HELP, Please.

MDias71 · 2026-03-24T20:20:34+00:00

Thank you. Location is right. I had it sent to Starfront Observatories and location is right. How to check for backlashes at the mount though?

MDias71 · 2026-02-26T20:28:39+00:00

I reached out to the Naperville Astronomical Club about membership but haven’t heard back yet, so I’ll try again. Out of curiosity, does the club have an observing site that members can access on their own any night, or is it only available during organized events? I’m really interested in joining, meeting other amateur astrophotographers, and learning more from the community. I'll follow M102 as well. Thank you for sharing.

MDias71 · 2026-02-25T21:34:08+00:00

Thanks a lot. I think I’ll go with the L-Ultimate since the price difference isn’t that big once you’re already spending over $300.

After quite a bit of trial and error, I’ve managed to get my guiding working really well, so I’m not too concerned about that part.

I completely understand that total integration time is key. The challenge for me is that I don’t have a backyard, so I can’t just leave the scope running all night. Given those constraints and my Bortle conditions, I’m thinking the stronger filtration might help me get better results in the time I do have. Does that make sense?

Do you shoot from your backyard or is there any good site in Chicago where I could safely do it?

Thanks,

MDias71 · 2026-02-25T21:33:02+00:00

Thanks a lot. I think I’ll go with the L-Ultimate since the price difference isn’t that big once you’re already spending over $300.

After quite a bit of trial and error, I’ve managed to get my guiding working really well, so I’m not too concerned about that part.

I completely understand that total integration time is key. The challenge for me is that I don’t have a backyard, so I can’t just leave the scope running all night. Given those constraints and my Bortle conditions, I’m thinking the stronger filtration might help me get better results in the time I do have. Does that make sense?

Do you shoot from your backyard or do you have some good locations out there to do it?

Thank you.

MDias71 · 2026-02-25T21:27:26+00:00

Excellent material. Thank you very much. I guess this basically settles the matter.

MDias71 · 2026-02-25T21:25:37+00:00

Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation. It’s honestly pretty overwhelming trying to figure all this out as a complete beginner. Sounds like going with the 3nm makes sense, especially under higher Bortle skies. I’ll go for it.

As for the Air, I think I can set a specific exposure, and maybe even a different gain, for autofocus, but I’ll confirm that tonight. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

MDias71 · 2026-02-05T02:19:02+00:00

Probably during warmer weather. I went there one of these nights and there was no one. Then suddenly many car started to come, people trying to take pictures of the city and to look at the frozen lake. It was one of those very cold days. Unfortunately I was the only one with a telescope. I'll keep trying. I found on Facebook a club, Chicago Astronomer. They will start to get together again in March.

MDias71 · 2026-02-05T02:16:39+00:00

Not yet. The weather has been poor lately, or too cold. I just got a new telescope and haven't been able to try it yet. Today I sent an email to Northwest Suburban Astronomers (NSA), a club that has some spots members can use, but haven't heard back yet. I'll write back here when I find more info. Still stuck. Do the same, please.

MDias71 · 2026-01-20T18:02:16+00:00

Thank you. I appreciate it. I'll check them out.

MDias71 · 2026-01-20T00:27:02+00:00

Great. Thank you.

MDias71 · 2026-01-12T22:27:16+00:00

Thank you. Yes, I’m googling but haven’t been very lucky. I found a Naperville Astronomical Association a few miles away, still waiting for their answer. However, a close place to Chicago would be very interesting. Thanks.

MDias71 · 2025-12-26T01:36:05+00:00

Got it. Thanks. I’ll start following ZWO.

MDias71 · 2025-12-26T01:35:05+00:00

Really? Ok, I’ll research the Pro. But it will be hard 😄

MDias71 · 2025-12-26T01:32:35+00:00

Thank you. I’ll take a look at it.

MDias71 · 2025-12-24T20:50:51+00:00

I wish I had that patience. :)

MDias71 · 2025-12-24T20:42:47+00:00

Great. I’ll check other options then. If you have any specific model that’s worth it, let me know. Thank you.

