need a 4 telescope setup with mono cameras, each with one of L, R, G, B filter :D
I'll let you take the lead on that :D
looks awesome ,only good things can come from this
You got that right!
Cuiv, congrats! And welcome to the duo club. I have an LX200R 10" and an ES ED127 in a tandem side by side configuration. Alignment of the scopes is indeed a problem. I reached out to Anthony at ADM and he advised using a TGAD for the ED127. Works very well..... Can't wait to see some photography from this mini-monster!
Geek par excellence, yes. Lazy no way! 😂😍Looking forward to your testing/results with this übergeek setup!
Coming soon! :)
Wow, what an awesome set up! Crossing fingers it will be flexure-free. It’s exciting you will double exposure time for each imaging session. We are looking forward to seeing the results!
Yeah the flexure will be interesting to see for sure!
Hey Cuiv! You have graduated yourself to Geek level 12! 😊Don't ask me how many levels there are, possibly a lot. What happens is, earlier geek levels can get too easy and boring, so what we do is, we increase the workload and the chance of failure and make things a lot more harder. And then suddenly we find ourselves home, when it feels like we are pushing our own limit of tolerance and patience with all the extra stuff to worry about. I have done similar, I actually do image with 2 rigs at the same time, but on different tripods. 2 Asiairs running, I got my tablet and my phone on a stand on my office table, both showing the Asiair screen with the subs, while gaming on my pc. My wife says it looks like I'm controlling a space ship. 😂
Hahaha yes, exactly! We get bored with our simple setups and can't help but complexify them! Enjoying controlling your spaceships ;)
I've always dreamed about a multi-telescope setup like this; if I ever get rich, this is exactly the kind of thing I'd set up rather than one larger mount, because taking multiple filters at the same time sounds really nice.
Well I hope you get rich (and me too, this hobby truly is too expensive!)
Thanks for all the great information(as always) and best of luck with the new setup. Clear Skies!!!
Thanks and clear skies!
Best thumbnail ever!!!
Thanks! I had a lot of fun with that one :D
Awesome stuff Cuiv !
I've been wanting to do this for a while but the adjustable ADM dual saddle mounts are crazy expensive. I can imagine you might get lucky enough to have the FOVs 90% overlapping but good luck getting the sharp diffraction spikes perfect. I can't wait to see the next video!! Maybe you'll push me over the edge!
I'm actually having the reverse issue: the FOV overlap is small, but the diffraction spikes are well synched :)
Very well explained how to sync two scopes!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Cuiv. You always seem to answer the questions that I can never find answers to! Keep up the good work!
Glad I could help!
Welcome to the double barreled newt gun club!!! I've been using a 130pds and 150 quattro in the same mount for the last year, and it rocks! LRGB has been the best use case for me. As others have said, the spider vanes don't need to be aligned.
No you are not insane! I am insane because I be am doing a 4 scope setup with 2 askar 135 and 2 askar 180! And it is because of you! You gave me a suggestion to buy my first set 3 years ago and I am hooked now :) thanks Cuiv! :)
Oh wow the bug but you hard and it's my fault and I love it!! Enjoy that four scopes setup!!
Very cool setup, Cuiv 😊
Glad you like it!
Crazy and fantastic, Cuiv! Can't wait for the sequel 😊❤️
Coming soon!
This is fantastic, and I'm looking forward to seeing your results with this crazy setup!!! I've been eyeing the Carbon Star as a future addition...lol
Coming soon! The CarbonStar is a good value overall!
I’m hoping to see bigger CarbonStars in the future. And I’m looking forward to Cuiv’s results as well!
Hey Cuiv...I had been thinking about that for a long time. It is especially useful when you find cost effective tools to solve the problems! And also how to set up software. So...thanks again.
My pleasure!
For once I'm ahead of your adventures Cuiv if only in my dreams. The SkyWatcher Wave 100i can hold two optic+camera payloads without recourse to addirional plates etc. Good luck sorting dual running and dither out.
The 100i should be great for dual fracs!
