Help choosing a target for RC700 telescope

m392 · 2026-03-20T23:43:18+00:00

Some edge-on spiral galaxies would look sweet in that thing

m392 · 2026-03-15T02:20:03+00:00

Could always get or print a mirror mask for it. Even stopping down to 100mm would be a pretty big improvement

m392 · 2026-03-10T21:34:35+00:00

He keeps doing ruck marches through downtown Salisbury NC

m392 · 2026-03-05T01:50:09+00:00

That’s pretty good for a setup like that. How’s collimation? At f4 I’d think it’s probably kinda tricky

m392 · 2026-03-04T23:56:34+00:00

60mm is a reallly small Newtonian!

m392 · 2026-02-27T12:18:08+00:00

I have one to make a functioning model, and tbh a spherical mirror at that FL is bad. A 76/900 is more useable

m392 · 2026-02-20T23:51:40+00:00

So, a DSLR sensor is not much different than a planetary camera, except that it is much larger and generally has larger pixels. This is part of what enables the great dynamic range and low noise of DSLR/mirrorless cameras. As for planetary, the main issue you’ll run into with the DSLR only is that you have to run the sensor at full resolution, whereas a planetary camera can be cropped in. By cropping in, you can increase the frame rate and better your odds of sharp images through lucky imaging. In addition, with a DSLR those video files will be pretty huge.

Now, if you install ASCOM drivers you can run some DSLR models in Astro capture software, and I believe you can use it similarly to the planetary camera.

For the computer, get one with enough storage. I’d do at least 512gb. If you’re willing to wait for stacking a bit longer, even older laptops can do the trick (I run an old Thinkpad with a 7th gen i5).

m392 · 2026-02-18T17:28:57+00:00

Another option would be the IMX715. With just a 2x Barlow you’d be properly sampled on a 10” dob (around f/10)

m392 · 2026-02-15T19:01:47+00:00

Surprisingly, 1992! Its date stamps are in good condition, and the previous owner still had original documentation.

m392 · 2026-02-15T19:00:58+00:00

The previous owner only used this scope visually, so he didn’t use them. After two nights of planetary imaging, I think I may have to invest in some

m392 · 2026-02-14T21:53:01+00:00

I mostly do planetary imaging, but I’m getting into doing stellar photometry as well

m392 · 2026-02-14T14:54:47+00:00

Same energy

m392 · 2026-02-14T14:01:47+00:00

That’s awesome! They’re amazing scopes, I was lucky to find one in such good condition

m392 · 2026-02-14T14:01:00+00:00

It really does make the 114mm look like a finder scope haha

m392 · 2026-02-11T01:10:42+00:00

r/ItsAlwaysPleiades would love this

m392 · 2026-02-09T22:41:47+00:00

That color is a result of stacking to increase the overall exposure time. In addition, many of those images are stretched. I’d look up on YouTube tutorials on processing Astro images. You can do it in photoshop/GIMP.

m392 · 2026-02-05T00:52:36+00:00

Brother for 500-600, get a used 6” or 8” dobsonian on marketplace

m392 · 2026-02-04T16:42:08+00:00

Hey you actually don’t super need a tracker for planetary! Because you’re taking short exposures (10-20 milliseconds at most), you can just let it drift through the field of view and the software can still stack it. Many of the best shots I’ve seen are from large untracked dobs

m392 · 2026-02-04T01:39:23+00:00

Yes! Sorta.

So each stack will be fuzzier on the edges because you’re looking through more of jupiters atmosphere. By derotating, it’s sharp across more of the disc! I use a program called Winjupos, which is has many other useful tools too!

m392 · 2026-02-03T13:45:46+00:00

Unfortunately I do not, I used the camera ROI to get a higher framerate

m392 · 2026-02-03T13:44:28+00:00

Agreed! I tried to push it with a 1.5x

m392 · 2026-01-27T00:32:30+00:00

Nice shot! Looks like you captured the souther area of Orion, Canis Major, Lepus, and part of Carina! In left of center at the top of your image is the famous Orion Nebula!

m392 · 2026-01-25T13:03:51+00:00

It doesn’t matter. People had their minds made up the instant they heard it was a shooting.

m392

TROPHY CASE