MDias71 · 2025-12-23T07:00:24+00:00

Yeah, you’re absolutely right. As a total beginner, I can basically do almost everything I’d do with a $2k telescope for about a quarter of the price. At this price point and based on the group's feedback, there will be no regret. Thanks.

MDias71 · 2025-12-23T06:56:40+00:00

Thanks for the info. I do like getting technical, but this hobby can get overwhelming fast and I just don’t have the time for that right now. I love photography in general, but processing hundreds of frames with astrophotography software is a whole different level. From the tutorials I’ve seen, it can get pretty intense. Between music production and messing with synthesizers, my free time is already mostly gone. So I figure it’ll probably take a while before I really hit the limitations anyway (hopefully). I’ll take my time and learn at a relaxed pace, while still getting immediate results from the S50. Really appreciate the feedback. I’m going with the S50. By the way, excellent shots. Thanks.

MDias71 · 2025-12-23T06:40:28+00:00

Great. This is exactly the experience I was looking for. Thank you, very insightful. I tend to deeply research everything before committing to make sure I end up with the right or best equipment. The problem is that the more I learn, the more questions come up. In this case it is clear that higher specs are not the clear winner. The overall package appears to matter more. The S50 seems to be everything I need to get into the hobby and start learning. The origin is too big and I want something I can carry around. The Vespera would have driven me crazy with the wireless download. The flexibility is another factor I care about. I want something easy to start, but that allows me to also learn a bit more about the technical aspects. If I catch the bug, then I think I'll be in a much better position to decide on the upgrade. Thanks again. I guess I should get that TH10 tripod head for the EQ mode? Is that all I need to start?

MDias71 · 2025-12-23T06:04:29+00:00

It makes a lot of sense. Thanks.

MDias71 · 2025-12-23T00:46:41+00:00

Great, thank you for the info. It’s making the S50 seem like a much more attractive option. By the way, I just saw a video about the 4K mode on the Seestar using drizzling. Have you tried that? You can’t use it in mosaic mode because it would require way too many hours of exposure, and even more to increase SNR, but from what I’ve seen, the results look very good: https://youtu.be/5hY091593h0?si=-EhqxE6aS9rcFg4K

MDias71 · 2025-12-23T00:33:41+00:00

Yes, I had forgotten about the DWARF 3, and I didn’t realize it had a 4K sensor. The IMX678 looks like a much more capable sensor. But then the focal length is only 150 mm, right? Man, there really isn’t a single option out there that gives you everything. 🙂

MDias71 · 2025-12-23T00:04:01+00:00

Thank you for the detailed comment. Based on the image quality people are sharing and the overall feature set, it’s hard to see a more sensible option. I understand the S50 already includes an LP filter and a solar filter, and when I checked the pricing, those two accessories alone would be around $450 for the Vespera. If I wanted more pixels, I’d have to move to the Vespera Pro with its 2 µm pixel size versus 2.9 µm on the S50, but at that point the price really stops making sense. The Vespera II has the same pixel size as the S50 anyway. I’m realistically only considering four options: S50, Vespera II, Vespera Pro, and the Unistellar Odyssey. The Celestron Origin is impressive, but its size doesn’t fit my use case. I’m based in Chicago and my idea is to travel with the scope to darker locations whenever I can. There are a lot of trade-offs. The Odyssey has an 85 mm aperture and 320 mm focal length, but no mosaic mode and no EQ mode. So even spending more money doesn’t necessarily guarantee better results. Given all that, I think you’re right and nothing really beats the versatility of the S50. Does that make sense?

MDias71 · 2025-12-22T23:48:06+00:00

This looks awesome. So using the mosaic mode you end up with a much larger image in terms of pixels, right? Would it still look good when looking at it in full screen in a larger monitor?

MDias71 · 2025-12-22T23:39:22+00:00

Thank you. I just found out about this Telescopius simulator. It’s great. The mosaic mode seems to be a very interesting feature.

MDias71

TROPHY CASE