I use a PrimaLuceLab clamp that looks a lot like the two you are using here. Wouldn't surprise me if they are both made in the same factory. So I designed and 3D printed a wrench for getting some leverage on those knobs. I would be happy to share the model file or even send you one, though I would guess California to Japan could take a while.
I also have a lot of Vixen gear, including a nice mount that allows for adjustments in two axis. No idea if you can still buy those. Great for side by side work.
Thanks for the great videos!
Epic setup, cant wait to see the results.
Thank you! Will come soon!
Mad genius! Can't wait to see the resulting data!
Coming soon!
Soft tip adjustable pliers are the way to go for a little added torque when tightening / loosening assembly knobs w/o damaging the finish.
Thanks for the tip! You're right, and I'm sorry about the violence I displayed on the video, I decided I didn't get about those knobs on those honestly fairly poorly designed saddles!
After the non lazy double barrel setup would love to see some results with the images when it clears up.
This is one of the reasons I've delayed buying an SWG mount until after Sky Watcher release theirs. Apparently the 100i comes as standard with dual saddles to permit simultaneous use of two scopes. The main reason I want this is for solar imaging with a white light and a Ha scope. Do I think your set up is insane, Cuiv? No way, it makes perfect sense, I've read somewhere that some professional observatories use similar set ups. I seem to remember an article about this in the astronomy media sometime ago, some one had combined some identical telephoto lenses and cameras to create a very powerful wide field set up.
I look forward to seeing your images from this set up, I don't think you'll be disappointed but you may have a few problems to start with.
Clear Skies
True, having a dual saddle from the get go makes a lot of sense to me! And you're talking about the dragonfly array :) www.dragonflytelescope.org/
I make 3d printed spanners for tightening knobs, they give plenty of torque without damaging the knob. But they need to made for specific knobs so you can't really have one size for multiple mounts. Particularly useful when wearing gloves
That's a great idea!! For now, I decided I didn't get about those knobs on those honestly fairly poorly designed saddles!
flipping lovely lol. cant wait to see it running.
Thanks!
Making one of these setups. For the limited sky time it will open up the possibilities to experiment with different scopes. For instance while using my 90mm refractor I can throw my long focal length sct on and play. For the limited time under sky this could be a game changer... thanks!
Have fun!
Your are more insane then I am. I plan to run a dual array setup using the dual array version of Voyager. I was planning on using two 61mm scopes, but your setup is so much better, I just might adjust my plans to use two 150mm Newtonians. I can't wait to hear your opinion on how everything works out. 👍
Nice!! Two 61mm scopes sounds great too, and easier to align :)
Around the 13 minute mark is when I understood that I would not be trying this in the future 😂
Hahaha the software setup! It's actually pretty simple once set up!
You are one step away from having personal telescope array :) ... I wish I had the money :D
Hey two telescopes counts as an array! ;)
Can't wait to see this in action!
Coming soon!
This is so cool! Love your content Cuiv! I’ve also had my eye on that Newtonian for a while now and I’m very interested in your thoughts!
I’d also be very interested in your personal takes on why you went reflector instead of refractor for your prime setup!
I bought one a week ago but have only had enough clear weather to test collimation! Buy a scope, expect rain! The focuser was loose on arrival and one of the nuts had fall n off inside the tube. I had triangle stars at first so I had to loosen the mirror clips. I am going to use it with the Starizona Nexus .75 so this baby will be at f3.
My full review should be out next week! I went reflector because cheaper, faster, lighter, good focal length, can fix my own optical issues such as pinched optics or collimation easily :)
It will be interesting to see the results.
Coming soon!
I love the maniacal laugh at 8:24 . Having two of EVERYTHING is really key but coordinating the whole thing is the more difficult part. Well done you not-so-lazy Geek! Now... when will you add a third telescope (maybe on top?) to get extra SII... Ha, just kidding...
