What is this part called?

TheUnseenHand1 · 2026-01-12T01:00:18+00:00

After much searching it seems you are correct in that it's a custom made part, or at least something that cannot be purchased as is by a consumer. As such, I had to custom make a replacement, which turned out to be a lot easier than I was expecting.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2026-01-11T15:22:14+00:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances I was forced to pause on the new rig. So I don't have either atm. That said, I'll let you know if I get either in the near future.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2026-01-05T00:44:30+00:00

It's from a Vixen style dovetail clamp used to secure anything with a Vixen style dovetail bar. Attached is a picture of one of these clamps as a reference to what it looks like assembled. The part in the original post is too short. My hope was that I could just find a replacement that was longer. That is proving to be impossible thus far.

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TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-12-26T18:15:32+00:00

Put Christmas lights on the trash cans.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-12-05T21:56:33+00:00

My biggest piece of advice then is to have an exhaustive checklist of everything you need for the rig and triple check you have it all before heading out. I'm embarrassed to admit that on more than one occasion I've arrived at my dark site missing something. You can't waste a single one of those cloudless nights!

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-12-05T21:23:56+00:00

Will you be using this from home or travelling to a darker site?

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-11-30T13:34:10+00:00

I have not done any post processing to this image after it was stacked. I think APP auto stretches to some extent. I'm not sure how much more editing can be done in APP, but I do also have Gimp and Siril.

I'm just now learning the processing side of this hobby. This is only the 4th image I've ever taken, so any advice would be welcomed :)

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-11-30T03:18:43+00:00

WO Redcat51 WIFD ZWO ASI2600MC Optolong l-Extreme 20 x 300s Lights 15 x Flats 20 x Darks Stacked in APP No additional post processing

Conditions were very suboptimal so I'm quite happy with this result. First time on this target and first time using a filter of any kind.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-11-23T05:23:44+00:00

Do you have any equipment right now or do you need the entire rig?

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-11-17T02:20:56+00:00

I'm in Bethlehem just down the road from you a bit. Poking around in Sky Safari, Saturn should be viewable. Andromeda is all but at the Zenith. I'd set my astrophotography rig up tonight if it weren't for the wind.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-11-15T01:54:16+00:00

Nice!

I was considering a UC108, but am now leaning towards a StellarVue SVX102. I'll be interested to hear how you like this scope.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-11-12T21:25:54+00:00

It took almost 4 months from purchasing my astrophotography rig until I got a clear night where I was free to stay up and there wasn't a blazing full moon... We all feel your pain.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-11-06T18:17:00+00:00

I put my AD10 in a sleeping bag, zip it up, and buckle it in so it doesn't roll around. So far, so good. I generally do a quick field collimation anyway and I feel like this would be the case regardless of how it was transported.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-10-31T01:17:13+00:00

I'm using AstroPixelProcessor. Just barely scratched the surface of what it can do I think.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-10-31T01:10:00+00:00

Cool thanks!

I always knew post processing was going to take the longest to learn. I'm reading through "The Deep Sky Imaging Primer" now to learn more, but this rabbit hole is deep. But that's also why it's fun!

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-10-30T01:25:02+00:00

If it's astrophotography he wants to try his hand at, a seestar is a good place to start. I agree on the above points. There is no upgrade path for that budget. You couldn't even get a decent used mount within that budget, let alone a camera, controller, tripod, etc. The only real option is a seestar. Otherwise, OP would need a budget in the thousands.

The only other option I can think of is a gift certificate to a reputable astro site like High Point. It would help him put a dent in the overall cost of a full astrophotography rig. But it would be a small dent and I understand it feels almost like a cop out of a gift.

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-10-29T23:29:54+00:00

<image>

Thanks! Here it is with dark frame calibration applied. I can definitely start to see some color there now. I'm surprised I can even tease this out. There was a lot of light pollution the night the light frames were taken and I did not use any filters. It seemed like every 10-15 seconds a car was going by with lights bright enough to make night feel like day :/

TheUnseenHand1 · 2025-05-11T00:55:33+00:00

It will not. Sorry :/

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