This setup reminds me of the Diamond Shotgun modem with dual 56k modems 😀 Hopefully you can get at least twice as many photons! I have seen people with this setup and had been very successfully with it so I wish you the best of luck! Man that new CarbonStar setup looks really nice! I hope it performs as well as it looks! Looking forward to the results of your "Shotgun Telescope" setup 🙂 Clear Skies!
Win86+ if I recall, I also ran dual modems to get maximum bandwidth, Ahhh I [don't] miss the happy sound of modems syncing -much
I was so jealous of that one friend who had that dual modem setup! Sigh... Aaaaah modems syncing....
Great setup!!!
Thanks!
Crazy timing with your videos! I just completed my double barrel (actually triple, potentially quadruple) setup. I use a stacked William Optics ZS 80ii ED with a ZS 66SD on top next to a Meade 8”SCT with a .33x reducer. Cameras are an IMX585 on the 80mm and IMX178 mono on the SCT. Image scales are well matched, so my plan is to capture luminance with the SCT and color data on the 80mm. The 66mm is used for guiding. I just need some happy weather to try it all out! Your videos have been a huge help over the last couple years as I’ve rejoined the hobby after about 15 years out.
Hey Cuiv, being a bit crazy is great for overall sanity…….really! Love your zest and energy. Don’t change!
Small crazy for big sanity gain? Sounds good to me!
Crazy ... YES ... but quite INTERESTING. I am anxious to see it in operation.
Cuiv the CRAZY Geek! And what better reason than just because you can 🤟🤟
It's the best reason :D
Thats 100% telescope per telescope!
~ -Cuiv- Cave Johnson
I wonder if he'll get the portals reference :)
I'd prefer turrets over telescopes then, as I'm sure GLaDOS would!
Totally insane Cuiv! But wonderfully insane. Just noticed you have the Oasis focused. I’m reviewing that same unit on my Celestron Edge HD 8” scope for my channel. So far I like it. I looking to acquire the Carbonstar scope as well. I read up on it and it seems like a well put together scope but we’ll have to see of coarse. Great work as usual.
Bon Soir Mon Ami,
Luis from NY
I've actually reviewed the Oasis focuser on the channel in the past! It's a great little focuser!
I must have missed that video. Got to go back and watch now. For a “lazy” geek you sure do quite a lot. I have mobility issues due to a bad back fusion and I’m trying to get back on track but I never had the energy you have not even when I was a teenager! My hats off to you sir!
All the best
Yesssssss 🙏 such a beautiful thing. I have been thinking of carbon fiber. Lighter and better thermal factors. Thanks so much Cuiv!
Looking forward to seeing how the alignment goes.
Hint: for now the alignment doesn't go :D
Living the dream, Cuiv.
And getting paid too!
If you don't want to align the spiders you just use the stars from only one scope
Good idea!
Nicely done Cuiv! I have done this but with 2x Stellamira 90mm Apo's and 2x ASI2600MM cameras (along with LRGBSHO filter wheels for both). We have so few clear skies here in Scotland that I wanted to double the data I could capture per night to make some progress with my images. I'm my case I use the PHD2 server and set the second NINA instance to guide in 'listening' mode so it simply monitors PHD2 and only starts a new frame when dithering has finished (which is controlled by the first NINA instance).
Oh very smart way to make this work, I didn't know you could have NINA guide in listening mode!
What a beast! How was the balancing? Is that even an issue with strain wave?
The WarpAstron WD-20 seems to not care one bit about balance! SWG mounts are awesome!
If you do away with the clamp on the tripod by bolting the cross bar directly to the mount, you remove a potential flexure point, and move the scopes slightly closer to the axis of rotation. I used a flat piece of alumi(i)um stock in place of a fancy dovetail bar.
Lots of unknown parameters to achieve proper imaging result! Good luck! 😁
now you just need to add hyperspectral imager and then you'll have a crazy dataset to build images from
Love it hopefully i can get something like that some day.
Fingers crossed you get there!
The Beaming look on your face Cuiv says more than the words. I enjoyed watching, Thanks ..! I was smiling because you were, it's contagious! Can you tell us more about the mirror{s} and their quality. The build quality is contrastingly different but are the mirrors similar? Is the price difference worth it?
The mirrors are effectively identical - if you value your time go with the CarbonStar, if you like learning through pain go for the Quattro :D But full review coming soon!
That's looking very good Quiv, looking forward to see the rest of the video's.
But I was wondering, don't you need to have the manual rotator on in both setups in NINA, to align the framing ?
I'm aligning the rotation visually based on the camera USB ports, it's enough!
What a crazy setup, a monster 😂😂😂
It's fun!
I have a new goal now! Gee thanks, my wife will be quiet pleased...HAHAHA.
Jokes aside, thats pretty awesome!
Itd be intersting, using the same OTAs, and compiling a stereoscopic image/video.
Though I suppose there probably wouldn't be enough separation to notice much depth.
Unfortunately because stars are so far away, the scopes are basically parallel to one another... To have a proper parallax effect you have to use the Earth's orbit and even that only works on the closest stars :) It's where the term parsec comes from
I had a similar thought and I've just finished building a three ota array with small refractors and monochrome cameras on a single mount. I'm looking forward to all the logistical problems heading my way!
Woohoo, congrats, and enjoy all the issues haha
@@CuivTheLazyGeek You too... I hope that the shim method works for alignment. The dedicated alt-az adaption plate aiming options are insanely priced. It seems like the most expensive part of astrophotography is buying all the little hunks of metal that slide into other hunks of metal.
You don't need to align the spider veins - just remove the stars from one of the stacks and use the stars from the other.
That works too, although even then the spike ghosts can remain around bright stars!
I was doing a similar setup but with Rokinon 135 lenses.
You're crazy! !! It looks great.
Thank you!
Good luck!
Thank you, I'll definitely need it!
Not crazy at all, Cuiv. You’re duplicating exposure time, and that is very valuable when you image from cities like ours. Fun video, as always.
Madder than a box of frogs! Back in about 1980 we had a pair of massive f/16 6" victorian triplets sharing a cast iron pillar and equatorial mount in a dome on Blackford Hill (Royal Observatory Edinburgh). As a nod to technological progress, we used electric motors instead of clockwork! 🤪 Plus ca change!
Oh wow! Those dual triplets must have been quite a sight! And electric motors, now THAT was at the bleeding edge!
This is cool! I want to make similar system: newton + refractor. I always wondered about synchronization.
JWST has 8 spikes. Looks great!
JWST has six spikes, because of the hexagonal mirrors. But I’m also curious about a hybrid dual system like you described. 🔭🔭
6 spikes indeed, although they do look cool :) Newton + frac sounds fun too, if you can similar focal lengths!
@@davidpeterson620 120mm Esprit with Starizona reducer F5.6 and Epsilon 130 F3. Esprit for RGB and Epsilon 130 for Lum. I think whole system will be about 35-40 Lb. I don’t know how to position scopes. Side-by-side or Epsilon on top of Esprit.
@@CuivTheLazyGeek 560mm and 430mm. Cameras could be the same. I didn’t make mind on this.
If you use pliers to tighten a knob like you do at about 4m 19s, use a rubber band between pliers and knob to reduce scratching. The secret is that rubber is virtually incompressible, so it will transport pressure.
Good point, you're absolutely right! I was getting tired of those poorly design Aliexpress saddles!
Cuiv, you are insane! But i love it!
People are suggesting I rename the channel to Cuiv the Crazy Geek :p
@@CuivTheLazyGeek that certainly wasn't a lazy video lol
Certifiable Cuiv!
Cuiv, great video as always, I was running two 135mm Rokinon with am5 and two asiair. I now went dual Redcat 51WIFD. Running the asiair means I get1.5 amount of data instead of double.I plan on moving to NINA. Clear skies.
To solve your difraction spike issue, you could always just use StarX on one of the sources. Or...remove stars from both scopes while imaging with the dual narrowband and then go back and shoot broadband stars on only one of the scopes.
Good point!
Cuiv, congratulations, this setup really rocks!!!
The Carbon Star i awesome!
I wasn’t able to find your review of the Carbon Star, could you please kindly point me to it?
Thank you!!
Will come next week!
This was a proper Cuiv video 😂! You don’t need to align the spikes if you shoot RGB stars with one scope only.
Good point on the stars!
this apertura looks amazing, is it a rebuilt GSO with carbon tube and new secondary mirror holder?
Apparently I'm told GSO have a very similar scope selling, so maybe it's indeed rebranded with some enhancements!
I've always wanted to this
It's fun :)
This is insane !
It kind of is :)
I'm assuming that you can achieve the same, or even better, results if you just had two rigs running side-by-side (with your AM5, for example). I sometimes do virtual dual-scope setup, especially with comets, which are often very limited in terms of amount of data you can capture before it sets (or the sun rises). Awesome dude.
That's very true! Although I gotta say when I had two rigs I felt I HAD to use them both and sometimes one had issues, it led to frustration and to astro burnout...
@@CuivTheLazyGeek very fair, and reasonable. There will likely be cases myself in the future where I would like to do the same, e.g., traveling internationally for eclipse or comet photography, in which case I'd want to minimize luggage, so I am very interested in the project itself. Looking forward to further updates, especially regarding collimation of the two scopes!
I'm curious if you'll get walking noise from the flexture on the skywatcher scope. That was very apparent on my images before I got an off axis guider, and the other scope is now basically a guide scope. Should be interesting but idk how feasible it would be, BUT maybe if you insulated the telescopes and kept them at the same temperature maybe that would help?
For now on my first light no walking noise, so fingers crossed!
Good thing I had my seatbelt on for this one!
Good call!
Cuiv the Crazy Geek. Sorry just had to go there!
It's not underserved....
I set up my double barrel system about a year ago and it works pretty well but I have two quite different scopes on mine. Yours is probably the best way to go for such setups if both telescopes and imaging trains are very similar, especially the focusers. I have two quite different focusers (ZWO EAF for the Skywatcher and 2" Esatto for the Meade 10") and they are quite different when it comes to how long it takes to do a focusing run so I found a lot of down time with the master waiting for the other scope to catch up with the synchronisation. With yours being similar setups, that shouldn't be so much of an issue. I use the Optec Libra Alt-Az dovetail so I could line the Skywatcher up with the Meade but my Skywatcher rig is quite heavy so you could use the one from ADM for instance as your rigs would be much lighter than mine. Will follow your progress on this with interest. Clear skies.
I didn't even know about the Optec one! But yeah more expensive than the ADM... I'll see if I can just not get it and still align the scope :)
I hope you keep using it. For the most part NINA’s synchronized dithering works. But I’m sure you will find tweaks to share. I have 2 SS15028 with the alt as adjuster from ADM. using the D series side by side. 10-12 hours of data a night !
First night was successful for sure! But yes I need the alt az adjuster, it's just so expensive!
@@CuivTheLazyGeekI would rotate you mount saddle so the the bolts are on top this way gravity seats the side by side saddle and then tighten the topside. I take mine on and off a lot so it makes it easier.also use a square to line of the vines on each scope and you won’t get more then 4 spikes.
Love the idea :) and that mount... it's calling me... One day, I'll have it :p
I have a maybe stupid question that has nothing to do with this: regarding Luminance / UV-IR Cut filters, do you know if there are differences between the different brands available? I am looking to buy a new one (I only have a 1.25" ZWO filter for my current tiny camera, and wanted to get a 2" in anticipation for a future 2600MC standard or duo camera)
I'm not sure about differences, but I can say the SVBony UV/IR cut filter is cheap and works well (and has good transmittance, as measured by spectrometer)
Cuiv, I've been following your videos quite closely. I'm curious to know. Do you prefer the over the Carbon Star over the Quattro? Thank you!
Right NOW, because of all the insane work I did on the Quattro and all the third party accessories I added to it, I prefer the Quattro (simply because of the primary mirror mask I installed on it). But I just designed and 3D printed my own primary mirror mask for the CarbonStar so that's going to change :)
As a method of complicating an already difficult subject this must be the best🤣🤣.
For sure :D
Double telescope setups are great! I am also already planning another telescope that runs at similar focal length like my beloved 70/420 Apo. In that sense I am thinking about the Askar 103 Apo with the 0.6x reducer. This gives also 420mm FL at f4. 😁 Not sure I would run it on my CEM40 or the Umi17 or one mount per scope. The double telescope setup on one mount would be my favorite because then I can run my second mount with a third telescope on a different target. 😇 Somehow I need to maximise the low number of clear nights insight the European-Cloud-Kitchen. 🤤
Sounds like a great scope! But yeah, the CEM40 is out of the question for dual scope, the Umi17 might work?
The use of bare pliers made me cringe. lol Perhaps consider using Locktite on threads. It protects and prevents them loosening. A thin piece of rubber over the knob before using pliers can prevent damage. Fun video. You are a master tinkerer.
Sorry about that, I decided I didn't get about those knobs on those honestly fairly poorly designed saddles!
It’s not the quad rasa and it’s still insane and I’m always here for it 😂.
I did that last year with the TS-Optics 94EDPH and the ASI2600MC pro and the TS-Optivs 61EDPH II with the ASI183MC pro. Bot scopes and cameras match with a very similar field of view at the end, but I had trouble aligning both telescopes. I ended up with only a little overlap. I used two ASIAirs without sync to do my testing, so I lost some images due to the dithering of one scope. But it was only a test. I'm curious how you align your telescopes that have an even narrower field of view and how your results look like.
Yep the alignment is proving... tricky for now!
Since you are guiding through one of the imaging scopes like an OAG do you stop guiding when that scope does an auto-focus? If so doesn't that affect the quality of the other scope`s data? Or do you sync the autofocus runs?
Yes, better to stop guiding during AF!
This is great and something I've considered doing with two 8" newtonians and 533 cameras recently. I have dark skies, so really it would be for gathering LOTS of luminance quickly. Btw, side note, do you notice any issues with stray light and the spider vane being anodised red on the Apertura scope?
Just my opinion, but having a platform that can be modified and upgraded is a worthy cost to lower the barrier of entry. While yes, the 150 Quattro to get the most out of it does require after market parts (I've personally modified one and my own 8" newtonian) it does mean that it is more accessible for more people. The most frequent reply when people ask me what telescope I use is that they cannot afford one - I use a 200P, even cheaper than the 200PDS, so a $1K telescopes is definitely out of budget.
A $600 newt isn't going to be the same as a $1K newt, it never was trying to be. The extra money you pay is mostly in time savings and if you have the extra $400 initially, not everyone does as a lot of people who say they cannot afford the scopes are young adults. Do bear this in mind when being critical. Some things are definitely hobby killers or unnecessarily badly designed, but others allow access - just like the 72ED doublet refractors do. So yeah, Skywatcher definitely need to overhaul their newts in general, they aren't following the trend of releasing $10K refractors and excessive (borderline unnecessary) features that you pay a premium on and have no other options.
If we want more people to enjoy astro, then the barrier of entry needs to be reduced. Not just in difficulty, but the biggest factor.. cost.
I realize you have to use 2 instances. But it would be great if the master instance could show the imaging page. The way it does for phd2. What I usually have to do is resize (small) each window to see both instances at the same time. I hope you continue to use the side by side. I could never go back. lol. This way real improvements can be made in NiNA. I’m just told it doesn’t do that. lol.
Very cool! Wouldnt it be easier to
Use smaller Refraktors instead of Reflektors? But Great idea!!
Refractors would definitely be easier! But hey, this is fun too!
I'm also mounting with two telescopes but different aproach. Using different df to get images of different details.
From lazy to insane. I like the change 😀😀
Hehehe, sometimes insanity is good :)